IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS."-A communication from abroad by
Hezekiah Conant, of North Providence, Rhode Island, United
States of America.
Sealed the 25th September 1869, and dated the 7th August 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 7th August 1869, 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," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS," and have petitioned Her
Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declara-
tion that it has been communicated to me from abroad by Hezekiah
Conant, of North Providence, Rhode Island, 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
scal, 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,
In the machine herein-after described the end of the lap is presented
to the combing cylinder, and while held between a set of jaws is combed
before a tuft is detached. The end so combed is then seized by a second
set of jaws, and the end of a tuft then detached is combed by the same
cylinder simultaneously with the repetition of the combing operation
upon the raw end of the lap.
The principle of the said machine as exhibited in its organization
is the combination of two sets of vibrating nipping jaws with a single
revolving combing cylinder. Each set of jaws is furnished with feeding
rollers travelling with it, and the two sets are so arranged that the
effect of their simultaneous movement toward the combing cylinder is
to draw out from the lap a tuft in the direction of the line of its fibre
and submit the uncombed ends of lap and tuft simultaneously or in
quick alternation to the action of the comb. The results sought to
be accomplished are greater simplicity of action and greater perfection
and economy of execution than is possessed by any previous machine
of its class. The said machine is especially designed for the combing
of cotton, but it can with slight modification be applied to comb any
other fibrous material which can be formed into a lap,
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a front elevation in perspective of the said machine;
Figure 2 is a rear elevation also in perspective of the same; Figures 3
and 4 are detached views of some of the parts of the said machine.
It is to be understood that a roll of lapping previously prepared is
to be placed upon the supporting rollers A, A, and is held in place by
the standards a, a; B is the main or principal shaft from which the
greater part of the subsidiary motions are derived. In this instance
motion is given to the shaft B by a spur wheel C upon a counter

page_text: shaft C (Figure 2), such wheel C engaging with the teeth of the larger
wheel C. D, D', are respectively rocker shafts extending the whole
length of the machine upon the same side parallel with each other and
equidistant from the axis of the combing cylinder E (see the same in
section, Figures 3 and 4). Attached to radial arms F projecting from
each of these rocker shafts is a set of nipper jaws b, b, b¹, b¹, and just
above such jaws are feeding rollers c, c, (Figures 3 and 4). A vibratory
movement can be imparted to the rocker shafts D, D', and consequently
to the jaws pertaining to them by the cam plates G, G, Figures 1 and 2,
(one for each rocker) which are mounted on the shaft B. These plates
have grooved cam faces, which are similar in outline, and operate the
rocker shafts through the medium of the links H, H', and rocker arms
I, I. This portion of the mechanism is made adjustable so that the
movement of the jaws relatively to each other can be timed as desired,
and so that the arc of vibration can be regulated. . The bearings of
the rocker shafts D, D', are set in arms R, R, radiating from the axis
of the main shaft B, which arms have their position regulated by
adjusting screws, so that the axes of the said shafts D, D', can be
brought nearer together or be further separated whereby the distance
between the faces of the two sets of jaws b, b, 6', b', can be regulated
to accommodate different lengths of staple. Let it be understood that
the end of the roll of lapping which has been previously supposed to
be resting on the rollers A, A, is conducted between the upper set
of feeding rollers c, c, and projects beyond the faces of the nipping
jaws b, b, (Figure 3) belonging to the same. The movement of the cam
plate G causes the said set of jaws to present the end of such lap to the
combing cylinder E, which being mounted on the shaft B is contantly
rotating. After the end of the lap has been combed the further rotation
of the cam plate causes the jaws to move away from such comb. By the
time that such jaws have reached the end of their path of movement away
from the comb the upper feeding rollers c, c, are set in motion through
the agency of the star wheel d, which obtains an intermittent movement
from a pin projecting from the side of a disk e, (Figure 2,) mounted
upon the shaft J whose bearings are in the vibratory arms F. This
shaft J has a regular rotatory movement obtained through the pinions
K, K', from a movement obtained from the toothed wheel K on the
principal shaft B transmitted through the toothed wheel K. The same
shaft J (Figure 2) carries a cam L, (see also Figures 3 and 4), which
controls the periods of opening the nipping jaws b, b, and such cam

page_text: is so shaped and set that the jaws will be opened contemporaneously with
the movement of the feeding rollers c, c, and at the instant that the end
of the lap has reached it. furthest point of travel in the direction away
from the combing cylinder E. At the same instant that the feeding
rollers c, c, commence their movement the supporting rollers A, A,
for the lap commence to rotate, such rollers being set in motion by
the toothed wheel M (Figure 1) on the end of one of the feed rollers c
through the train of wheels 1, 2, 3, 4. Thus the lap is unrolled just
to the extent required by the demands of the feeding rollers. The
second or lower nipping jaws are similar in construction to those of
-the upper set, and the machinery for operating them as well as their set
of feeding rollers is a duplicate of that already described. The combed
end of the lap was in the preceding description left projecting from
the upper set of jaws, and the feed rollers c, c, were ready to commence
their movement. The relation of the two sets of jaws and their
respective feeding rollers will at this moment be as indicated in blue
dotted lines, Figure 4. The feed rollers of the lower set of jaws are
put in motion at the same time as the rollers of the upper set, and
both sets of jaws are open. The end of the lap hanging pendant from
the upper rollers is taken between the lower rollers, and both sets of
jaws now commence to move towards the comb, both closing fast upon
the cotton which spans the space between their faces. The result is
that a tuft is detached from the lap by a pull in a straight line parallel
or nearly so with a line drawn tangentially to both the circles of which
the path of vibration of the jaws are respectively arcs. The tuft so
detached is held in the lower jaws 6', 6', by its combed end. Its opposite
end is by the vibration of the jaws presented to the cylinder E and
combed, at the same time or nearly so the raw end of the lap held
by the jaws b, b, is brought up to the same cylinder and combed. When
the two sets of jaws are again in the position shewn at Figure 4 the
tuft now completely combed by the movement of the lower set of
rollers before described is allowed to deposit itself upon the collecting
apron N, Figure 1. Thence it is condensed and taken off in any
preferred way. The machine is furnished with a suitable brush clearing
cylinder O, doffer cylinder P, and stripper Q for collecting the waste
(Figures 2 and 3), which require no description.
I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not limit myself to the

page_text: mean to include all mere variations for accomplishing the same mode of
operation by equivalent means, and I claim,-
First. In a machine for combing cotton or other fibrous material
the combination substantially as specified of a single combing cylinder
E with two sets of vibrating nipping jaws b, b, arranged relatively to
each other and to the combing cylinder so as to operate therewith, as
described.
Second. The combination of feeding rollers c, c, with vibratory
nipper jaws b, b, and a single combing cylinder E, substantially as
described.
Third. The improvement in machines for combing cotton and other
fibrous material, which consists in the combination of lap supporting
rollers A, A, a first set of vibratory jaws b, b, a combing cylinder E,
a second set of vibratory nipper jaws 6', 6', feeding rollers c, c, (one pair
to each set of jaws) and a suitable lap receiving apron N, all combined
and arranged substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
Witness,
THOB. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.