Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Cotton or other Fibrous Materials to Openers or Scutchers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application 23rd Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Aug., 1895-Accepted, 5th Oct., 1895.
Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Cotton or other Fibrous
Materials to Openers or Scutchers.
I HUGH AUGUSTINE CORRIGAN of 11 Grafton Street Chorlton-on-Medlock,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates principally to what are known as hopper feeders for
supplying cotton or other fibrous materials to scutchers or openers, the object of
the invention being to increase the quality or regularity of the supply so as to
avoid the formation by the opener or scutelier of light or heavy lap..
In the first place I propose to apply to the hopper of such apparatus a convenient
opening device.
The device may be mounted in the hopper itself, which I enlarge somewhat for
this purpose, or it may be mounted in a separate framing so that it can be fixed
close to existing hoppers in order to supply the cotton thereto.
This may consist of a spiked lattice, and a beater or stripping roller similar to
thore now used in the hopper feeder itself, or it may be in other suitable form,
such for example as a roller with spikes or fingers revolving in a suitable trough.
This device will open out the denser fibres, and not materially alter the lighter
ones, so that the said fibres will be almost uniform in density when delivered to the
spiked lattice of the hopper feeder.
The cotton before falling into the feeder hopper proper passes by preference
between pressing rollers which may be suitably weighted if requisite.
I further propose to employ a spiked rod or bar to clear the spiked roller of the
hopper feeder, and I give a short to and fro end wise motion to the spiked rod or
bar for this purpose.
If this motion is longer than the distance between the teeth
or points of the spiked roller, I cause the rod or bar to be withdrawn in its
traverse, if found necessary, sufficiently for its spikes to clear the said teeth or
points, and to return to its former position when the spikes of the rod or bar are
again opposite the spaces between the teeth or points of the spiked roller.
In cases where the hopper feeder is provided with a feed hopper or box as
protected by Patent No. 11996 granted to John Corrigan and dated June 19th
1893, and especially where the cotton or other fibre is delivered from such fee.l
hopper or box by a pair of rollers at or near the bottom of the outer side of the
said feed hopper or box, I provide a third fluted roller at the bottom of the feed
hopper or box which revolves at a suitable speed and in such a direction as to
direct the cotton or other fibre between the delivery rollers. The speed of this
roller can be regulated, automatically (say by cones) or otherwise, and thus without
altering the speed of the delivery rollers I can increase or diminish the delivery of
the fibre to a certain extent. This third roller also prevents the breaking away of
the fibre in the feed box from the delivery rollers. A short lattice or its equivalent
may be substituted for this third roller if preferred.
Where one of the delivery rollers is carried by levers which regulate the position
of the adjustable side of the feed hopper or box, I mount in suitable brackets on
one of the levers, and on the bar which connects them together, a shaft on which
is a short arm provided with a pin or finger engaging with a cranked lever
connected to the adjustable side of the feed hopper or box; this shaft is provided
at its outer end with a finger provided with a set screw adjustable in any desired

page_text: position in a radial slot in a bracket on the aforesaid lever, or the slot may be in
the finger. Thus the degree of motion imparted by the delivery roller to the
adjustable side of the hopper can be conveniently regulated with the greatest
accuracy.
I prefer to mark the bracket with indicating lines or points to facilitate this
adjustment.
The adjusting shaft may be set if preferred by a worm and sector or wheel or
other known means, but I prefer the mechanism above described on account of its
simplicity of construction.
I also propose to attach a feed box, similar to that described in the aforesaid
Specification, to the frame of the scutcher, and to connect the upper part thereof
by a lattice shoot or trunk to the mechanical feeding apparatus which in this case
may be of any suitable construction. I employ a roller to remove surplus cotton
from this feed box and return it by any suitable means to the mechanical feeder
or elsewhere. This feed-box may also be supplied from the mechanical feeder by
means of a suitable weighing device.
This arrangement of the feed box on the scutcher frame will enable me very
readily to apply the invention to existing machinery.
Sometimes, instead of using the feed box (either separate from or forming part
of the mechanical hopper feeder) as described in the Specification of the above
named Letters Patent, 1 employ plates mounted upon a shaft and so fixed thereon
as to form a series of receptacles for the cotton or other fibres as they are delivered
from the beater.
The shaft is caused to make part of a revolution when sufficient fibre has
collected in one of the receptacles, either by the weight of the fibre depressing the
shaft and so bringing a tripping mechanism into action, or intermittently by
positive gearing. This partial revolution of the shaft will tip the cotton or other
fibre into a shoot (one side of wh ch is formed or partly formed by one of the
plates on the shaft) and will present an empty receptacle to be filled by the beater.
Any surplus cotton is carried away from the receptacle by similar means to those
used for the feed box herein before referred to, and the shoot may be provided with
a roller or rollers to deliver the fibre evenly upon the lattice leading to the scutcher
or opener.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1894.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Cotton or other Fibrous
Materials to Openers or Scutchers.
I HUGH AUGUSTINE CORRIGAN of 11 Grafton Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, 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 :—
This invention relates principally to what are known as hopper feeders for
supplying cotton or other fibrous materials to scutchers or openers, the object
of the invention being to increase the quality or regularity of the supply so as
to avoid the formation by the opener or scutcher of light or heavy laps.
In the first place 1 propose to employ a spiked rod or bar a see Figs. 1 and 1^
on Sheet 1 of the annexed drawings to clear the spiked roller of the hopper
feeder and I give a short to and fro end wise motion to the spiked rod or bar a
for this purpose, by means of a bowl a' and revolving cam a shewn detached at

