CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN CARDING ENGINES."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Riley, of Sharples, near Bolton, in the
County of Lancaster, Manager, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CARDING ENGINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Riley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th December 1863.
I, ROBERT RILEY, of Sharples, near Bolton, in the County of Lancaster,
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to that part of the carding engine termed the "flats,"
and is designed for the purpose of causing any required number of the first
"flats" (those near the "licker in ") to be lifted a greater number of times
than the others in order that they may be stripped or cleaned two, three, or
more times to the others once, which is necessary. The Invention consists in
the apparatus or mechanism for regulating or determining which "flats" are
to be lifted, and the number of times, and is to be employed in conjunction
with the well-known lifting apparatus for which Letters Patent were granted
to George Wellman, dated the Eleventh day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty, No. 2190, which is so constructed that an arm
radiating from the main cylinder shaft lifts each flat in regular order from the
cylinder to be cleaned or "stripped."
One form or description of the improved apparatus may be thus described

page_text: (as arranged for a carding engine having twenty "flats," and the first four are
required to be lifted and "stripped" twice whilst the remainder are only stripped
once). Beneath the ends of the flats (which do not project so much as usual)
is a moveable segment supported on bowls, and having the same semicircular
rn as the row of "flats;" to this segment are attached eight sliding plates,
fingers, or projections, arranged in pairs and at the distance of two flats apart.
The presence or absence of these fingers form a connection between the "flat"
and lifting arm, and determine the lifting of the "flats," as when a finger
comes between the radial lifting arm and the flat it becomes lifted, or in the
absence of the finger the "flat" is passed without the arm lifting it. Supposing
the lifting arm to lift the first four flats, which are longer than the others, it
then proceeds to lift the eight flats where the plates are interposed, and leaves
eight unlifted; the arm then passes round and again lifts the first four, which
causes a rack to act upon a pinion and turn a disc, from which a connecting
rod passes to the segment, which is thus caused to slide the distance of two
flats, so that the connecting plates will be in a position to cause the remaining
eight flats to be lifted as the armi passes in the continuation of its movement.
The changing of the position of the plates may also be effected by means of
toothed gearing and connecting rod, or by quadrant and connecting rod, or
other equivalent means, the chief feature of the Invention being the use of
interposed plates sliding on a moveable frame or curved bar, and forming the
means of connection between the lifting bar and the flats for the purpose
aforesaid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Riley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
RILEY, of Sharples, near Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Robert Riley, Her special license that I, the said
Robert Riley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Robert Riley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at

page_text: any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times there-
after 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Robert Riley, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Robert Riley, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to that part of the carding engine termed the "flats,"
and is designed for the purpose of causing any required number of the first
"flats" (those near the "licker in") to be lifted a greater number of times
than the others in order that they may be stripped or cleaned two, three, or
more times to the others once, which is necessary. The Invention consists
in the apparatus or mechanism for regulating or determining which "flats"
are to be lifted, and the number of times, and is to be employed in conjunction
with the well-known lifting apparatus and stripping apparatus for which
Letters Patent were granted to John Henry Johnson and to George Wellman,
dated the Eleventh day of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty,
No. 2190, which is so constructed that an arm radiating from the main
cylinder shaft lifts each flat in regular order from the cylinder to be cleaned or
" stripped."
One form or description of the improved apparatus may be thus described
(as arranged for a carding engine having twenty "flats," wherein the first four
are required to be lifted and "stripped" twice whilst the remainder are only
stripped once)-Beneath the ends of the "flats" (which do not project so
much as usual) is a moveable segment supported on bowls, and having the
same semicircular form as the row of "flats;" to this segment are attached
eight sliding plates, fingers, or projections, arranged in pairs, and at the distance
of two flats apart, the presence or absence of these fingers forming a connection
between the flat and the lifting arm, and determine the lifting of the "flats,"
as when a finger comes between the radial lifting arm and the flat it becomes
lifted, or in the absence of the finger the flat is passed without the arm lifting

