IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRAGGING BRISTLES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO DRAWING OR SORTING.. FIRDES AND HAIR INTO DIFFERENT LENGTHS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Smith, of Stratford, in the County of
Essex, Brush Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DRAGGING BRISTLES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO DRAWING OR SORTING..
FIRDES AND HAIR INTO DIFFERENT LENGTHS"
Sealed the 8th September 1864, and dated the 12th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Smith at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th March 1864.
I, AUGUSTUS SMITH, of Stratford, in the County of Essex, Brush Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR DRAGGING BRISTLES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO DRAWING OR SORTING
FIBRES AND HAIR INTO DIFFERENT LENGTHS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging machinery for dragging
bristles and for drawing or sorting fibres and hair, as hereafter described.
Upon guides or supports connected to the framing of the machine I mount a
reciprocating frame, which forms the upper nipper, and has jointed thereto an
additional piece to form the lower nipper. The lips of the nipper are, by
preference, of india-rubber, and have connected to them an apron in the
manner described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the
20th July 1863, No. 1813. The shoot on to which the bristles or fibres fall
is by preference corrugated, as is also described in the said Specification; it is

page_text: hinged to the under part of the lower nipper, and moves to and fro with the
reciprocating frame. Near the upper end of the shoot I binge thereto a
transverse plate, the back of which in the backward motion of the reciprocating
frame is caused to rise by means of a projection on the framing of the machine,
so that it is raised into a more vertical position to receive the bristles released
from the nippers. In the forward motion of the reciprocating frame, this
plate is drawn down against the corrugated shoot by a spring or otherwise
and the bristles fall therefrom into the corrugations of the shoot. At the
lower end of the shoot between every two corrugations I fit a pin placed at a
slight angle to the shoot, whereby the bristles are prevented from falling on
to the gathering table in an irregular manner; or I cut away or remove
a portion of the lower end of each groove. Motion is imparted to the
reciprocating frame by cranks or excentrics connected to a shaft driven in any
convenient manner. The nippers are caused to open and close at the proper
time as follows:-Supposing them to be closed after having taken hold of a
certain quantity of fibres or bristles the rear end or tail of the lower nipper in
the backward motion of the reciprocating frame comes against one or more
projections on a cross bar, and is thereby raised, this cross bar is caused to
make a partial revolution by a lever connected to a cam on the shaft before
referred to, and a spring attached to the framing of the machine assists in
drawing back the bar to its original position; the lower nipper being jointed at
about its centre to the reciprocating frame, when the rear end or tail thereof
is raised as just mentioned its fore end is depressed and separated from the
upper nipper; the apron at the same time becomes stretched and ejects the
bristles or fibres which fall on to the hinged plate above mentioned, and thence
to the corrugated shoot. The shoot is, as before stated, hinged to the under
part of the lower nipper, and in the backward motion of the reciprocating
frame a fixed transverse bar on which the shoot rides causes the shoot to
assume a more inclined or a horizontal position in order that it may receive
the bristles or fibres released from the nippers in the forward motion of the
frame; the shoot gradually resumes its most vertical position, whereby tho
bristles or fibres fall therefrom on to a gathering table or other receiver. The
nippers are closed by springs acting against the top of the rear end or tail of
the lower nipper.
To feed the machine the attendant places the bristles or fibres upon a lath
or plate furnished with a comb or teeth, above which he places another similar
lath or plate in such manner that the teeth of one lath take into the teeth of
the other lath. These laths are attached to a bed plate made to travel towards
the nippers by means of a ratchet wheel and paul actuated by a lever fitted to

page_text: the shaft to which the cranks or excentrics which move the reciprocating
frame are connected. At each forward motion of the reciprocating frame the
bed plate moves about the eighth of an inch more or less nearer thereto, so
that bristles or fibres of gradually decreasing length are each time presented
to the nippers, until they are dragged or drawn to the length required. When
the bed plate has reached the end of its course a projection, carried by a
wheel in gear with another wheel which is itself in gear with teeth on the
ratchet, comes in contact with a leg or backward extension of the paul, which
is thereby disengaged from the ratchet; the bed plate is then returned to
its first position by a hand wheel or otherwise. Two thin plates, one above
and the other below the level of the bed plate, and sliding up and down on
vertical rods, collect or press together the ends of the bristles or fibres, so that
they are presented in an even and compact layer to the lips of the nippers.
These plates are worked by rods connected to a double lever actuated by:
another rod and excentric on the shaft before referred to.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Augustus Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the
12th September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTUS
SMITH, of Stratford, in the County of Essex, Brush Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Augustus Smith, Her special licence that I, the said Augustus Smith, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Augustus
Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and 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 MACHINERY
FOR DRAGGING BRISTLES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO DRAWING OR SORTING FIBRES AND
HAIR INTO DIFFERENT LENGTHS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Augustus Smith, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals,

