IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES.
Year: 1874

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LETTERS PATENT to Jonas Tatham, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES.
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Sealed the 5th January 1875, and dated the 8th July 1874.
1 .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jonas Tatham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th July 1874.
.
I, JONAS TATHAM, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES," to be as follows, that
is to say :-
This Invention has for its object to render the feeding of wool, cotton,
or other fibrous materials to carding or other machines uniform or pro-

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portional to the actual speed of the machine, and amongst other improve-
ments comprises mechanism specially designed for dealing with "long
wool" and similar materials.
In carrying out the Invention the fibrous materials are taken from
a heap or loose quantity in a hopper by any suitable mechanism in use
for such purpose, the action of which can be interrupted, and are dropped
by such mechanism on a shallow tray arranged transversely over the
ordinary forwarding feed apron, which leads the materials into the
carding or other machine. The tray is supported at each end by a plunger
or float floating in oil, mercury, or other suitable liquid contained in a
stationary vessel, the rods or other parts connecting the tray to the floats
being guided vertically. As the fibrous materials accumulate on the
tray the floats displace more and more of the liquid and the tray
gradually descends, and in doing so moves a lever to which its middle
part is connected. The outer end of this lever or a piece connected
thereto ultimately gets in the way of a small revolving wiper, and by
its action thereon causes the disengagement and temporary stoppage
of the parts supplying the fibrous materials to the tray. The outer
end of the lever is made adjustable so as to act sooner or later on
the revolving wiper, and thus vary the quantity of materials supplied at
cach action, or the revolving wiper may be made adjustable in position
for that purpose. The materials are next transferred to the forwarding
apron by a rake moved periodically over it, or by a tilting movement
imparted to the tray. The supplying mechanism is periodically restarted
by a cam or wiper actuated from or in concert with the carding or other
machine.
When dealing with "long wool" or similar fibres a comb is employed
to remove portions of the materials from a heap and to drop them upon
the tray. This comb is fixed like a rake on the end of a rod suspended
by a link from a fixed centre and having its other end connected by a
strap to an eccentric or crank, the rotation of which gives the desired
motion to the comb. The comb may draw the fibrous materials from a
hopper through a grating, or the materials may be presented to the
comb over the edge of a plate, being held by a roller which by turning
feeds them gradually forward; or the materials may be presented to the
comb by an endless apron working intermittently and having a bar
arranged to descend on it between each forward movement to hold the
mass of the materials whilst the comb acts on projecting portions of

page_text: them. The teeth of the comb project downwards and the comb descends
when taking the materials. The comb's motion next carries it over
the tray and through the teeth of a stationary comb, which as the
moving comb rises strips off the materials and allows them to drop into
the scale.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jonas Tatham in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JONAS
TATHAM, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Jonas Tatham, Her special licence that
I, the said Jonas Tatham, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Jonas Tatham, 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 APPARATUS FOR
FEEDING WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jonas
Tatliam, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 Jonas Tatham, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
De performed, to be-particularly described and ascertained in and by

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"
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the following statement in writing, reference being being to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :--
My said Invention has for its object to render the feeding of wool,
cotton, or other fibrous materials to carding or other machines uniform
or proportional to the actual speed of the machine, and amongst other
improvements comprises mechanism-specially designed for dealing with
long wool" and similar materials.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to and representing
parts of the feeding apparatus as made with my improvements. In
these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same
or like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a front view partly in vertical section
showing one of my improvements. In carrying out this part of my
said Invention the fibrous materials are taken from a heap or loose
quantity, lying in a hopper, by any suitable mechanism in use for such
purpose, the action of which can be interrupted, and are dropped by such
mechanism on a shallow tray 1, arranged transversely over the ordinary
forwarding feed apron which leads the materials into the carding or other
machine.
The taking-up and dropping mechanism referred to may, for example,
be such as herein-after described with reference to Figures 2 and 3,
or such as is described or referred to in the Specification of certain
Letters Patent granted to me and dated 11th November 1873 (No.
3668), or it may be like any suitable modification of what is known as.
Evans and King's First Feed." The tray or scale 1 is supported at.
each end by a plunger or float 2 floating in oil, mercury, or other
suitable liquid. I prefer to use mercury which is contained in two
stationary iron vessels 3 having, screwed covers 4 and fixed to frame
brackets 5. The float 2 is in each case a hollow iron cylinder having
fixed to it a rod 6 which is guided vertically by the neck of the cover 4,
and is attached to an arm 7' fixed to the end of the tray or scale 1. As
the fibrous materials accumulate on the tray 1 the floats 2 displace more
and more of the mercury, and the tray gradually descends, and in doing
so moves an extension 24 of one of its armis 7' into the way of a projec-
tion 22 on a pulley or loose boss 18. The parts marked 18 to 24, in

