IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brookes, of 73, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS."-A communication from abroad by Messrs. Dombret
and Dugnolle, of Valenciennes, and Potez, ainé, of St. Mandé, near Paris,
in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 20th April 1860, and dated the 22nd October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brookes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
October 1859.
WILLIAM BROOKES, of 73, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS," communicated to me from abroad by Messrs. Dombret
and Dugnolle, of Valenciennes, and Potez, ainé, of St. Mandé, near Paris, in
the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
The fibres to be operated upon are fed by means of an apron to between
pressing rollers, of which, by preference, there are three working together.
From these the fibre passes to between a pair of toothed rollers, which in part
hold it whilst it is operated upon by comb teeth in series carried by a pair of
revolving frames. These last comb teeth may be called working combs:
They are affixed to bars capable of motion, governed by cams, or such like
means acting with each revolving frame, in order that as they revolve with the

page_text: frames by which they are supported, they may more readily enter the fibre,
draw it, and then pass therefrom whilst the fibre is drawn forward by
drawing rollers travelling at quicker speed, and delivering the fibre thus laid,
and straightened or dressed to a delivery apron, or such like means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Brookes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BROOKES, of 73, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
serid greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Brookes, Her special licence that I, the said William
Brookes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Brookes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
communicated to me from abroad by Messrs. Dombret and Dugnolle, of
Valenciennes, and Potez, ainé, of St. Maudé, near Paris, in the Empire of
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Brookes,
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 William Brookes, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
The fibres to be operated upon are fed by means of an apron to between

page_text: pressing rollers, of which, by preference, there are three working together.
From these the fibre passes to between a pair of toothed rollers, which in part
hold it whilst it is operated upon by comb teeth in series carried by a pair of
revolving frames. These last comb teeth may be called working combs:
They are affixed to bars capable of motion, governed by cams; or such like
means acting with each revolving frame, in order that as they revolve with
the frames by which they are supported they may more readily enter the fibre,
draw it, and then pass therefrom whilst the fibre is drawn forward by drawing
rollers travelling at quicker speed, and delivering the fibre thus laid and
straightened, or dressed, to a delivery apron, or such like means.
But that the nature of the said Invention as communicated to me may be
clearly understood, I will describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 are two side views of the machine; and Figure 3 is a
plan; and Figures 4 and 5 are respectively an elevation and side view of the
working combs, herein-after more particularly described. In all these different
Drawings the same letters indicate the same parts of the machine. T, Figures
1 and 2, is an endless apron, upon which the fibre is carefully spread out by
the hand. This apron T feeds the fibre to between the feed rollers A, a, a;
which are made to press one against the other by any convenient means. -
From these rollers A, a, a, the fibre passes to between the toothed rollers B, B,
the comb teeth of which are placed in continuous circles, so as to take into
one another, and they revolve slowly to properly hold the fibre whilst it is
drawn and straightened, or dressed, by the working combs T¹, T', which pass
through it rapidly. These working combs T', T', operate by their teeth, which
take into one another like those of the rollers B, B, and they are made to take
various inclined positions, so as to comb at the back part of the comb, and to
retire easily from the material as it is drawn forward. Figures 4 and 5 show
in full size the manner which is preferred for constructing the working combs ;
the combs P¹ are affixed to bars P2, the axes of which, o, o, o, are capable of
turning in revolving frames k, and the proper inclined positions to the combs
necessary to the dressing of the fibre are given by means of the cams C, C, C,
affixed to the bars P2, which cams are governed by the stationary pieces F, F,
which maintain each comb in position during the dressing operation, but
release it immediately afterwards, thereby allowing the combs to oscillate
round their centres o, o, o, and easily to pass from the fibre. The foremost
portion of the fibres of each tress having thus been dressed or straightened,
is caught between the drawing rollers D, D, Figures 1, 2, and 3, which

page_text: drawing forcibly the fibre from between the teeth of the working combs T', T',
whilst they are still maintained in position by the cams C, C, C, and the governing
pieces F, F, complete the opening of the said tresses, and the straightening or
dressing of the after portion thereof. After passing between the drawing
rollers D, D, the fibre may be delivered in a lap or fleece on an endless apron,
or it may be drawn off in a sliver as required.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and the manner
which is preferred of putting the same into practice, I wish it to be clearly
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein-before
described and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed, for they may
be varied without departing from the nature of the Invention; but what I
claim as the Invention is,―
Firstly, the mode of straightening or dressing wool or other fibrous materials
herein-before described, that is to say, dressing the foremost portion of each
tress by causing comb teeth to enter and pass through it, and dressing the
after portion thereof by drawing it through the comb teeth, in substance as
described.
Secondly, the arrangement and adaptation of the working combs, in order
that the comb teeth thereof may take the various inclined positions required,
as herein-before described. The working combs may be placed round circular
frames, or in any other convenient manner.
Thirdly, the application of the working combs herein-before described to the
preparation of wool or other fibrous materials.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Brookes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. C. HORE,
Clerk to the said W. Brookes,
73, Chancery Lane.
WILLIAM BROOKES.
(L.S.)