IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Flitcroft, of Cut Gate, Rochdale, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF CARDING ENGINES."
Sealed the 13th May 1875, and dated the 12th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Flitcroft at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th January 1875.
I, THOMAS FLITCROFT, of Out Gate, Rochdale, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARDING ENGINES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of carding engines used for
carding cotton and other fibrous substances, and consists of an arrange-
ment of mechanism applied to the "coiler" for the purpose of lowering
the pinion, which drives the doffing cylinder of the carding engine out
of gear, and thus stopping its revolution whenever a sliver breaks. This
pinion is carried by a lever, the outer end of which is held up by a catch
or projection on a swinging lever hung to a stud on the frame. This

page_text: catch or projection is made adjustable in order to provide for using a
"change pinion" to alter the speed of the doffer when required. The
lower end of the swinging lever carries a pin working in a slot at one
end of a link, the other end of which is connected to a short lever
working horizontally on a stud. The other end of this short lever carries 5
a socket, through which passes loosely a bolt or pin, the said pin being
provided with a head at its upper end, by which it is supported in a
curved slot in a small plate attached near the lower extremity of a
vertical rod, the lower end of the said rod being jointed to a weighted
lever, which has a tendency to keep the vertical rod in its highest 1
position, and consequently to raise the lower end of the bolt or pin above
named and prevent it from projecting below the bottom of the socket
carried by the short lever.
In the ordinary upright shaft, which drives the mechanism of the
"coiler," is fixed a radial pin, which revolves in a horizontal plano 1
immediately below the socket above referred to, and so long as the bolt
or pin does not project no effect is produced, but as soon as the vertical
rod falls and lowers the end of the bolt or pin, causing it to project
below the socket, the radial pin on the vertical "coiler" shaft comes
into contact with it and causes the short lever to oscillate, and by means 20
of the link, pull the swinging lever so as to withdraw the catch or
projection from beneath the end of the lever which carries the "doffer "
pinion, and so throw the latter out of gear with the "doffer" wheel,
and thus stop the revolution of the doffing cylinder.
The falling of the vortical rod is caused by the breaking of the sliver 2
in the following manner:-The sliver passes through a trumpet-shaped
guide mounted upon a balanced lever in such a way that the "pull" of
the sliver draws down the guide and holds up the other end of the lever,
which is above the vertical rod. As soon however as the sliver breaks
the trumpet guide lifts and the other end of the lever presses upon the 30
vertical rod, and causes the bolt or pin to be projected below the socket,
and the doffer pinion to be thrown out of gear as above mentioned.
In setting the mechanism in action again all that is requisite is to
raise the lever which carries the doffer pinion till it passes the projection
or catch on the swinging lever, which then falls beneath and supports 35
it, a loose weight being placed in the "trumpet guide" to keep it down
whilst the sliver is being picced.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Flitcroft in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
FLITOROFT, of Out Gate, Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
0
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Flitcroft, Her special license
that I, the said Thomas Flitcroft, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Flitcroft, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARDING ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Flitcroft, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Flitcroft, 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 and accompanying Drawings:-
This Invention relates to the construction of carding engines used for
carding cotton and other fibrous substances, and consists of an arrange-
ment of mechanism applied to the "coiler" for the purpose of lowering
the pinion which drives the doffing cylinder of the carding engine out
5 of gear, and thus stopping its revolution whenever a sliver breaks, and

