IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR COMBING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Knowles, of Bolton, in the County of
*
Lancaster, Cotton, Spinner, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR COMBING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS."
Sealed the 4th April 1876, and dated the 6th October 1875.
·PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Knowles at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th October 1875.
I, THOMAS KNOWLES, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton
5 Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “İn.
PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR COMBING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
"MATERIALS," to be as follows :—
My Invention relates to that machine known as Heilmann's, and

page_text: arrested should one of tho webs or slivers break or be otherwise absent.
This I accomplish by the use of a finger placed immediately in front of
each "head" and extending vertically from the plate over which the
several webs or slivers pass on their way to the usual rollers. These
fingers are hung upon centres, on the other sides of which are parts &
which are capable of just overbalancing the said fingers, but when tho
machine is properly at work they are prevented from doing so by the
tension of the material. When a web or sliver is absent, then, the said
tension being removed from the finger, the heavier part comes within
range of a vibrating bar or other such apparatus ordinarily employed in 1
stop motions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Knowles in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS:
KNOWLES, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Knowles, Her special license, that
I, the said Thomas Knowles, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Knowles, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term 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 APPPICABLE TO MACHINES
FOR COMBING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition,
amongst others, that I, the said Thomas Knowles, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner tho

page_text: 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 Thomas Knowles, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to
say) :-
My Invention relates to that machine known as Heilmann's, and
consists in a certain arrangement whereby the motion of the machine
is arrested should one of the webs or slivers break or be otherwise
absent. This I accomplish by the use of a finger placed immediately in
front of each "head" and, extending vertically from the plate over
which the several webs or slivers pass on their way to the usual rollers.
These fingers are hung upon centres, on the other sides of which are
parts which are capable of just overbalancing the said fingers, but when
the machine is properly at work they are prevented from doing so by
the tension of the material. When a web or sliver is absent, then, the
said tension being removed from the finger, the heavier part comes
within range of a moving part employed in any of the ordinary stop
motions.
In describing my Inventien I will in the first place refer to the con-
struction of those parts which I claim, and subsequently describe their
application to the combing machine.
Fig. 1 represents in full size the parts which immediately act in
connexion with the web or sliver.
At a is a finger provided with a centre 6, which carries a pendant
rod c capable of slightly overbalancing the finger a, so as to cause it
when not obstructed to turn into the position shown by dots. On a
-boss-d-of-the-finger-a is a knife edge e, which, when the whole of the
parts are together, rests upon a recess ƒ formed in a casing 9, which is
shewn in the detached view (also full size) Fig. 2, and when these two
parts are thus united they are in the relative positions shewn at Figs.
8, 4, which are drawn upon a smaller scale to correspond with the
partial views of a combing machine shewn at Figs. 5, 6, 7, the first
being a plan, the second an elevation, and the third a detached view of
•

page_text: parts of the stop motion, and to which I will now refer. At h are the
usual calender rollers at the front of the machine; and at i the plate
upon which the several webs or slivers are delivered, and along which
plate they are caused to travel, as is well known. Upon this plate, and
for each head, is placed the apparatus above described, as seen in the
Drawing; and the web or sliver of each of the said heads is con-
ducted round them (as shewn by the red lines), so as to press against
the fingers a, and by their tension to prevent them from turning
outward against the weights c; but should a web or sliver be absent,
then, the tension thereof being removed, the weight c will descend
into the position shewn by dots at Figs. 1, 3, and thus by occupying a
different position will form an obstruction for any of those vibrating or
revolving apparatus which act as stop motions. By way of example I
have shown an arrangement which may be employed, and which I now
proceed to describe by reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7. At k is a bar, to
which a vibratory motion is communicated from any convenient part
of the machine, and provided with a fork 1, which embraces a pin m
projecting from a lever 1 carried by a shaft o, which shaft o has pro-
jections p on its upper side, one for each of the fingers a; and the said
shaft o is forced against the end of the fork by a weight q. At r
is a rod resting (in the position shewn) within a notch s and drawn by
a spring towards the right hand of Figs. 5, 6, its end being close to an
arm & projecting from a rod v, at the other end of which is the strap
fork. When a web or sliver is absent, and its tension is therefore
removed from one of the fingers a, that part will be caused to turn
outward by the weight c, and such weight will by descending form an
obstruction to the respective arm p, by which means the vibration of
the shaft o will be arrested and the fork on the rod k will run up on
the pin m against the force of the weight q, thereby bringing the said
rod against the bar and pushing it from its notch 8, and this bar being
then drawn by the spring t acts against the arm u and rod v'of the strap
fork motion.
"

page_text: to be understood that I claim as secured to me under the above in-part
recited Letters Patent, and for the purpose above set forth, the use of
the finger a and weight o placed vertically on the machine and acting
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Knowles, have hereunto
set my hand seal, this Fifth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
'