AN IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON OPENERS AND CLEANERS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Davis Keene, of Providence, in the County of
Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, United States of America, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON OPENERS AND CLEANERS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Samuel Davis Keene at the
Oflice of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th September 1870.
SAMUEL DAVIS KEENE, of Providence, in the County of Providence, and State of
Rhode Island, in the United States of America. AN IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON
OPENERS AND CLEANERS"
The nature of my Invention consists mainly in the means employed for regu-
lating the admission and direction of currents of air into the machine; in the means
employed for regulating the position of the separator or grill; and in the various
operative combinations of the several operative parts, all as more fully herein-after
described and explained. Also, in conibming with a set of drawing rolls and a
beater, or its equivalent, an adjustable mote board, second, in combining with a
set of condenseis and drawing 1olls an inclined grill, over which the cotton is
drawn after it has passed the condensers. This grill is provided with bars, each of
which is covered with short spurs or pins extending upward for the purpose of
separating the cotton, so as to loosen it sufficiently for it to allow the motes and
dust to fall out.
In the Drawings, making a part of this Specification,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my opener and cleaner; Figure 2 is a longitudinal
vertical section of the same; Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of the same.
Figure 4 is an end view of the separator and attachments.
Figure 5 is an end view of the grill and its deflector wing,
Figure 6 is a longitudinal vertical section of a modification of my Invention ;
Figure 7 is a plan of the same.
Figures 8 & 9 show parts in detail.
Upon a suitable frame A and upon bearings mounted on either end of the same
are placed the feeding rolls a, withdrawing rolls b, feeding apron c, and withdrawing
apron d.
In other suitable bearings, placed centrally upon the frame A, is journaled the

page_text: beater shaft B carrying beater arms C. Neither of these parts constitute any
portion of the Invention claimed in this application.
A lag board or girt D passes across the lower central part of the machine, and
is supported upon suitable bearings e.
A separator E rests at its lower edge upon the girt D, and is rendered adjus-
table by the following means -A hollow shaft F, which passes through the
machine from side to side a little below and one side of the girt D, has
within it another shaft G The shaft F has arms f with sleeves f¹, which
latter are pivoted to the under side of the separator near its upper edge.
Other arms fare secured upon the shaft G at right angles to the arms f
having sleeves, which in turn are pivoted to a rigid arm g, which in turn is
firmly secured to the under side of the separator at a point near its lower edge.
The arms have ficedom of movement in the shaft F by means of slots made
therein. It follows then that the shaft F being rotated the upper edge of the
separator will have a rotary movement about said shaft, as shown by the arrows hɩ,
in Figure 4, while the rotation of the shaft G insures the movement of the separator
up and down, as shown by the arrows i, in Figure 4. To make this movement
effectual from the outside of the machine an indicator arm H is secured upon the
end of the shaft G, and another similar arm I upon the shaft F. Each of these
arms is quadrant shaped, and has a slot in its periphery. Through the slot in the
.arm H a set screw passes into the am I, which serves to secure the arm I to the
arm H.at any point in the slot of the arm H, and a set screw 1 passes through the
slot in the am I into the side of the machine, which serves to secure the arm H
at any point in its own slot. A fair and foul weather scale J is secured to the side
of the machine opposite to the pointer of the indicator arm I corresponding in
length with the movement permitted to it by its set screw ¹. It follows then that
the set screws, j', being loosened the indicator arm 1 has a rotary movement inde-
pendent of that of the arm H; but if the set screw is turned up then the arm H
is moved by the movement of the arm I, also the arm I being held by its-set
screw the arm H--has an independent movement The separator E has near its
upper edge a series of slots k, shown particularly in Figure 3, and at its upper edge
a wing deflector K. preferably pivoted to it.
.
Instead of the separator E there may be used a grill L, as shown in Figure 5,
having a wing deflector M, and arranged and adjusted in the same manner with the
separator E.
The particular advantage of the grill may be found in its better adaptation to
"the cleaning of very dirty or sandy cotton, by reason of its numerous spaces
.admitting more freely the passage of objectionable material, and giving also a
larger circalation of air currents
The feed end of the machine is nearly closed by draft regulators, being two
plates preferably curved, as shown, the lower plate N being secured to the machine,
and the upper plate O overlapping the other, being capable of being raised or
.lowered by means of set screws operating in slots m in the said plate O.
A cover P covering and protecting the beater, and serving to exclude the air,
completes the enumeration of the parts of my machine, the operation of which will
be next described, it being understood that an exhaust is used in connection with
this machine in the way common with machines for like purposes.
The cotton; entering upon the apron c, passes between the feeding rolls by the
increased speed of the last set of which it is drawn into a thin film, which extends
under the beaters and up through the rolls b, from which it is delivered upon the
apron d in a clean condition. The film of cotton is subject to the impact of the
beaters from near the point after it leaves the feeding rolls until near the point
where it enters the last set of rolls, and is all the time subject to currents of air
created by the exhaust passing through it
Cotton, however, is much inclined to take moisture from the atmosphere, and
requires a greater volume or force of air currents in damp weather than in bright
clear weather; and cottons also vary greatly in the amount of dirt and other foreign