page_text: 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 Augustus Smith, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and astertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging machinery for dragging
bristles, and for drawing or sorting fibres and hair as hereafter described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 a side elevation, of my machinery. Upon
guides or supports A, connected to the framing B of the machine, I mount a
reciprocating frame C, which forms the upper nipper, and has jointed thereto
an additional piece D to form the lower nipper (see the detached view of
the nippers Figure 3.) The lips of the nippers are by preference of india-
rubber, and have connected to them an apron a in the manner described in
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the 20th July, 1863,
No. 1813. The shoot E, on to which the bristles or fibres fall, is by preference
corrugated, as is also described in the said Specification; it is hinged to the
under part of the lower nipper at b, and moves to and fro with the reciprocating
frame C. Near the upper end of the shoot E I hinge thereto a transverse
plate F, the back of which in the backward motion of the reciprocating frame
is caused to rise by means of a projection or cam c, so that it is raised into a
more vertical position to receive the bristles released from the nippers. In
the forward motion of the reciprocating frame this plate F falls by its own
weight (or otherwise), and the bristles fall therefrom into the corrugations of
the shoot. At the lower end of the shoot I cut away or remove a portion of
each groove, as shewn, whereby the bristles are prevented from falling on to
the gathering table in an irregular manner, or instead of cutting away portions
as just stated, I fit a pin between every two corrugations at a slight angle to
the shoot. Motion is imparted to the reciprocating frame C by rods I, I, and
cranks or eccentrics J, J, connected to a shaft K, driven by a pinion L in
gear with a wheel M on a shaft N turned by hand, or the shaft K may be
driven in any other convenient manner. The nippers C, D, are caused to
open and close at the proper time as follows:-Supposing them to be closed,
after having taken hold of a certain quantity of fibres or bristles, the rear end
or tail of the lower nipper D in the backward motion of the reciprocating

page_text: frame C comes against one or more cams or projections e, on a cross bar f,
and is thereby raised. The lower nipper D being jointed at about its centre
to the reciprocating frame, when the rear end or tail thereof is raised, as just
mentioned, its fore end is depressed and separated from the upper nipper; the
apron a at the same time becomes stretched and ejects the bristles or fibres
which fall on to the hinged plate F above mentioned, and thence to the
corrugated shoot E. In the forward motion of the reciprocating frame C, as
soon as the rear end of the lower nipper leaves the cams or projections e, the
nippers are closed by springs as hereafter mentioned, until the rear end of the
lower nipper comes in contact with other cams or projections 9 on the bar G,
whereby the nippers are opened to receive a supply of bristles or fibres. The
shoot is, as before stated, hinged to the under part of the lower nipper D, and
in the backward motion of the reciprocating frames C a fixed transverse
bar O carrying loose rollers on which the shoot rides, causes the shoot to
assume a more inclined or a horizontal position in order that it may receive
the bristles or fibres released from the nippers in the forward motion of the
frame; the shoot gradually resumes its most vertical position, whereby the
bristles or fibres fall therefrom on to a gathering table or other receiver. The
nippers are closed by springs j acting against the top of the rear end or tail of
the lower nipper.
To feed the machine the attendant places the bristles or fibres upon a
lath or plate k, furnished with a comb or teeth, above which he places
another similar lath or plate 1, in such manner that the teeth of one
lath take into the teeth of the other lath; these laths are attached to a bed
plate P, made to travel towards the nippers C, D, by means of a ratchet wheel
on a shaft Q. This wheel is shewn detached at R, Figure 4, and is taken
into by a paul S actuated by a lever T, fitted to the shaft K. At each back-
ward motion of the reciprocating frame, the bed plate P moves about the eighth
of an inch more or less nearer thereto, so that bristles or fibres of gradually
decreasing length are each time presented to the nippers until they are dragged
or drawn to the length required. When the bed plate has reached the end
of its course a projection U carried by a wheel V in gear with another wheel
W, which is itself in gear with teeth on the ratchet R, comes in contact with
a leg or backward extension of the paul S, which is thereby disengaged from
the ratchet; the bed plate is then returned to its first position by a hand
wheel X on the shaft Q, or it may be returned in any other convenient
manner. Two thin plates m, one above and the other below the level of the
bed plate P, and sliding up and down on vertical rods n, collect or press
together the ends of the bristles or fibres, so that they are presented in an even

page_text: and compact layer to the lips of the nippers. These plates are worked by rods o,
connected to a double lever p, actuated by another rod q and eccentric ? on
the shaft K.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim constructing and
combining the parts of machinery for dragging bristles and for drawing or
sorting fibres and hair into different lengths, substantially as berein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Smith, have hereunto set my
.hand and seal, this Tenth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
A. SMITH. (L.S.)