IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henry Rushton, of the Firm of
Messieurs Dobson and Barlow, of Bolton, in the County of Lan-
caster, Machine Maker, and James Macqueen, of the same Place,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Henry Rushton
and James Macqueen at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 14th September 1872.
We, THOMAS Henry Rushton, of the Firm of Messieurs Dobson and
Barlow, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and
James MacqueeN, of the same Place, Machinist, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING
COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in certain improvements upon the combing
machines for which Letters Patent were granted to Josué Heilmann on
the 25th day of February 1846, No. 11,103.
The first part of our Invention consists in an improved combination of
machinery for imparting the requisite advancing and retrograde motions
to the piecing roller. For this purpose we employ two cams and a

page_text: toothed segment gearing into a pinion on the piecing roller. One of the
cams imparts the circular motion to the toothed segment, and the other
cam draws the toothed segment out of gear and puts it into gear with
the pinion on the piecing roller. By this means the relative amount of
advancing and retrograde motions can be regulated to any extent.
The cam which gives the circular motion to the toothed segment is
made with a dwell to allow the piecing roller to come to a dead stop
when the segment is drawn out of gear with the pinion, and with a
second dwell to allow the segment to be put in gear again.
The second part of our Invention relates to the nipping and foeding
apparatus, and it consists in certain improved modes of constructing the
said parts to reduce the cost and the difficulty of adjustment. The
feeding roller is placed just clear of the combing cylinder, and the nipper
plate is hinged above the feeding roller and is brought into contact with
the roller by the usual cam and parts connected to it. The feeding plate
is connected to and moves with the nipper plate, and acts on the opposite
side of the feeding roller. When a top feed roller is used, it would
occupy the same place as the feeding plate. The stand for supporting
the nipper and feed rollers is made to radiate round the axle of the
combing cylinder to simplify the setting. The same stand carries the top
comb levers, which are raised by the action of the nippers. The top
comb stock is made of cast iron with a blade of steel, to which the
needles are soldered. By this arrangement the height of the stands is
reduced to bring the laps within easy reach of the operatives.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 25
filed by the said Thomas Henry Rushton and James Macqueen
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th March 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
HENRY RUSHTON, of the Firm of Messieurs Dobson and Barlow, of
Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and JAMES 30
MACQUEEN, of the same Place, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, 35

page_text: give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Henry Rushton and James
Macqueen, Her special licence that we, the said Thomas Henry Rushton
and James Macqueen, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Thomas Henry Rushton and James Macqueen,
our 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 "In-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Henry
Rushton and James Macqueen, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said Thomas Henry Rushton and
) James Macqueen, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to
say) :—
Our Invention consists in certain improvements upon the combing
machines for which Letters Patent were granted to Josué Heilmann on
the Twenty-fifth day of February One thousand eight hundred and
forty-six, Number 11,103.
The first part of our Invention consists in certain improved combina-
tions of machinery for imparting the requisite advancing and retrograde
motions to the detaching and piecing rollers.
The second part of our Invention relates to the nipping and feeding
apparatus, and it consists in certain improved modes of constructing
the said parts to reduce the cost of construction and the difficulty of
adjustment.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an end view, and Fig. 2 a front

