IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Platt, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical Engineer, and William Richardson, of the same Place,
Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Platt and William
Richardson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 6th June 1861.
We, JOHN PLATT, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical
Engineer, and WILLIAM RICHARDSON, of the same Place, Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS COMMONLY CALLED 'GINS,' FOR CLEANING COTTON FROM
SEEDS," to be as follows:
Our Invention relates to that description of machine known as the "roller
gin," and consists in certain additions thereto, whereby the material is regularly
supplied to the action of the rollers, and is presented thereto in a more open
and suitable condition for the separation of seeds.
Also the improvements consist in a method of adjusting the rollers and of
preventing a lapping thereof.
In order to accomplish these objects we employ a travelling apron upon
which the material is placed, and in connection with which are carding or
combing instruments. From these the material is taken in tufts by a trans

page_text: ferring comb and conveyed to the ordinary rollers. In order to adjust the
rollers we employ a wedge-formed piece between the steps or bearings, and
which may be regulated by a screw. To prevent the lapping we employ a
travelling band which runs in contact with one or both of the rollers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Platt and William Richardson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
PLATT, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, and
WILLIAM RICHARDSON, of the same Place, Mechanical Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said John Platt. and William Richardson, Her special licence that
we, the said John Platt and William Richardson, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Platt and William Richardson,
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 COMMONLY CALLED GINS FOR CLEANING COTTON FROM SEEDS," upon
the condition, amongst others, that we, the said John Platt and William
Richardson, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, (or under
the band and scal of one 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 John Platt and William Richardson,
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 and accompanying Drawings (that is
to say)

page_text: Our Invention relates to that description of machine known as the "roller
gin," and consists in certain additions thereto, whereby the material is regularly
supplied to the action of the rollers and presented thereto in a more open and
suitable condition for the separation of seeds.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents in section the operating
parts of a two roller gin constructed according to our improvements, and Fig..2
is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a general view in elevation of the machine
and drawn upon a smaller scale. The framework which carries what may be
called the head of the machine, embracing the operating parts, is shewn at a,
and the usual rollers, by which the seeds are separated from the cotton, at b, bº.
Behind these are rollers c, d, e, armed with teeth so as to constitute rotatory
combs, which rollers are situate above an endless feed apron f, formed by a belt,
on which are fixed transverse strips of wood, a part of which strips only are shewn
in the Drawing. Between the ordinary rollers 6, 6, and comb rollers c, d, e,
is placed a shaft g, upon which are mounted a series of hooks or combs h,
this shaft is provided with a lever i, to which is jointed a rod k, connected at its
lower end to a crank 1, fixed to the axis of the roller 6, by this means, therefore,
the shaft 9 is caused to turn in its bearings, and the hooks or combs hare
made to vibrate between the ordinary rollers b, 6*, and the comb roller.d.
At m is a roller covered with leather and resting upon the roller b, and at n
is a fluted roller, also in contact, with the roller b. These two rollers m, n,
are for the purpose of preventing the rollers b, 6*, from lapping, and at o is a
scraper adapted for the purpose of keeping the surface of. the roller b clear of
fibrous material or dirt. The scraper o and roller m are mounted in a separate
frame p, which is capable of being turned over on a hinge joint q. At m* is a
bar extending across the machine, and is adapted for preventing fibrous material
from being carried upward by the roller m. Beneath the vibrating combs -or
hooks and rolled d is placed a dish r, which at the end towards the rollers
b, 6, is formed as a grating s. The method by which the parts above described
may be put in motion is not material to our Invention, but we will point out
the arrangement we at present adopt. At t are fast and loose pulleys receiving
rotatory motion from the pulley u, Fig. 3, the other pulley. v of the said Fig. 3,
being the main pulley by which the machine is driven. The pullies t, t, nre
upon the axis of the roller 6, on which axis is a pinion w, driving another
pinion. upon the axis of the roller b, and thus the two ordinary rollers are
driven. The pinion w is in gear with a wheel y mounted upon an axis,
which passes across the machine, and carries at its other end a pinion 1; this
pinion drives a wheel 2 upon the axis of the fluted roller n.
also in gear with another wheel 3, carried by the axis of the
The pinion I is
comb roller.d,

