Improvements in the Method of and Means for Drying and Cleaning Lozenges and Sweets of a like nature after they have come from the Cutting Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1900-Accepted, 25th Aug., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Drying and Cleaning
Lozenges and Sweets of a like nature after they have come from
the Cutting Machines.
.
I, WILLIAM LAMBERT WHITE, of The White Standard Works, Cumberland
Street, Hull, in the County of Yorkshire, Sugar Merchant and Manufacturing
Confectioner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
My invention relates to the drying and cleaning of lozenges or sweets of a
like nature after they leave the cutting machine, and has for its object to
provide an improved method of and means for drying, and for removing the
coating of farina from the lozenges as a continuous automatic operation after
they leave the machine which stamps or cuts them out, thereby obviating the.
use of the shallow wooden trays at present employed, and dispensing with the
necessity for the employment of a large number of attendants for the purpose
of collecting and carrying the lozenges to the drying room and cleaning them
as is required by the existing process; also with my improvements the lozenges
are dried and cleaned and so made ready for the market in considerably less
time than is possible under the old conditions.
Hitherto, in the manufacture of lozenges and sweets of a like nature, as the
said lozenges have been delivered on to the receiver which caught them as they
came from the cutters, attendants have had to stand with trays and catch them
as they were dropped by the receiver; when cach attendants tray contained
a sufficient quantity of the lozenges, such attendant carried it away and stacked
it for a sufficient length of time for the lozenges to acquire the necessary skin
before they were carried to the drying room, it being customary to collect the
lozenges firstly in a thin layer on shallow wooden bottomed trays, then after
they had remained in these trays a sufficient length of time to acquire a certain
hardness or skin, they were transferred to canvas bottomed trays, the contents
of several of the wooden bottomed trays, being emptied into one canvas
bottomed tray and removed to and stored in the drying room..
After the lozenges were dried they had to be sifted to remove imperfect
pieces, and then cleaned, that is, they had to have removed from them the
coating of farina or the like which had been sprinkled on the paste to prevent
it sticking to the rollers through which it was passed to be rolled to the required
thickness before it passed to the cutters, this cleaning and sifting being done
by hand occupied considerable time and labour. With my invention the
shallow wooden bottomed trays are dispensed with and only one attendant is
required as the lozenges are dried and cleaned automatically.
For the purpose of my invention, I dispense with the trays for receiving
the lozenges as they come from the cutters and place at the delivery end of the
cutting machine, a band, worm or other suitable conveyor supported in any
desired manner and running any suitable distance away from such machine.

page_text: This conveyor is placed with its end underneath the receiver which catches
the lozenges when they have been cut or stamped out so that such receiver
delivers them on to the said conveyor which moves along carrying the lozenges
with it, fans or air blasts are provided over the conveyor to supply hot air for
drying the lozenges as they move along, and at the same time remove the
farina from them. A sifter may be arranged at the terminal of the conveyor
for the lozenges to drop into, such sifter retaining the complete lozenges and
allowing the broken pieces to fall into a collector.
At the front end of the conveyor or in any suitable position, I may employ
collector consisting of a hopper shaped opening connected with a chamber,
and a fan for drawing in and collecting the dust or farina removed by the
drying fan or fans, such dust after collection can be used again.
In cases where a long conveyor could not be used a series of conveyors
one below the other may be employed to allow of the lozenges being carried
backward and forward until sufficiently dry.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1899
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull, & Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Drying and Cleaning
Lozenges and Sweets of a like nature after they have come from
the Cutting Machines.
I, WILLIAM LAMBERT WHITE, of The White Standard Works, Cumberland
Street, Hull, in the County of Yorkshire, Sugar Merchant and Manufacturing
Confectioner, 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 drying and cleaning of lozenges or sweets of a
like nature after they leave the cutting machine, and has for its object to
provide an improved method of and means for drying and for removing the
coating of farina from the lozenges as a continuous automatic operation after
they leave the machine which stamps or cuts them out, thereby obviating the
use of the shallow wooden trays at present employed. and dispensing with the
necessity for the employment of a large number of attendants for the purpose
of collecting and carrying the lozenges to the drying room and cleaning them,
as is required by the existing process, also with my improvements the lozenges
are dried and cleaned, and so made ready for the market in considerably less
time than is possible under the old conditions.
Hitherto, in the manufacture of lozenges and sweets of a like nature, as the
said lozenges have been delivered on to the receiver which caught them as they
came from the cutters, attendants have had to stand with trays and catch them
as they were dropped by the receiver; when each attendants tray contained
a sufficient quantity of the lozenges such attendant carried it away and stacked
it for a sufficient length of time for the lozenges to acquire the necessary skin
before they were carried to the drying room, it being customary to collect the
lozenges firstly in a thin layer on shallow wooden bottomed trays, then after
they had remained in these trays a sufficient length of time to acquire a certain
hardness or skin they were transferred to canvas bottomed trays, the contents

