DRESSING AND DRYING CORN AND SEEDS OF ALL KINDS WITH SELF-FEEDING APPLIANCES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Sainty, of Wisbeach St. Peters, Cambridge-
shire, Manufacturer of Agricultural and Horticultural Implements,
for the Invention of ** DRESSING AND DRYING CORN AND SEEDS OF ALL
KINDS WITH SELF-FEEDING APPLIANCES:"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Sainty at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th February 1875.
+
I, JOHN SAINTY, of Wisbeach St. Peters, Cambridgeshire, Manu-
facturer of Agricultural and Horticultural Implements, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "DRESSING AND AND
DRYING CORN AND SEEDS OF ALL KINDS WITH SELF-FEEDING APPLIANCES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for dressing and
drying of corn and seeds of all kinds, and consists in the combination in

page_text: the main construction of dressing machine, sacking elevator, and
feeding elevator, and feeder; the feeder is placed against the corn heap
and deliver the corn or seed unto the feeding elevator which convey it
into the dressing machine; when dressed it is conveyed unto the sacking
elevator which deposit the corn or seed into the sack; the elevators are
placed at each end of the dressing machine, the elevators receive there
motion from an excentric which is keyed on the end of the driving
spindle straps or other appliances; the driving spindle pass through
the machine and through the frame of the flyers of the fann; on
the opposite end of the driveing spindle is fixed a pinnion which is
propelled by another wheel keyed unto the crank spindle; the elevators
are constructed of wood or metal attached to a web of carpet, or leather,
or any flexible material, which is worked by means of rollers and placed
into a suitable frame; the screen and riddle frame are combined and
suspended on chains by means of which I am enabled to introduce
spring or india-rubber buffers worked with a thumbscrew to cause a shock
to dislodge any damp or coarse corn or seed which may have collected
on the riddles or screen; I prefer dispensing with mitre wheels and
spindles, by substituting a jointed connecting rod attached to a
triangular or T shaped joint, the wind is created by means of a fann;
the mouth of the fann is provided with a lattice regulator; the whole
force of the wind from the fann is directed and confined where the corn
or seed fall from the riddles unto the screen or blowing board.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said John 2
{ Sainty in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SAINTY, of Wisbeach, in the County of Cambridge, Manufacturing
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her &
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Sainty, Her special license, that I,

page_text: $
,
the said John Sainty, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Sainty, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time, and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
5 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 DRESSING' AND 'DRYING
CORN AND SEEDS OF ALL KINDS WITH SELF-FEEDING APPLIANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Sainty, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my or, their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to bo
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within seven calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Sainty, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Figure 1 represents a side view or elevation of my improved dressing
machine (A, colored yellow) with the appliances for self-feeding (B),
and for self-sacking (C, both colored pink), which appliances are shewn
in the position as attached for working. The principal internal parts are
indicated by dotted lines, and the same letters of reference indicate the
corresponding part of the other Figures, but in Figure 2 italic capitals
are used, in Figure III. small roman letters, and in Figure IV. small
italic letters.
Figure II. is an end view or elevation of Figure I., showing more
especially the self-feeding appliance or feeding elevator.
:
Figure III. is a plan or sectional view of the dressing machine only.
Figure IV. is a side elevation of the riddle and screen frame.
Figure V. is a side elevation of an additional form of feeding,
hopper..

page_text: My Invention effects a great saving of labour, and performs in a more
efficient manner the work of dressing and improving the condition of
the corn or seed which is accomplished in the following manner
-
The essential principle of the self-feeding and self-acting appliances or
elevators is that instead of straps with cups which require a great force to
scoop up the corn or seed from the heap, and do it in an irregular and
imperfect manner I employ instead a series of lifts or troughs of metal
or other suitable substance (D, D, colored purple) fastened upon a broad,
endless, and flexible revolving web (E, E, colored green), the lifts or troughs
being the entire width of the web. I prefer to use a web of hemp revolving
upon rollers of wood or metal (F, F). The web being broad I am able
to work it quite loose, and consequently with the smallest possible
amount of friction. The feeding elevator or self-feeding appliance is
placed against a heap of corn or seed, and the corn or seed is admitted to
the elevator by the mouth G, G, and falling upon the revolving lifts is
carried upward and discharged into the hopper on the top of the machine.
The supply can be regulated at the opening (G, G,) by the sliding board
moved by the hand screw and rod (H,H).
In order to bank a large quantity of corn or seed against the mouth
or opening. G, G, I use wing boards I, I, or in the case of valuable
seed and when required I use a hopper as shewn in Figure V. or of
other convenient shape. The extension of the web of the elevator by
the
wear is met by a screw adjustment to the lower roller, that is to say,
spindle of the roller works in an eye or socket in the centre of a screw
rod which can be raised or lowered and fixed in position by set nuts
(J). The feeding elevator is worked by a pulley on the spindle of the
top roller K, K, communicating by a strap with a similar pulley on
the sacking elevator L, which latter receives its motion from a pulley
on the spindle of the fan of the machine (M, M, m).
The advantage of my self-feeding elevator is not confined to itself
as it delivers the corn or seed into the machine more regularly and
evenly scattered than if placed in by a skep or the ordinary way, so that
the corn or seed can be dressed more rapidly than when put in by
hand.
I also claim for my machine a more thoroughly efficient oscillation
of the riddles than in any other machine. The riddles (N, O, indicated
in section this, X, X, X, X,) are contained in the upper part of

