IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING MACHINES
Year: 1872

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LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Cunliffe Lister, of Bradford, in the
County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 1st April 1873, and dated the 23rd October 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister
at the Office of the, Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd October 1872.
I, SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Bradford, in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COMBING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
In a Patent granted to myself and James Warburton, dated the 13th
December 1859, No. 2832, we describe under the fifth head of our
Invention a machine for combing fibrous material, wherein the ends of
the fibres under process project outwards through the teeth of the feed
comb, and are pinched and retained by a nipping plate whilst being
combed and cleaned. The projecting ends are then seized by the
drawing rollers, and the other ends are drawn through the teeth of the
feed comb. I have discovered in practice that in such machines that

page_text: that portion of the fibrous material which is only cleaned by being
drawn through the teeth of the feed comb is dirty and nibby.
•
My first improvement consists in arranging a series of fine segmental
combs, so that they shall be inserted into the projecting fibres close to
the teeth of the feed comb just before the drawing rollers draw out the
fibres, and thus prevent the dirt from being drawn into the sliver.
Secondly. In order to make the nip efficient in such machines, I cut
a groove in the head of the comb into which the nip is made to fit.
Thirdly. When segmental combs are used in such machines, they are
made to rise and fall at pleasure by moving on an inclined race; it is
however somewhat difficult to move them sufficiently out of the way of
the cleaning instruments, but by using a cleaning card and the inclined
plane, I succeed perfectly.
Fourthly. In machines where the ends of the fibres project through
the teeth of a circular feed comb, as above described, I prefer to use the
following arrangement for some purposes:-. Another circular comb or
combs is or are made to work at one part of its or their circumference in
close contact with the feed comb, and the ends of the fibrious material
projecting out of it are pressed into the other comb or combs at the
point of contact; and as they travel along and separate from each other,
a portion of the fibres are retained in each comb. Into the fringe
standing out of the feed and the other comb or combs, I insert fine seg.
mental combs to prevent the dirt being drawn out by the drawing rollers.
Fifthly. Another plan, which is very advantageous, is as follows :-
When the fibrous material projecting out of the feed comb has been
combed and cleaned and the segmental combs inserted as described, then
instead of the fibres being drawn out by rollers in the ordinary manner, a
circular comb is made to work in contact at one part of its circumference
with the feed comb, and the cleaned or partially cleaned ends of the
fibres are pressed into the teeth at the point of contact, and just before..
the combs separate in their rotation the ends of the fibres pass under a
nipping plate placed within the teeth or external, thereto, and as the two
circles separate from each other by reason of their rotation, the circle
with the nipping plate draws out the fibrous material from the feed
comb. As soon as the separation is complete the fibres are released
from the nipping plate, and are drawn by rollers into a sliver..

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For some purposes I prefer to insert segmental combs into the
projecting fringe before drawing the sliver. I would also remark that
the ends of the fibres standing out of the feed comb may be operated
upon as last described, without first being combed and cleaned.
Sixthly. When it is required in machines, as above described, to'
accumulate the fibrous material on to a comb to separate the lengths, I
take hold of the ends of the fibres projecting out of the circular feed
comb, with a circular nip, and draw them out, and on the opposite side of
the nip I have a travelling endless comb upon which they are placed, and
from which they are drawn. If the long end of the fibres which are
drawn through the teeth of the feed comb are not sufficiently cleaned, I
further comb them by a cleaning card or other instrument whilst being
held by the nip.
•
•
Seventhly. Instead of placing the nipping plate inside the teeth of
the feed comb, I sometimes place it external thereto, especially for very
short fibre; and after the ends of the fibres have been sufficiently combed
and cleaned I insert the segmental or other combs or comb.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Bradford, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixtli
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, Her special license that I,
the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, my executors, ad-
ministrators, 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 COMBING

page_text: MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel
Cunliffe Lister, 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 Samuel Cunliffe Lister, 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 :—
In a Patent granted to myself and James Warburton, dated the 13th
December 1859, No. 2832, we describe under the fifth head. of our
Invention a machine for combing fibrous material, wherein the ends of
the fibres under process project outwards through the teeth of the feed
comb, and are pinched and retained by a nipping plate whilst being
combed and cleaned. The projecting ends are then seized by the drawing
rollers, and the other ends are drawn through the teeth of the feed comb.
I have discovered in practice that in such machines that that portion of
the fibrous material which is only cleaned by being drawn through the
teeth of the feed comb is dirty and nibby.
My first improvement consists in arranging a series of fine segmental
combs, so that they shall be inserted into the projecting fibres close to
the teeth of the feed comb just before the drawing rollers draw out
the fibres and thus prevent the dirt from being drawn into the s
sliver.
A diagram view of such a machine is shewn at diagram 1 of the
Drawings annexed. In this diagram, a represents the feed comb of a
width sufficient for a considerable portion of the average length of
fibres to be combed to be immersed in it; b, the nipping plate for re- a
taining the fibres whilst their ends which project beyond the comb are
being cleaned by the endless card sheet c. This nipping plate fits into
a groove formed in the head of the comb; d, d, are small segmental
combs carried around the exterior of the comb a in the manner shewn
in the side view of a part of this comb at Figure 1. Each segment is
carried by a stem d' which can rise and fall
by the plate to which the comb.a is fixed.
freely in
guides a¹ carried
At the lower end of the