page_text: of several of the wooden bottomed trays, being emptied into one canvas
bottomed tray and removed to and stored in the drying room.
After the lozenges were dried they had to be sifted to remove imperfect
pieces, and then cleaned, that is they had to have removed from them the
coating of farina or the like which had been sprinkled on the paste to prevent
it sticking to the rollers through which it was passed to be rolled to the required
thickness before it passed to the cutters, this cleaning and sifting being done
by hand occupied considerable time and labour.
With my invention the shallow wooden bottomed trays are dispensed with
and only one attendant is required, as the lozenges are dried and cleaned
automatically.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of one form of my improved apparatus for
drying lozenges and sweetmeats of a like nature.
Fig. 2 represents a side view of a modified form of apparatus, and
Fig. 3 represents an end view of Fig. 2 with end of casing removed.
For the purpose of my invention, I dispense with the trays for receiving.
the lozenges as they come from the cutters and place at the delivery end of the
cutting machine a band, worm or other suitable conveyor A supported in any
desired manner and preferably enclosed or partly enclosed within a wooden or
other casing B and running any suitable distance away from such machine.
This conveyer A is placed with one end underneath the receiver C which
catches the lozenges when they have been cut or stamped out so that such
receiver delivers them on to the said conveyor which moves along, carrying the
lozenges with it, or oscillates shaking the lozenges forward to the delivery end.
of the apparatus, fans or air blasts are provided over the conveyor to supply
hot air for drying the lozenges as they move along and at the same time to
remove the farina from them."
The fan or fans 1) may be fitted at either end of the apparatus and the hot
air may be produced by running a steam or other pipe E into the casing of the
apparatus, such steam pipe being run through the apparatus and. led in and
out at suitable points (see Fig. 1) or it may be fitted up within a hood F in
which the fan can be placed and when fitted within the hood it would be pre-
ferably coiled so as to give the greatest heating surface in a small compass (see
Fig. 2).
Steam or hot air is passed through the pipe E and as the fan passes the air
into the casing of the dryer such air becomes heated by means of the heat in
the pipe E.
When the conveyor is a band conveyor, it consists of an endless band or belt
turning on two or more rollers G G₁, the band or belt consisting preferably.
of some woven material of suitably coarse texture, and it may be provided at
its outer edges with links, and the driving roller G may be provided with a cog
or other suitably toothed wheel if desired, by the links engaging with the
teeth of the wheel motion would be imparted to the belt, but I find from exper-
ience that frictional contact of the belt with the driving roller is quite sufficient
to give the necessary movement to such belt.
Antifriction rollers H may be mounted on the supports J for the belt to rest
on and so prevent it from sagging or stretching in the middle. When the con-
veyor is an oscillating one, it is preferably mounted on spring suspenders K
depending from supports J and may be oscillated by means of a connecting
rod L articulated at one of its ends L' to the bottom or other suitable part of
the casing, and connected at its other end L2 to the cranked axle of the driving
wheel M or by means of a cam or eccentric or any of the well known means
for obtaining a reciprocating motion.
The web A of the conveyor is preferably a fixture within the casing, and may
be arranged in steps by running it some distance at one level then setting it

page_text: at a lower level, running it some distance at this level and then setting it at a
lower level still; any suitable number of such steps being formed, by this means
as the lozenges or the like move along by being shaken, when they come to
each step there is a tendency for them to turn over as they drop on to the lower
level, and thus fall over on to the opposite side to that on which they had been
travelling before they came to such step, by this means both sides of the
lozenges or the like become cleaned or polished and the hot air affect both
sides thus more effectually and quickly drying them.
A sifter may be arranged at the terminal of the conveyor for the lozenges
to drop into, such sifter retaining the complete lozenges and allowing the
broken pieces to fall into a collector.
At the front end of the conveyor or in any suitable position I may employ a
collector consisting of a hopper shaped opening connected with a chamber,
and a fan for drawing in and collecting the dust or farina removed by the
drying fan or fans, such dust after collection can be used again.
The webbing at the terminal end of the bench may for a suitable distance be
of a larger mesh than the other part to allow of broken pieces of the lozenges
falling through into any suitable receptacle, by this means a separate sifter
may be dispensed with.
In place of the casing being suspended by means of springs it may rest on
antifriction bowls, attached to the supports, or it may move in recesses formed
in the supports or on rests or slides of any suitable kind.
In cases where a long conveyor could not be used, a series of conveyors
one below the other may be employed to allow of the lozenges being carried
backward and forward until sufficiently dry and clean; also in place of a belt
conveyor being within a casing it may be uncovered if desired, and travel
within a room or chamber suitably heated, in which case the fan D and the
heat producing pipe E might be dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what,
I claim is:-
-
1. The employment of a belt or band conveyor driven by means of rollers
and fitted within a suitably heated room or chamber for drying, cleaning and
polishing lozenges or the like substantially in the manner as shown and described.
2. A machine or apparatus for drying, cleaning and polishing lozenges or
sweetmeats of a like nature characterized, by an endless belt or apron A running
over rollers G G¹ and placed within or partly within a casing B (preferably
mounted on legs J) to which a steam or other heat producing pipe E is intro-
duced, together with a fan 1 for delivering air to play on the sweetmeats, and
with or without a fan or other extractor for withdrawing the farina removed
from the sweetmeats, and with or without sifter; the apparatus being driven
by means of a strap and wheel M or other suitable driving mechanism; sub-
stantially in the manner as shown and described.
3. A machine or apparatus for drying, cleaning and polishing lozenges or
sweetmeats of a like nature, characterized by a conveyor consisting of webbing
or other suitable preferably meshed or perforated material or substance fitted
in an oscillating casing B preferably mounted in or on supports J, steam or
other heat producing pipe E together with fan D for delivering air to play on
the sweetmeats connecting rod L attached to the casing B and to the axle of
the driving wheel M and with or without fan or other extractor for withdrawing
the farina removed from the sweetmeats, motion being imparted by means of
a driving wheel or other suitable mechanism; substantially in the manner as
shown and described.
4. The combination of parts to form a machine or apparatus for drying,
cleaning and polishing lozenges or the like substantially as shown and described
with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 5. The combination of parts to constitute a machine or apparatus for drying
cleaning and polishing lozenges or the like substantially as shown and described
with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of July 1900.
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull; & Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicant.
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull; & Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicant.