Year: 1887

page_text: We JOHN MCQUEEN, Manager at Messrs. John Hetherington and Sons of Pollard
Street Manchester in the County of Lancaster and WALTER MOORES Foreman at the
same place do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the nipper mechanism of the machinery employed in the
Combing of textile materials and particularly to the Cotton Combing Machines of the
Heilman type. In such machines the cotton is fed to the combing apparatus in
the form of a lap which is held by the nipper whilst the exposed end is being combed
as is well understood. As the lap of cotton passes between the nipper and the cushion
plate there is a tendency for the cotton to spread or widen out at the edges and to
prevent this is the object of our invention. At or near the ends of the cushion plate
we fix guide pieces which project from the said plate sufficiently to prevent the
spreading of the lap beyond a determined width which is arranged to be suitable to
the length of the rows of combs on the combing cylinder. As the lap is fed forward
the said guides prevent side spreading or the side escape of portions of the fibre
and maintain an uniform width or length of the lock of staple being combed the
result being that the width of the sliver of combed cotton is more uniform and the
edges are more regular. An important advantage resulting from the use of our
invention is that a wider lap of cotton may be fed to the combing cylinder so that the
amount of work performed is increased or otherwise the said cylinder may be shorter
as compared with the width of the lap so that a shorter machine will perform the
same effective duty. The projecting parts of the guides may extend either in front of
or behind the nipper as preferred and in some cases may extend into recesses formed
in the said nipper plate so that the control over the width of the lap is maintained
until the cotton leaves the nippers.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.

page_text: Improvements in or Applicable to the Nipper Mechanism of
Combing Machines.
We JOHN MCQUEEN Manager at Messrs. Jolin Hetherington and Sons of Pollard
Street Manchester in the County of Lancaster and WALTER MOORES Foreman at the
same place do hereby declare the nature of our 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:-
Our Invention relates to the nipper mechanism of the machinery employed in the
combing of textile materials and particularly to the cotton combing machines of the
Heilman type. In such machines the cotton is fed to the combing apparatus in
the form of a lap which is held by the nippers whilst the exposed end is being combed
as is well understood. As the lap of cotton passes between the nipper and the cushion
plate there is a tendency for the cotton to spread or widen out at the edges and to
prevent this is the object of our Invention. At or near the ends of the cushion plate
we fix guide pieces which project from the said plate sufficiently to prevent the
spreading of the lap beyond a determined width which is arranged to be suitable to
the length of the rows of combs on the combing cylinder. As the lap is fed forward
the said guides prevent side spreading or the side escape of portions of the fibre and
maintain an uniform width or length of the lock of staple being combed the result
being that the width of the sliver of combed cotton is inore uniform and the edges
are more regular.
Our Invention will be most clearly understood when described with reference to the
accompanying drawings wherein is represented so much of the nipper apparatus of a
combing machine as is necessary to the proper illustration of our Invention.
In the said drawings Fig. 1 is a front view of part of the nippers shewing them
closed. Fig. 2 is a corresponding view shewing the nippers open. In both views one
end only of the nippers is shewn for want of space in the drawing. Figs. 3 and 4
are cross sectional views of the same parts which appear in Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. 5
and 6 are views of the guide pieces shewn detached from the fixed cushion plate, Fig. 5
being a back view and Fig. 6 an inside view. In Figs. 1 to 4 one of these guide
pieces is shewn in position attached to one end of the cushion plate a a front view of
the guide piece appearing in Fig. 1 and an end or outside view in Fig. 4. The nipper
plate is indicated by b. The said guide piece consists of a front guide e and a back
guided these two parts being united by a connecting piece e so as to form one
casting or piece of metal for convenience of attachment to the end of the plate a
but if preferred the two guides may be in separate parts. It will be understood that
the plate a is provided at each end with a guide piece, the two guide pieces being
made right and left hand. The piece shewn in Figs. 5 and 6 is adapted for the left
hand end which does not appear in Figs. 1 and 2. The downward extending lip of
the nipper plate is cut away at the part from f to g in Fig. 2 so as to clear the front
guide which extends back and is in close contact with the front edge of the cushion

page_text: plate as seen in Fig. 3 and also in Fig. 7 which is a view of the guides as seen when
looking down upon one end of the cushion plate. By so forming the front guide the
fibres are prevented from escaping sideways between the guide and the cushion plate.
The gripping edge of the nipper plate extends horizontally past the front guide to
the point so that any fibres which may spread beyond the line of the guides will be
held and combed. From the front guide a finger e¹ extends horizontally a short
distance beyond the vertical inner edge of the guide and when the nipper plate is
brought down the end of the lip passes between the said finger and the cushion
plate. The object of this finger is to prevent the upward escape of fibres at the end
of the lip of the nipper plate and to ensure that all the fibres shall be properly
combed. The back guide d is curved to clear the nipper plate as it descends and the
inner vertical edge is in line with the edge of the front guide or thereabouts so that
the outward or lateral spread of the fibres is limited both at the back and the front of
the nipper plate. An important advantage resulting from the use of our invention
is that a wider lap of cotton may be fed to the combing cylinder so that the amount of
work performed is increased or the said cylinder may be shorter as compared with the
width of the lap so that a shorter machine will perform the same effective duty.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
(1) In the nipper apparatus of combing machinery the combination of the front
and back guides c and d formed and applied substantially as and for the purpose set
forth and indicated.
(2) In the nipper apparatus of combing machinery the front guide c at each end of
the cushion plate in combination with a nipper plate which has its lip cut away to clear
the said guides substantially as set forth and indicated.
(3) In the nipper apparatus of combing machinery the front guides c each formed
with a lateral finger e behind which the end of the lip of the upper nipper passes
substantially as set forth and indicated.
(4) The nipper apparatus for a combing machine consisting of the cushion plate
provided with the back and front guides and the nipper plate cut or formed to clear
the front guides the nipper plate and guides overlapping so as to prevent the fibres
from escaping above or below or between the guides substantially as set forth and
indicated.
Dated this 29th day of March 1888
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.