FACILITATING THE PROCESS OF SIFTING DRUGS AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, SAVILLE MARRIOTT PELLY, C.B. F.R.C.S.L. Inspector General of Hospitals,
Bombay Army Retired, of Lea House Pembroke Road Dublin do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for FACILITATING THE PROCESS OF SIFTING DRUGS
AND OTHER MATERIALS to be as follows:-
The apparatus above alluded to is constructed of a wheel and pulley or cog
wheel and pinion-carrying at each extremity of the shaft of the latter an arm
revolving at a distance from the centre-To either or both of the arms is attached
a rod which works loosely upon the arm at one end and is linked at the other to a
hook fixed to a board or frame, upon which an ordinary sieve is placed-This board
or frame has fastened to its under part a tube which fits loosely upon an upright
fixed pillar-the top of the pillar being made conical.
The machine is set in motion by a crank bandle turning the larger wheel. The
arms revolving more or less rapidly so act upon the rods connecting them with the
sieves as to impart both a shaking and a jarring motion-whereby the contents of
the sieves are passed rapidly through the strainer.
The above describes a machine so light in construction and working that it may
be used in a lady's pantry and kept in action by a child-The usefulness of the
machine is however by no means limited to this-On a larger scale it will be found
of the greatest utility in sifting emery-glass or powders required by druggists,
colormen &c In these cases the work if not very heavy may be readily effected
by a hand machine-but if much work has to be done during a long period
continuously though the principle of action is the same a slight alteration in
the machinery will be found to be of advantage.
The larger plain or cog-wheel may be detached and moved a little on one side,
when a belt from a treadle gas-steam or other motor may be passed round the
pulley and the speed regulated as desirable.
As the friction in the movement of the sieves is reduced to a minimum by the
conical shape of the pillars upon which they are moved two sieves may be kept in

page_text: motion by each arm-and if desired two or more sieves may be placed over each
of the standard ones-thus allowing a considerable number of different degrees of
fineness being used at the same time the work being easily superintended by one
man or even a boy.
It is considered that the arrangement of the sieves upon pivots offering a merely
nominal resistance in friction and allowing of a shaking and jarring motion being
imparted to a considerable number at the same time, together with the simplicity
of construction of the whole machinery is a decided improvement upon any
apparatus now in use for sifting purposes, and likely to prove of great utility in
both domestic and trade establishments.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Invention for Facilitating the Process of Sifting Drugs and
other Materials.
I SAVILLE MARRIOTT PELLY, CB. FRCSL. Inspector General of Hospitals
Bombay Army Retired, of Lea House, Pembroke Road Dublin do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for FACILITATING THE PROCESS OF SIFTING DRUGS
AND OTHER MATERIALS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The apparatus above alluded to is constructed of a wheel A and pulley B or cog-
wheel and pinion carrying at each extremity of the shaft of the latter an arm
revolving at a distance from the centre C-To either or both of the arms is attached
a rod (or two rods) D D which works loosely upon the arm at one end, and is linked
at the other to a hook E fixed to a board or frame F F upon which an ordinary
sieve G G is placed-This board or frame has, fastened to its underpart, a tube Hй
which fits loosely upon an upright fixed pillar I I-the top of the pillar being made
conical.
The machine may be set in motion by a crank handle K turning the larger
wheel-The arms revolving more or less rapidly so act upon the rods connecting
them with the sieves as to impart both a shaking and a jarring or jerking motion-
whereby the finer parts of the contents are passed rapidly through the strainers-
a matter of considerable importance not only to druggists, but also to emery and
glass paper manufacturers colormen &c.
As modifications of the above, which is a machine to be worked by hand, two
other models have been constructed showing how the machine may be worked by
steam or other motor-These are formed simply of a shaft working upon two
standards; a pulley, round which a belt may be passed, being fixed on the shaft
between the standards the revolving arms being attached on either side as in the
hand machine-One model has a fly-wheel outside one of the standards, while the
other works without any such adjunct.
In the hand machine I have appended a grinding apparatus, similar to an
ordinary coffee mill, which can be worked by the large wheel independently of the
sieves, and which will probably be found useful in reducing any powders to a proper
degree of fineness for passing through the sieves-This is worked by slipping a
pinion over the centre cog wheel and at the same time removing the pinion for
working the sieves out of the influence of the wheel.
are
The hand machine can without any trouble be converted into a power machine
by having a pulley permanently fixed on the shaft to which the arms
attached By shifting the large wheel a little to one side, a belt passed round the
pulley will work the sieves in the saine manner as is done in the form adapted
purely for motor power.
From the above description it may be seen that four sieves (two on each side)
can be worked at the same time-and it is, perhaps, equally clear that one or more
sieves may be placed over each of the standard ones-thus allowing a considerable
number of different degrees of fineness in the siftings being attainable at the same

page_text: time It will thus, I believe, be found that a great saving may be effected by this
machine in the cost of labor for producing a given result-as with its aid one man
or even a boy could finish off more work in a day than several men sifting solely
by hand could perform.
Lastly I consider the simplicity of construction of the machinery is such that it
can be easily and cheaply made, and not liable with ordinary fair usage to get out
of order.
Having now particularly described the nature of the said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
1st That the arrangement of the sieves on pivots offering a merely nominal
amount of friction allows of several of them being set in motion at the same time.
2nd That by the arrangement of the arms and rods connecting them with the
sieves, a shaking and jerking motion, corresponding to that which is imparted in
sifting by hand is obtained in a most perfect manner.
Lastly. That a considerable quantity of materials of the same or different kinds
can be rapidly and thoroughly sifted at the same time.