IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brookes, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND
OTHER FIBRES."-A communication from abroad by Raphael Ferdinand
Tavernier and Joseph Francois Amedee Tavernier, of 3. Cite Trevise,
Paris, in the Empire of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brookes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th April 1866.
I, WILLIAM BROOKES, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND
OTHER FIBRES," (communicated to me from abroad by Raphael Ferdinand
Tavernier and Joseph Francois Amedee Tavernier, of 3. Cite Trevise, Paris,
in the Empire of France,) to be as follows:-
The improvements relate particularly to that class of apparatus commonly
known in the trade as Noble's machines, and they consist in dispensing with
the use of the vertical to-and-fro motion of the brushes. and substituting
therefor circular or cylindrical brushes at the tangent point of the two circular
combs. These circular or cylindrical brushes are driven by the rotation of
the circles themselves, and force the slivers in the two combs at the tangent
[Price 8d.]

page_text: point where the combing is performed by the separating of the rotating combs.
The effect of this Invention is to enable the Noble's combing machine to
produce a greater quantity of top. to save the expense of the to-and-fro brushes
which are destroyed in a very short time, and to prevent the machine from
vibrating also to dispense with the columns which prevent the combs from
being easily taken out when required.
The Invention is performed in the following manner:-A cylindrical
brush A1, A2, made of two parts A1, A2, is fixed in such a way that the
hair of the brush can enter more or less deeply into the needles of the combs.
The portion A' is placed upon the points of the large circular comb C',
and the portion A2 on the small circular comb C2, and exactly upon the
tangent point of the two combs. Behind the cylindrical brush is placed a
piece (f) of iron or knife, which helps the separating of the fibres. Various
dispositions of the cylindrical or circular brushes may be adopted; but the
Invention has for its object to dispense with the use of the brushes, which in
the Noble's combing machine fall from above on the combs at their tangent
point, and produce a great vibration by their rapid up-and-down motion, and
substituting for the falling brushes circular or cylindrical brushes at the tan-
gent point of the two combs. Similar brushes, but without the separation a
may be used to force the wool and maintain it in the points of the combs
when it is drawn out by the fluted rollers. The diameter of these circular
brushes is arbitrary, as well as their number at the tangent point, and the two
parts A', A, may also be of different diameters.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Brookes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BROOKES, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer
and Patent Agent. send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord. One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Brookes, Her special licence that I, the said William Brookes, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Brookes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPA-
RATUS FOR COMBING WOCL AND OTHER FIBRES," communicated to me from abroad
by Raphael Ferdinand Tavernier and Joseph Francois Amedee Tavernier,
of 3, Cite Trevise, Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Brookes, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 William Brookes, 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 thereof, that is to say:
The improvements relate to that class of apparatus commonly known in
the trade as "Noble's machines," which are provided with, brushes. commonly
called dabbing brushes, which have a to-and-fro vertical motion imparted
to them for the purpose of laying or forcing the fibre to be combed into
the teeth of the respective comb circles at the tangent point of the two
circles, or at or near that part of the two comb circles where they are nearest
to cach other. The movement of these brushes as ordinarily arranged is
effected by mechanism working above the, combs and supported upon pillars
passed through the centres of the smaller circles of. combs, by which in
addition to the cost of the mechanism, for giving the required to-and-fro
movements to these brushes the effecting these to-and-fro movements pro-
duces vibration in the working of the apparatus. such as to interfere
materially with correct working, besides which, when for repairs or other
purposes the removal of the smaller circles is necessary, such removal is
rendered difficult and expensive by the mechanism for working, these dabbing
brushes having first to be removed and then these comb circles lifted. over the
tops of these supporting columns. The object of these improvements is to
remedy these evils by substituting for such brushes requiring a to-and-fro
motion circular or cylindrical brushes or dabbers capable of rotating on
stationary axes in the movement of the comb circles.
But that the Invention may be better understood I will by the aid of the

page_text: TITY CHUTUI
(as communicated to me) is carried into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure shows a part of a comb circle with the improvements applied
to it Figure 2 represents a plan view of a portion of the outer and an
inner circle of combs at the part of them where they come near together, with
brushes according to the improvements acting in them: Figure 3 is a section
of the same.
A represents a portion of the outer comb circle. and B. a portion of an
inner one C, the circular brush or dabber: this brush is shown in three
parts 1. 2. and 3. but it may be formed in other number of parts and may
be of different diameters. The axis D of each of them is supported by a
bracket D', supported from a pillar or other support in the centre of one of
the comb circles or from other suitable parts of the framing. The portions
(1) and (2) of the brush C work with the teeth of the main circle A. whilst
the portion (3) works with the teeth of the inner circle B.
The arrows
indicate the direction of motion of the comb circles and of rotation of the
brushes. E. E, are blades or thin sheets of metal for aiding to force the
fibre fully into the teeth of the comb circles. There may be two or other
number of these blades; when two are used. one will act to aid in laying
the fibre fully into the teeth of the main comb circle, and the other into
the teeth of the smaller circle. These blades E. E¹, are partly supported
from the axis D and partly by an arm F, which at its end F is attached
to the blades with capability of adjustment so as to regulate the depth
of the lower edge of those blades E, E¹, in relation to the teeth of the comb
circles, and the other end of this bar F is attached to the bracket D', also
with capability of adjustment.
In action the fibre to be combed is first pressed into the points of the comb
teeth by the brush or dabber C, and it is then forced further towards the roots
of those teeth by the blades E. El. In this case the parts (1). (2). of the
brushes C are applied between the two plates, but this may be varied.
It is preferred that the brushes or dabbers C be formed with their acting
surfaces or peripheries of bristles or fine teeth. Motion may be given to the
brushes by simple contact with the teeth of the circles or separately.
Figures 4 and 5 show modified views (full size) of plates E, E¹. By
these means, in addition to the advantages already referred to, increased
quantity of "top" is obtained in working fibre. The two columns above
referred to as passing through the centres of the inner circles are rendered

page_text: unnecessary, and motion may be given to the parts of the apparatus either
from one centre column or so as to render a centre column unnecessary.
In Figure 6 an arrangement is shown for obtaining motion to the parts
from a colunin in the centre of the main circle of carrying combs. A is
a portion of the outer comb circle, and F is a. column in the centre of the
main comb circle; J, J', are two pulleys, one fixed and the other loose;
K is a shaft giving motion by means of a strap or otherwise to the rest of
the machine.
Figure 7 represents an arrangement in which the motion is obtained
through the column F. J, J', are the loose and fast pullies' on the shaft R,
giving motion to the driving wheel K, which by means of the wheel L and
shaft L communicates motion to the other parts of the machine.
Having thus described the Invention as communicated to me, I would
have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise arrangement of
parts referred to, as these may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of the Invention; but what I do claim is the use of circular or
cylindrical brushes or dabbers in substitution of the ordinary dabbing brushes,
also the use of blades or plates E, E', in combination with combing apparatus
of the character referred to for combing wool and other fibres.
In witness whereof, 1, the said William Brookes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 19th day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM BROOKES. (L.S.)