IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CONVEYING, SCREENING, AND LOADING CORE AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robert Breckon, of Darlington, in the County
of Durham, Accountant and Colliery Manager, and Robert Dixon, of
Crook, in the same County, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of
'IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CONVEYING, SCREENING, AND LOADING
CORE AND OTHER MATERIALS."
"
Sealed the 30th August 1867, and dated the 6th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robert Breckon
and Robert Dixon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 6th March 1867.
We, JOHN ROBERT BRECKON, of Darlington, in the County of Durham,
Accountant and Colliery. Manager, and ROBERT DIXON, of Crook, in the
saine County, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CONVEYING, SCREENING, AND
LOADING COKE AND OTHER MATERIALS," to be as follows (that is to say):-
The general arrangement of these improvements, as applied more particularly
to the carrying. screening, and loading of coke, consists in having a large
"hopper" or other receptacle, which may be placed in any convenient position,
having a suitable number of doors in the bottom, sides, or ends, and which
may be opened by means of a screw, lever, or any other suitable appliance, so
as to discharge the coke into wagons placed underneath. The "hopper" may
be made of any convenient size, shape, and material, but we prefer to construct
[Price 8d.1

page_text: it of bar iron, and with sides sloping towards the bottom. On the top of this
hopper we fix two or more sloping spouts or coke distributors, which turn
upon pivots and wheels, and by means of ropes, rods, or chains the ends of
the sloping spouts can be moved either vertically or laterally, as may be
convenient for discharging the coke into the hopper. At about the middle or
any other convenient position in the hopper we place a screen or screens, which
may be made of wood, perforated iron plates, bars of iron, or any other
convenient arrangement, so that the ballast, small coke, and refuse may be
separated from the coke, but we prefer that it should be made of bars of iron,
fixed longitudinally in the line of the distributor; the bars or openings may
be so arranged that they can be made wider or narrower to suit the particular
description of material that is to be passed. over the screen.
For the purpose of conveying the coke from the ovens to the sloping spouts,
and thence to the hopper or direct into the wagons, as the case may be, we
use an endless chain or belt made of iron or other suitable material, which is
driven by steam, water, or other convenient power, and travels, in front of the
ovens along suitable guides, rollers, pulleys, or sheaves, as herein-after more
particularly described. The endless chain or belt consists of a series of boxes
made of sheet iron or other suitable material, each of which is made wider at
one end than the other, so that the ends of the boxes may move inside and
outside of each other. The sides of each box are made longer at the top than
at the bottom whereby the boxes work closely into each other, and in such a
manner that the coke or other material that is being conveyed cannot fall
through the bottom of the endless chain or belt when it is passing around a
drum or other similar surface. We fasten to the bottom of each box at the
wide end a cross bar, and at the narrow end of the next box we fasten a horse-
shoe-shaped loop, and by means of links we fasten the boxes to each other.
We cut out of the bottom of each box a space sufficient for the links to work
in, and we fix in each box an iron plate at an angle of 45° or thereabouts,
whereby the coke or other material is prevented from sliding backwards or
forwards when the endless chain or belt travels out of a horizontal line. We
make the ends of the cross bars round, and fix wheels or rollers on to them,
which travel along three lines of suitable rails or guides.
The belt may be driven by any suitable power, but we prefer a steam engine,
and we connect the engine by means of a spur wheel and pinion with a driving
sheave or drum, round which the endless chain or belt is made to travel.
The outer ends of the arms of the driving sheave or drum are made concave,
and of suitable dimensions for the wheels or rollers that convey the belt to
drop into, and thereby the motion of the sheave or drum is transmitted to

page_text: the belt. The axle of the driving sheave or drum is supported on a rocking
lever, the centre of which corresponds with the centre of the shaft of the steam
engine. The top end of the rocking lever is connected with one or more rods,
which are attached to a volute or other spring, or the said rod or rods may
be connected with a weight or other convenient object, whereby the endless
chain or belt is kept in proper position when in motion.
Although our Invention is principally designed for conveying, screening,
and loading coke, we do not limit its use to that purpose, as it is applicable
for many other purposes in like manner, the object and effect being to
economise time and manual labour.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 'filed
by the said John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 31st August 1867.
we, JOHN
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,
ROBERT BRECKON, of Darlington, in the County of Durhain. Accountant and
Colliery Manager, and ROBERT DIXON, of Crook, in the same County,
Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon, Her special license
that we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Robert
Breckon and Robert Dixon, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, 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 MACHINERY FOR CONVEYING, SCREENING, AND
LOADING COKE, AND OTHER MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one
of our or their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent

