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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
JOHN T. DONOVAN, OF WACO, TEXAS.
IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-CONDENSERS.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,678, dated December 10, 1878; application filed
November 5, 1878.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, JonN T. DoNovAN, of
Waco, MfIcLenuan county, State of Texas, have
invented certain newand useful Improvements
in Cotton-Cleaners; and I hereby declare the
same to be fully, clearly, and exactly described
as follows, reference being had to the accom-
panying drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional
view of the device, and Fig. 2 is an end eleva-
tion of the same.
My present invention relates to that class
of devices in use for eliminating from cotton
the sticks, sand, fragments of leaves, and trash
generally with which the lint is more or less
contaminated as it comes from the gin; andit
consists in certain improvements upon the com-
bined cleaner and condenser described and
shown in Letters Patent of the United States
No. 197,617, granted to me November 27, 1877.
In order that the scope of my present inven-
tion may be clearly apprehended without a
necessary reference to the aforesaid Letters
Patent, I will here describe briefly the con-
struction and operation of the patented ma-
chine. It consists of a casing containing a re-
volving eylindrical screen of finemesh,through
which a strong draft of air is drawn, and over
which the lint is led from the gin. Before
reaching the revolving screen the lint is led
overastationary screenof coarsemesh, adapted
to pass the larger and coarser portions of dirt
and trash in the cotton. No draft is induced
through the coarse screen, as it is made of such
large mesh as to pass the lint also were a or-
rent of air drawn through it as the cotton
passes over it.
From the revolving screen the lint is passed
through a series of compressing-rollers, and is
delivered from the machine in the form of an
endless bat.
So far as the cleaning operation is concerned
the patented machine is unexceptionable; but
the compressing-rollers were liable to become
clogged at the bearings with the lint, and some-
times the bat, instead of passing the rollers,
would wrap around them.
It would not do to remove the rollers en-
tirely, as free access for the air would thereby
be admitted to the machine, and would pass
directly through the screen instead of through
the lint; besides, an opening of fixed size will
not answer at the exit end of the device, by
reason of the varying thickness of the bat of
lint.
The substitute for the rollers shown in the
accompanying drawings, and about to be de-
scribed as constituting the gist of my present
invention, answers every requisite. It holds
the bat closely against the screen until deliv-
ered from the machine, while readily yielding
to varying thicknesses of lint. While the said
device-to wit, the flap E-is the salieatfeature
of my present invention, the latter is by no
means confined thereto,, as will presently ap-
pear.
In the drawings, A represents the main cas-
ing, within which is mounted the cylindrical
fine screen B and flat stationary coarse screen
C. The latter is held in place by the wedge-
shaped pieces c, which being removed the screen
C may be taken out and a finer or coarser one
substituted therefor.
The casing above the screen B steadily and
uniformlyapproaches it,formingbetween them
a tapering space, the function of which will be
more fully set forth in the description of the
operation of the device.
Below the stationary screen is the box 0',
having an opening, f, through the main casing,
normally closed by means of a flap or door, .f
Suitable brace-beams F F secure the parts of
the casing together.
The top board, d, is made removable to af-
ford access to the interior of the machine, and
to its under side is secured the piece d', adapted
to form, in conjunction with the screen B, the
tapering passage above referred to. To the
end of the board d' is secured, by means of a
leather or rubber hinge, e, to prevent leakage
of air, the flap E, which normally rests upon
the screenB, as shown. Belowit, and attached
to the main easing, is an inclined board, D,
having a sharp edge nearly in contact with the
screen, being placed, in fact, as close to it as
may be.
The screen has its extremities flanged, as
shown at b, in order to prevent the lint from
being drawn between it and the casing, and to
prevent access of air.
The operation of the device is as follows:
The lint being led from the gin over the screen
