IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING WOOL
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
PERRY, of the Borough of Leicester, Woolcomb Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twelfth day of December, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Perry, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Perry, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Perry, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING WOOL;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said John Perry, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Perry, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to

page_text: (that is to say):-
My Invention consists,―
First, of certain novel arrangements of machinery, by combining the use of
two sets of endless chains with the working combs for combing wool, whereby
the combs, combing the wool on the supply combs, enter the wool in a direction
parallel to such supply combs; and when they have fully entered the wool they
move from the face of such supply combs in a direction at right angles thereto,
whereby the combing is more uniformly and effectually accomplished.
And, secondly, my Invention relates to supporting the points or outer ends
of the teeth of combs, and keeping the same at their relative distances apart
during the process of drawing..
But, in order that my Invention may be more readily understood, I will
proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a plan, and Figure 2 a section of parts of machinery for
combing wool, arranged according to the first part of my Invention. a, a, is
part of the main framing. b, b, and c, c, are plates or frames supporting wheels
b; bi, 6, 62, and c, c, c, c, respectively. These wheels have projections or teeth
formed on their peripheries, in order to their taking into the links of the
endless chains d, d, and e, e; and it will be seen that the axes of the wheels
62, c², have affixed thereon toothed wheels f, f, g, g, in such manner that when
motion is communicated to the toothed wheels f, f, and g, g, the wheels b², c²,
will revolve, carrying with them the endless chains d, e, the wheels b¹ and c'
serving to support and conduct the endless chains, as shown; and motion is
communicated to the toothed wheels f, f, and g, ġ, and consequently to the
chains d, d, e, e, by means of the wheels i, i, on the axis 2, which take into
and drive the wheels h, h, which take into the wheels f, f, and g, g. The
endless chains e, e, have formed or placed thereon bearings e', which receive
the axes of the frames carrying the heads or backs of combs, as shewn, such
frames having each arms 1, the ends of which are carried by the bearings
d', d'; formed on the chains d, d, in such manner that while the chains d, d,
e, e, travel round on their respective wheels 6', b, c, c, the teeth of the combs
always preserve a vertical position. m are arms projecting one from each of the
frames l. These arms are for the purposes of guiding the teeth of combs correctly
into wool on the combs z, the arms m sliding up the surface n, and there are
arms o affixed, one at the back of each of the frames 1, for the purpose of

page_text: aiding in keeping the teeth of the combs in a vertical position, and counter-
acting the strain in drawing off by the arm sliding on the part p in
drawing out.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention. Figure 3
represents a plan, and Figure 4 a front view of so much of a machine for
combing wool as will illustrate this part of my Invention. A, A, shows part
of a circular comb, which is driven by the pinion B on the table C, in the
ordinary manner, and D, D, are the drawing-off rollers (one of which is
removed in the front view in order that the parts to which the improvements
apply may be more clearly seen). E is an endless band, having strong wire
teeth. These teeth take into the spaces between the teeth of the combs, near
the upper ends, and keep them from closing against each other as the wool is
being drawn off. The endless band E is carried by the pulley wheels F, F,
carried by projections from the top plate G, as shown. H is a plate, also
supported by the top plate G, and similar to that now in use for preventing
the outward bending of the comb teeth; but in this case the plate H is
supported at the back of the endless band E, and serves to prevent that band
and the teeth of the combs from being drawn outward by the drawing off of
the wool. By this arrangement of the parts of the apparatus for combing
wool, I am enabled to use combs of a much finer description than those
ordinarily used, and to place them closer together, whereby the wool is much
more evenly combed, and a finer quality is produced. And, although I have
shown this part of my Invention applied to circular combs, it will readily be
understood by a person accustomed to this description of machinery, that, with
very slight modification of the parts, the improvements are equally applicable
to that class of drawing-off machinery where straight combs are used; and
when drawing off from hand-combs, a perforated plate is used, which is
passed over the teeth of combs, which plate retains the teeth at proper
distances asunder, when drawing off the wool therefrom; and Figures
5 and 6 show a plan and edge view of a hand-comb. A plate z is perforated
with holes ¹, through which the teeth y are passed, the hole z¹ being counter-
sunk or opened on their under side, in order to their readily passing over
the teeth y.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would wish it to be
understood, that what I claim is,-
First, the mode of arranging machinery for combing wool, whereby two
sets of endless chains are caused to carry the working combs, as herein
described.
And, secondly, I claim the applying apparatus between the teeth of combs,

page_text: sed for combing wool, in such manner as to prevent the teeth springing
ogether when drawing off wool therefrom, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Perry, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
Enrolled the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-five.