Improvements in the Manufacture of Flake Oatmeal.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Flake Oatmeal.
I, JOSEPH DUNCAN, of 4 Mount Collyer, Terrace, Limestone Road, Belfast,
Oatmeal Miller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of flake oatmeal and it has for its object
to improve the process of manufacture.
In carrying out my invention, I feed the groats into a casing, containing a screw
conveyer. Steam is admitted into the casing from a suitable pipe connection. The
groats are steamed, while being fed forward by the screw. From the conveyer the
steamed groats are fed into a hopper or hoppers, which conduct the groats to
rollers, between which the oatmeal is flattened. The flattened oatmeal particles
are then delivered and spread over an endless travelling band. I arrange under or
near the travelling band, a heating appliance for drying the flakes as they travel
on the band. After being dried, the meal is cooled and then bagged.
The heating appliance may consist of gas jets or oil flames, arranged underneath
the travelling band, or, if desired, heat from a coal or coke fire may be applied to
the band. prefer to use gas, however, which is preferably oxidised, so that it
imparts no smell to the grain and will not blacken it.
The endless band may be made of a solid sheet or a woven web.
The main features of the invention are the endless band and drying arrangement.
. Dated this 16th day of April 1892.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Flake Oatmeal.
I, JOSEPH DUNCAN of 4 Mount Collyer Terrace, Limestone Road, Belfast,
Oatmeal Miller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
My invention relates to the manufacture of flake oatmeal, and it has for its object
to improve the process of manufacture.
In carrying out my invention, the groats are first steamed and then flattened
between suitable rollers. From the rollers the oatmeal particles are delivered on
to and spread over an endless travelling band which has a heating appliance in
connection with it for drying the flakes as they travel on the band. After being
dried, the meal is cooled and then bagged.
The heating appliance may consist of gas jets or oil flames, arranged underneath
the travelling band, or, if desired, heat from a coal or coke fire may be applied to
the band. I prefer to use gas, however, which is preferably oxidised, so that it
imparts no smell to the grain and will not blacken it.
The endless band may be made of a solid sheet or a woven web.
The feature of the invention is the endless band and drying arrangement.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood, I have here-
unto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon :-
Fig. 1 shows the travelling band, with gas heating appliance.
Figs. 2 and 3 show other methods of heating the travelling band.
Referring to the drawings :—

page_text: flattened groats are delivered down a shoot a, on to an endless travelling band b
which is preferably made of woven wire or the like, although it may be made of
sheet metal. The band passes over the revolving pulleys or drums c, d, carried on
the shafts e, f. 9 is a large driving pulley, fitted on the shaft e. It is driven by a
band direct from the engine or from an overhead or other shaft. The drum & is
driven by the band from the shaft e. A revolving brush k is arranged, so as to brush
the wire band b on its under side, and clear away any particles of meal adhering to
it. The brush is driven from the shaft e by means of the crossed band l.
heating appliance for drying the meal as it is carried along on the band b; it, in
Fig. 1, is shown as consisting of an oxygen gas burner. The oxygen gas does not
blacken or impart a disagreeable smell or taste to the meal. n is the meal bag,
into which the flakes, after being dried on the travelling band, are delivered.
a small roller for supporting the band b.
m is the
0 1B
Instead of using oxygen gas to dry the flakes, hydrogen or other gas jets, or oil
flames may be used. In the case of common coal gas, it is desirable to arrange the
burners below a plate, such as (Fig. 3), which becomes highly heated and radiates
off sufficient heat to dry the meal passing on the band b.
In the case of heating by means of the products of combustion from a fire, the
hot gases are preferably passed through a pipe such as y, Fig. 2. The heat
radiated off from the pipe is utilized to dry the meal as it travels along on the
band b.
As the flake oatmeal is spread over the travelling web b, and passed slowly over
the heating device, it is therefore thoroughly dried, and retains its sweet flavour
much longer than by any existing process.
It is to be understood that I do not confine myself to the special arrangements
for heating the band b, shown on the drawings, as the heating may be done in
other ways.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In the manufacture of flake oatmeal, the application and use, for the purpose of
drying the flakes, of a wire or equivalent travelling band, which is heated, either
directly or indirectly, by means of gas or oil flames, or the products of combustion
from a fire, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the drawings
annexed.
Dated this 18th day of January 190
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.