page_text: Omice 'with six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert
Dixon, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
The nature of our Invention consists, first, in the improved machinery for
conveying, screening, and loading coke, and other materials.
Secondly, in an improved mode of constructing endless chains of buckets
for conveying coke and other materials from the ovens to the wagons or other
receptacles in which they are to be loaded.
Thirdly, in the mode of keeping endless chains of buckets to the required
tension.
Fourthly, in an improved distributor or apparatus to deliver the coke and
other materials into the hopper or into wagons or other receptacles.
And, lastly, in an improved mode of constructing hoppers for coke and
other materials.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 an end elevation
of a series of coke ovens arranged in two parallel lines at a certain distance
apart, to which our improved machinery for conveying, screening, and loading
coke is applied.
a, a, are the coke ovens, which are of the ordinary or any other description,
and b, b, are two endless chains or belts, consisting of a series of buckets or
boxes, into which the coke or other materials when drawn out of the ovens is
loaded; this endless chain of buckets will be more fully described hereafter
in reference to Figures 4, 5, and 6. The endless chains of buckets travel
longitudinally in front of the ovens in suitable guides furnished with ante-
friction rollers, pulleys, or sheaves, and over the driving drums c, c, placed at
the extreme end of the series of coke ovens and over the drums d, d, placed
above the sloping spouts or distributors e, e, which are supported by pivots
and wheels e¹ bearing upon platforms f' projecting from the framing of the
hopper g. The angle or position of the distributors can be varied, so as to
distribute the coke in the hopper g by means of the rods, ropes, or chains e²
passing over pulleys supported by the framing /. The distributors are made
with screens e³, so that the ballast, small coke, and refuse may be separated
from the coke before it falls into the hopper g, which may be made of any

page_text: convenient size, shape, and material; but we prefer to construct the sloping
sides thereof of bars of iron placed at suitable distances apart; the bottom of
the hopper is made with six or other convenient number of doors g', which
are opened and closed by screws, levers, and other appliances, and discharge
the coke into railway or other wagons placed underneath. The endless chain
or belt consists of a series of boxes or buckets made of sheet iron or other
suitable material, as shewn in Figures 4. 5, and 6, each of which is made
wider at one end than the other, so that the ends of the boxes or buckets may
move inside and outside of each other. The sides of each box or bucket are
made longer at the top than at the bottom, whereby the boxes or buckets
work closely into each other, and in such a manner that the coke or other
material that is being conveyed cannot fall through the bottom or sides of the
endless chain or belt when it is passing around the drums c and d or the
intermediate guides. We fasten to the bottom of each box or bucket at the
wide end a cross bar b', and at the narrow end of the next box or bucket we
fasten a horse-shoe-shaped loop be, and by means of the links b³ we couple the
boxes or buckets to each other. We cut out of the bottom of each box or
bucket a space sufficient for the coupling links to work in, and we fix in each
box or bucket one or more transverse division plates b at an angle of about
45° with the bottom, whereby the coke or other material is prevented from
sliding backwards when the 'endless chain or belt travels out of a horizontal
line. We make the ends of the cross bars b¹ round, and fix wheels or rollers
on to them, which are guided and travel along lines of suitable rails or guides,
as shewn in the Drawing. The endless chain of buckets may be driven by
any suitable power, but we prefer a steam engine, as shewn at i in the
Drawing, and we connect the engine by means of a horizontal shaft, on which
are the pinions c gearing into the wheels c', with the driving sheaves or
The
drums c, round which the endless chains or belts are made to travel.
outer ends of the arms of the driving sheave or drum are made concave for
the wheels or rollers that convey the belt to fit into, and thereby the motion
of the sheave or drum is transmitted to the endless chain of buckets. The
axle of cach driving sheave or drum is supported on the rocking lever h, the
centre of which corresponds with the centre of the shaft of the steam engine;
the top of the rocking lever is connected to a screw h¹ passing through the
nut h, by turning which round the endless chain of buckets is kept tight, or
the levers may be connected with one or more rods which are attached to a
volute or other spring, or the said rod or rods may be connected with a
weight or other mechanical arrangement, whereby the endless chain or bolt is
kept in proper position and tension when in motion.

page_text: Although our Invention is more particularly designed for conveying,
screening, and loading coke, we do not limit its use to that purpose, as it is
applicable for the conveyance of many other kinds of materials, the object and
effect being to economise time and manual labor.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention and described the manner
of performing the same, we declare that we claim,-
First, the improved machinery for conveying, screening, and loading coke
and other materials, as shewn and described.
Secondly, the peculiar construction of the endless chain of buckets for con-
veying coke and other materials from the ovens, to the wagons or other
receptacles in which they are loaded, as shewn and described.
Thirdly, the improved machinery, shewn and described, for keeping the
endless chain of buckets in a state of tension.
Fourthly, the distributors marked e and the machinery for moving them to
the required angle and position, as shewn and described.
And, lastly, the improved hopper, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert
Dixon, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Twenty-second
day of August, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.