IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PICKING AND GINNING COTTON
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PICKING AND
GINNING COTTON."-A communication from abroad by Enoch Osgood; of
Boston in the State of
TT 2
Sealed the 6th September 1867, and dated the 10th April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th April 1867.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PICKING
AND GINNING COTTON," to be as follows:-
It is also
This Invention relates to the class of cotton gins known as roller gins, and
is intended to increase their efficiency. It is also proposed to adapt a
removable picking apparatus thereto. The cotton to be ginned is laid upon
a feed board, the inner end of which terminates in a kind of curved grid;
below this grid is situate a revolving clearer which is made by swaging or
rolling up a steel bar with one or more curved lips or wings; these wings or

page_text: lips, as the clearer rotates, strike upon the cotton as it is drawn down
between an elastic roller of novel construction and a fixed concave faced bar,
the curve of which is concentric with the roller, and they thus knock out the
seeds and discharge them behind the concave bar. The cleaned or ginned
cotton is then passed forward by the elastic roller and delivered into a suitable
receptacle. The mode of manufacturing the elastic roller may be varied, but
that preferred is to groove the shaft, which is to carry it on one side or on
opposite sides and to fit metal discs thereon so that they shall not turn on the
shaft, and place discs of vulcanized india-rubber cloth between them. Pin
holes are made in the discs to receive pins which project through the opposite
sides thereof, and the discs of vulcanized india-rubber cloth are pressed on to
the pins.
By this means a compact cylindrical elastic mass or roller that will
not slip on the shaft is produced, and by the action of this roller the cotton is
drawn down over the concave surface, the upper edge of which is acute, and
effectually retains any seeds or hard substance contained in the cotton, holding
it in position to be knocked out by the clearers. To prevent fibres of cotton
from adhering to the elastic roller a rotary doffer constructed of serrated
blades mounted on radial arms is employed; this doffer is enclosed in a caso
and rotating in front of the elastic roller it will clear it of any fibres that may
adhere thereto. Instead of the rotary clearer a reciprocating clearer may be
used; this is constructed of two corrugated plates of steel set transversely of
the machine and parallel to each other, but at a short distance apart to allow
of the cotton to be cleaned being fed between them; these plates are attached
at their extremities to the upper ends of a pair of excentric rods, which are
retained in their vertical position by means of radius rods. The upper plate
is adjustable to regulate the supply of cotton to the machine and the lower one
is fixed. The inner and approximating edges of the corrugated plates are
serrated so that as they are moved up and down by means of the excentric
rods their teeth will strike into the cotton and hold back the seeds as the
cotton is drawn forward by the elastic roller. It is important to give lightness
to the excentric rods, and to this end they are made of tubing, their lower
ends being welded to a thin excentric strap.
The picking apparatus, when used, takes the place of the feed board
and can be attached to or detached from the gin at pleasure. In picking and
ginning cotton at the same time the rotating, clearer, must be used. The
picker is provided with two endless aprous which carry forward the cotton
between them. The lower one of the two rollers at the outer end of the
picking apparatus carrying the aprons has adjustable pins in it, their heads
resting against a rubber spring or tube on the inside of the roller, and if

