IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING COTTON AND OTHER MATERIALS.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter West, of No. 9, Saint Paul's Road,
Camden Town, and Daniel Kemp West, of No. 7, Lidlington Place,
Oakley Square, both in the County of Middlesex, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING COTTON AND
OTHER MATERIALS.'
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter West and
Daniel Kemp West at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 7th June 1870.
We, WALTER WEST, of No. 9, Saint Paul's Road, Camden Town, and
5 DANIEL KEMP WEST, of No. 7, Lidlington Place, Oakley Square, both
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING COTTON AND OTHER
MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in a novel method of applying hydraulic power
to a system of levers by means of which a graduated power is obtained
adapted to the variable resistance of the material to be compressed, and
in the arrangement of the various parts of the press by which this result
is effected.

page_text: The follower of the press we connect by joints with levers on either
side of it. These levers at their outer ends are jointed to other levers,
which in turn at their other extremities are able to turn on fixed
bearings. Intermediate of their length the lower levers of each pair are
connected by links or struts with an hydraulic ram or rams, the con-
nection with the head of the ram or rams being usually when the press
is down below a straight line drawn from end to end of the lever. The
position of the link or strut is however varied according to the gradation
of pressures which it is desired to obtain. In place of actuating the
levers by means of links or struts the ram or rams may carry rollers
pressing upon suitably formed surfaces on the lower levers.
By this arrangement the ram or rams can be placed immediately
under the follower of the press, so that all the thrusts are brought into
one line.
Where the motion of the follower is great we allow the levers to pass:
into the body of the press by using self-opening moveable sides or doors.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Walter West and Daniel Kemp West in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 6th December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WALTER
WEST, of No. 9, Saint Paul's Road, Camden Town, and DANIEL KEMP
WEST, of No. 7, Lidlington Place, Oakley Square, both in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Walter West and Daniel Kemp West, Her special
license that we, the said Walter West and Daniel Kemp West, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Walter West and Daniel Kemp West, our 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

page_text: Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING COTTON
AND OTHER MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Walter West and Daniel Kemp West, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Daniel Kemp West, on behalf of
myself and the said Walter West, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists in a novel method of applying hydraulic power
to a system of levers by means of which a graduated power is obtained
adapted to the variable resistance of the material to be compressed, and
in the arrangement of the various parts of the press by which the result
is effected.
The follower of the press we connect by joints with levers or supports.
on either side of it. These levers or supports at their outer ends are
jointed to other levers, which in turn at their other extremities are able
to turn in fixed bearings. Intermediate of their length the lower levers
of each pair are connected by links or struts with an hydraulic ram or
rams, the connection with the head of the ram or rams being usually
when the press is down below a straight line drawn from end to end of.
the lever. The position of the link or strut is however varied according.
to the gradation of pressure which it is desired to obtain. In place of
actuating the levers by means of links or struts the ram or rams may
carry rollers pressing upon suitably formed surfaces on the lower levers.
By this arrangement the ram or rams can be placed immediately.
under the follower of the press, so that all the thrusts are brought into.
one line.
Where the motion of the follower is great we allow the levers to pass-
into the body of the press by using self-opening moveable sides or doors..
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect we will proceed to describe the Drawings
hiereunto annexed.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a half elevation and section,
and Figure 2 is a side elevation of a press constructed according to our
Invention. Frepresents the follower, to which are hinged the levers A, A,
connected with the levers B, B, at their lower extremities, these levers
turning about the fixed axles M in the base of the press. The hydraulic
ram D is connected with these levers B, B, by the links C, C, but instead
of these connecting links we may employ struts or rollers acting on
suitably shaped surfaces on the lower edges of the levers B, B; but we
prefer to use links as the Drawing indicates. The levers are allowed
to enter the box or body of the press by means of the series of
doors E, E¹, E², E³, which are opened as the follower ascends in the box
by the action of the levers or the follower on each door or on one of the
doors below that to be released. The doors E, E, are hinged or jointed
the one to the other, the upper edge of each door being so attached to
the lower edge of the door immediately above it, and the uppermost door
on either side is hinged or jointed to the fixed frame of the press.
When the follower is down all the doors are closed, and are so held by
latches G, G1, G2, G³, taking into lugs on the frame. As the follower
rises the levers A, A, come against small slides G*, G*, which abut on
the latches G of the lowest doors, and these latches are thus lifted and
the door released. This does not happen until the follower of the press
has risen above the lowest doors, so that the doors are not at this time
exposed to any pressure. The doors being free rise easily as the levers A
press upon them.
The lowest doors being open release the doors next
above, and so on. For this purpose to the slides G* fingers H, H, are
connected, and the upper ends of these fingers, as the doors E open, slide
upon the latches of the doors E' until at a certain height they come to
stops, and then the latches of the second door are lifted. By similar
mechanism the doors E¹ open the doors E³, and so on. The press above
described has a stroke of sufficient length to press loose cotton or such-
like material into a solidly pressed bale for other purposes, as, for
example, to finish a bale already partially pressed a lesser length of
stroke is necessary. Figure 3 is a side view of such a press. No side
doors are here requisite. The guides for the follower are not shown. On
the descent of the follower the doors fall back into their places, as
shewn, and may be further secured by means of a travelling rod, the
movement of which draws the latches down to their seats. The large

page_text: doors K at the top of the press are used both for filling the box and
taking out the bale; they turn on axes at the bottom of each door, and
the end doors L, L, are similarly mounted. Counterbalance weights are
fitted to these doors. The end doors L, L, are released by the action of
the running screw N and the rod or chain O, a projection P on the
lever B pulling down the rod or chain and releasing the pawl Q at any
desired position of the press. The doors L and K are closed when the
press is empty, and the screw is then turned by the workman so as to
run up the nuts upon it to lock the doors L, L; and these doors are so
formed as to retain the doors K, K. When the screw is set free it runs
of its own accord, yielding to the pressure of the bale upon the doors.
The nuts fit into recesses which prevent them turning. The proportion
of the levers, it will be observed, is varied, and so a different gradation
of pressure is obtained.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that what
we claim is, the combination with the ram or rams of an hydraulic press
of levers taking motion from such ram or rams at points intermediate of
their axes or fulcra and their ends where other levers or supports are
connected with them to communicate such motion to the follower of the
press, substantially as described.
We also claim the application to the body of the press of doors
closing the body to receive the charge of material to be compressed, and
opening successively as the follower rises to make way for its supports,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Kemp West, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.