page_text: which axis communicates rotatory motion by means of a pinion 4 to a wheel 5,
on the axis of the upper comb roller e. At the other side of the comb roller e
is a pinion 7, taking into a wheel 8, mounted upon the axis of the endless feed
apron roller 9, the other end of which roller carries a pinion 10, taking into
another upon the axis of the third comb roller c. The clearing roller m is
not driven, but revolves simply by friction of contact with the roller b. The
operation of the machine is as follows:-The material being placed upon the
teed apron fis conducted thereby to the comb rollers c, d, which by revolving
at the same surface speed as the apron detains the material, and causes it to
be combed and drawn forward by an increased speed of the roller d, the result
of which is a drawing action which partially loosens the fibres. During this
operation the vibration of the shaft g will carry the books or combs h upward
through the teeth on the roller d, and then these hooks or combs in their
return motion will draw off tufts of the cotton, and by a further downward
motion will present it to the rollers 6, 6x, to be operated upon in the usual
manner, and thus the material is firstly opened out or combed by the rollers c, d,
and in that prepared condition is submitted to the rollers b, bx, in successive
tufts, withdrawn and transferred by the hooks or combs h, such hooks or combs
also aiding in loosening the fibres by withdrawing the material from appara-
tus which offers a certain amount of resistance to its withdrawal; the roller e
revolves at a slower speed than d, and is for the purpose of preventing any
material lifted by the upward motion of the hooks or combs h from passing
backward, such material being thus raised so as to be presented to the next
downward motion of the comb h. At h* is a transverse bar attached to the
hooks or combs h, adapted for the purpose of steadying the
combs, and for preventing the material from sliding upward.
indicate the directions in which the several rollers revolve. The detached
seeds fall through the grating s to any convenient receptacle, and the cotton
is delivered in the usual manner. Fig. 4 represents our Invention applied
to another arrangement of roller gin known as MacArthey's, and in which one
roller only is employed. The roller to which the seeds are conducted is shewn
nt a, and b is the usual spring plate. At c is the vibrating blade caused to
advance towards and retreat from the roller by a crank or excentric connected
below to the rod d. At e, f, g, are the comb rollers described in reference to
Figs. 1 and 2, and 'to which the cotton is delivered by the travelling apron h.
Upon the axis of the roller ä is a crank i, causing a shaft & to vibrate through
the inedium of a connecting rod 1, and upon this shaft are mounted the trans-
ferring hooks or coinbs m, which as before described, passes through the
teeth of the Foller c, and withdraws the material in tufts so as to present it in a
said hooks or
The arrows

page_text: prepared state to the action of the roller a, and blades b and c, there being a
dish n, and grating o, as in the formerly described machine, the detached
seeds falling through the latter into any receptable below.
We have in the foregoing description alluded to a particular arrangement
and construction of machinery, but we desire it to be understood that we do not
intend to confine ourselves thereto, as many modifications may be adopted
without departing from the principles of our Invention, for instance, the two
essential parts thereof, videlicet, the combing or carding rollers and the trans-
ferring hooks or combs need not of necessity be employed together, for the
latter might draw the material from fixed points or bars in detached tufts so as
to effect a preparatory opening. We would also remark that instead of the
rollers c, d, e, apparatus similar to "gills" or other opening arrangements may
be employed; that which we claim as secured to us under the above in part
recited Letters Patent, being,-
Firstly, and as applied to "roller gins," the use of combing or carding
instruments or equivalent apparatus, whereby the material is presented in a
comparatively opened condition to the usual rollers.
Secondly, the use of a transferring comb or other apparatus, whereby the
material is detached in tufts, and presented directly or indirectly to the usual
rollers.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Platt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JNO. PLATT.
L.S.)