page_text: the riddle and screen frame, the screen being contained in the lower
part (P, p, indicated in section thus, X, X, X). The screen being
thus vibratory as well as the riddles (instead of being fixed as in
other machines), tends to the more thorough cleansing of the corn or
seed.
The riddle and screen (shewn in side elevation by itself in Figure IV.
is suspended upon three chains, namely, one on either side of the upper
end of the frame (Q, q, q,) and a single chain from the centre of the
lower end (R, r, r). The vibratory or oscillating motion of the said
frame is given by a rod attached at the lower end of the frame, exactly
beneath the spot where the last mentioned chain is fixed. The rod
receives its motion from a vertical rod, working from an eccentric
(S, S, 8,) attached to the pulley (M, M, m,) on the spindle of the fan.
The different direction of the motion is effected at the point (T, T,) by
the compound T joint or angle joint which is there shewn, and which
consists of four joints. This motion dispenses with bevel wheels and
other gearing, greatly lessening the labour of working, and is an adap-
tation to dressing machines I claim for myself. A projecting pin is
fixed beneath the centre of the riddle and screen frame (U, u, u,) which
works loosely in an eye or socket in the framework of the machine, and
which when motion is given to the lower end of the frame causes the
upper end to move in an opposite direction.
In order more thoroughly to shake and jar the riddles and dislodge
any corn or seed which may have become fixed in the riddles I place
buffers upon the framework of the machine on each side of the upper
end of the riddle and screen frame. The buffers consist of india-rubber
which is fixed on the side of the framework in a holder or socket
v, v, colored orange on Figure III. and is also shewn in section w.
The force of the concussion of the riddle frame against the buffers is
regulated by a thumbscrew on the inside of the frame which screws a
projecting head through the side frame, which head X, x, x, strixes
upon the buffer at each vibration, and is kept in position by a set screw
nut.
The internal structure of the body of the machine is so arranged that
the only outlet for the wind from the drum is immediately behind
the falling corn or seed. The opening is the width of the riddle and

page_text: screen frame only instead of the entire width of the machine, and it is
also reduced from above and below so that the wind is directed upon the
riddles or screen as desired. By thus confining the wind to that part
only where it is required a stronger blast is produced, and with much
less consumption of power than when the wind is allowed to disperse at
liberty through the whole end of the machine.
The strength of the blast of wind may be still further increased by
means of an adjusting wind board or lattice Y, which can be fixed in
the position required by a thumbscrew on the outside of the machine (Z).
The corn being dressed falls upon the bottom end of the screen upon the
lower lifts of the sacking elevator, whence it is raised by the revolving
web and discharged at the mouth of the sacking elevator, to which a
sack may be attached to receive it. The said self-sacking elevator is
similar in its construction to my before described self-feeding elevator,
with the exception that it is adapted for discharging the corn or seed
into the sack or where else required. And I claim for it the same novelty
of construction and similar corresponding advantages as before recited
with respect to my self-feeding elevator.
My said Invention in its operation as described has also the property
of drying and purifying corn and seed, inasmuch as the corn or seed is
thoroughly scattered, agitated, and exposed to the air in being conveyed
up the two elevators and through the machine.
86
My said Invention will also effectually cleanse samples of corn or seed
if the seeds of the common bed straw, vulgarly known as cleavers,"
herriff," goose weed," hedgehogs," &c., which is effected by attaching
strips of flannel to the exposed surface of the revolving web of the two
elevators or appliances for self-feeding and self-sacking. These strips of
flannel I manufacture so as to be instantly attached by hooks, and they
can be detached when necessary to clear them by brushing off the
accumulated seeds.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the broad web with
lifts for elevating the corn, the arrangement for placing the corn or seed
upon the elevators or the lifts of the elevators, the screw adjustment to

page_text: the elevator rollers, the placing of the screen as well as the riddles in a
moveable frame, the hanging of the said frame upon three chains or
suspending media, the india-rubber buffers for jarring the screen and
riddles, the diverting of the motion for oscillating the said frame by
a combination of joints, the property or facility of drying corn or seed,
and the provision for extracting the seeds of the bed straw, as herein-
before more fully described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Sainty, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.