page_text: Fig. 14, or otherwise. If this motion is longer than the distance between the
teeth or points of the spiked roller b, may cause the rod or bar to be with-
drawn in its traverse, if found necessary, sufficiently for its spikes to clear the said
teeth or points, and to return to its former position when the spikes of the rod or
bar are again opposite the spaces between the teeth or points of the spiked roller.
In cases where the hopper feeder is provided with a feed hopper or box cas
protected by Patent No. 11996 granted to John Corrigan and dated June 19th 1893,
and especially where the cotton or other fibre is delivered from such feed hopper
or box by a pair of rollers d d' at or near the bottom of the outer side of the said
feed hopper or box, c, I provide a third fluted roller (see Figs. 1 and 2) at the
bottom of the feed hopper or box, which roller drevolves at a suitable speed and
in such a direction (as shewn by the arrow in Fig. 1) so as to direct the cotton or
other fibre between the delivery rollers d d¹. The speed of this roller d can be
regulated, automatically (say by cones e e¹ as seen at Fig. 1 or otherwise, and thus
without altering the speed of the delivery rollers d d I can increase or diminish
the delivery of the fibre to a certain extent. This third roller d also prevents
the breaking away of the fibre in the feed box c from the delivery rollers d d¹..
A short lattice or its equivalent may be substituted for this third roller if
preferred.
C9
Where one of the delivery rollers (d¹ for example) is carried by levers f (one at
each end) which regulate the position of the adjustable side c¹ of the feed hopper
or box
I mount in suitable brackets on one of the levers f and on the bar f+
which connects them together, a shaft g see Fig. 2 on which is a short arm h
provided with a pin or finger h¹ engaging with a cranked lever i connected to the
adjustable side c¹ of the feed hopper or box c; this shaft g is provided at its outer
end with a finger & see Fig. 2 provided with a set screw k+ adjustable in any
desired position in a radial slot in the said finger (or in a bracket on the
aforesaid lever). Thus the degree of motion imparted by the delivery roller to
the adjustable side of the hopper can be conveniently regulated with the greatest
accuracy.
I prefer to mark the bracket f¹ with indicating lines or points (see Fig. 2^) to
facilitate this adjustment.
The adjusting shaft may be set if preferred by a worm and sector or wheel or
other known means, but I prefer the mechanism above described on account of
its simplicity of construction.
I also propose to attach a feed box, similar to that described in the aforesaid
Specification, to the frame of the scutcher, and to connect the upper part thereof
by a lattice shoot or trunk to the mechanical feeding apparatus which in this case
may be of any suitable construction. I employ a roller to remove surplus cotton
from this feed box and return it by any suitable means to the mechanical feeder
This
or elsewhere. This attachment will be understood without illustration.
feed-box may also be supplied from the mechanical feeder by means of a suitable
weighing device.
This arrangement of the feed box on the scutcher frame will enable me very
readily to apply the invention to existing machinery.
Sometimes instead of using the feed box (either separate from or forming part
of the mechanical hopper feeder) as described in the Specification of the above
named Letters Patent I employ plates 7 (as seen on Fig. Sheet 2 of the accom-
panying drawings), mounted upon a shaft m and so fixed thereon as to form a series
of receptacles for the cotton or other fibres as they are delivered from the beater n
as seen on Fig. 3.
The shaft m is caused to make part of a revolution when sufficient fibre has
collected in one of the receptacles, by suitable gearing. This may be effected by
a disc m¹ and pin m² gearing into a notched wheel m³ and driven at a suitable
speed.
This partial revolution of the shaft m will tip the cotton or other fibre into a
shoot n (one side of which may be formed or partly formed or completed by one

page_text: of the plates on the shaft m) and will present an empty receptacle to be filled by
the beater. Any surplus cotton is carried away from the receptacle by the roller o
and similar means to those used for the feed box hereinbefore referred to, and the
shoot n may be provided with a roller p or rollers to deliver the fibre evenly upon
the lattice leading to the scutcher or opener.
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. In a hopper feeder (for scutchers and openers) the combination with the
spiked roller b of a reciprocating spiked rod or bar a substantially as and for the
purpose herein before set forth.
2. In a hopper feeder (for scutchers and openers) provided with a feed hopper
or box and a pair of delivery rollers, the combination with the latter of a third
roller or its equivalent at the bottom of the feed box substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore set forth.
3. In a hopper feeder (for scutchers and openers) provided with a feed box and
delivery rollers one of which regulates the position of the adjustable side of the feed
box, the combination with such regulating mechanism of means for increasing or
diminishing the regulating motion imparted by the delivery roller substantially as
herein before set forth.
4. The combination with a hopper feeder of a lattice shoot or trunk carrying
the fibre to a feed box fixed upon the frame of the scutcher such feed box being
provided with means for returning surplus fibre to the hopper feeder substantially
as herein before set forth.
5. The combination with the beater of a hopper feeder (for scutchers and
openers) of a shaft carrying a series of receptacles for the cotton and means for
intermittently turning the said shaft so as to empty one of these receptacles as it
is filled by the beater and present a fresh receptacle to be filled thereby, suitable
means being provided for carrying off surplus fibre and returning it to the hopper
substantially as herein before set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1895.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.