IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CONVERTING INTO DOWN OR FIBRES CAPABLE OF BEING SPUN. THE REMNANTS OR CUTTINGS OR OTHER WASTE PIECES OF SILK OR OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rudolph Bodmer, of 2, Thavies Inn, Holborn, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CONVERTING INTO DOWN OR FIBRES CAPABLE OF BEING SPUN. THE REMNANTS
OR CUTTINGS OR OTHER WASTE PIECES OF SILK OR OTHER FABRICS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Charles. Lewandoski, of Paris, in the Empire
. . of France.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Rudolph Bodmer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 4th August 1860, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RUDOLPH
BODMER, of 2, Thavies Inn, Holborn, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CONVERTING INTO DOWN OR FIBRES CAPABLE OF BEING SPUN THE
REMNANTS OR CUTTINGS OR OTHER WASTE PIECES OF SILK OR OTHER FABRICS," and
have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and. have made,solemn

page_text: declaration that the same is a communication to me from Charles Lewandoski,
of Paris, in the Empire of France.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Rudolph Bodmer, 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:―
This Invention relates chiefly to various improvements which have been
applied to the machinery for which Letters Patent were granted to me on the
Third day of February 1860, No. 288, and consists, firstly, in the application
and use of a stationary brush or brushes to the travelling cloth or belt, which
carries the down or fibres away from the ravelling cylinder for the purpose of
detaching therefrom such fibres as may adhere to it. Secondly, in the applica-
tion and use of a second ravelling cylinder and rotary brush, to the action of
which the fibres are exposed on their passage to the air flue. Thirdly, in
fitting the chamber, into which the down or fibres are discharged through the
air flue with a number of compartments, into which the impurities and sub-
sequently the fibres of various degrees of fineness are discharged by means of
trap-doors, which can be opened and closed at pleasure. Fourthly, in .con-
structing the top or ceiling of one or more of the said compartments of wire
gauze; and. lastly, in the application: of travelling brushes to the wire. gauze
tops or ceilings of the last mentioned compartments for the purpose of removing
therefrom the adhering down or fibres.
In order that this Invention may be better understood and more readily
carried into effect,. I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the
annexed Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the improved machine, that
portion of it which is placed on the left side, and which reaches as far as the
break x, being drawn on a larger scale than the remaining portion on the
right side; Fig. 2 shows in side elevation the manner in which the various
parts of the machine, as far as the chamber L, are set in motion on one side;
whilst Fig. 8 represents the gearing, etc., as viewed from the opposite side.
The remnants, cuttings or other waste pieces of silk or other fabrics to be
acted upon are spread upon the travelling. belt or .cloth..a (Fig. 1), which
passes over and is. kept extended by the rollers b, b. the latter being.-set in
motion by the strap c, Fig. 3. Upon the. axis of the roller b¹ á pinion d.is
mounted (Fig. 2) gearing into the pinion e, which is fixed. on the lower feeding
roller f Fig. 1. This pinion e is actuated by a train of wheels. and pinions,
the last of which, marked'g, is. mounted upon the stud upon which the pulley.h
revolves, which latter by means of the strap i (Fig. 2). communicates motion

page_text: to the small pulley j. By means of the travelling belt or cloth a the material
spread upon it, and which is confined between two borders to prevent it from
dropping off sideways, is conveyed between the feeding rollers f& f1, (Fig. 1),
and by them presented to the action of the ravelling cylinder A revolving at a
speed of 700 revolutions, or thereabouts, per minute. This cylinder is armed
with teeth placed at an angle towards its circumference, so as to take sufficient
hold of and detach the fibres of the material, and a brush B, which revolves
at the rate of about 900 revolutions per minute in a direction opposite to that
of the cylinder A is intended to continually detach or disengage the fibres
from the ravelling cylinder. The axes of the cylinder A and brush B revolve
in bearings and are supported by the framing C, and they are set in motion
by the crossed strap e (Fig. 2) embracing the pulleys m & n, the pulley m
being driven from the opposite side by a crossed strap o (Fig. 3) passing from
the pulley p over the pulley m², whilst the pulley p itself is actuated by the
strap 9 from the driving pulley r (Figs. 2 & 3). Both the cylinder and the
brush are cased in, and within this casing and the frame C brushes are fixed,
which are intended to retain the fibres and to prevent them from escaping
sideways. The fibres as they are being detached by the revolving brush B
are projected upon the travelling belt or cloth E (Fig. 1), which passes over
the rollers s, s', the latter being driven by means of the strap t and the pulleys
x, x, (Fig. 3.) During its progress this second travelling belt or cloth E is
brought into contact with the stationary brushes u, u, (Fig. 1), the object of
which is to disengage the fibres from the travelling cloth. A drum or cylinder
F placed at some distance from the point where the fibres first descend upon
the travelling belt or cloth E compresses and unites the fibres into a fleece
and directs them towards a set of feed rollers f&f, which deliver them
to the action of a second ravelling cylinder A', having about the same velocity
of rotation as the first. From this cylinder the fibres are disengaged by the
rapidly revolving brush G (Fig. 1), which acts in this case at the same time
as the fan or ventilator, which precipitates the fibres into the air flue H pro-
ducing a current which carries them along in it. The ravelling cylinder A
receives its motion from the pulley p² (Fig. 3) by means of a cross strap I and
the pulley J, which latter is mounted on the shaft of the cylinder .A', whilst
the fan brush G is driven directly from the shaft 9 by means of the pulley p²
(Fig. 2): Upon the shaft of the ravelling cylinder A a pulley v is placed
(Fig. 2); this pulley is embraced by the strap y, which passes at the same time
over the pulley Z, and from the shaft upon which this latter pulley is fixed;
the feeding rollers f&f; and the drum or cylinder F are driven by a set of
wheels and pinions, as shown in Fig. 2: The air flue H into which the fibres

