IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BREAKING THE HUSKS OF COTTON PODS AND OPENING AND SEPARATING, THE COTTON FROM THE SAME PREVIOUS TO GINNING
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Tomlinson and John Jones, of the City of
Manchester, in, the County of Lancaster, Engineers, for the invention of,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BREAKING THE HUSKS
OF COTTON PODS AND OPENING AND SEPARATING, THE COTTON FROM THE SAME
PREVIOUS TO GINNING."
Manchester, in, the County of Lancaster, Engineers, for the invention of,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BREAKING THE HUSKS
OF COTTON PODS AND OPENING AND SEPARATING, THE COTTON FROM THE SAME
PREVIOUS TO GINNING."
Sealed the 13th April 1865, and dated the 15th October 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Tomlinson and
John Jones at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 15th October 1864.
We, EDWARD TOMLINSON and JOHN JONES, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BREAKING
THE HUSKS OF COTTON PODS AND OPENING AND SEPARATING THE COTTON FROM
THE SAME PREVIOUS TO GINNING," to be as follows:-
We make a framework of any convenient size- in the shape of a hopper.
Below the hopper-mouth we mount two or more rollers, but we prefer three;
two of then placed opposite each other, and the third in any convenient.
position nearly in contact, and we cover all of them with caoutchouc or other
flexible yielding substance, and cause the two rollers to revolve in opposite
directions, and the third to revolve in the same direction as one. of the two, so
that when the cotton pods are placed in the hopper they pass between the two
rollers, and then between the third and one of the two, all being nearly in
contact, but the flexible or yielding substance gives way a little as the pod
passes through them, thus breaking the husk without breaking the seed. We
also place one or more revolving beaters, but two by preference, one of them
near the rollers and the other in connection with it, so that as the broken, liusks

page_text: leave the rollers they come in contact with the beater or beaters, by which
the cotton is opened and forced out by a funnel-mouth. Under the beaters
we place grids or perforated plates, through which dirt and refuse will fall.
The said machine may be driven by hand or power, and the different motions
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Tomlinson and John Jones in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
TOMLINSON and JOHN JONES, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Ifer reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Edward Tomlinson and John Jones, Her special license that
we, the said Edward Tomlinson and John Jones, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edward Tomlinson and
John Jones, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR BREAKING THE HUSKS OF COTTON PODS AND OPENING AND SEPA-
RATING THE COTTON FROM THE SAME PREVIOUS TO GINNING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Edward Tomlinson and John Jones, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Edward Tomlinson and John Jones,
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):-

page_text: We make a framework of any convenient size and shape, and mount it
with a hopper, below the mouth of which we place in bearings two or more
rollers covered with caoutchouc or other yielding substance. We prefer the
employment of three rollers, two near each other, side by side, and the third
below one of the two, but nearly in contact with it, and cause the two first-
mentioned rollers to revolve in opposite directions, and the third in an opposite
direction to the roller above it. When the cotton. pods are placed in the
hopper they are drawn between the first two rollers, and then between the
third roller and the one above it, so as to break the husks, but as the
caoutchouc or other yielding substance gives way a little the husks are broken.
without breaking. the seed. We also employ one or more revolving beaters,
but two by preference, placed side by side, so that as the broken husks leave
the rollers they come in contact. with the beaters. which open the cotton and
force it through the mouth of a passage or funnel, and under the beaters we
place grids. or perforated plates for the exit of the dirt. and refuse. The
aforegoing machinery for apparatus may be driven by hand or power, and the
different motions communicated by wheels or other gearing.well known to
mechanics.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 2
are longitudinal clevations of the two sides; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section;
Fig. 4, an end elevation, and Fig. 5, a plan of one of our improved machines
for breaking the husks of cotton pods and separating the cotton from the same
previous to ginning.
a represents the framework of the machine; b, the hopper; c, d, e, the
shafts of the rollers; f,.g, h, the rollers; k, l, the shafts of the beaters; m, n,
the beaters; o, the grids for the escape of the dirt and refuse; p, the funnel
or outlet for the opened cotton; q, the driving shaft; r, the handle for driving
it by hand; s, t, the fast and loose pulleys employed when the machine is to
be driven by power, and u, the fly wheel, having two grooves in its periphery
for the reception of cords or bands. For giving revolving motion to the
rollers we fix on the driving shaft q the bevil wheel w gearing into the bevil
wheel a, fixed to the shaft y, on which there is a right-handed single thread
worm 2, a left-handed single thread worm a', and a left-handed double thread
worm ', the said worms gearing into corresponding worm wheels c', d', e¹,
fixed to the shafts of the rollers; and for giving revolving motion to the
beaters we fix on their shafts k, l, grooved pulleys f₁ 9', connected by bauds
h', ', with the grooved fly wheel u. When the hopper is supplied with
cotton pods, and revolving motion given to the driving shaft in the right

page_text: direction by hand or power, the rollers are turned by the bevil wheels, worms,
and worm wheels, and the beaters by the bands and pulleys in the directions
denoted by the arrows. The rollers draw the pods between them and break
the husks without breaking the seed, and the beaters draw the broken pods.
below them, open the cotton, and discharge it through the mouth of..the
funnel or passage, and at the same time the dirt and refuse pass through the
grids or perforated plates. It will be seen that the diameter of the roller h
is half that of either of the other two,. which are of equal diameters, but as it.
makes two revolutions for one of the others, the surface speed is the same in.
all, and therefore the pods can be crushed without injuring the staple of the.
cotton; but when desired we vary the surface speeds. of the-rollers either by:
making them of different diameters, or by using worins and worm wheels of
different pitches, and although we have shewn the application_of_three-rollers:
and two beaters, we employ-any-number-that may be found desirable, and,
cause them to revolve by any well-known mechanical contrivances.
Having now described the nature and. particulars of our said Invention,:
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be.
understood that we claim the employment of two or more rollers covered;
with coautchouc or other yielding substance working in connection with two
or more revolving beaters for the purpose of breaking the husks of cotton.
pods without breaking the seeds, and opening and separating the cotton.
from the same previous to ginning, as all such improvements are herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of: Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edward Tomlinson aud John Jones,'
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of
April, in the year of our Lord' One' thousand eight hundred and sixty-
five: :
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Edward Tomlinson
.and John Jones in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
EDW. TOMLINSON. (L.S.)
JOHN JONES.
(L.S.)