IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TIGHTENING THE DRIVING BANDS, CORDS, OR CHAINS EMPLOYED IN CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Taylor, of Rochdale, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF
AND APPARATUS FOR TIGHTENING THE DRIVING BANDS, CORDS, OR CHAINS
EMPLOYED IN CARDING ENGINES.”
Sealed the 11th January 1876, and dated the 14th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Taylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th October 1875.
I, JAMES TAYLOR, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
3 declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TIGHTENING THE DRIVING BANDS, CORDS, OR
CHAINS EMPLOYED IN CARDING ENGINES," to be as follows:--
This Invention relates to the tightening of the endless driving bands,
cords, or chains employed in carding engines for the purpose of giving
rotary motion to the rollers,

page_text: The band, cord, or chain is caused to pass (when at or near its lowest
point) over a small grooved pulley and under another, these two pulleys.
being mounted one at each end of a lever. The said lever has a central
boss, which is keyed or otherwise fixed at or near the inner end of a
short transverse shaft supported in suitable bearings. On the other end
of this shaft is keyed or fixed a hand wheel or lever, by turning which
the first-named lever may be caused to swing on its fulcrum, and by
raising one grooved pulley and depressing the other the band, cord, or
chain will be brought to the required state of tension.
On the short shaft is also keyed a ratchet wheel, on which acts a pawl
attached to the framing to keep the lever in its position and prevent the
band, strap, or chain from becoming slack after it has been tightened.
A pulley with a weighted band, cord, or chain attached to its circum-
ference may also be applied for the same purpose. In this case I reverse
the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and use that and the hand wheel only
for drawing up and holding the weight when it is required to slacken
the endless band, cord, or chain for guiding or stripping the rollers, or
for any other similar purpose. The ratchet will thus hold the band,
cord, or chain slack for any required time, and on its being released the
weight will tighten the same and keep it tight whilst working.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TAYLOR, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Taylor, Her special
license, that I, the said James Taylor, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Taylor, 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

page_text: 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 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TIGHTENING THE DRIVING BANDS, CORDS, OR
CHAINS EMPLOYED IN CARDING ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Taylor, exccutors or adminstrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 James Taylor, do hereby declaro
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 tightening of the endless driving bands,
cords, or chains employed in carding engines for the purpose of giving
rotary motion to the rollers.
The band, cord, or chain is caused to pass (when at or near its lowest
point) over a small grooved pulley and under another, these two pulleys.
being mounted one at each end of a lever. The said lever has a central
boss, which is keyed or otherwise fixed at or near the inner end of a
short transverse shaft supported in suitable bearings. On the other end
of this shaft is keyed or fixed a hand wheel or lever, by turning which
the first-named lever may be caused to swing on its fulcrum, and by
raising one grooved pulley and depressing the other the band, cord, or
chain will be brought to the required state of tension.
On the short shaft is also keyed a ratchet wheel, on which acts a pawl
attached to the framing to keep the lever in its position and prevent the
band, strap, or chain from becoming slack after it has been tightened.
A pulley with a weighted band, cord, or chain attached to its circum-
ference may also be applied for the same purpose. In this case I reverso
the teeth of the ratchet wheel and use that and the hand wheel only for
drawing up and holding the weight when it is required to slacken the
endless band, cord, or chain for grinding or stripping the rollers for
any other similar purpose. The ratchet will thus hold the band, cord,

page_text: or chain slack for any required time, and on its being released the weight
will tighten the same and keep it tight whilst working.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to
be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order
that the same may be clearly understood, I have hereunto annexed
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.
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a front 1
view of the apparatus arranged as above described, so that the weight
keeps the driving band tight, and the ratchet wheel is only employed to
hold up the weight when the band is required to be slack.
a, a, is a bracket secured to any convenient part of the framing, and
is provided at or near the centre with a boss, through which passes a
short shaft b, b. On the inner end of this shaft is fixed a lever c, c,
carrying at each end a grooved pulley d, d, and the driving band e, e,
(to be kept tight) is passed over one and under the other. On the other
end of the shaft b, b, is keyed a hand wheel f, f, and between the latter
and the bracket a, a, a grooved pulley g, g, and a ratchet wheel h, h, are i
also fixed. A pawl i, i, for holding the teeth of this wheel when
required is supported on a stud k, k, fixed in the upper part of the
bracket a, a. One end of a cord l, l, is fixed to the grooved pulley 9.9.
This cord takes two turns round the pulley, and a weight m, m, is
attached to its other end.
It will be evident that when the pawl i, i, is thrown over into the
position shown at Fig. 1 the weight m, m, has a constant tendency to
keep a strain upon the driving band e, e, and thus to maintain it in a
state of tension, but when it is desirable to slacken the driving band to
grind or strip the rollers, or for any other purpose, all that need be done
is to pass the pawl over into the position shown in dotted lines, when by
means of the hand wheel the lever c, c, is moved into the horizontal or
inclined position (shown also in dotted lines), and all strain or tension is
thus removed from the driving band e, e, which accordingly becomes slack,
the weight being held suspended by the pawl i, i, holding in the teeth of
the ratchet wheel h, h.
When it is desired to tichton the t
the nal
: is moised and

page_text: thrown back, and the weight m, m, will descend and tighten the driving
band.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be
performed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that
I claim as my Invention the combination of the lever, grooved pulleys,
weighted cord, ratchet wheel and pawl, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Taylor, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
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