page_text: Figure 1, are the same parts as those similarly marked in my earlier
Specification, herein-before referred to, and described therein as for
bringing about the interruption of the supply of fibrous materials to
the tray 1 when it is full enough.
.
r
Instead of the part 24 being fixed or formed on the arm 7' it may be
on the outer end of a transverse horizontal lever centered at its middle,
and having its inner end just beneath and connected to the middle of the
tray 1. The part 24 may be made adjustable relatively to the tray 1, so
that the tray may have a greater or less distance to descend, accordingly
as it is wished for it to receive more or less of the fibrous materials at each
action. The fibrous materials are next transferred from the tray 1 to
the forwarding apron; by preference, by means of a rake or paddle (26)
moved periodically, as described in my earlier Specification herein-
before referred to, or the tray 1 may be arranged to be emptied by a
tilting movement. The supplying mechanism is periodically restarted
by a cam or wiper actuated from or in concert with the carding or other
machine as is well understood.
Figure 2 is a vertical section as taken parallel to one side of a "first
feed" machine as fitted with the improved apparatus, constituting the
second part of my present Invention. This improved apparatus is
designed more particularly for dealing with fibrous materials of the kind
known as "long wool," which is more difficult to deal with by feeding
apparatus than other kinds, and the apparatus is improved and modified as
has been shown to be desirable by practical trials. I employ a comb 35,
such as is shown in face view in Figure 3, and of which there may
be one or more in the width of the machine. Each comb 35 is fixed
like a rake on the lower end of an arm or lever -36, the upper end of
which is centered on a pin 37 at the upper front part of the hopper 7,
and each lever 36 is connected by a rod 38 to an eccentric 39 on a
transverse horizontal shaft 40 revolving at a suitable speed. At the lower.
part of the front of the hopper 7 there is an inclined grating 41 with its-
bars parallel to the ends and fixed in such a position that the teeth of
the combs 35 enter between the bars when the combs are moved inwards..
Below the front grating 41 there is a second or bottom grating 42
through which the teeth of a second comb or set of combs 43 work,.
and behind this second grating there is an endless apron 44 forming with
such second grating 42 the bottom of the hopper 7. The endless apron 44
carries the fibrous materials resting on it gradually forwards towards the,

page_text: front grating 41, but having been found (even if continued forward to
the front grating) not to have a sufficiently certain or positive action in
presenting the fibrous materials to the extracting combs 35 its operation
is supplemented by the action of the bottom comb 43. The teeth of
the bottom comb 43 are fixed on a transverse horizontal rod 64 held by
levers 45 fixed on a transverse horizontal spindle 46, to which a rocking
motion is imparted by means of a lever 47 connected by an adjustable
rod 48 to a revolving eccentric 49. The comb rod 64 is capable of
turning in its carrying levers 45 to a small extent governed by a small
arm 65 on one end having a pin working in a fixed guide groove 66.
The comb teeth 43 are inclined forwards and working slowly backwards
and forwards with their points a little within the inner side of the bottom
grating 42, they catch and push forward the fibrous materials and
automatically relieve themselves when moving backwards. The front
or extracting combs 35 draw out through the front grating 41 successive
small portions of the fibrous materials, and moving them over a curved
guide plate 50 drop them over the front edge thereof into the weighing
scale or tray 1.
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To insure the complete stripping of the fibrous materials from off
the teeth of the extracting combs 35, each comb is furnished with 2
a bar 51 with. holes in it through which the teeth pass, and this
bar is drawn towards the back of the comb by a spring 52 con-
necting it to the comb lever 36. The bar 51 has also attached to it
a curved rod 53 which when the comb is moved forwards away from
the hopper encounters a stop piece 54 fixed on the eccentric rod 38 and 2
is thereby made to move the bar 51 to the points of the comb teeth, so
that it will push off any fibrous materials adhering to the teeth.
The weighing scale 1 may be empitied by tilting, but I prefer to
transfer the fibrous materials from it by means of the periodically
moved rake or paddle 26, as described in my earlier Specification herein-
before referred to, but in Figure 2 hereof the paddle is shown as arranged
for pushing the materials over the inner edge of the scale 1, the machine
being arranged for being placed over the forwarding apron so that that
apron will the fibrous materials under it to the carding or other
machine.
carry
laulz darauibed manid Tuxantion and th

page_text: the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what I believe
to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The employment of a tray or scale supported by mercury or other
liquid for receiving separate successive portions of wool, cotton, or other
fibrous materials in feeding machines, and for determining the quantity
or weight of each portion by increasing immersion in such liquid, sub-
stantially as herein-before described.,
2. The combining of reciprocating combs withdrawing fibrous
materials through a grating from a hopper with pushing combs acting
within the hopper through a second grating, and with an endless
moving apron inside the hopper, substantially as herein-before described.
3. The clearing of the fibrous materials from the extracting combs
(35) by means substantially such as are herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jonas Tatham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JONAS TATHAM. (L.S.)