IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, CLEANING, AND PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Knowles, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of
Lancaster, Foreman, and Edward Kirby, of the same Place, Traveller,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, CLEANING,
AND PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Knowles and
Edward Kirby at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 16th November 1854.
We, PETER KNOWLES, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County.of. Lancaster,.
Foreman, & EDWARD KIRBY, of the same Place, Traveller, do hereby. declare.
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING,
CLEANING, AND PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be. as
follows:-
Our Invention consists, first, in an improved mode of constructing the
beaters of the machines used in opening cotton, known as Hardacre's patent.
openers. This improvement is effected by making toothed plates at the ends
of the arnis of which the beater is composed.'
Secondly, in making the beaters of Hardacre's patent blowers with two
working edges, instead of with only one; by this means, when one edge has
been worn away, the beater can be reversed, so as to bring the other edge
into.action.
Thirdly, in applying revolving or stationary combs or brushes between the
drawing or calender rollers, forming part of the draw box of a carding engine,
or in any other convenient position, between the doffer and the, receptacle in
which the sliver from the carding engine is collected.

page_text: And, lastly, in the application of revolving or stationary combs or brushes
between the drawing rollers, or between the drawing and calender rollers of
drawing frames, or of other machines used in preparing cotton or other fibrous
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Knowles and Edward Kirby in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PETER
KNOWLES, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Foreman, and
EDWARD KIRBY, of the same Place, Traveller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Peter Knowles and Edward Kirby, Her special license that
we, the said Peter Knowles and Edward Kirby, our exccutors, adminis-
trators, and. assigns, or such others as we, the said Peter Knowles and
Edward Kirby, 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, usc,
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 OPENING, CLEANING, AND PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Peter
Knowles and Edward Kirby, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of either of us, 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 Peter Knowles and Edward Kirby, 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 Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings (that is to say):-
Our said Invention consists, first, in the application of toothed plates to the
ends of the arms of the beaters known as Hardacre's patent beaters.

page_text: Secondly, in making the blades of the arms of Hardacre's patent beaters
with two working edges instead of with only one, as heretofore, by means
whercof, when the edges are worn away on one side of the blades, the beater
may be reversed, to bring the other edges into action.
Thirdly, in applying revolving or stationary combs or brushes between the
drawing or calender rollers, forming part of the draw box of a carding engine,
or in any other convenient position, between the doffer and the receptacle in
which the sliver is collected.
And, lastly, in the application of revolving or stationary combs or brushes
between the drawing rollers, or between the drawing and calender rollers of
drawing frames, or of other machines used in preparing cotton and other fibrous
materials.
We have in the said Drawings given Figures for shewing how our im-
proved machinery may be constructed; similar parts in each of these Figures.
being marked with similar letters of reference.
Figure 1 of the said Drawings represents an end view of an arm of a beater,
shewing one mode of constructing the toothed plate for acting on the cotton
or other fibrous material to be opened or cleansed; Figure 2 is a side view of
Figure 1. a is the beater shaft; b, the arm, which is screwed into the shaft a
in the ordinary manner; c, a toothed plate, inserted into the upper part of the
arm b, and held by screws or rivets. It is well known to persons conversant
with machinery for opening and cleaning cotton, that in the machines known
as Hardacre's patent blowers, the blades of the arms which act on the cotton
are placed in a spiral line around the shaft of the beater. Now, our improve-
ment consists in making such blades with toothed plates, as shewn, or in any
other convenient manner.
Figure 3 represents an end view of another of our improvements in
Hardacre's patent beaters; Figure 4 is a side view of the same. a is the
beater shaft; and b, the, arm, the upper portion of which is provided with a
blade in the form of a parallelogram, as shewn in Figure 5, thereby obtaining
two working edges for acting on the cotton or other fibrous material; by this
means, when one edge of the blade has been worn away, the beater can be
reversed, so as to bring the other, edge into position for acting on the cotton
or other fibrous material. In Hardacre's patent beaters each blade has only
one working edge; consequently, by means of our improvement a considerable
saving is effected when repairs are necessary.
Figure 6 is an elevation of the draw box of a carding engine, shewing one
mode of applying a revolving comb or brush. d is part of the doffer, from
which the fleece is taken. in the ordinary manner through the spout e and

page_text: drawing rollers f the sliver then passes between the roller g' and 'comb or
brush h, the velocity of the latter being somewhat greater at its circumference
than that of the roller g; the sliver then passes through the spout i between
the calender or drawing rollers and thence to the can k. The short fibres
or impurities removed from the sliver by the comb or brush h are cleared by
the revolving brush 7, which is stripped by the card roller m and comb n, or in
any other convenient manner.
In Figure 7 we have shewn a modification of this part of our Invention as
applied to a drawing frame or other machine in which drawing rollers are
used for preparing cotton and other fibrous materials. ff, g, and h are parts
corresponding to those above described in reference to Figure 6. In addition
to the revolving comb or brush h, we apply a stationary comb o, through which
the sliver is drawn by the rollers p; this stationary comb is cleared by the
action of the coinb or brush h, above described.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not claim any
of the elements of the machinery which we have described as forming any
part of our Invention separately or apart from, the combination and application
thereof for the purposes above described, and that what we do claim is,
**First, the application of toothed plates to the arms of Hardacre's patent
beaters.
7.
Secondly, constructing the blades of the arms of Hardacre's patent beaters
with two working edges.
*
Thirdly, the application of revolving or stationary combs or brushes to the
draw boxes of carding engines."
And, lastly, the application of revolving or stationary combs or brushes to the
drawing rollers of drawing frames, or other machines used in preparing cotton
and other fibrous materials.
In witness whereof, we, the said Peter Knowles and Edward Kirby; have
hereunto set our hands and seals, the Fourteenth day of May,' in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
- 19+
Witness to the signatures,
H. B. BARLOW,
Patent Agent, Manchester
EDWARD KIRBY. (L.S.)
1.