IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR LAPPING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1870

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LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting En-
gineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR LAPPING
COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS." A communication from
abroad by Richard Kitson, of Lowell, Massachusetts, United States.
of America.
Scaled the 5th July 1870, and dated the 19th May 1870.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 19th May 1870, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES FOR LAPPING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators,.

page_text: and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made
solemn Declaration that it has been communicated to me from abroad
by Richard Kitson, of Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing
forming a part of this Specification :—
This Invention relates to certain improvements in lappers which are
designed for use on cotton pickers, scutchers, openers, willows, and
other like machines employed for clearing and preparing cotton, wool,
or other fibrous substances, and for forming it into a lap or con-
tinuous bat or for doubling two or more of such laps together.
The said Invention has for its object to liberate and remove a greater
amount of seeds, dirt, sand, and other foreign matter from cotton or
other fibrous substance than has heretofore been accomplished, and at
the same time to economize in space, power, cost of labour, and machinery,
while obtaining a better performance of the cleaning, preparing, and
the doubling or mixing process.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 2 an end view of my
improved machine; Figure 3 is a section of an improved wire screen
cylinder forming part of the said Invention.
'
In the said Invention the lower portion of the machine is substantially
similar to some of the well known cotton lappers now in use, and which
are provided each with a feed apron A, feed rolls B, a beater C, two
screen cylinders D, E, and a trunk or spout K leading from the beater
to the screens, as also a fan F for drawing dust from the cotton, and
blowing it out of the room. In some instances two beaters have been
operated under one cover or bonnet, the upper beater discharging its
cotton and all seeds and foreign matter directly upon the top of the
lower beater, which greatly retards its action and hinders. the opening.
and cleaning process..

page_text: According to my present improvements I provide a separate seed
chamber G, a rack f, and a separate and independent delivery spout or
trunk H for the upper beater C³, such parts or elements being con-
structed, combined, and arranged substantially as shown in the Drawing.
I also provide peculiar wire screen cylinders, the wires of which are
soldered together at their crossings and at the butting ends of the
screen which forms the openwork surfaced cylinders. The lower trunk
or spout and also the space R above the upper one may be larger or
smaller, or as shown in section in Figure 1, and in either caso the upper
trunk H should be hinged to the upper side or covering of the lower one,
say, at g, and this allows the said upper spout to be thrown up as shown
in dotted lines or back upon the bonnet of the upper screen cylinder,
thereby giving room or space for raising the hinged bonnet 7 of the
lower beater. The opened cotton from each beater is forced or blown
through its connected trunk H and K to and against. the openwork
surface of the revolving screen cylinders D and E, and passes between
them as they revolve in oposite directions, and deliver the doubled lap
or bat to any suitable rolls or feed for further working or for removal.
The distance between the junction 4 of either trunk or spout and the
surface of the screen cylinders is not very important provided the velocity
of the beaters, the blast, and the draught of air is proportionate to the
distance, so that the cotton is blown or carried forcibly against the
screens, and the even and uniform lodgment of cotton upon the screen
.surfaces is insured.
In order to thoroughly mix several grades or kinds of cotton and to
obtain the desired result of straightening the staple, the system: of
doubling from three to six laps on one apron and running them słowly
between feed rolls to a rapidly rotating beater has been found to be a
very successful mode of operating. The greater the number of laps
doubled together. the more successful the operation and the more
favorable the result.
In the use of the ordinary cotton lapper not more than six laps can
be doubled and their mixed contents thrown directly against the screen
cylinders in the cotton lapper, which has an upper and a lower beater
both operating under one bonnet and no upper rack and no separate
delivery spout, the cotton is injured rather than benefitted, as the dirt
and seeds from the upper beater are thrown upon the lower one, and
mixed with its cleaned cotton and thrown off with it to the screon

