IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES FOR COTTON AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bernoulli Barlow, of the City of Manchester,
Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES FOR
COTTON AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad by Isaac
Mason, of Bombay, in the East Indies.
Sealed the 10th October 1862, and dated the 21st May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st May 1862.
1, HENRY BERNOULLI BARLOW, of the City of Manchester, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES
FOR COTTON AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," a communication to me from abroad by
Isaac Mason, of Bombay, in the East Indies, to be as follows:-
This Invention is particularly applicable to presses for baling cotton, but it
may be employed for other purposes.
The followers of the press are connected to elbow levers which are actuated
by right and left handed screws cut in a shaft to which a wheel is keyed, a worm
or pinion geers into this wheel, which in revolving causes the followers to
approach each other to compress the cotton or other substance. As soon:

page_text: as the bale is corded or lashed the wheel is turned round in the contrary
direction to separate the followers, thereby liberating the bale, which is then
removed and a fresh supply of cotton of other substance to be compressed
is placed in the box or trunk in which the followers work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on
. the 25th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BERNOULLI BARLOW, of the City of Manchester, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow, Her special license that I, the said Henry
Bernoulli Barlow, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow, 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 Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES FOR COTTON AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," a com-
munication to me from abroad by Isaac Mason, of Bombay, in the East
Indies, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Bernoulli
Barlow, my executors or administrators, 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 Invention, 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 Henry Bernoulli Barlow, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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) :-

page_text: ་
This Invention is particularly applicable to presses for baling cotton, but it
may be employed for other purposes.
The followers of the press are connected to clbow levers or knee joints
which are actuated. by right and left handed screws, cut in a shaft to
which a wheel is keyed, a worm or pinion geers into this wheel, which, in
revolving, causes the followers to approach each other to compress the cotton
or other substance. As soon as the bale is corded or lashed the wheel is turned
round in the contrary direction to separate the followers, thereby liberating the
bale, which is then removed and a fresh supply of cotton or other substance
to be compressed is placed in the box or trunk in which the followers work.
. And in order that this Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved press arranged for baling cotton,
and Figure 2 is an edge view of the same. a, a, are two round iron pillars
to which are attached the bearings a and a; of the driving shaft b, and the
bearings a², of the right and left handed screws c; d, d, are two wood or iron
pillars to support the floor è of the room in which the cotton is cleaned
and put in the press; f is a platform for the workmen to stand on. when:
lashing or cording the bale and removing it from the press; g is the bed
plate, and the top plate of the press, these plates are connected by the four
pillars i. The right and left handed screws c, have either one or more threads
cut on them, and the cross heads c', which are furnished with brass bushes
having threads cut in them, work on the screws, to the cross head c' are jointed
the outer ends of the levers or links k, k; the other ends of which are jointed
together and to the centre shaft k, from which depend the side rods, con-
nected to the centre shaft, this centre 'shaft by means of the bars 4, is
connected to the bottom follower . To the cross heads c¹; are also jointed
the links 1, 1, which are connected to the top follower, by the centre shaft 1,
and bars . The followers and 15 work up and down in the box or trunk m,
which is provided at n with a hinged door to admit the cotton, and at o with
three other doors to remove the balé when lashed or corded.
The mode of communicating motion to the screw c, and to the various
parts for working the followers and is as follows:-On the driving shaft
6, are two sets of pulleys 6 and 62, for actuating and reversing the followers.;
to the shaft bis also fixed the spur pinion 63, gearing into the wheel c², keyed
on the centre of the screw c. The Drawing represents the followers in the
positions they occupy when the box is being filled with cotton (the doors at o

page_text: at this time must be closed); as soon as the requisite quantity of cotton
has been supplied, the door n is closed and the driving strap is then moved on
to the fast pulley of the set b¹, the rotary motion thus imparted to the shaft &
and screw c causes the cross heads c¹, to approach each other, the links k
and acting on the followers and cause them also to approach each
other until the links have assumed the positions indicated by dotted lines in
Figure 1, or until the cross heads have arrived near to the bearings at, at
which time the final compression will have been given to the cotton in
the trunk or box m; the bale is then lashed or corded and removed in the
usual manner. While the bale is being removed the driving strap of the set
of pulleys 62 is shifted on to the fast pulley to reverse the motion
of the screw c, and to bring the followers and 1 into the positions shewn in
the Drawing ready for packing a fresh bale.
It will be evident that the knee action of the levers or links k and l produces
a gradually increasing amount of pressure on the cotton or other substance
to be compressed, thereby applying the power in the most advantageous manner,
a great saving in time is also effected by giving motion to two followers as
described, instead of to one follower only, as heretofore customary, and the
strain or resistance is imparted to the cotton or other substance to be com-
pressed; instead of being. partly on the cotton and partly on the framing
of the press, thus greatly reducing the weight of the press.
The mode of imparting motion to the screw may be considerably varied, and
the press may be worked by hand, steam, or other power. When hand power
is employed I apply the arrangement shewn in Figure 3 to one of the pillars
a; the capstan r, is fitted upon one of the said pillars a, upon the capstan is
fitted a cog wheel & which gears into a cog wheel t, keyed upon the upright
shaft u, upon the upper end of the shaft u there are two mitre wheels v
The mitre
and v, and the shaft works in and is supported by the bracket w.
wheels vand v¹, are 'connected to the shaft u, by a key and groove so as to be
moveable in the direction of its length. The bracket w is also moveable.
When the moveable bracket w is raised it carries with it the two mitre
wheels and v¹, and the upper mitre wheel v gears into the mitre wheel v³ on
the driving shaft b; when the bracket is lowered the lower mitre wheel v', gears
The object
into the mitre wheel c³, keyed upon the 'end of the screw c.
of this contrivance is to alter the speed of the screw 'when required.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention as communicated
to me, and 'the manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim
the combination of screws and knee joints for working presses as shewn

page_text: and described, or any combination of screws and knee joints for effecting the
same object.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of
October in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two
H. B. BARLOW. (L.S.)