page_text: thought desirable both rollers may have pins; these pins are to seize the
fibre of the cotton and convey it between the two aprons to the elastic roller
which draws it into the gin. The apron that passes over the roller with pins
has holes made in it to receive them. The rollers employed for actuating
the aprons are held in place by bearings on arms similar to the feed board
arms, and they may be put in motion by any suitable device attached to the
gin, the cotton being ginned the same as though fed by hand; one of these
rollers may be made elastic or a spring may be attached to let them open for
the different thickness of cotton.
The above-described cotton gin may be made double with two or more
elastic rollers and a concave or angular bar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office ou
the 10th October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of April, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PICKING AND GINNING COTTON," being
a communication to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others).
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to the class of cotton gins known as roller gins and
is designed to increase their efficiency. It is also proposed to adapt a re-
movable picking apparatus thereto,
;
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the improved
roller gin, and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same taken in the
line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shews detached and in partial longitudinal section
the elastic roller employed in the machine; Fig. 3ª is a cross section of the
rollers and Figures 3b shews in side and edge view the form of plates used
in the building up of the elastic roller; Figures 4 and 4ª represent a front
and back view of the vertical corrugated clearers, which are intended to be
used in lieu of the rotating clearer shewn in Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a cross
section of the same in their position for working; Fig. 6 is a partial front
view of the revolving doffer; and Fig. 7 shews in cross section the revolving
clearer as combined with a picking apparatus.
In the Drawing A, A, A, represent the cast-iron frame or end pieces of the
improved cotton gin with arms cast on them to hold other devices; these end
pieces are held together by the four arms or braces B with a screw at each
end to adjust the concave bar; C is a spur wheel keyed to the shaft D, which
forms the axle of the elastic roller E, the construction of which will be herein-
after described. The wheel C gears into a smaller wheel F secured to a
larger wheel G, which runs on a stud H, and is placed in such relative
position with the pinion on the end of the revolving clearer I and pinion J on
the end of shaft of revolving doffer K that it will gear into and drive both the
pinions; these gears and pinions serve to give motion to the different acting
members of the gin, and may be driven by any power applied to either of
them, and should be of such size that they will give the elastic roller E a
surface speed equal to three-eighths of an inch, more or less, to every clip of
the revolving clearer I or of the vertical corrugated clearers hereafter referred
to, or in other words the elastic roller Ę must not draw in the cotton faster
than the seeds are ejected by the clearers, lest the seeds should bind and
choke the gin. The seeds being hustled out as fast as the cotton is drawn in
prevents any strain or injury to the staple. T is a back board for keeping the
cotton and seeds separated after the cotton is ginned. When the revolving
clearer I is not used the wheel G gears into a pinion M, Fig. 2, on the end

page_text: of the crank shaft N for the purpose of giving the vertical clearers an upward
and downward motion. L, L, Figures 4 and 5, are the two vertical corrugated
clearers to be corrugated in any way to make them both stiff and light with
one edge turned back toward the elastic roller E, and cut into a series of
teeth, as shewn in the front and back views, Figures 4 and 4ª, or left smooth,
as the case may require. The points of these teeth must run so near the
concave bar and the elastic roller E that they will strike behind the seeds
and not injure them or be injured by stones or gravel accidentally or inten-
tionally introduced with the cotton. By cutting this series of teeth on the
back of the edge nearest the elastic roller E, as shown in the back view,
ample room is given for the cotton as they strike down by the edge of the
concave bar to pass between them and the concave bar without injury to the
staple. The teeth being turned back gives an angle of about forty-five
degrees in front, which causes them to strike the seeds mostly with their sides
and not their points, thereby preventing injury to the seeds, while the cotton.
is free to pass forwards. The ends of these corrugated clearing plates are
flattened and turned at right angles, and are secured to the flat upper end of
crank arms Q. The upper plate L is slotted to allow of its being moved up
and down to open and close the mouth of the clearers, and thereby regulating
the quantity of cotton to be drawn through; this plate is held in place by
screws, but the under plate L is rivetted to the crank arms. The concave or
angular bar O is set just clear of the outer surface of the elastic roller E, and
forms a tangential line in front for the revolving clearer I or the corrugated
clearers L, L, to operate on. The body of this angular bar O is made of cast
iron or any other suitable metal of any desired form to give it its required
stiffness with a small dovetail planed on that portion that lies nearest the
elastic roller E for the purpose of holding a hard metal wedge-shaped blade that
is to be cast on it to have a hard smooth surface for the cotton to pass over.
By the action of the elastic roller in the direction of the arrow against this
hard smooth surface of the concave the fibre of the cotton is seized and drawn
down between them as fast as the seeds are ejected by the clearers. While
this process of ginning is going on the revolving doffer K mounted in rear of
the elastic roller keeps that roller free from all cotton that would otherwise
stick to it. P, P, is a feed board set in front of the elastic roller and concave,
and terminating at its inner end in a curved grid P. The crank rod Q that
connects the corrugated clearers at L, L, to the crank shaft at R, R, see
Figures 4 and 5, is made of a steel tube or gas pipe to give it lightness and
stiffness. The lower end of this tube or pipe is welded to the middle of a
thin piece of steel of the required width and length, forming half the box or

