IMPROVEMENTS .IN COTTON GINS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Madden, of No. 3, Leadenhall Street,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS .IN
COTTON GINS."-A communication from abroad by Theodore Bourne,
of the City, County, and State of New York, in the United States
of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Madden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th January 1872.
I, JAMES MADDEN, of No. 3, Leadenhall Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON GINS," being a communication to me from
abroad by Theodore Bourne, of the City, County, and State of New
York, in the United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the cotton gins known as roller gins. Both
the single and double roller cotton gins have hitherto had various
defects which it is the object of this Invention to remedy.

page_text: The machine consists of a large main roller covered with leather or
any other suitable material, also a smaller roller placed in such relation
to the large roller as to give the best grasp or bite to the cotton, and
to draw it between the two rollers; also a lateral vibrating plate or
stripper with a reciprocating motion in the direction of its length; a
doctor or plate to prevent the winding of the cotton fibre around the
small roller and a guard to keep the cotton from getting behind the
small roller; also a revolving doffer or other equivalent to clear the
cotton from the leather roller, and a guard to shed the seeds freely into
their receptacle, and prevent them from being carried forward and
clogging the feed of the machine; also a supporting roller or wheels to
prevent the springing or yielding of the small roller under pressure of
the cotton or seed.
The manner of working the cotton gin is as follows:-When the
seed cotton to be ginned is placed upon the feeding apparatus and the
machine is set to work, the cotton fibre begins to pass between the two
rollers; at the same time the vibrating stripping plate prevents the seed
from being drawn in between the rollers, and aids in detaching them by
its vibrating motion from the cotton; the seeds fall through the rods or
grid of the feed board upon the guard and thence into any convenient
receptacle. The cotton passes between the two rollers and forward to
the point where the doffer or other equivalent removes the cotton from
the main roller, and prevents the re-passing of the cotton a second time.
The doctor sheds off the cotton and prevents the fouling of the small
roller by any cotton fibres becoming rapidly twisted around it.
The machine can be driven by hand or power in the usual manner,
and by the use of the supporting roller or wheels it can be made of any
desired width.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Madden, Her special licence that I,
the said James Madden, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Madden, 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, excrcise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON GINS," being
a communication to me from abroad by Theodore Bourne, of the City,
County, and State of New York, in the United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James James,
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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Madden, 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) :-
This Invention relates to the cotton gins known as roller gins. Both
the single and double roller cotton gins have hitherto had various
defects which it is the object of this Invention to remedy.
The improved roller cotton gin consists of a large main roller covered
with leather or any other suitable material; also a smaller roller placed
in such relation to the large roller as to give the best grasp or bite to the
cotton and to draw it between the two rollers; also a lateral vibrating
plate or stripper with a reciprocating motion in the direction of its
length; a doctor or plate to prevent the winding of the cotton fibre
around the small roller, and a guard to keep the cotton from. getting
behind the small roller; also a revolving doffer or other equivalent to
clear the cotton from the leather roller, and a guard to shed the seeds
freely into the receptacle and prevent them from being carried forward

page_text: and clogging the feed of the machine; also a supporting roller or
wheels to prevent the springing or yielding of the small roller under
pressure of the cotton or seed.
And in order that the Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Fig. 1 is a section through the improved cotton gin; Fig. 2 is an
elevation; and Fig. 3, a plan of part of the same.
a is the large main roller consisting of a wooden drum covered with
leather or other suitable material; b is the small roller which revolves
in adjustable bearings, and is pressed against the surface of the large
roller a by regulating screws, to give the requisite grasp or bite to the
cotton and to draw it between the two rollers; c is the vibrating plate or
stripper which has a reciprocating motion imparted to it in the direction
of its length by the grooved cam b' on the axle of the roller b; the
groove in the said cam acting on a stud in the lever d which is jointed
to the fulcrum &, and which has a hole in the other end fitting on a
stud c¹ in one end of the plate c; the other end of the plate c is guided
by the lever e shown in Fig. 3. The edge of the plate c which enters
between the rollers a and b is serrated to agitate the cotton sceds; fis a
doctor or plate, the edge of which comes nearly in contact with the
small roller b, and prevents the winding of the cotton fibre around it;
g is a guard to keep the cotton and seeds from getting behind the small
roller b. The surface of the main roller a is kept clear by the revolving
doffer h, consisting of a small roller covered with strips of leather or other
suitable material revolving in adjustable bearings, and this revolving
doffer strips itself against the edge of the partition i. The cotton to be
ginned is fed into the hopper or plate j, and is gradually pushed forward
towards the rollers a, b, by the hand of the attendant; when the fibres have
been stripped off the seeds the seeds escape through the spaces between
the teeth k which are fixed in the end of the plate j; the seeds when
stripped fall on the curved guard 7, and thence on to the floor or into a
suitable receptacle below. The small roller b is provided with one or
more rollers or wheels m (according to the width of the machine), which
are supported in adjustable brackets m² fixed to the top cross stay of the
machine, and these rollers or wheels prevent the springing or yielding of
the small roller b.

page_text: The requisite motion is given to the rollers a and b by hand or power,
the wheel a gearing into the pinion 63 as shewn in Fig. 2; and the
revolving doffer his driven by a grooved pulley a³ and band passing
around the grooved pulley h¹.
The manner of working the cotton gin is as follows:-When the seed
cotton to be ginned is placed upon the feeding apparatus j, and the
machine is set to work, the cotton fibre begins to pass between the two
rollers a and b, at the same time the vibrating stripping plate c prevents
the seed from being drawn in between the rollers, and aids in detaching
the fibres of cotton from them by its vibrating motion; the seeds
fall through the rods or grid k of the feed board upon the guard 7 and
thence into any convenient receptacle. The cotton passes between the
two rollers a and b, and forward to the point where the doffer h or other
equivalent removes the cotton from the main roller a, and prevents the
re-passing of the cotton a second time. The doctor or plate f sheds off
the cotton and prevents the fouling of the small roller by any cotton
fibres becoming rapidly twisted around it.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention as communicated to
me by the within-named Theodore Bourne, and described the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim
any of the parts constituting the improved roller cotton gin when
taken separately, but that what I claim is, the general combination
and arrangement of the parts forming an improved roller cotton gin as
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Madden, bave hereto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of July One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.