page_text: Secondly, the application and use of the brushes marked 'u, u, in the
annexed Sheet of Drawings, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described.
Thirdly, the application and use of the fan brush marked G in the annexed
Sheet of Drawings, in its double capacity, in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before described.
Fourthly, the peculiar arrangement and combination of the air flues marked
H, N, N¹; the trap-doors marked P1, P2, P3, P, and the compartments or
receivers marked M, M³, M³, M³, & M', in the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
as adapted to the purposes herein-before described.
Fifthly, the constructing the top or ceiling of one or more of the end
compartments, into which the chamber L is divided of wire gauze, and the
application and use of the brushes marked R & R', in the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
And, lastly, the general disposition and combination of the machine, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rudolph Bodmer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
are discharged by the fan brush G occupies the lower portion of the long
chamber.L, which is subdivided. into various compartments, and at the extre-
mity of this chamber L (Fig. 1 on the right), the flue H terminates in one of
these compartments M. The lighter, useful, and properly prepared fibres will,
owing to the current of air, descend into the upper or return flue 'N, and from
thence along the flue N¹, a portion of which is fitted with a top or ceiling of
wire gauze, whilst the grosser portions, the dust and other impurities, descend
upon a trap-door P, which can be tilted when necessary for the purpose of
discharging these impurities into the compartment or receptacle M under-
neath. In the compartments M, M², M², M³, into which the chamber L is
subdivided the various kinds of fibres are disposited upon trap-doors P, P¹,
PP The properly prepared fibres pass along the flue N¹, and as a matter
of course the heaviest fibres will be deposited on the trap-door P¹ over the
compartment M, whilst the lighter fibres will be carried further and be depo-
sited on the trap-door P2 of a third compartment, the lightest fibres rising up
to the wire gauze top or ceiling of the compartment M³, the floor or bottom
of which is likewise fitted with a-trap-door Ps. In order to disengage from-this
wire gauze ceiling the fibres which adhere to it in a layer of greater or less
thickness a brush R fixed to a travelling cloth or belt S (Fig. 1) is caused to
pass over and in contact with it, whereby the fibres are made to descend upon
the trap-door P. A vertical partition T, which can be opened when necessary,
separates the compartment M³ from a last compartment M', which is likewise
fitted with a ceiling of wire gauze and a floor constructed as a trap-door P*.
This compartment receives the extra fine fibres, which a brush R', similar to
the one R previously described, disengages from the ceiling and discharges
upon the trap-door P4. The whole of the trap-doors P, P1, P2, P³, P', can
be opened or closed without stopping the machine, and after the various kinds
of fibres have thus been dropped into their respective compartments they can
be removed, as required.
Having now described the nature of this Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that
without confining myself to the precise arrangement of parts, I claim as the
Invention intended to be secured to me by the above in part recited Letters
Patent,―
Firstly, the combination of the two sets of ravelling cylinders and revolving
brushes A & B and A & G, as shown and described with reference to the
annexed Sheet of Drawings; the first set being intended to prepare and work
up the remnants, cuttings, or other waste pieces in the rough, and the second
to complete the separation of the fibres.
RUDOLPH BODMER. (L.S.)