IMPROVEMENTS IN DECORTICATING AND CLEANING CEREALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Walker Gibson, of Edinburgh, in the County
of Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DECORTICATING AND CLEANING CEREALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Willian Walker Gibson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on'
the 20th September 1867..
I, WILLIAM WALKER GIBSON,, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN DECORTICATING AND CLEANING CEREALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which essentially relates to certain novel apparatus to be used
for decorticating cereals, by which improved results are obtained, consists of a
revolving drum, which may be made either of wood, metal, or other suitable
material. On the surface of this drum blades or strips of glass, porcelain, common
clay, or other potteryware are fixed. The drum is situated within a chamber or
receptacle in which the grain to be decorticated is placed, the sides of the
chamber being composed wholly or partly of coarse wire gauze. The grain to
be cleaned is fed into the apparatus from a hopper at the top, and as it passes
between the surface of the revolving drum and wire gauze casing the tri-
turating or rubbing action to which it is thus submitted causes it to be
decorticated and cleaned, and the husk and cleanings are blown out through
the meshes of the wire gauze covering. In place of forming the casing,

page_text: entirely of wire gauze it may be partly formed of chambers containing glass,
porcelain, or potteryware strips; the strips being fixed in a manner similar
to that by which they are held in the drum. The decorticated and cleaned
L
L
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Walter Gibson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WALKER GIBSON, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Walker Gibson, Her special license that I, the said William
Walker Gibson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Walker Gibson, 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, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN DECORTICATING AND CLEANING CEREALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THERFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Walker Gibson, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Walker Gibson, 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
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention, which essentially relates to certain novel apparatus to
be used for decorticating cereals, by which improved results are obtained,
consists of a revolving drum, which may be made either of wood, metal, or

page_text: other suitable material. On the surface of this drum blades or strips of glass,
porcelain, common clay, or other potteryware are fixed.. The drum is situated
within a chamber or receptacle in which the grain to be decorticated is placed,
the sides of the chamber being composed wholly or partly of wire gauze. The
grain to be cleaned and decorticated is fed into the apparatus from a hopper
at the top, and as it passes between the surface of the revolving drum and
wire gauze casing the triturating or rubbing action to which it is thus submitted
causes it to be decorticated and cleaned, and the husk and cleanings are blown
out through the meshes of the wire gauze covering. In place of forming the
casing entirely of wire gauze it may be partly formed of chambers containing
glass, porcelain, clay, or pottery ware strips, the strips being fixed in a manner
similar to that by which they are held in the drum. The decorticated and cleaned
grain passes out through a spout at the bottom of the case.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I now
proceed more particularly to describe the system, mode, or manner in or under
which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, reference
being had for the sake of more complete elucidation to the several Figures
upon the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended,
that is to say.:-
Figure 1 is an elevation, Figure 2 a plan, shown partly in section, Figure 3
is a vertical section, and Figure 4 a horizontal section.
The machine consists of a drum formed of four cast-iron sheaves marked A
(Figures 3 and 4) keyed upon a vertical shaft B. A flanch is formed round
the edges of their peripheries, and the space between these flanches is filled
alternately with strips of glass and cement marked C (Figures 3 and 4); to
facilitate the filling in of the glass a narrow slot is made in several places of
one of the flanches of the sheave which is closed with a slip of malleable iron
(Figures 1 and 4) and fastened with a nut on the inner side of the periphery.
The end of the drum is covered with a plate of sheet iron E, Figure 3. The
drum is enclosed in a casing formed of a ribbed framing F (Figures 1 and 3)
cast in quadrants and bolted together by bolts passing through the flanches G,
Figures 1 and 4. The framing of the two quadrants is constructed so as to
receive the frames marked H (Figures 1, 3, and 4), which are bolted through
the rings of the framing. The frames are filled with glass and cement in the
same manner as the periphery of the drum, care being taken that the slips of
glass project a little beyond the cement. On the inside of the other two
quadrants of the framing iron wire gauze frames are fastened, as shown, and
marked J in Figures 1, 3, and 4. Between each of the frames in the casing
horizontal malleable iron rings are placed marked K, Figures 2 and 3. The

page_text: casing is closed at the top and bottom by circular cast-iron ends; on the top
a hopper L is situated,.
The action of the machine is as follows:-The cereals to be decorticated
are introduced into the hopper L (Figures 1, 2, and 3) and fall upon the
revolving plate E, Figure 3, which covers the top of the drum. The grain
being thrown outwards by centrifugal force falls over the edge of the plate,
and the husk is rubbed off as it descends between the glass surfaces of the
revolving drum and the casing. As the grain passes down it is guided from
sheave to sheave by the malleable iron rings K, Figures 2 and 3; the husks
are blown out through the meshes or openings.. of the. wire gauze, and the
decorticated grain passes through a spout at the bottom end of the casing,
Figures 1 and 3.
Having now described the nature of my.said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is, or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by.the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
to be used for decorticating cereals, as herein-before described, or any mere
modification thereof..
Second. The use of edges and strips of glass, porcelain, or earthenware for
the purpose of decorticating cereals, substantially as herein-before described.
Third. The combination of wire gauze with the strips of glass, porcelain, or
earthenware, so as to allow and facilitate the separation of the loose husks
from the grain after decortication.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walker Gibson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
ST. JOHN VINCENT DAY, C. E.,
Patent Office,
166, Buchanan Street,
Glasgow.
W. W. GIBSON. (L.S.).