CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OB APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE PREPA- DATION OF COTTON WOOL AND OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Crighton, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Machinist and Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OB APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE PREPA-
DATION OF COTTON WOOL AND OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Crighton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th March 1867.
I, WILLIAM CRIGHTON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OB APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE
PREPARATION OF COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates, first, to improvements upon and additions to the
apparatus known as "Crighton's opener," for which Letters Patent were
previously granted to William Crighton and Frederick William Crighton,
dated the Third day of April, A.D. 1861, No. 819, and this part of the
improvements consists in applying to the delivery end of the "opener" a
revolving beater or beaters and an exhaust fan or fans, so that the beater (or
beaters) strikes the cotton as it is delivered from the "opener," and detaches
the remaining dust and dirt therefrom, which dust is drawn away by the fan
and the dirt falls by its own weight; then the cleaned cotton passes forward

page_text: and between a pair of delivery or calender rollers, which deliver it in a sheet,
which sheet being rolled round a rod or roller a lap is formed, or the "lap"
may be formed directly from the "opener" without the interposition of the
said beater or beaters.
The second part of the Invention relates to all machines wherein revolving
beaters are employed for the preparation of fibrous materials, and this part of
the improvements consists in imparting to any such revolving beaters as may be
adapted for the purpose a lateral reciprocating motion, so that as they revolve
they also move from side to side, and in so doing act upon or strike the cotton
in portions of its width, and so as not act upon the whole width of the sheet
of cotton simultaneously.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Crighton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CRIGHTON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist and
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Crighton, Her special license that I, the said William
Crighton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Crighton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE
PREPARATION OF COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Crighton, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Crighton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
:-
My Invention relates, first, to improvements upon and additions to the
apparatus known as "Crighton's opener," for which Letters Patent were pre-
viously granted to William Crighton and Frederick William Crighton, dated
April 3rd, A.D. 1861, No. 819, and this part of the improvements consists in
applying to the delivery end of such ".
opener a revolving beater or beaters
and an exhaust fan or fans, so that the beater or beaters strike the cotton as
it is delivered from the "opener" and detach the remaining dust and dirt
therefrom, which dust is drawn away by the fan, and the dirt falls by its own
weight; then the cleaned cotton passes forward and between a pair of delivery
or calendar rollers, which deliver it in a sheet, which sheet being rolled round
a rod or roller a lap is formed, or the "lap" may be formed directly from the
" opener "without the interposition of the said beater or beaters.
The second part of the Invention relates to all machinery wherein revolving
beaters are employed for the preparation of fibrous materials, and this part of
the improvements consists in imparting to any such revolving beaters as may
be adapted for the purpose a lateral reciprocating motion, so that as they
revolve they also move from side to side of the machine, and in so doing act
upon or strike the cotton in portions of its width, and so as to act upon the
whole width of the sheet of cotton simultaneously.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings illustrative of same.
In Fig. 1 the machine marked A, A, represents the "opener," as specified in
the previously recited Letters Patent, and the part marked B, B, represents
the end of an ordinary "lap machine," the improvements being in attaching
or adapting such machines to each other by means of the trunk or channel C,
whereby the cotton is first opened and cleaned, then passed to the lap
machine and delivered in the form of a lap. In order to effect the recipro-
cation of the beater shaft any ordinary mechanical arrangement may be
adapted for the purpose. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 represent respectively a side
view, end view, and plan view of one arrangement of apparatus by which the
reciprocation of the beater may be effected, and Figs. 2 and 4 exhibit also
one form of beater composed of a series of blades radiating from a central
shaft to which such reciprocating movement is particularly applicable, this
being shewn as an example, as the movement may be used to "peg or toothed
cylinder" or other beaters. In Figs. 2, 3, and 4, a, a, is the framing of the

page_text: machine; b is the beater shaft, on which the blades c are secured in the
position shewn; the lever d is provided with a clip or fork at the upper end
which embraces the grooved boss d¹ on the end of the shaft b, and the vibra-
tion of the lever is effected by means of the diagonal or squewed disc e caused
to rotate rapidly by the pulley f, such disc acting within the forked end of the
lower end of the lever, by which means the lateral reciprocating traverse of
the beaters from side to side of the machine is effected.
Having now described, the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I claim the combination of the said description of "opener
with the end of an ordinary "lap machine;" and, secondly, the use and appli-
cation of revolving beaters having a lateral reciprocating motion in all
descriptions of apparatus for cleaning cotton to which beaters are applicable,
as herein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings
attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Crighton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witnessed by
JOHN L. DAVIES,
Office for Patents,
Manchester.
W. CRIGHTON. (L.S.)