Improvements in Fruit Cleaning Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fruit Cleaning Machines.
I CALEB DUCKWORTH of Cloth Hall Colne, in the County of Lancaster, Fruit
Preserver and Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the fruit cleaning machine for which
Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date the 30th day of January A.D. 1894,
No. 1974, the object of the present invention being to render such fruit cleaning
machine more specially applicable for being worked by hand.
I use the same kind of revolving conical wire gauze or perforated cylinder, mounted
horizontally as before, and having in the interior, mounted adjustably on the squared
axle, a conical revolving brush the bars of which are provided with bristles or with
strips of india rubber or other suitable material.
One of the principal alterations or improvements in the present machine is that
I have two of these revolving conical gauze or perforated cylinders placed one above
the other in reverse directions, that is to say, the upper cylinder has its smaller
end towards the driving end of the machine, where the lower cylinder has its
larger end.
Above the upper cylinder I fix a feed hopper, the bottom of which slopes towards
the driving end and delivers the fruit through a feed opening into the smaller end of
the upper conical cylinder. From the larger end of this cylinder the fruit passes by
a similar feed opening into the smaller end of the lower conical cylinder, from the
larger end of which the cleaned fruit is delivered into a sliding box or other
receptacle.
I prefer to make the upper conical cylinder with a comparatively coarse mesh,
and the lower one finer, and to provide each of them with a water jet or
sprinkler so that the fruit may be washed or sprinkled in either cylinder as may
be desired.
Beneath each conical cylinder is a sliding tray to receive the dirt, stalks, and
other refuse which falls through the meshes or perforations; and below the lower
conical cylinder I provide a finely perforated gas pipe or other suitable drying
apparatus which may be used whenever it is thought desirable to dry the fruit
before delivery.
In this machine no oscillating motion is given to the feed hopper, the attendant
moving the fruit gradually towards the feed opening with one hand as he drives
the machine with the other. The non-driving end of the machine is provided with
removable plates so that either conical cylinder (or both) can be removed without
disturbing the gearing.
A fly wheel provided with a winch handle is mounted loosely on the driving end
of the axle of the upper cylinder, and to this wheel is fixed a chain wheel or band
pulley driving by an endless chain or band a similar wheel or pulley of smaller
diameter on a counter shaft. On this counter shaft is also keyed
large chain
wheel or band pulley which actuates two smaller chain wheels or band-pulleys one
fast on the driving end of each of the upper and lower axles which carry the
internal brushes thus driving them rapidly.
The same endless chain or band also passes around and drives a large wheel. or
pulley on the end of a second countershaft.

page_text: Each counter shaft has also keyed upon it a small spur pinion driving a larger
spur wheel fixed on the driving end of one of the conical wire or perforated
cylinders so as to drive them at a much slower speed- than -the brushes and in the
reverse direction.
The countershafts are so mounted in slots in the brackets that the endless driving
chains or bands may be tightened or slackened when required without interfering
with the proper gearing of the teeth of the spur wheels and pinions and also that
different sized pinions may be employed for varying the speed.
Dated this 21st day of May 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Fruit Cleaning Machines.
I CALEB DUCKWORTH, of Cloth Hall, Colne, in the County of Lancaster, Fruit
Preserver and Merchant, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in the fruit cleaning machine for which
Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date the 30th day of January, A.D. 1894,
No. 1974, the object of the present invention being to render such fruit cleaning
machine more specially applicable for being worked by hand.
The invention will be readily understood from the following description on reference
to the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 an elevation of the driving end, of a
machine constructed according to my present invention.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation shewing a modified form of driving gear hereafter more
particularly referred to.
I use the same kind of revolving conical wire gauze or perforated cylinder mounted
horizontally as before, and having in the interior mounted adjustably on the squared
axle a conical revolving brush, the bars of which are provided with bristles or with
strips of india rubber or other suitable material.
