CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB- STANCES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Lord, of Todmorden, in the County of
York, Machine Maker, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB-
STANCES."
Sealed the 24th March 1863, and dated the 18th October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Lord at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th October 1862.
I, EDWARD LORD, of Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in an improved combination and
arrangement of machinery for opening and cleaning cotton and other fibrous
substances by means whereof the sand and other impurities are separated
from the fibres, and the cotton or other fibres are effectually opened.
In performing my Invention the fibrous substances are conveyed by a creeper
or otherwise above a feed roller to which is applied a series of holders similar to
those for which Letters Patent were granted to me. on the Twenty-eighth day
of-December, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, No.-3249. --The
fibrous substances after passing between the feed roller and the holders are

page_text: acted upon by a beater or drum covered with teeth placed under the feeding
apparatus; the cover of the beater or drum is provided with teeth, and below
the cover is a grid of the usual construction for the sand and other impurities
to pass through. Or the creeper may deliver the fibrous substances to a
pair of feed rollers of the ordinary construction placed above the beater
or drum.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Lord in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
LORD, of Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October; in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Lord,. Her special license that I, the said Edward
Lord, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I; the
said Edward Lord, 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition, (amongst others) that I, the said
Edward Lord, my exécutors 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 Edward Lord, '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 nature of my Invention consists in an improved combination and
arrangement of machinery for opening and cleaning cotton and other fibrous

page_text: substances, by means whereof the sand and other impurities are separated from.
the fibres, and the cotton or other fibres are effectually opened.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan of a machine for opening and
cleaning cotton and other fibrous substances, to which my improvements are
applied. a, is a creeper of the usual construction; on which the fibrous
substances to be opened and cleansed are spread by hand, or it may be fed by
laps when the machine is used as a finisher; the creeper a in passing over the
upper roller b, delivers the fibrous substances into the trough c; the lower part
of which is closed by the guide roller d and feed roller e, furnished with a
series of holders f; these holders are mounted on the cross shaft g, in the manner
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the Twenty-
eighth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one; Number
3249. The fibrous substances after passing between the feed roller e, and the
holders f, are acted upon by the beater or drum h which is placed below them
and is covered with teeth as shewn in Figs. 1 and 4, or in any other con-
venient manner. The cover i of the beater or drum h, is also provided with
teeth, and below the cover i, is the grid j constructed in the usual manner.
When the machine is in operation the fibrous substances are presented to the
beater or drum h by the feed roller e, and they are securely held against the
feed roller by the holders f, until they are delivered by the gradual rotation of
the feed roller; they are then struck against the teeth in the cover i, and in
passing over the grid; the impurities liberated from the fibres drop through the
grid j, while the fibres are impelled by the beater or drum h over the horizontal
grid to the wire or perforated cages m and n, from whence they are taken
to other feed rollers and beaters, and thence to the lap machine in the usual
manner.
Fig. 3 represents a detached view of the feeding apparatus constructed
according to a modification of my Invention. The creeper a in passing
over the roller b delivers the fibres to a second creeper o, placed in a diagonal
position, this creeper delivers the fibres to the feed roller e, which is placed
above the beater or drum h, and is furnished with holders f as above described.
By thus making the creeper o to take the fibres from the creeper a and
deliver them to the feed roller, they are kept in a better position for being
operated upon by the teeth of the drum h, which is constructed by preference
in the manner shewn in Fig. 4. I cast as many circles or discs as there are
teeth in one row, that is to say, if there are eight rows of teeth, as shewn in

page_text: Figs. 1 and 3, then each disc has eight teeth, the first tooth is in line with
the edge of the disc and the last tooth overhangs the other edge by half its
thickness, the intermediate teeth being equally spaced between them; the
discs are bored out and fit on the axle, which has a key extending from the
shoulder h', to the nut h², by which all the discs are secured. The teeth run
in a spiral line, the whole length of the drum, one tooth overhanging the other,
and if an accident should happen to one of the teeth the disc, can be taken off
and another substituted in its stead.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same I declare that I claim,-
The improved combinations and arrangements of machinery for opening and
cleaning cotton and other fibrous substances, as shewn and described.
And I also claim the improved mode of constructing the toothed drums of
machines for opening and cleaning cotton and other fibrous substances, as shewn
and described in reference to Fig. 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Lord, have hereto set my
hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
EDWARD LORD. (L.S..)