page_text: cylinders, and the cotton which has been opened by the upper beater is
thrown upon the lower one, and is rolled or knocked into bunches
rather than opened, since there no feed rolls between the two beaters
to hold the cotton for the second operation by the lower beater.
By the use of these improvements I am enabled to double as many
as twelve laps, and deposit the whole of their mixed contents directly
against the screen cylinders, besides liberating the seeds and dirt, and
cleaning the cotton in a very superior manner. The soldered wire screen
cylinders have more open surface for the free passage of dust, dirt, and
refuse matter through their meshes, and less resisting surface than the
common perforated sheet metal screens, and such soldered wire screen
cylinders possess the same or greater advantages of stiffness and strength
than are found in the perforated sheet metal screens, and require no
more ribs or braces to keep them in cylindrical form. These soldered
wire screen cylinders can be made considerably cheaper than those
covered with perforated sheet metal, and in almost every other respect
the former are preferable to the latter, being quite as durable and
not liable to get torn from one perforation to another, since. the
soldered wires are tougher and stronger than the zinc which is commonly
used for perforated screen cylinders. The extreme limit and utmost
capacity of any of the well known lap doubling machines is only one
half the capacity of my improved cotton lapper, which occupies only
about one half the floor space of the common two beater machine of
one half the doubling and mixing capacity. In addition to the economy
in room or floor space this Invention has the advantages of simplifying
the machinery and reducing the number of parts by making one draught
fan H and one pair of screen cylinders do the work for both the upper
and the lower beaters, I therefore reduce the cost of the machine and of
labour or attendance, which is still further reduced by the arrangement
,of the feed apron so that one person can easily attend to the ordinary
feeding of cotton upon the two aprons, and in doubling and mixing
one person can attend to as many as four or more of my improved
machines.
A further advantage is gained in mixing or in doubling the laps of
cotton or wool on my improved machine, namely, by doubling, say, six
laps of black or blue colored cotton or wool on the lower apron and six
or less laps of white cotton on the upper apron and by working and
blowing both the white and the colored cotton against the screen

page_text: cylinders either in a mixed condition or with the white cotton laid upon
the colored and passed between the screens, and further worked or fully
finished in the same relative position. Such a doubled lap of cotton or
wool will produce a very peculiar mixture in the fabric made from the
yarn, and such a mixture can be varied by varying the number of laps
of either color used and doubled or by running one of the beaters at
a higher velocity than the other, or by running one of the feed aprons
faster than the other, both feed aprons being driven in any convenient
manner.
If two or more grades or colors of cotton or wool are to be merely
well or suitably mixed no change need be made in the arrangement of
the parts of the machine, but if one or more laps of cotton of one color
are doubled or worked upon any number of another color there may bè
a removable or transverse partition or plate J'extending from the
lower side of the upper trunk H to near the surface of either screen
cylinder so as to guide and lap the cotton of one color directly upon the
other without mixing.
No other machine that I have any knowledge of is capable of per-
forming the last above described process, or of opening and cleaning
cotton successfully by two beaters or operating cylinders arranged one
above the other, since no other machine has a separate rack; seed
chamber, and delivery spout for disposing of the seeds, sand, and dirt,
or separating the cotton from the refuse matter and delivering it to
the screens free from seeds or of mixing cotton of different colors in the
manner described.
It will therefore be readily understood that the results or effects
produced by the use of my said improvements will be beneficial and
important not only in doubling and mixing twice the number of laps
and thereby producing much better work, but in doubling and mixing
cotton or wool of different colors or grades, and in various ways and pro-
portions, and as the most important in clearing the cotton in a manner
far superior to any machine heretofore in use. A door or trap L
provides for the removal of seeds and dirt from the upper seed
chamber G, and similar doors M in the lower seed chamber are for
the same purpose.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it understood that I

page_text: First. The separate and independent upper trunk H which conducts
the cotton from the upper beater to the cylinder screens, for the purposes
and substantially in the manner specified.
Second. The combination with the upper trunk H and with the upper
'beater of the rack f and seperate seed chamber G, for the purpose and
substantially in the manner set forth.
Third. The plate J in combination with the trunk H and with
the cylinder screens, for the purpose and substantially in the manner set
forth.
Fourth. The combination of two cotton pickers or opening and
.cleaning machines arranged one above another, and each consisting
of a separate and independent feed apron, a feed roll or rolls, a beater,
a rack, and a seed chamber, and each provided with a separate and
independent spout or trunk, H and K and with a plate J, for the
purposes and substantially as specified..
Fifth. Two cotton opening and cleaning machines with one pair of
_screen cylinders and with the separate spouts or trunks H and K com-
bined and arranged with the upper and lower beaters and with or
without the removable plate J, for the purpose and substantially as set
forth.
'
Sixth. The soldered wire screen cylinders, substantially, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy..
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE.
(L.S.)