page_text: is an improvement upon the subject-matter of former Letters Patent
granted to me for the Invention of "Certain Improvements in Carding
Engines," bearing date the 14th day of November 1873, No. 2934.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now
proceed to describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or 5
may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that tho
same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof :-
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is a partial end view of a carding
engine with my present improvements shown as applied thereto; Fig. 2
is a partial side view of the same; Fig. 3 is a detached sectional view;
and Fig. 4 a detached plan of parts of the apparatus.
1
The pinion a, a, which drives the doffing cylinder and delivering 1
rollers is carried by a lever b, b, as usual, the outer end of which is held
up by a catch or projection on a swinging lever c, c, hung to a stud on
the frame. This catch or projection may be made adjustable in order to
provide for using a "change pinion" to alter the speed of the doffer
required. The lower end of the swinging lever carries a pin, to which is 2
attached one end of a link d, d, the other end of which is connected to
a short lever e, e, working horizontally on a stud. The other end of this
short lever e, e, is provided with an opening, through which passes
loosely a bolt or pin f,f, the said pin being provided with a head at its
upper end, by which it is supported in a curved slot in a small 2
plate g, g, attached near the lower extremity of a vertical rod h, h, (see
detached plan view, Fig. 5,) the lower end of the said rod being jointed
to a weighted lever i, i, which has a tendency to keep the vertical
rod h, h, in its highest position, and consequently to raise the lower end
of the bolt or pin f, f, above named, and to prevent it from projecting a
below the bottom of the lever e, e, sec detached plan view, Fig. 5.
In the ordinary upright shaft k, k, which drives the mechanism of
the "coiler," is fixed a radial pin 1, 2, which revolves in a horizontal
plane immediately below the lever above referred to, and so long as the
bolt or pin does not project no effect is produced, but as soon as the 3
vertical rod h, h, falls and lowers the end of the bolt or pin ƒ, ƒ, causing
it to project below the lever e, e, the radial pin 1, 1, on the vertical

page_text: "coiler" shaft k, k, comes into contact with it, and causes the short
lever e, e, to oscillate, and by means of the link d, d, pull the swinging
lever c, c, so as to withdraw the catch or projection from beneath the
end of the lever b, b, which carries the doffer pinion a, a, and so throw
the latter out of gear with the "doffer" wheel, and thus stop the
revolution of the doffing cylinder.
The falling of the vertical rod is caused by the breaking of the sliver
in the following manner:-The sliver passes through a trumpet-shaped
guide m, m, mounted upon a balanced lever n, n, in such a way that the
"pull" of the sliver draws down the guide m, m, and holds up the other
end of the lever, which is above the vertical rod. As soon however as
the sliver breaks, the trumpet guide lifts and the other end of the lever
presses upon the vertical rod h, ½, and causes the bolt or pinƒ,ƒ, to be
projected below the lever e, e, and the doffer pinion a, a, to be thrown
out of gear as above mentioned.
In setting the mechanism in action again all that is requisite is to
raise the lever b, b, which carries the doffer pinion a, a, till it passes the
projection or catch on the swinging lever c, c, which then falls beneath
and supports it, a loose weight being previously placed in the "trumpet
guide" to keep it down whilst the sliver is being pieced. Instead
however of applying a loose weight for this purpose I prefer to attach
to the upper end of the vertical rod h, h, a small slotted catch lever o, o,
upon which the end of the balanced lever n, n, acts in depressing the
vertical rod, see Fig. 1, and enlarged detached view, Fig. 6. As soon
as the rod h, h, has been depressed a certain distance, and has projected
the bolt or pin f,f, sufficiently to lower the doffing pinion a, a, as above
described, the end of the balanced lever n, n, moving in a curved
direction slips off the edge of the catch lever o, o, and allows the
weighted lever i, i, to raise the rod h, h, and draw the bolt or pin ƒ, ƒ,
out of reach of the radial pin 1, 1. As soon as the sliver (after being
pieced) commences to draw it pulls down the trumpet m, m, and raises
the other end of the balanced lever n, n, the catch lever o, o, oscillating
on its centre to allow the end of the lever n, n, to pass, and then falling
by its own weight beneath it into the original position, is shown enlarged
at Fig. 6.

page_text: formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention, the novel and improved arrangement of
apparatus herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawing
annexed for arresting the doffing and delivering motions of the carding
engine whenever a sliver breaks.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Flitcroft, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
THOMAS FLITCROFT. (L.S.)
Witnessed by
⚫ JOHN HUGHES,
•
Clerk to George Davies, O.E.,
Patent Office,
4, St. Ann's Square,
Manchester.