page_text: "
stem d of each segment is a roller d², which when such segment is
to be moved up into a position level with the comb a comes against a
fixed incline e¹ of the race e, and the segment is thereby raised and its
teeth passed up through the fringe of fibre projecting from the comb,
and the segments are held up in this position by the race e until they
have been carried round beyond the point at which the cleaned fringe of
fibre is drawn off by the drawing rollers f. Instead of placing the
nipping plate inside the teeth of the feed comb I sometimes place it
external thereto, especially for very short fibre, and after the ends of
the fibres have been sufficiently combed and cleaned I insert the
segmental comb or combs.
A diagram view of a machine thus arranged is shewn at diagram 2.
a is the feed comb; b, the external nipping plate for holding the fibre
whilst it is cleaned by the endless card,c; d are the segmental combs
which subsequently rise up into the cleaned fringe, and e, e, are the
drawing rollers for drawing off the fibres through the segmental combs.
When the segmental combs have been carried past the drawing rollers
they drop down below the comb a, and the fibre in this comb is again
moved forward and the same operation is repeated.
Secondly. In machines where the ends of the fibres project through
the teeth of a circular feed comb as above described I prefer to use the
following arrangement for some purposes. Another circular comb or
combs is or are made to work at one part of its or their circumference
in close contact with the feed comb, and the ends of the fibrous material
projecting out of it are pressed into the other comb or combs at the
point of contact, and as they travel along and separate from each other
a portion of the fibres are retained in each comb. Into the fringe
standing out of the feed and the other comb or combs I insert fine
segmental combs to prevent the dirt being drawn out by the drawing
rollers.
A diagram view of a machine so arranged is shewn at diagram 3 of
the Drawings. In this diagram a represents the feed comb; b, the nip-
ping plate for retaining the fibres which whilst they are acted upon by the
endless card c; d is the comb into which the cleaned fringe of fibre is
pressed where the combs a and d meet together; e, e, are the segments
which are caused to enter the fibres as the two combs separate, and f,f,
are the drawing rollers for drawing the cleaned fringe which projects
from the two combs.

page_text: Thirdly. Another plan which is very advantageous is as follows :-
When the fibrous material projecting out of the feed comb has been
combed and cleaned, and the segmental combs inserted as described,
then, instead of the fibres being drawn out by rollers in the ordinary
manner, a circular comb is made to work in contact at one part of its
circumference with the feed comb, and the cleaned or partially cleaned
end of the fibres are pressed into the teeth at the point of contact, and
just before the combs separate in their rotation the ends of the fibres
pass under a nipping plate placed within the teeth or external thereto,
and as the two circles separate from each other by reason of their rotation,
the circle with the nipping plate draws out the fibrous material from the
feed comb. As soon as the separation is complete the fibres are released
from the nipping plate and are drawn by rollers into a sliver.
For some purposes also I insert segmental combs into the projecting
fringe before drawing the sliver. I would also remark that the ends of
the fibres standing out of the feed comb may be operated upon as last
described without first being combed and cleaned.
A diagram view of a machine, arranged according to the modification
last described, is shewn at diagram 4; in this diagram a is the feed comb
of a width sufficient for a considerable portion of the average length of
fibres to be combed to be immersed in it; b is a circular nipper, working
therewith; c, c, are segmental combs carried around the nipper, which
are operated in the manner herein-before described, and their teeth caused
to strike up into the fibres as they are distended between the comb and
nipper; d is a plate upon which the fringe of fibre projecting from the
nipper is supported as it, is being carried round to the drawing rollers e,
and the fibres whilst resting upon this plate are by a light current of air
directed upon them caused to incline towards the drawing rollers in the
manner indicated. The fibre in the comb a after being carried round
past the nipper, and after such fibres as have been laid hold of by the
nipper have been drawn from it, is raised up out of the comb, fed
forward, and again deposited into it for the projecting portion to be again
seized by the circular nipper b. Within the circular nip 6 there may be
if desired a narrow circular comb for the ends of the fibres to be
deposited into, but this is not essential.
Machines arranged in the manner just described are specially ap-
plicable for combing fibres of long staple, as for example, for combing
silk, where the silk is several inches in length.

page_text: A modification of the above arrangement is shewn at diagram 5. In
this modification the fibres projecting from the feed comb a are first
whilst held by a nip b, cleaned by an endless card c, segmental combs d,
then rise up into the cleaned fringe, and afterwards the fringe is
deposited into the comb e, and held therein by the nipping plate f until
it has been drawn away from the comb a and through the segmental
combs d; the fibre in the comb e is then released from the nipping plate
and is drawn off by the drawing rollers g. The comb might also if
desired be fitted with segmental combs to rise up into the fibre, as it is
distended between the combs a and e, whilst they are separating from
one another, as shewn at diagram 6.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
1. The combined arrangement of machine, substantially as herein
described and illustrated at diagrams 1 and 2.
2. The combined arrangement of machine, substantially as herein
described and illustrated at diagram 3.
3. The combined arrangement of machine, substantially as herein
described and illustrated at diagram 4.
4. The combined arrangement of machine, substantially as herein
described and illustrated at diagrams 5 and 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.