US553924A

US553924A - Cotton-press

Info

Publication number: US553924A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1913-02-04

Description

l 199C 1)! P James L) tu@ mntedreh 4, 1.896.

J. LITTLE.

GoTToN PRE'ss.A y

Illu!!! No' '553,924.. ZW 1l 'UNITED STATES 4` PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LITTLE, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

COTTON-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION formingl part of Letters Patent No. 553,924, dated February 4, 1896. Application filed July 27,1894,l Serial No. 518,739. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: v

Be it known that I, JAMES LITTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evansville, in the county of Vanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Cotton- Press, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in cotton-compresses, and it has for its object to provide a simple, efficient, and durable device for compressing cotton in iiat or layer bales, the table or support for the bale being mounted for automatic adjustment upon a reciprocatory carrier, from which is derived the power for operating the compressingrolls.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a press embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the clutches for connecting the power-gears to the rolls. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken parallel with the axis of one of the compressing-rolls.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

l designates the supporting -framework, which is substantially rectangular in form, and2 represents a reciprocatory carrier iitted slidably therein and having a bottom plate 3 and parallel side plates Ll, which are equal in height to the interior of the framework. This carrier is provided at its center with a box 5, in which is slidably fitted for vertical movement the stem 6 of the table or support S, said table or support being equal in width to the interval between the inner surfaces of the side plates of the carrier, whereby it is guided by said plates. The box 5 is provided with a movable side plate 9, held in place and secured to the body portion of the box by means of set-screws 19, and this plate 9 acts in the capacity of a pressure or friction plate,

v which may be adjusted by means of the said is caused to recede that the desired compression of the bale is attained.

The above-described means for controlling the resistance of the table to the re-pressing force of the compressing-rolls provides for an even resistance throughout the movement of the table and avoids a varying resistance as the table recedes. Furthermore, the means for controlling the resistance of the table are compactly arranged within the carrier and are unaiected by the reciprocation of the carrier, and no special construction of framework is necessary when this arrangement of tension is employed. It is obvious that weights connected to the receding table or support to control the compression of a bale cannot be arranged in the compact form possible with the above-described device, and in addition thereto they increase the weight of the carrier without reference to meanswhich must be employed for preventing the weights from swinging during the reciprocation of the carrier. The improved means for controlling the resistance of the table d0 not add materially to the weight of the carrier and they occupy space which cannot otherwise be utilized, and in addition to these advantages it will be obvious that the device may be constructed at a small cost, and new frictionplates, necessitated by wear after prolonged use, may be applied with a small outlay.

Mounted rotatably in suitable bearings in the side walls of the framework are the spindles 10 of the pressure-rolls 1l, said spindles being extended beyond one side of the framework and being provided with intermeshing spur-gears 12, whereby motion is communicated from either roll to the other, and mounted loosely upon said spindles between the ends of the rolls and adjacent walls of the framework are the power-gears 13, which are connected to the spindles by means of clutches 14e. The clutches are so arranged as to engage and communicate motion to the spindles of the rolls only when turned inward, or in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. f3, and to slip idly when turned in the opposite direction. The carrier is provided at the upper edges of its side plates with racks 15, which mesh, respectively, with said powergears.

Therefore when the carrier is reciprocated by means provided for that purpose and through the bar 16 which is connected to said carrier the motion is commun icated through the racks to the power-gears, whereby the latter are turned alternately in opposite directions; but as the power-gears communicate motion to the rolls only when rotated inward or in one direction, and as the rolls are geared together so as to turn simultaneously in opposite directions, it will be seen that the rolls turn continuously in one direction, and thus draw the cotton downward between their contiguous inner sides and fold or lap it regularly upon the upper surface of the table or support, as shown in Fig. :2. The cotton is conveyed from the cotton-gin not shown) by means of an endless apron 1T or similar device. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

Arranged upon opposite sides of the compressing-rolls and parallel therewith are the auxiliary pressing-rolls 18,which are arranged with their lower sides in the same horizontal plane with the lower sides of the compressingrolls 11, and which bear continuously upon the upper surface 0f the bale as it is formed. These auxiliary rolls prevent the displacement of the folds of the cotton as it is applied by engaging the latter as it is fed between the compressing-rolls and holding it in position during the movements of the carrier.

It will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a cotton-press, the combination with feeding and compressing rolls mounted in fixed bearings, and means for operating the same, of a table or support for the bale, mounted for movement toward and from the plane of the compressing-rolls and adapted to be moved from the same by the pressure applied to a bale during compression, saidpressure being caused by the successive introduction of layers between the compressing-rolls and the contiguous side of the partiallyformed bale, and an adjustable friction device arranged in contact with the table or support and capable of movement toward and from the path of movement thereof to vary the resistance offered by the table to movement from the compressing-rolls, and thereby vary the amount of compression of the bale, substantially as specified.

2. In a cotton-compress, the combination with a supporting-framework, a reciprocatory carrier mounted therein, feeding and compressing rolls mounted in bearings on the framework and means for operating the same, of a table or support mounted upon and movable with said carrier, and adjustable means arranged in frictional contact with the table or support, to resist the depression of the same, substantially as specified.

3. In a cotton-compress, the combination with a supporting-framework, of a reciprocatory carrier mounted therein and having parallel side walls supporting parallel racks, feeding and compressing rolls mounted in bearings on the framework, means for communicating motion from the racks tothe comi pressing-rolls, a table or support mounted t for reciprocation between the planes of and guided by the side walls of the carrier and adapted to move toward and from the plane of the compressing-rolls, an adjustable part or member in frictional contact with the table and adapted to be moved toward and from the path of movement thereof, and means for adjusting said part or member to vary the resistance offered by the table or support to the expansion of the bale carried thereby, substantially as specified.

ti. ln a cotton-compress, the combination with a supporting-framework, a reciprocatory carrier, and feeding and compressing rolls and means for operating the same, of a table or support mounted upon the carrier and having a stem fitting slidably in a guide or box thereon, a pressure or friction plate in contact with said stem of the table, and means for adjusting said plate to vary its pressure upon the stem of the table, substantially as specified.

5. In a cotton-compress, the combination with a suppciting-framework, a reciprocatory carrier, and feeding and compressing rolls and means for operating-the same, of a table or support provided with a stem, a guide or box on said carrier for the reception of said stem of the table, a movable or adjustable plate forming one side of said guide or box, and means, consisting of set-screws, for varying the pressure of said plate upon the stem of the table, whereby the resistance offered to the repression of the table is regulated, substantially as specified.

6. In a cotton-compress, the combination of a framework, a reciprocatory carrier slidably mounted therein, a table or support mounted upon the carrier, compressing-rolls t mounted in bearings in the framework and l provided with intermeshing spur-gears, powi er-gears mounted respectively upon the spinl dles of the compressing-rolls, clutches conl necting said power-gears to the rolls, racks IOO IIO

carried by the sliding carrier and meshing respeetively with the power-gears, and auxiliary rolls arranged upon opposite sides of the compressing-rolls with their lower sides in the plane of the lower sides of the compressing-rolls, and adapted to traverse the surface Vof the bale, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

JAMES LITTLE.

IVtnesses:

ELDER COOPER, F. C. II. ARENTZ.