The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 18, 1978
Filed:
Jun. 22, 1977
William D Wornall, Charlotte, NC (US);
Nick Valk, Greeneville, TN (US);
Aldrich Machine Works, Greenwood, SC (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for obtaining a blend of fibers from a plurality of fiber bales, such as bales of cotton, in which a fiber removing device repeatedly moves along a row of fiber bales while removing fibers from uppermost portions of the bales and depositing the fibers into a fiber collection hopper moving with the fiber removing device along the row of bales. The fiber bales are preferably positioned with the fiber layers in the bales extending longitudinally of the row of bales and oriented in a vertical plane and the fiber removing device removes fibers from all of the exposed layers of the bale to thereby achieve a highly uniform blend of fibers from all of the bales. The fiber bales are supported in a chute which is oriented at an incline with respect to the path of movement of the fiber removing device and the entire row of bales is advanced along the chute to thereby move the upper surfaces of the bales upwardly closer to the fiber removing device. The fiber removing device disclosed herein comprises a rotatable cylindrical drum having a circularly arranged series of fiber grasping jaws around the circumference thereof for grasping fibers from the fiber bales.