page_text: view of our improved machinery for imparting the requisite advancing
and retrograde motions to the detaching and piecing rollers. a is the
cam shaft, which is driven by a wheel on the cylinder shaft gearing into
the wheel a', to which is cast or fixed the cam b, in which is a groove
acting on a bowl c, which projects from the lever c', and to this lever is
hinged the toothed segment d, which gears into the pinion e¹ fixed to
the axle of the detaching roller c. To the shaft a is also fixed the cam ſ,
the groove in which acts on a bowl projecting from the lever ft, at the
other end of which is another bowl taking into a curved slot in the
segment d. When the cams 6 and f revolve the small camƒ draws the
segment & out of gear with the pinion e', then the cam 6 and lever c¹
move the segment upwards from A to B, the small cam f and lever ƒ'
then put the segment into gear again, and the cam 6 and lever c¹ then
move the segment, which is in gear with the pinion e¹ again upwards
from B to C for the backward, and downwards from C to A for the
forward motions of the detaching roller; and the difference between the
advancing and retrograde motions is equal to the time the segment is
held out of gear by the small cam f and lever f', and by adjusting the
small cam the relative proportions of the two motions is altered at
pleasure, whereas in Heilmann's machine a new cam and wheel are
necessary to obtain the same result.
In our improved machinery the detaching roller e is stopped and
started regularly, thereby producing uniform slivers; but in Heilmann's
machine the stopping and starting motions are sometimes irregular,
owing to the momentum of the internal wheel and the irregularity in
the friction of the bearings.
Figs. 3 and 4 represent another arrangement of machinery for working
the detaching and piecing rollers. The cam b is similar to the one
before described, but the segment d and lever c' are in this instance cast
together. The segment remain at all times in gear with the pinion e',
and a groove is cut in the boss of this pinion at e, and half of a small
clutch box e' is cast to the other side of the pinion e¹; the other half
clutch box e' is fast to the detaching roller e. The small cam f works
the lever f' from its face, and the other end of the lever takes into the
groove of the pinion e', which is loose on the roller e. The action of
the cams and levers is the same as that described in reference to Figs. 1
and 2, but the clutch box e' is put into gear by the spring, and drawn
out of gear by the cam f and lever f' at the proper times, the means for

page_text: altering the piecing remaining as before; and in order to facilitate the
relative amount of advance and retrograde motions the cam ƒ may be
made in two parts, as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6, the segment f³ being con-
nected to the body of the cam by set screws passing through slots.
g
Fig. 7 is an end view, and Fig. 8 a front view of the nipping and
feeding apparatus of a combing machine constructed according to our
improvements. In these views g is the combing cylinder, which is con-
structed with a fluted part and with comb teeth in the usual manner;
h, the feeding roller, which, instead of being placed at some distance
O from the circumference of the combing cylinder, as in Heilmann's
machines, is brought close to but just clear of the combs on the cylinder;
h' is the top feed roller; e is the detaching roller, and e' the piecing
roller. To the shaft of the comb cylinder 9 is fixed the small cam g¹,
which acts on a bowl projecting from the lever, keyed on the nipper
3 shaft i, to which are fixed the lifters e³, through which the set screws it
pass. The nipper plate 3 is loose on the same shaft, and it is lined with
cloth and leather or other elastic substance to form a cushion where it
acts on the feed roller h. The projections from the nipper plate are
acted upon by two spiral pulling down springs of the ordinary con-
O struction, one end of each spring being connected to each of the top feed
roller levers, and the other ends to any convenient part of the framing.
The nipper shaft i and feed roller 7 are supported in the brackets j,
which radiate from the axle of the comb cylinder. The top comb k is
supported in the levers k³, which are hinged to the brackets j, and they
5 are lifted by projections on the lifters, acting on the set screws k³.
The top comb stock is made of cast iron with a blade of steel, to which
the needles forming the comb k are soldered. The regulating screw ³
is placed in front of the comb, by which arrangement the top comb can
be set with great accuracy, and the wearing of the tail of the set screw
O does not so soon allow the top comb to come in contact with the combs
on the cylinder g. When the cylinder shaft revolves the cam g' lifts the
lever ², and with it the lifters, which through the set screws i' lift the
nipper plate from the feed roller h; the feed rollers h and h³ then
push the cotton forward, and the springs acting on the projections of
5 the nipper plate 3 bring the plate down on the cotton passing over the
feed roller h, where it is held close to the combs on the cylinder g while
it is combed, the feed roller remaining stationary when the nipper plate
is in contact with it. This arrangement produces a great reduction in

page_text: and described.
Fourthly. The mode of imparting the advancing and retrograde
motions to the piecing roller e', as shewn and described.
And lastly. We claim the above improvements whether used sepa-
rately or collectively, or any combination of parts of the same.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Henry Rushton and
James Macqueen, have hereto set our hands and seals, this
Twelfth day of March One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
theen
THOMAS HENRY RUSHTON. (L.s.)
JAMES MACQUEEN.
(L.S.)