IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Colin Mather, of the Firm of Messieurs Mather
and Platt, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR
OPENING AND CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."-A
communication from abroad by Charles Grandison Sargent, of
Graniteville, Massachusets, United States of America.
Sealed the 21st August 1868, and dated the 20th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Colin Mather at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th March 1868. .
I, COLIN MATHER, of the Firm of Messieurs Mather and Platt, of
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND
APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
a communication to me from abroad by Charles Grandison Sargent,
of Graniteville, Massachusets, in the United States of America, to
be as follows:-
The machinery consists of a creeper and a pair of feed rollers covered
with curved or other spikes which present the fibres to a picking

page_text: cylinder or toothed drum, by which they are carried forward and
deposited on the fine toothed cylinder. The motes and other impurities
are struck off the fine toothed cylinder by a revolving guard or ribbed
roller, and the fibres are brushed off by a revolving brush, while the
dust is carried away by a fan. The above parts are in common usc.
My improvements relate,―
First. To the picking cylinder, and it consists in rivetting spikes
into blades which are fixed in a diagonal position on the circumference
of the drum.
Secondly. In the application of an adjustable register valve for 1
admitting air over the feed rollers to regulate the currents of air
entering under the revolving guard, so that the fibres may be kept
within the casing and the impurities allowed to drop.
And, thirdly. In applying a condensing apparatus to opening and
cleaning machines, which condensing apparatus consists of a creeper 1
on which the fibres struck off by the brush are deposited and a wire
gauze or perforated cylinder by which the fibres are formed into a
web or fleece and deposited into a suitable receptacle or formed into
a lap. As the dust is removed from the fibres by the fan above
referred to, the air passing through the gauze cylinder may pass into 2
the room without inconvenience.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Colin Mather in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, COLIN 2
MATHER, of the Firm of Messieurs Mather and Platt, of Salford, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty- 3
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Colin Mather, Her special license
that I, the said Colin Mather, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as I, the said Colin Mather, 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 AND APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," a communication to me from abroad by Charles
Grandison Sargent, of Graniteville, Massachusetts, in the United States
of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Colin
Mather, 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 Colin Mather, 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) :-
:-
The machinery consists of a creeper and a pair of feed rollers covered
with curved or other spikes, which present the fibres to a picking
cylinder or toothed drum, by which they are carried forward and
deposited on the fine toothed cylinder. The motes and other impurities
are struck off the fine toothed cylinder by a revolving guard or ribbed
roller, and the fibres are brushed off by a revolving, brush, while the
dust is carried away by a fan. The above parts are in common use.
My improvements consist,-
First. In the general combination and arrangement of the parts
forming a machine for opening and cleaning wool and other fibrous
substances.
Secondly. In the application of an adjustable register valve for
admitting air over the feed rollers to regulate the currents of air
entering under the revolving guard, so that the fibres may be kept
within the casing and the impurities allowed to drop.
And, thirdly. In applying a condensing apparatus to opening and
cleaning machines, which condensing apparatus consists of a creeper

page_text: on which the fibres struck off by the brush are deposited and a wire
gauze or perforated cylinder by which the fibres are formed into a
web or fleece, and deposited into a suitable receptacle or formed into
a lap. As the dust is removed from the fibres by the fan above referred
to, the air passing through the gauze cylinder may pass into the room
without inconvenience.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood I will
proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the improved machinery;
Figure 2, a sectional elevation of the same; Figure 3, a detached view of
part of the picking cylinder; and Figure 4 is an end view of the improved
adjustable register valve.
The fibres to be opened and cleaned are fed on to the creeper a,
which carries them forward to the feed rollers b, b; the picking cylinder
or toothed drum c takes them forward until they reach the fine toothed
cylinder d, which strips them off the teeth of the picking cylinder or
toothed drum c and carries them on its surface till they meet the
revolving guard e; the ribs on the latter are set close up to the fine
toothed cylinder d and strike off all the motes and impurities. While
the fibrous materials are passing through the machine, that is, from
the time they are released by the feed rollers b, b, until they are
deposited on the fine toothed cylinder d by the action of the teeth
or beaters on the cylinder c, the fibres are in a thoroughly open
state and the fan fhas full action on the dust and impurities,
drawing all the dust through the perforated cover g placed over the
picking cylinder c, the pipe h conveying it from the room or building.
The heavy particles of foreign matter and loose dirt being left free
fall by their own gravity through the grate and are thus separated
from the fibres in the machine. The action of the revolving guard e
is regulated and controlled by the air admitted through the adjustable
register valve K, shewn detached in Figure 4, placed over the feed
rollers in connection with that admitted above the moveable mouth
piece; these combined currents of air are essential to the successful
operation of the machine, and by them the current of air admitted
under the revolving guard e is regulated so as to allow all motes or
burrs freed from fibre to drop to the ground while the fibres are retained
in the machine. The register valve k consists as usual of two plates
The fan f
with slots in them, one of which is moveable by hand.

page_text: obtains its supply of air through the openings under the revolving
guard e, and through the register valve k placed over the feed rollers b,
and the quantity to be admitted from either side depends upon the
condition of the fibre to be operated upon. The cylindrical brush m
cleans all the fibres off the fine toothed cylinder d, and the current of
air created by it impels the fibrous materials through the channel m¹
on to the creeper n which traverses slowly towards the wire gauze or
perforated cylinder o; the ends of this cylinder, fit close to the ends
of the frame to prevent the fibres being blown out of the machine.
The air passes through the perforations in the cylinder and escapes
at the ends which are open.
In ordinary machines for forming laps of fibrous substances the
air and dust have hitherto been sucked out through the gauze cylinder;
this became necessary because it was the only outlet for all the dust
contained in the fibres, and consequently it was necessary that the
dust and air should be carried out of the building. Now as before
described in this arrangement the dust is removed from the fibres
before they reach the apparatus for forming laps, consequently all the
current of air produced by the brush is allowed to pass into the room
through the open ends of the gauze cylinder, and the fibres being
retained on the outside of the cylinder are carried forward slowly by
it till they meet the creeper n, from which they are delivered in an
even web or lap, thus economising space. The mode of communicating
motion to the various parts of the machine is clearly shewn in
Figure 1.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention as communicated
to me by the within-named Charles Grandison Sargent, and described
the manner of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that
I claim,-
First. The general combination and arrangement of the machinery
shewn and described for opening and cleaning wool and other fibrous
substances.
Secondly. The application of the adjustable register valve over the
fced rollers in combination with the current of air supplied under the
revolving guard for the purposes before mentioned, as shewn and
described.

page_text: And, thirdly. The condensing apparatus for forming the fibres into
webs or laps attached to the outlet of the machine, as shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Colin Mather, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.
COLIN MATHER. (L.S.)