IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL OR OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Crofts, Richard Dawson, and John King,
all of Hunslet Lane, Leeds, in the County of York, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL OR
OTHER FIBRES."
Scaled the 19th December 1871, and dated the 27th June 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Crofts, Richard
Dawson, and John King at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th June 1871.
We, JOHN CROFTS, RICHARD DAWSON, and JOHN KING, all of
Hunslet Lane, Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMBING
WOOL OR OTHER FIBRES," to be as follows:-
«
:-
The Invention has reference to that class of wool combing machinery
known in the trade as Noble's," and which was originally-made under
Letters Patent granted to James Noble, dated April 13th, 1853, No. 894,
in which machinery, as used in the trade, the fibre to be operated upon
is fed to the combs in slivers through feed troughs or boxes which
have movement given to them adapted to lay the fibre into the teeth of

page_text: the circles of combs, and in which the fibre is held in these troughs or
boxes by lids or covers which rest on the fibre between the sides of
the troughs or boxes. The pressure thus exerted on the fibre is con-
sequently yielding and dependent on the weight of these lids or covers,
and is exerted about equally on the whole surface of the fibre in such
trough or boxes, or nearly so, all which we have found to be objection-
able; also, we did ourselves to a limited extent apply a tube or funnel
on the delivery end of such troughs or boxes, but when so used it
was employed in connection with the lids and also with intersecting
combs. It was placed on the end of the trough or box, and it was
formed without duc regard to the relative quantity of fibre to pass
through it.
We have found by employing a mouth picce with the passage through
it to exert a positive pressure on the fibre only at the delivery end of
these troughs with the passage therethrough of depth bearing an approxi-
mate relation to the character and weight of sliver for the time under
operation, and the omission of lids or covers to bear continuously on the
fibre in such trough, the fibre is more evenly laid, and other advantages
are obtained.
We find that when operating on Botany wool of the weight of about
18 ounces to the 6 yards of sliver to pass through troughs at the com-
mencement of one and three-quarter inches in internal width, and at
the delivery end with a 1%, inch width of opening, and a depth of such
opening of one-quarter of an inch answers well.
We also prefer that the width of the bearing surface be about five-
eighths of an inch, but these relations may be slightly varied.
We prefer a rigid mouth piece, but if the upper or lower part
thereof be movable, spring or other pressure should be applied capable
of adjustment.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said John Crofts, Richard Dawson, and John King
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
CROFTS, RICHARD DAWSON, and JOHN KING, all of Hunslet Lane, Leeds,
in the County of York, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Crofts, Richard Dawson, and
John King, Her special licence that we, the said John Crofts, Richard
Dawson, and John King, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said John Crofts, Richard Dawson, and John
King, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL OR OTHER FIBRES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said John Crofts, Richard Dawson, and
John King, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and scal of one
of us or them, 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 the said John Crofts, Richard Dawson, and
John King, 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 thereof,
that is to say :—
"
The Invention has reference to that class of wool combing machinery
known in the trade as Noble's," and which was originally made under
Letters Patent granted to James Noble, dated April 13th, 1853, No. 894,.
in which machinery, as used in the trade, the fibre to be operated upon
is fed to the combs in slivers through feed troughs or boxes which have
movement given to them adapted to lay the fibre into the teeth of the
circles of combs, and in which the fibre is held in these troughs or
boxes by lids or covers which rest on the fibre between the sides of the
troughs or boxes. The pressure thus exerted on the fibre is consequently
yielding and dependent on the weight of these lids or covers, and is
exerted about equally on the whole surface of the fibre in such troughs

page_text: It will be observed that in working according to our Invention in the
combing of fibre with the class of machinery stated we prefer to omit
the use of the lids or covers now used with such troughs, so that the
fibre in passing through such troughs a is free of any pressure on the
upper surface thereof until it arrives at the mouth piece b, and the
mouth piece 6 is shewn of the form and dimensions such as we find to
answer well when a sliver passing through such trough or box a is of or
about the weight of 18 ounces to the 12 yards.
Having thus described our Invention and means which we adopt in
carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do
not confine ourselves to the precise form or arrangement of the parts as
shewn and described, as these may be varied without departing from the
peculiar character of our Invention; but what we claim is, the improve-
ments in apparatus for combing wool or other fibre by applying a
positive and relative pressure to the fibre at the delivery end of the feed
boxes or troughs, substantially as described.
In witness whercof, we, the said John Crofts, Richard Dawson,
and John King, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-onc.
JOHN CROFTS.
(T.S)