Improved Lap Holders for Use in Connection with Carding Engines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 28th Sept., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Lap Holders for Use in Connection with Carding Engines.
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the firm of Ashworth Brothers,
of the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Our Invention has for its object to provide means for holding laps of cotton or
textile material in readiness to take the places of preceding laps being at the time fed
into Carding Engines. Previously to our Invention the spare lap has generally been
placed upon the floor especially in the cases of modern flat carding engines which are
not provided with covers upon which the lap can be placed. The result of placing
the lap upon the floor is that the lap becomes dirty and injured in form and in many
cases foreign substances adhere to the lap and are carried into the carding engine to
its detriment. In our invention we construct a lap stand or carrier which can be
placed at the side of the engine or be attached to the same. The lap is either held in
a vertical position or is sustained in a horizontal position by means of a trough shaped
carrier. The lap stand has a suitably heavy base which may be made of cast iron and
is provided with a shield which extends upward to a suitable height and may be of a
semi cylindrical form. From the top of this shield or from a standard an arm
projects and carries a jaw and spring clip or is otherwise adapted to hold the lap rod.
The lap is placed on end upon the stand the arm taking hold of the rod. In some
cases we hook or attach the stand to the framing of the carding engine. In such
cases the stand may be of a lighter construction. In the cases of trough-shaped
holders we prefer to attach such holders to ordinary or special brackets upon the
carding engine so that the lap is sustained in position a little above the licker-in. The
whole of the holder may be hinged so as to turn out of the way when access to
the flats is required or part of the holder may be so hinged or be removable or the
whole of the holder may be removable.
Dated this Twenty-second day of November 1887.
DUTTON & FULTON,
No. 1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Lap Holders for Use in Connection with Carding Engines.
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the firm of Ashworth Brothers,
of the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this 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 :-
Our Invention has for its object to provide means for holding laps of cotton or
textile material in readiness to take the places of preceding laps being at the time fed
into Carding Engines. Previously to our Invention the spare lap has generally been
placed upon the floor especially in the cases of modern flat carding engines which are
not provided with covers upon which the lap can be placed. The result of placing the
lap upon the floor is that the lap becomes dirty and injured in form and in many cases
foreign substances adhere to the lap and are carried into the carding engine to its
detriment. In our invention we construct a lap stand or carrier which can be placed
at the side of the engine or be attached to the same. The lap stand has a suitably
heavy base which may be made of cast iron and is provided with a shield which
extends upward to a suitable height and may be of a semi-cylindrical form. From
the top of this shield or from a standard an arm projects and carries a jaw and
spring clip or is otherwise adapted to hold the lap rod. This formation may be
varied.
The nature of our invention will be understood when reference is made to the
accompanying drawings. In the said drawings Fig. 1 represents an Elevation and
Fig. 2 a Plan of the improved lap holder. In the said Figs. a is a suitably heavy
base or stand preferably made of cast iron. The top of this base is circular in form
and a little larger in diameter than the lap to be sustained. To the periphery of the
said base is attached a semi-cylindrical sheet metal shield 6 and to this shield is secured
an arm c which is bent over the shield and extends a little past the centre of the base
as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The upper and outer end of this arm is bent sideways to
form a finger e¹ and to the arm is secured a spring d which constitutes a second
finger. When the stand is used for its intended purpose the lap is placed with one
end resting upon the base and one end of the lap rod is passed between the two
fingers c and d which clip and hold the rod. The other end of the said rod may pass
through a hole in the centre of the base or may rest upon the base or in a cup shaped
recess therein in which case the lap might in some cases be sustained clear of the
base. In the example illustrated the lap holder is adapted to be isolated from the
carding engine but if preferred it might be adapted to be bolted or secured to
the framing of the engine. We may in some cases dispense with the arm C. If
preferred the holder might be formed to sustain the lap in a horizontal position as
indicated in Fig. which represents an end view of a trough-shaped lap holder.
Fig. 3 illustrates how such a trough shaped holder might be adapted to be bolted or
secured to the carding engine.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
(1) The lap holders for carding engines substantially as set forth and indicated
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(2) A lap holder for a carding engine consisting of a cast metal base provided with
a sheet metal shield and an arm projecting over the centre of the base and adapted to
hold one end of the lap rod substantially as set forth and indicated.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1888.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.