page_text: it. Supposing the lifting arm to lift the first four "flats" which are longer
than the others, it then proceeds to lift the eight "flats" where the plates are
interposed, and leaves eight unlifted; the arm then passes round and again
lifts the first four, which causes a rack to act upon a pinion and turn a disc
from which a connecting rod passes to the segment, which is thus caused to
slide the distance of two flats, so that the connecting plates will be in a position
to cause the remaining eight flats to be lifted as the arm passes in the con-
tinuation of its movement. The changing of the position of the plates may
also be effected by means of toothed gearing and connecting rod, or by
quadrant and connecting rod or other equivalent means, the chief feature of
the Invention being the use of interposed plates sliding on a moveable frame
or curved bar, and forming the means of connection between the lifting bar
and the flats for the purpose aforesaid.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail, I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, made upon a scale of
about three inches to the foot, similar letters of reference being marked upon
corresponding parts of the apparatus.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of that part of a carding engine to which
my improvements are attached, shewing Wellman's radiating arm, which is
caused to radiate or oscillate by the mechanism described in the aforesaid
Specification, and which is now well known. This view also shews clearly the
ends of the "flats" and the "fingers" sliding on the moveable segment which
lift them, and also the spring and disc mechanism and connecting rod to
govern the movement of the segment. Fig. 2 is a front view of a modification
or simplification of apparatus for effecting the required purpose; Fig. 3 is an
end view of the same; and Fig. 4 is a detached view of the variable cam to
be employed when the number of flats are even; Fig. 5 represents a method
of elongating the ends of the flats when they are required to be lifted every
time.
In Fig. 1 a, a, is the general framing of the carding engine; b, b, are the
flats; those near the "licker in," termed "first flats," and numbered from 1
to 4, are lengthened by the plates shewn in Fig. 5, these being required to be
lifted and stripped every time the radiating bar passes them, are made longer
by sliding out the slotted plates b¹, 61, so as to cause them to be lifted every
time the oscillating arm c is caused to move, and lift the "flats" in regular
sequence as in Wellman's Patent; but in order that this regularity of action
may be made irregular, so as to lift and "strip" the "first flats"
every time,
the next set a less number of times, and the next again fewer times, the
intermediate lifting fingers d, d, are employed to complete the connection

page_text: between the lifter and the "flats," and these fingers regulate by the described
or any equivalent apparatus for such aforesaid object constitutes the chief
feature of my Invention. The apparatus for moving the segment e upon
which the fingers slide (or for moving the fingers themselves) may consist of
a discf (slightly locked by pressure if required), which is connected to the
segment e by means of a connecting rod g, the disc being turned one-fourth,
third, or half a revolution (according to the arrangement of the flats) by means
of a pinion thereupon, which is acted upon by a rack on the sliding finger h,
which is raised by the lifter every time the radiating arm pass it, and thus
effects the alteration of the position of the segment and fingers.
Another method or simplified means of effecting the same irregular lifting
of the "flats" is seen in Fig. 2, wherein the lifting plate d slides on the
oscillating arm, and the vertical or diagonal position thereof determines
whether the "flat" above is lifted by the regular sliding piece i or passed,
the position of the plate d being regulated and controlled by the simple cams x
and the variable cam y, seen in Fig. 4, which are driven from the ordinary
gearing by the pinion w, and which by means of the bar place the slide in a
vertical position, as shewn, to lift the flats, or to pass them as in the diagonal
position shewn by dotted lines. The employment and use of these cams will
vary according to the number of "flats" on the engine, and will be required
when the aforesaid arrangement of mechanism is applied to a carding engine,
that is, when the lifting plate or slide is on the oscillating arm, and when
some Hats are to be stripped irregularly or two or three times more than
others. When the number of times that a certain portion of the flats are to
be stripped is not an even number of the entire flats on the engine, the simple
cam is used; for instance, if there are 19 flats on the engine a portion of them
require stripping two or three times, which can be effected by the use of the
simple cam because two or three will not divide evenly in nineteen. But
should the number of flats be an even measure of the number of times a
portion of them are intended to be stripped the variable cam is used. For
instance, if there are eighteen flats the variable cam will be required to effect
the change to the other flats, because eighteen is divisible by two or three.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I claim,-
First, lifting and stripping a certain section termed the first flats (those
nearest the "licker in ") a greater number of times than the remainder of
the flats.
Secondly. I claim the employment and use of any arrangement of mechanism

page_text: to convert the regular lifting and stripping action, as described in Wellman's
Specification, into an irregular action for the purpose of lifting and stripping
the flats at irregular intervals.
Thirdly, I claim the arrangement, combination, construction, and adaptation
of the apparatus herein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the
Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Riley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witnessed by
JOHN L. DAVIES,
Office for Patents,
4, St. Ann's Sq, Manchester.
ROBERT RILEY. (L.B.)