Improvements in Safety Locking Devices for Cotton Beaters and Analogous Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Locking Devices for Cotton Beaters and
Analogous Machines.
We, JOSEPHI TIBBETTS WARD, of No. 18, Church Street, and JOHN BLAISDELL
CURTIS, of No. 78, Main Street, both in the Town of Chicopee Falls, in the County
of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanical
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:-
This invention relates to cotton beaters and analogous machines, the object
being to provide improved devices for preventing the frequent accidents by which
those who work on or about said machines frequently have their hands and arms
badly injured; and to that end to provide improved devices for locking the cap or
cover of the beater-cylinder case, and co-acting devices for locking the cover of
the conduit section of the case through which the beaten cotton is discharged or
carried away from the cylinder-case; and devices for preventing the rotation of
said cylinder when said covers shall be free to be opened, and whereby provision
is also made for the free rotation of said cylinder when both of said covers shall
be locked in shut positions:
And the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the
devices, whereby said objects are attained, all as hereinafter fully described and
more particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawing forming part of this specification,-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of that part of a cotton-beater containing the
beater-devices and of the covered conduit connected therewith having our improved
safety-cover locking devices applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a fragmentary, perspective view, showing parts of the cylinder-
cover and of the case of the beater, and of the cover of the cotton-conduit, and a
portion of the latter, and illustrating more in detail the construction of, and
manner of applying our safety devices to the beater and conduit-covers.
Referring to the drawings, A indicates the body-part of the case of the machine
in which the beater devices are inclosed, the latter being indicated therein in
dotted lines. B indicates one of the two bearings of the machine in which the
beater-shaft C is supported, and is rotated by means of a belt D connected with
any suitable motor devices, and running over a pulley E fixed on said beater-
shaft.
F indicates the cotton-conduit connected to said body part A of the case,
through which beaten cotton is conveyed away from said body, and H is the cover
of said cotton conduit, I indicating the beater-cylinder cover on said case-body A.
The above referred to cover and cylinder-locking devices comprise the following.
instrumentalities and operate as below described:
A bolt-holding base J is firmly secured on one of said bearings B of the beater-
shaft C, or other part of the machine, near one end of the beater-cylinder cover I,
and on said base is a sliding-bolt K parallel with said shaft.
The end of said cover I (Figure 2) adjoining the said bolt-holding base J
has a bolt-hole a, therein to receive the inner end of said bolt K: a coiled spring o,
on the latter, between a part of said base J and a finger-bar w, fixed on said bolt,

page_text: serving to slide the latter and carry one end thereof into said bolt-hole r, when
the cover is closed, and thus lock the same in a closed position, as shown in
Figure 1.
Said bolt K has a socket or recess in the side thereof (see Figure 2) to
receive the end of a second bolt r, below described.
A disc L (a section of which is shown in Figure 1) is fixed on said beater-shaft C,
and has one or more bolt-holes c in the side thereof adjoining the inner end of
said sliding bolt K, and the latter, actuated by the spring o, engages said disk
and locks the said shaft C against rotary movement when said beater-cylinder
cover I is open, as partially shown in Figure 2.
The said bolt-holding base J has a bracket m thereon which is perforated to
receive one end of a second sliding bolt r, and the opposite end of said bolt is
supported on a two-armed bracket s secured to the side of said cotton-conduit F.
The said bolt r has its lower end formed to enter the said socket n in the
side of said bolt K, and a finger-bar t, thereon for retiring the same from said
socket.
A coiled spring u is placed on said bolt between a pin thereon and one arm of
said bracket s, and serves to hold the end of said bolt in said socket n.
Said cover H of the conduit F has a perforated arm N secured thereon and when
said cover is closed, as in Figure 1, the perforation in said arm is in position
to receive the uppermost end of said bolt and thus lock said cover in a closed
position, while its lower end engages said bolt K, while the latter locks said
cover I, in a like locked-position.
The operation of the above described devices, in connection with the driving
shaft and said two covers H and I, of the machine, to prevent the opening of
either of said covers while the machine is running, is as follows:
The positions of the safety devices shown in Figure 1 are those occupied thereby
when the beater is running; that is to say, the beater-cylinder cover I is locked
closed by the entrance of an end of the bolt K into the bolt hole, actuated by
the spring o, and the opposite end of said bolt is clear of said disk L, allowing
the shaft C to rotate.
The lower end of the bolt r rests against the side of said bolt K, and is not now
engaged in said socket n, the latter now being, by the said position of said bolt,
not opposite the end of said bar, and is thereby so held that its upper end is in
engagement with said arm N, on the cover H, and locks the latter also in a closed
position, and must so remain while the bolt K is in engagement with the beater-
cylinder cover I.
To open either of said covers now requires that the machine be stopped by the
usual means, after which the bolt K, by grasping the finger-bar w, may be slid
out of engagement with the said cover I, and into one of the holes e, in said 4
disk L, and in so sliding said bolt K, the said socket n, in its side, is brought
opposite the end of said bolt r, permitting the latter, actuated by said spring u,
to slide out of engagement with the arm N, on the cover H, and permit the latter
to be opened, and, at the same time, by the entrance of its lower end into said
socket n, locking said bolt K, in engagement with said disk L.
Figure 2 clearly illustrates the last described positions of said devices, and,
therefore, while said two covers are free to be, or are opened, the machine cannot
be run.
4
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 5
we claim is:-
1. In a cotton-beater or analogous machine, the combination with a disk fixed on
the shaft of the machine having bolt-holes therein, and with the beater-cylinder
and conduit covers of the case of the machine, of two bolts, both simultaneously
locking said covers in closed positions while the machine may be running, and a
one of said bolts when slid out of locking engagement with its cover, engaging

page_text: said disk and holding the same against rotation, and permitting the actuation
of said conduit-cover bolt to disengage the same from said last-named cover,
substantially as described.
2. In a cotton-beater or analogous machine, the combination with a disk
fixed on the shaft of the machine having bolt-holes therein, and with the beater-
cylinder and conduit covers of the case of the machine of two bolts, each movable
in one direction by hand, and oppositely by a spring, and simultaneously locking
said covers in closed positions while the machine may be running, one of said
bolts having a recess in its side and when slid out of locking engagement with
its cover engaging said disk and holding the same against rotation, and presenting
said recess opposite the end of the second bolt and permitting the spring thereon
to so actuate this last-named bolt as to disengage the same from its conduit-
cover, and lock the first-named bolt in engagement with said disk, substantially
as described.
Dated this Twenty-second day of August 1899
JOSEPH TIBBETTS WARD.
JOHN BLAISDELL CURTIS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.