IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS POR CLEANING COTTON
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Feddis Forbes, of Inverness, Surgeon, in
Her Majesty's Bombay Army, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 28th December 1860, and dated the 9th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Feddes Forbes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 9th July 1860.
I, GEORGE FEDDIS FORBES, of Inverness, Surgeon in Her Majesty's Bombay
Army, do hereby declaro the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS POR CLEANING COTTON," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the machines or apparatus for cleaning cotton,
commonly called the "roller churka." The "roller churka" at present in use
in India is worked by two persons. The object of part of this Invention is so
to construct the machiue as to admit of its being worked by one person in the
manner herein described. The "roller churka" is a machine for separating
cotton from the seed by the action of two rollers of different diameters revol-
ving in contrary directions, between which the fibre is passed through, leaving
the seed to drop behind.
My Invention consists, first, of the application thereto of a treadle crank
shaft and fly wheel, whereby a greater speed may be obtained, and as the

page_text: motive power is communicated by the foot of the workman who attends the
machine, it is rendered capable of being worked and fed by one person, who is
thus enabled to perform a much larger amount of work than is ordinarily
effected by the two persons usually required to work the common churka.
The second part of my Invention consists in the application of a comb, by
preference of brass or steel, in such manner as to prevent the bottom roller
from "lapping," and in the application of a fine brass or steel wire parallel to
and in contact with the top roller, to prevent it from "lapping."
The third part of my Invention consists in a new adaptation to the above-
mentioned class of roller machines of intermediate bearings, particularly when
such machines are driven by power, the effect of which is, that the rollers may
be extended to any desired length, as each portion thus divided performs its
work as truly as if composed of separate rollers of no greater length than the
distance between any two bearings. Thus the inconvenience is avoided which
has been found to result by lengthening the rollers where no intermediate
bearings have been applied. It is preferred that the intermediate bearings
'should be placed at distances of about nine inches apart, which is found com-
pletely to prevent any yielding or bending of the rollers, whatever the length
may be to which they are extended.
The fourth part of the Invention has for its object the free and even feeding
of the rollers, which is accomplished by means of a toothed cylinder, which
revolves in a circular box immediately behind the roller, and into which box
the rollers partly project. The floor of this box is of wiro network, to admit
of the escape of any impurities that may be mixed with the cotton that
is being cleaned, by which arrangement a large proportion of the leaf is also
cot rid of
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Feddes Forbes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, GEORGE
FEDDES FORBES, of Inverness, Surgeon in Her Majesty's Bombay Army, send s
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
the said George Feddes Forbes, of Inverness, Her special licence that I, the

page_text: said George Feddis Forbes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Feddes Forbes, 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 Iuven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COTTON,
COMMONLY CALLED THE ROLLER CHURKA OR GIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Feddis Forbes, my executors or administra-
tors, 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 In-
vention, 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 George Feddes Forbes, 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 improved roller churka or gin is represented in the accompanying
Drawing to a scale of 8 inches to a foot, and on which the letters and figures
refer to the same parts.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 3, a
front elevation; and Fig. 4, a back elevation with a section through the
agitator.
a, a, are the standards or side frames; b, cross frame; c, stretcher bolt with
eyes on it for the treadle; d, the footboard or treadle; e, connecting rod';
f, crank shaft; g, fly wheel; h, driving pully; i, driving band; k, bottom
plate or frame on which the head stocks 1, 1, rest; m, bottom roller covered with
wood; n, top metallic roller; o, wire to prevent the lapping of the cotton fibre
round the top roller; p, cone pully on lower roller shaft; q, pinion on lower
roller shaft; r, pinion on top roller shaft; s, s, bearings of lower roller; t, t,
bearings of top roller, shewing the recess for the wire in front of top roller;
u, comb in front of lower roller to prevent the cotton fibre from lapping round
it; v is a cross bar for fixing the comb to; w, spur wheel on lower roller shaft
for driving agitator; a, the wheel on agitator shaft; this arrangement may be
reversed by driving the agitator direct from the driving pully, and the lower
roller m receiving its motion from the shaft of the agitator; y, the agitator
enclosed within a box; y are the teeth or studs between the arms of
the agitator;, a box having a wire grating or network at the bottom,

page_text: to allow impurities and disengaged seed to escape.
The knife edge of the
metal plate 1 on the front of the cover of agitator may be made to answer
the purpose of the wire previously described; the machine may be made
with or without the agitator.
Fig. 5, side elevation, and Fig. 6 section, of another form of head stock,
sbewing a different mode of discharging the fibre from the lower roller m,
without the comb, by means of an endless cloth or band 2, the width of the
length of the roller, and passing over another roller 3, to keep it tight; 4 is a
taper key with a scroll or thumb nut for adjusting the bearings and to allow of
their removal with the greatest facility. Fig. 7 shows the mode of feeding by
an endless cloth or band 5 passing over two rollers, driven in the usual way
by the machine; 6 is a screw with moveable nut for adjusting the bearings,
and allowing the same facility of taking out and replacing the rollers, and
may be used instead of the key 4. Fig. 8 is a section of head stock, shewing
another mode of discharging the cotton fibre from the lower roller without the
comb, by means of an endless cloth or band passing over two rollers 7 and 8,
one of which is immediately under and in close proximity to the lower roller m,
running in the same direction, the cloth or band 9 carrying off the fibre, or the
roller 7 may be used without the band 9. Fig. 9 shews the lower roller m,
which is covered with wood. Fig. 10 is the top metallic roller, shewing the
angular notches on the surface to grip the fibre without biting the seeds.
Fig. 11 is a roller with several bearings on it more suitable for power; the
frequent bearings prevent the roller springing, or a number of short rollers
may be driven from a shaft underneath by cog wheels or otherwise. Figs. 12
and 13 are full-size plans and elevations of the roller bearings, and shewing
the spring between the bearings, which may be either flat or spiral; also the
arrangement made to guide the bearings into their proper places; the spring
may be of steel or other suitable material.
Having now described my Invention and its use, I claim the sole right of
making, using, and selling cotton churkas or gins containing any of the following
several improvements,―
1st. Churkas with a metallic comb (u), to prevent the fibre lapping round
the lower roller.
2nd. Churkas with wire (o) in front of the top roller, to prevent the fibre
lapping round it.
3rd. Churkas with an endless cloth or band of other material (2) working
over the lower roller, as shewn in Fig. 6.
4th. Churkas with the top roller (n) notched in an angular direction, as
shewn in Fig. 10.

page_text: 5th. Churkas with rollers having several intermediate bearings on them, as
shewn by Fig. 11.
6th. Churkas with an agitator moving in a cylindrical box (y, z,) with a
grating at the bottom, as shewn by Figs. 2 and 4.
7th. Churkas with a taper key (4) for adjusting (acting on the bearings)
and keeping the rollers in contact, as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6, or by a screw
with a moveable nut (6), as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8.
8th. Churkas with a roller (7) under the lower roller (m) and revolving
in the same direction, to prevent the fibre from lapping the lower roller, and
with or without the band (9).
9th. Churkas with a spring between the bearings of the top and bottom
rollers for keeping them in adjustment.
10th. Churkas with treadle for communicating motion to the rollers by the
foot of the workman feeding the machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Feddes Forbes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
GEORGE FEDDES FORBES. (LS.)