page_text: "matter contained in them, the dirtier and more impure cotton usually requiring a
greater volume or current of air for proper cleaning. Accordingly, the separator E
or grill L is adapted to be raised or lowered, or more or less inclined, by the
mechanism before described, by which the space for the entrance of air is enlarged
or diminished.
In the revolutions of the beater the dust, motes, and other light foreign matter
thrown over the edge of the separator or grill would be withdrawn by the suction
of the beater as it passes over the separator or grill, back again upon the saine
through the openings in the separator or grill, which has been a serious disadvan-
tage in this class of machines. To remedy this I provide the separator or grill
with a wing or deflector, the effect of which is to deflect or turn such foreign sub-
stances over the separator or grill, and away from the sucking action of the beater,
'so that they fall by their own gravity. This action may be beneficially assisted in
the different varieties of dirty cotton by having the deflector hinged, so as to give
it different degrees of inclination.
The action of the regulator governs the size of the air opening to suit the
necessities of the case without changing the speed of the beater or of the
exhaust fan.
The second part of my Invention is for additional improvements in cleaners as
follows: Let A represent the lap or apron upon which the cotton to be cleaned is
placed, see Figure 7. From this apron the cotton is fed into the sets of drawing
rolls B and B. Those drawing rolls are made in the usual manner, that is, they
are fluted, and the set B are aanged to run faster than the set B', so that the
mass of cotton or lap is stretched and opened in its passage From these rolls the
cotton is delivered to the action of the beater C. The beater C consists of a set of
arms w, w, w, w, Figure 6, and the bars e, e, e, e. The bars e, e, e, e, extend longi
tudinally, as shown in Figure 7, and as the benter revolves comes in close contact
with the set of drawing rolls B², so as to strike or beat the cotton as it passes out
from between the rolls. This action of the beaters divides the cotton, so as to
allow the motes to be thrown out. The mote board D¹ rests loosely on the bottom
board D, Figures 6 and 7, and is so arranged that it may be readily adjusted
lengthwise of the machine, so as to bring the front edge of the mote board at a
greater or less distance from a line drawn vertically down from the feed roll B
without varying the space between the mote board D and the beater C. To do
this I attach to the edge of the mote board at each end a pin d (see Figures 6
and.8). These pins & are each attached to a plate E¹, said plates E¹ being each
provided with a slot t, through which a clamping screw G passes. To adjust the
mote board D¹ I have only to loosen the clamping screw G¹, which will allow the
plates E³, and consequently the mote board D' to be moved as desired.
To understand this part of my Invention the operator must keep in mind this
fact, namely, that as the bais e, e, e, e, which are in rapid motion, strike the cotton
as it is delivered from the rolls-B² it, the cotton, together with the motes and dirt,
is thrown tangentially down, as indicated by the arrow, Figure 6. The motion
thus given to the cotton and motes is greatly modified by the current of air created
by the beater in its revolution The resultant effect is that the heavy parts, 2.e.,
the motes and dirt, to a large extent pass nearly straight down by the edge of the
mote board into the waste box, while the cotton being light is carried by the air
current on to the note board, and thence to the other parts of the machine.
I find in practice that different grades of cotton require different positions for
the edge of the mote board, and that the satisfactory working of the machine
depends upon the adjustment of the mote board, so that its position may meet the
requirements of the kinds of cotton being worked upon.
A knowledge of the proper adjustment of the mote board will be acquired by a
skillful workman after a few experiments with the cotton to be acted upon.
After the cotton has passed through the operation, as above described, it passes
into chambers S, and thence through the perforated condensing rolls K³, K³,
Figures 6 and 7. H is a sheet of wire gauze, and from its nature allows much of

page_text: the dust and fine dirt to sift out of the cotton; F, Figure 6, is a fan blower
arranged, as shown, to inhale from the condensers K1, K2, through the pipe L', and
then out through the pipe M', Figure 6. As the peripheries of the condensing rolls
K¹, K, are perforated it is evident that a strong current of air,will flow from the
chamber S toward and into them. This action of the air will draw the cotton in
the chamber S upon the rolls, and allow the rolls to condense the loose cotton into
a lap. At the same time inore of the dust will be freed from the cotton. After the
cotton has passed through the condensing rolls K¹, K², it is delivered upon the
grill M, and from thence passes through the drawing rolls B3, B4, to the combing
cylinder N', and is finally delivered at P to be worked into a lap of cleaned
cotton.
The grill M, shown in Figure 6, and plainer in perspective section in Figure 9, con-
sists of a set of bars x, x, x, x, each of which is provided with short pins p, p, p, p.
The object of these pins is to open the cotton as it passes from the condensers K1, K2, to
the drawing rolls B3, B4, so as to allow the entangled motes, leaves, &c, to drop out
through the openings between the bars. The mote board 01, in Figure 6, is
adjustable at its front end by means of slotted plates E² and set screws G², whereby
when desired the angle of slope of said mote board, may be varied, and also the
position of the front edge of the same in respect to a vertical line drawn through
the rear end of the grill, it being essential, in the treatment of various kinds of
cotton, to vary the space between the combing cylender N¹, the feed rolls B+, B³,
and the mote board, so that in the operation of combing and beating performed by
the cylender N¹ the mote board shall be so inclined that the motes and leaves, &c.,
remaining in the cotton shall fly over the front edge of the mote board, while the
cotton shall always move down its incline.
Having thus described my machine, what I claim as new therein is,―
1. In a machine for cleaning cotton the combination of a deflector wing with a
separator, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In combination with a separator or grill, having a deflector wing, the draft
regulator N, O, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In combination with the separator or grill the shafts F and G with their arms
ffff, for the purpose of adjusting the separator or grill, substantially as
described.
4. In combination with a separator or grill, and its operating arms and shafts,
the indicator arms H and I with their set screws for the purpose of adjusting the
said separator or grill, substantially as described.
5. The combination of a beater and drawing rolls, driven at different speed, with
an adjustable mote board, all operating together substantially as described, and for
the purpose set forth.
6. The combination of the condensing rolls K³, K², and the drawing rolls B³, B',
with the grill M and the combing cylender N', all operating together, substantially
as described, and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Davis Keene, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Second day of August, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.