IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Staples, of Leicester, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES."
Sealed the 24th June 1864, and dated the 26th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Staples at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th March 1864.
I, ALFRED STAPLES, of Leicester, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBRES," to be as follows:-
In constructing machinery for combing wool and other fibres in which a
travelling comb is used from which the wool or other fibres are drawn off.in
the state of sliver, such travelling comb is, according to this Invention; made
wider than is usually the case, in order that by such additional width, together
with the apparatus hereafter described, a larger quantity of work may be per
formed than heretofore; the fibres of wool or other material are to be fed into
the travelling comb, and are to be drawn therefrom as heretofore; but in place
of treating the fibres which still remain in amongst the teeth of the travelling
comb as noil, such fibres are lifted out by points or lifters, similar to what have
before been used for removing the noil from a travelling comb. The fibres so
lifted are received between and moved away by a pair of rollers, and such fibres
are then returned again to and are pressed amongst the teeth of the travelling
comb in such manner that their ends project beyond the outer teeth of the

page_text: travelling comb. The projecting ends are then acted on by a comb, by which
such ends are combed or cleaned, and the comb that cleans these projecting
ends takes some of the fibres and noil from the travelling comb, and the fibres
so taken away by the comb are drawn into a sliver, the noil is also removed
from the comb. The fibres which still remain in the travelling comb are left
there till after a fresh feed is introduced into the teeth of the travelling comb,
then so much of the contents of the travelling comb as protrudes sufficiently to
be taken by the drawing-off apparatus will be removed in the state of sliver,
after which the fibres remaining in the teeth of the travelling comb. will be
again lifted from and again returned into the travelling comb, as above
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Staples, in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the
22nd September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
STAPLES, of Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alfred Staples, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred Staples, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred
Staples, 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 MACHINERY
FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Staples, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Alfred Staples, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in' and' by the fol
lowing statement thereof, that is to say:
In constructing machinery for combing wool and other fibres in which a tra
velling comb is used, from which the wool or other' fibres are drawn off in the
state of sliver, such travelling comb is, according to this Invention, made' wider
than' is usually the case, in order that by such additional width, together" with
the apparatus hereafter described, a greater length of wool or other fibre may
at one time be fed into the comb, and so a larger quantity of work may be
performed' than heretofore. The fibres of wool or other material are to be fed
into the travelling comb and are to be drawn therefrom as heretofore, but in
place of treating the fibres which still remain in amongst the teeth of the
travelling comb as noil, such fibres are lifted out by points or lifters similar to
what have before been used for removing the noil from a travelling comb. The
fibres so lifted are received between and moved away by a pair of rollers, and
such fibres are then returned again to and are pressed amongst the teeth of the
travelling comb in such manner that their ends project beyond the outer teeth
of the travelling comb. The projecting ends are then acted on by a comb by
which such ends are combed or cleaned: The fibres which still remain in the
travelling comb are left there till after a fresh feed is introduced into the teeth
of the travelling comb, then so much of the contents of the travelling comb as
protrude sufficiently to be taken by the drawing off apparatus will be removed
in the state of sliver,, after which the fibres remaining in the teeth of the
travelling comb will be again lifted from 'and again 'returned into the travelling
comb as above described.
Figure 1 is a plan of part of a combing machine having my improvements
applied thereto, and Figures 2 and 3, show front and side elevations of the
comb and parts working therewith, by which the protruding ends of the fibres
are combed after they have been returned into the' comb A; and Figure 4
shows a section of the rolls and brush by which the fibres are taken from and
returned to the comb A, which is the travelling comb; this' comb A is in the
Drawings shewn to be a circular one, but" any other form of travelling comb
may be employed in place thereof. The travelling comb A moves in the
direction indicated by the arrows. The wool or other fibre is fed into the
comb in such a manner as to have a fringe of fibre projecting from its outer
circumference as is well understood. This fringe, is either cleaned by the
apparatus itself that feeds the fibre into the travelling comb, or it may be after-
wards cleaned in any other suitable manner when in the comb A. It is however
preferred that the wool or fibre should when introduced have cleane: - ends
which'shäll protrude beyond 'the comb A 'in'a manner suitable to be drawnt off

page_text: .
therefrom as is well understood. As the travelling comb revolves the cleaned
fringe is brought round opposite the revolving rollers H, by which it is taken and
drawn off into a sliver. The portion of wool or other fibre that remains in the
comb after passing the rollers is by the continued motion of the comb brought
round to lifters or inclines B, B, such as have before been employed for lifting
noil out of the teeth of travelling combs; the lifters it is preferred should be
fixed as shown, but they may if thought desirable have a slight up and down
motion given to them. The fibre remaining in the comb is by the lifters
raised therefrom and the fibre so raised is received by and passes between
rollers C, C, which as they revolve cause the wool or fibre to be moved a short
distance outwards from the centre of the travelling comb, the fibre is then
again pressed into the teeth of the comb by means of the brush D as is shown.
The fibre having then been thus moved outwards from the centre of the
comb a fringe of fibre will be left projecting from its outer circumference. In
place of rollers being employed for moving the fibres outwards from the centre
of the comb as above described the fibres may be moved outwards by any
other suitable mechanism. The fringe of fibre thus caused to project from the
circumference of the comb is by the continued revolution of the comb brought
towards the comb F, which is caused to move to and fro in such manner as to
ascend through the projecting fringe of the fibres in the comb A, then move
outward to the revolving brush F¹, then to descend, by which the fibres in the
comb F will be left in the revolving brush. The fringe of fibres that remains
projecting from the periphery of the travelling comb will remain there
after being worked by the comb F until a fresh feed is introduced into the
comb, when the fringe of the newly fed in fibres will be drawn off together with
the fringe of the projecting fibres which has been worked by the comb F. The
fibres in the travelling comb after passing the drawing rollers are again lifted
out from and again returned into it as above described.
In the arrangement shown the comb F is worked by a cranked axis which
receives motion by a cog wheel G on the axis of the pinion which gives motion
to the travelling comb A. The wheel G gives motion to another similar wheel
on a stud which gives motion to the shaft H*, on the upper end of which is a
bevil wheel which drives another bevil wheel on the crank shaft. The comb
F is governed in its motion by means of a trail piece F³, which is controlled
by guides.
I would state that the fibres which are returned to the comb A may be
combed out by any other suitable arrangement of comb in place of that shown
at A.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of per-

page_text: forming the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any of
the parts separately, but what I claim, is the raising of the fibres out of the
comb A and returning them again thereto in such manner as to produce a
projecting fringe which being combed out is drawn off with the fringe pro-
duced by the fresh feeding of the comb A, as above described.
In witness whereof I the said Alfred Staples, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand hundred and sixty-four.
ALFRED STAPLES. (L.s.)