Year: 1897

page_text: I, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS WOLCOTT, residing at 1014 Walnut Street, in Phila-
delphia, County of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention described herein has for its object the separation of fibrous
materials such as hair or wool, into strands, and simultaneous drying and
cleansing of such material, the separation of the fibres into strands facilitating the
drying and cleaning operations. The invention is hereinafter more fully described
and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a
perspective view of an arrangement of separator and drier or cleaner; Figs. 2
and 3 are perspective views of the separator and the support or holder for the
drier and cleaner; Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections, the planes of sections being,
respectively, indicated by the lines IV-IV and V-V, Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a per-
spective view of a modified form or construction, and Fig. 7 is a transverse section,
the plane of section being indicated by the line VII-VII, Fig. 6.
In the practice of my invention the fibres to be treated are drawn over a
series of teeth or pins 1, which are held in proper relation to each other in any
suitable manner, as, for example, by being formed integral with a bar or back
piece 2.
In order to dry or cleanse the fibres they are drawn over a suitable absorbent
material, such as prepared cotton, paper, or other suitable material which will take
up and retain the moisture, grease, etc., on the fibres. As the operation of
stranding the fibres opens them up and thereby facilitates the extraction of the
moisture, grease, etc., it is preferred to arrange the separator and absorbent in such
relation to each other that the fibres will be brought into operative relation to the
absorbent material by their movement over or through the separator.

page_text: A convenient means of holding the absorbent material in the desired relation to
the separator, consists of a frame formed of metal or other suitable material,
having portions 3, which will support the absorbent on opposite sides of the
separator. The absorbent material 6 may be attached to the frame and the latter
to the separator in any convenient manner, such, for example, as that shown in the
drawings. This means consists in providing the inner edges of the supporting
portions of the frame, with resilient flanges 4, so constructed that when the
separator is pushed in between the flanges, the edges of the latter will spring in
over shoulders or ridges 5, formed along tho sides of the teeth supporting bar 2,
as shown in Fig. 4, thereby holding the frame and separator in proper relation to
each other. This construction also affords a convenient means for holding tho
absorbent material on the frame, as by wrapping the material around the frame and
folding the ends around the edges of the flanges 4, the material will be tightly
clamped between the edges of the flanges and the ridges or shoulders 5, as shown
in Figs. 1, 4 and 6. And, further, as the bar 2 is forced down between the flanges,
the material will be drawn tightly around the frame.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the separator may be formed with a handle 7, and the
frame may be formed with an extension 8, which, when the frame and separator
are fastened together, will lie closely against the handle. When this extension is
used, it is preferred that it should be clamped to the handle, thereby forming an
additional connection between the separator and handle.. To this end, the extension
.is formed with ribs 9, which are adapted to spring into grooves 10, along the sides
of the handle, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. In order to prevent the longitudinal
separation of the frame and separator, the latter is provided with shoulders or
stops 11, which, in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, are formed on the
handle at the ends of the groove 10, so that the ends of the ribs 9 will hear against
them and prevent any longitudinal movement of the frame and separator relative
to each other.
As shown in Fig. 6, the separator may be formed without a handle and in such
case, the stops 11 whereby the separator is held from longitudinal movement, are
formed at the ends of the ridges or shoulders on the bars 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. As an improvement in means for treating fibres, the combination of a fibre
separator and an absorbent material arranged in the path of movement of the fibres
over or through the separator, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of a series of teeth, and an absorbent material arranged
alongside of the teeth, whereby- the fibres may be simultaneously separated into
strands, and subjected to the action of the absorbent material, substantially as set
forth.
3. The combination of a fibre separator, a frame, an absorbent material sup-
ported by the frame and means for securing the frame and separator together,
substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of a fibre separator, a frame adapted to support an absorbent
material in proper relation to the separator and means for detachably securing the
frame to the separator, substantially as set forth.
5. The combination of a bar provided with a series of teeth and having longi-
tudinal ribs or shoulders and a frame adapted to support an absorbent material and
provided with oppositely acting resilient flanges adapted to engage the ribs or
shoulders on the bar, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination of a toothed bar provided with a handle, the handle and bar
having longitudinal ribs or shoulders, a frame adapted to support an absorbent
material and provided with oppositely resilient flanges and an extension of the
frame provided with oppositely acting resilient ribs, the flanges and ribs adapted

page_text: to engage the longitudinal ribs or shoulders on the bar and handle, substantially as
set forth.
Dated at Philadelphia Po TTSA thin 17th day of Man A T 1907
Witnesses:
JOHN CHARLES MUNCHEN.
CHARLES HENRY UMSTEAD.
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS WOLCOTT.