One of the principal alterations or improvements in the present machine is that I
have two of these revolving conical gauze or perforated cylinders a a 1 placed one above
the other in reverse directions, that is to say, the upper cylinder a has its smaller end
towards the driving end of the machine, where the lower cylinder a 1 has its larger
end (see Fig. 1).
Above the upper cylinder a I fix a feed hopper b, the bottom of which slopes
towards the driving end as shown, and delivers the fruit through a feed opening c
into the smaller end of the upper conical cylinder a. From the larger end of this
cylinder a the fruit passes by a similar feed opening d into the smaller end of the lower
conical cylinder a 1 from the larger end of which the cleaned fruit is delivered into a
sliding box or other receptacle e.
I prefer to make the upper conical cylinder a with a comparatively coarse mesh
and the lower one finer, and to provide each of them with a water jet or sprinkler ff1
respectively, so that the fruit may be washed or sprinkled in either cylinder as may
be desired.
Beneath each conical cylinder a a 1 is a sliding tray g g 1 respectively, to receive the
dirt, stalks, and other refuse which falls through the meshes or perforations, and below
the lower conical cylinder a 1 I provide a finely perforated gas pipe or pipes / provided
with a guard 1 to cover the flames and distribute the heat, or other suitable drying

page_text: apparatus may be provided which may be used whenever it is thought desirable to-
dry the fruit before delivery.
In this machine no oscillating motion is given to the feed hopper b, the attendant
moving the fruit gradually towards the feed opening with one hand as he drives
the machine with the other. The non-driving end of the machine is provided with.
removable plates i il so that either conical cylinder a or a 1 (or both) can be removed
without disturbing the gearing.
A fly wheel k provided with a winch handle k* is or may be mounted loosely on the
driving end of the axle of the brush of the upper cylinder a, and to this wheel is
fixed a chain wheel k 1 or band pulley driving by an endless chain m or band a similar
wheel k 2 or pulley of smaller diameter on a counter shaft k 3. On this counter shaft k 3.
is also keyed a large chain wheel k 4 or band pulley which actuates two smaller chain
wheels k5k6 or band pulleys, one fast on the driving end of each of the upper and
lower axles 11 which carry the internal brushes n n 1 thus driving them rapidly.
The same endless chain m 1 or band also passes around and drives a large wheel k 7
or pulley on the end of a second countershaft k 8.
Each counter shaft k 3 k 8 has also keyed upon it a small spur pinion o o 1 respectively,.
driving a larger spur wheel p p 1 adjustably fixed on the driving end of one of the
conical wire or perforated cylinders so as to drive them at a much slower speed than
the brushes and in the reverse direction.
The countershafts are so mounted in slots in the brackets that the endless driving
chains m m 1 or bands may be tightened or slackened when required without inter-
fering with the proper gearing of the teeth of the spur wheels pp 1 and pinions o o 1,
and also that different sized pinions may be employed for varying the speed.
Or instead of the chain or band driving gearing above described, spur gearing
may be employed as seen on Fig. 3.
In this case the fly wheel r provided with the handle is mounted on a separate
centre 1, and is made or provided with a spur wheel r 2 gearing with the pinion ss 1
on the shafts 11 respectively, and also with a pinion r 3 on a countershaft r4 which
drives through a pinion r5 a spur wheel r6 on the cylinder a 1, and this wheel r 6-
actuates through a carrier pinion r7 a spur wheel r8 on the cylinder a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A machine for cleaning fruit by hand consisting of two conical gauze cylinders
(with internal brushes) arranged one above the other in reversed directions, a feed
hopper leading to the top cylinder, and a communication for the fruit passing from
the upper cylinder to the lower; dirt drawers below each cylinder, and a receptacle
for the fruit as it falls from the lower cylinder, and means for driving the brushes
by hand rapidly in one direction and the cylinders slowly in the reverse direction.
2. The combination with apparatus constructed as described in Claim 1 of means-
for washing the fruit and a heating apparatus for drying the fruit after being.
washed, substantially as hereinbefore described.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.