page_text: bearing. The ends of this thin portion are bent to a half circle forming a
strap with two holes S, S, for keys to be set up by nuts, another piece of steel
being struck up for the other half of the box or bearing. Thus a crank rod
and bearing are formed of great strength, with but one half the weight of
those made in the usual manner. The upper end of the crank rod is made
flat of the desired width and thickness to hold the clearers. The lower
clearer is rivetted to the crank rods at such a position that when the cranks
are turned up the points of the teeth will come one-eighth of an inch above
the concave bar O. On the outside of the flat portion of the rods Q in a line
of the centre of the teeth of the clearers is a stud U, to which is attached the
arm V. The arm V is held in place by a stud W under the outer end or
edge of the feed board P, thus making a light and strong connection, and
saving much friction. The feed board is jointed and raised with a curve to
give room for the application or removal of the revolving clearer. The
revolving doffer K can be made in any form that will produce the required
result; that shewn in the Drawing consists of radial arms secured to a shaft,
and carrying serrated plates, which are rivetted thereto, as shown at K, K,
Fig. 6; this doffer is enclosed in a case, as shown at Fig. 2. The screw Y is
used to secure the upper half of the case, which can be taken off at pleasure.
The revolving clearer I, Figures 1 and 7, is made by swaging or rolling up a
steel bar with one or more curved lips, so that it will strike behind the seeds
and not crush them; its direction of rotation is indicated by the arrow.
Under the feed board is a screw x for adjusting the clearer and concave to
the elastic roller; to give the desired grip on the cotton a small portion of the
feed board arm that holds the bearings of the revolving clearer rests against
the concave bar O, so that all move together; when properly adjusted it is
made fast to the main framing by the screw Z. The wheel and pinion G*
with hand crank attached serve to increase the velocity of the gin.
I will now describe with reference to Figures 3, 3ª, & 3b, the mode of
constructing the elastic roller. A shaft is first formed with one or more
grooves in it to fit the flanged metallic rings a, and on the shaft of the elastic
roller is then laid cloth and rubber (linen cloth being the best) alternately as
thick as desired and vulcanized; this coating is cut into rings which have a
larger diameter than the flanged metallic rings. The flanged iron or steel
rings a have holes made through them to receive steel or iron pins; on to the
shaft are slipped alternately a ring of cloth and rubber and a steel flanged ring,
the cloth running edgewise from the core or shaft to or towards the outer
surface, as the case may demand. In placing these rings alternately on the
shaft as above named the steel pins through projecting from either side of the

page_text: flanged rings of steel are caused to pierce the adjacent compound rings, and
by pressure they are brought to a compact mass; when the shaft is full a
nut is screwed firmly against them and the roller is ready for use.
The following is another way of making the roller-Instead of cutting the
cloth and rubber into rings cut it into strips the width and thickness wanted,
and have the shaft made rough and wind these strips firmly around the shaft,
the cloth running edgewise as before and vulcanized again, but it is not so
firm as the rings; a roller made with flanged rings will withstand more
friction than any other elastic roller yet known. The picking apparatus for
picking cotton shewn in section at Fig. 7 it is proposed to attach at pleasure
to the cotton gin.
In picking and ginning cotton at the same time, the revolving clearer must
be used as shown in the Drawings. At the outer end of the picking machine
are two rollers marked 71, 71, the under one has adjustable pins in it, their
heads resting against a rubber spring or tube on the inside of the roller.
Both rollers may have pins; these pins are to seize the fibres of the cotton
and convey them between two belts or aprons that pass respectively over the
rollers 7 and over two other tension rollers 9 and 10 in the direction of the
arrow the same as when fed by hand. The belt that passes over the roller
with pins has holes made in it to receive them. The rollers are held in place
by bearings on arms similar to the same as the feed board arms of Fig. 2, and
the rollers may be put in motion by any suitable device attached to the gin,
the cotton being ginned the same as though fed by hand. One of these rollers
may be made elastic, or a spring may be attached to let them open for the
different thicknesses of cotton.
The above described cotton gin may be made double with two or more
elastic rollers and a concave or angular bar, the rollers to run close together,
or they can be made separate and the clearer to oscillate between them and
produce the same results. The above-named gin will gin all kinds of cotton
from the shortest Surat to the longest Sea Island without injuring the staple
wet or dry.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improved Machinery
for Picking and Ginning Cotton," as communicated to me from abroad, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First, the improvements in the construction of cotton gins above described
and shewn in the Drawing whether the gins be made single or double.
Secondly, the application to cotton gins of the elastic roller, constructed and
operating in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)