IMPROVMENTS IN MACHINERY POR OPENING AND CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS. SUBSTANCES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Handel. Ashworth, of Hyde, in the County of
Chester, Machine Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVMENTS IN
MACHINERY POR OPENING AND CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS.
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 7th November 1862, and dated the 12th May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Handel Ashworth at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
12th May 1862.
I, HANDEL ASHWORTH, of Hyde, in the County of Chester, Machine Agent,..
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
to be as follows:-
The object for which my Invention is particularly applicable is to open and
card the coarse cotton fabrics known as cotton tares, in which Egyptian cotton.
is generally packed when imported into this country, but it is also applicable-
for opening and carding ropes of cotton, hemp, and flax, cop bottoms, and old
woollen rags, thereby rendering the fibres available for manufacturing purposes..
My Invention may also be applied for opening and carding tow and other
fibrous substances. In performing my Invention I make use of a machine
similar to a carding engine, the cotton tares or other fibrous substances are
supplied to one or two pairs of feeding rollers, which are heavily weighted and

page_text: revolve very slowly; by these rollers, which are covered with needle points,
they are delivered to a roller similar to the licker-in, but covered with strong
card teeth, and revolving at a great velocity, which deposits them on to a main
cylinder, around which are placed working and stripping rollers, or card flats
of the usual construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Handel Ashworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HANDEL
AsпWORTH, of Hyde, in the County of Chester, Machine Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
lid, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Tandel Ashworth, Her special license, that I, the said Handel Ashworth,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Handel Ashworth, 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 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 OPENING AND CARDING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Handel Ashworth, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said Handel Ashworth, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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) :-
The object for which my Invention is particularly applicable is to open and
card the coarse cotton fabrics known as cotton tares, in which Egyptian cotton

page_text: is generally packed when imported into this country, but it is also applicable.
for opening and carding ropes of cotton, hemp, and flax, cop bottoms, and old.
woollen rags, thereby rendering the fibres available for manufacturing purposes.
My Invention may also be applied for opening and carding tow and other
fibrous substances. In performing my Invention I make use of a machine
similar to a carding engine; the cotton tares or other fabrics or fibrous sub-
stances are supplied to one or two pairs of feeding rollers, which are heavily
weighted and revolve very slowly; by these rollers, which are fluted or covered
with needle points, they are delivered to a roller similar to the licker-in, but
covered with strong card teeth and revolving at a great velocity, which
deposits them on to the main cylinder, around which are placed working and
stripping rollers, or card flats of usual construction.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carred into effect, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Drawing,
reference being had to the letters marked thereon:―
a is the feeding table or creeper on which the cotton tares, or bags, ropes,
cop bottoms, or other fibrous materials or substances to be opened and carded
are spread by hand; b, b, and c, c, are two pairs of feed rollers for carrying
the fibrous materials or substances forward and delivering them to the licker-
in d; the feed rollers revolve at about one half the speed of the feed
rollers c, and the feed rollers c revolve at about one half the speed of the feed
rollers of ordinary carding engines; the feed rollers b and c are heavily
weighted by means of the levers b' and c', to which weights are attached, or
which are acted upon by springs 62 and c²; the rollers may be fluted in the
ordinary manner, but the rollers c are covered with spikes or diamond points
produced by making annular and longitudinal grooves in the rollers, the object
being to hold the fibrous materials or substances securely when they are
delivered to the licker-in d, which is covered with strong card teeth or spikes,
and revolves at about twice the speed of the licker-in of ordinary carding
engines. The licker-in d delivers the fibres to the main cylinder e or to a
second licker-in placed between the one shewn in the Drawing and the main
cylinder. When two licker-ins are employed the second should revolve about
one half faster than the first; around the main cylinder e are placed the
ordinary working and stripping rollers f and g, or card flats may be employed
either instead of or combined with the working and stripping rollers. The
main cylinder e deposits the fibres on the doffer h, from which they are stripped
by the combi in the usual manner. The fibres when struck off the doffer
drop on to the floor or into a suitable receptacle, they are then perfectly
opened and carded and in a fit state for being used for manufacturing

page_text: purposes. By means of the improved machinery above described it will be
seen that cotton tares or bags, ends of ropes, cop bottoms, woollen or cotton
rags, and other articles of refuse or of comparatively little value are recon-
verted into valuable fibres. I wish to observe that in some cases one pair of
feed rollers is sufficient. The bottom feed roller c is driven from the doffer
in the usual manner by the bevel wheels h', side shaft j, and bevel pinion j',
shewn by dotted lines, and when two pairs of feed rollers are employed
the bottom feed roller bis driven by the carrier pinion c³. The bottom feed
roller c is stripped by the roller k, which is covered with card teeth, and
deposits the fibres taken from the under side of the feed roller on to the
licker-in.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that I claim the improved machinery shewn and
described for opening and carding cotton and other fibrous substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said Handel Ashworth, have hereunto
set my band and seal, the Tenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
HANDEL ASHWORTH. (L.S.)