IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES AND IN APPARATUS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Shackler and John Newsam, of Upper
Clatford, near Andover, in the County of Hampshire, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES AND IN APPARATUS
"
Sealed the 26th November 1875, and dated the 31st May 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Shackler and
John Newsam at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 31st May 1875.
WC, HENRY SHACKLER and JOHN NEWSAM, of Upper Clatford, near
Andover, in the County of Hampshire, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES AND IN
APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:
-
Our Invention relates to apparatus or means to be applied to or
employed with thrashing machines for feeding, conducting the produce
to be thrashed to the drum of the machine, and also for preventing
persons from accidentally falling into the drum, and it consists,—
First. In placing in a suitable position above, or nearly above the
drum, one, two, or more rolls, which are arranged one above the other,

page_text: or in a position approximate to each other, and are provided with spikes
or suitable projections on the surface of one or more of them. These
rolls revolve opposite to one or more rows of projections, tincs, or spikes,
which conjointly with the rolls separate the produce on its passage to
the drum.
Secondly. In placing by preference opposite the aforesaid rolls, or in
any other suitable position in- connection with them, a knife or arrange-
ment of knives for cutting the bonds of the sheaves, which are brought
against it or them by the action of the rolls before mentioned. This
second part of our Invention enables the sheaves to be put on to the
feeder without the bonds being previously cut.
Thirdly. In placing before the above mentioned rolls a feed board,
which is adjusted in such a manner that the weight of a person coming
on to it will have the effect of closing or partially closing the mouth of
the drum. This third part of our Invention may be used independently
of the other parts of the Invention when only a guard is required for
the drum.
The first part of our Invention may be applied to a machine inde-
pendently of the other two parts, or the first and second, or the first and
third, or the first, second, and third parts may be employed in com-
bination as desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Shackler and Jolin Newsam in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 29th November 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
SHACKLER and JOHN NEWSAM, of Upper Clatford, near Andover, in the
County of Hampshire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
38th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Henry Shackler and John Newsam, Her
special license that we, the said Henry Shackler and John Newsam, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said

page_text: Henry Shackler and John Newsam, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES
AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Henry Shackler and John Newsam, our
exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of onc. of us, should par-
ticularly 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 we, the said Henry Shackler and John Newsam,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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 :-
Our said Invention relates to apparatus or means to be applied to or
employed with thrashing machines for the purpose of ensuring the
safety of the men in attendance, and reducing the amount of labor
required in feeding the machine, and consists,-.
First. In placing in a suitable position above, or nearly above the drum,
one or more rolls, by preference two, which are arranged one above the
other, or in a position approximate to each other, and are provided with
spikes or suitable projections on the surface of one or both of them.
These rolls revolve opposite to one or more rows of projections, tines, or
spikes, which facilitate the feeding of the machine, and conjointly with
the rolls separate the produce on its passage to the drum.
Secondly. In placing by preference opposite the aforesaid rolls, or in
any other suitable position, a knife or an arrangement of knives for
cutting the bonds of the sheaves, which are brought against it or them
by the action of the rolls before mentioned or other suitable means.
This second part of our Invention' enables the sheaves to be put on to
the machine or feeder without the bonds being previously cut.

page_text: Thirdly. In placing before the above mentioned rolls a feed board,
which is adjusted in such a manner that the weight of a person coming
on to it will have the effect of closing or partially closing the mouth of
the drum. It is obvious that the several parts of the Invention can be
employed either separately or in combination as desired.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed two Sheets of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in both the Figures.
Figure 1 (on Sheet 1) of our Drawings represents an end elevation of
our Invention, according to one mode of carrying out the same.
Figure 2, Sheet 2, is a plan of the same with the feed board and its
connections removed.
t
With reference to the first part of our Invention A, A', are the rolls
provided with spikes or projections a, a', and mounted in bearings in
the frame B. These rolls have a rotary motion imparted to, them in
the following manner:- is a short shaft carrying a pulley C for
receiving motion from any suitable prime mover or part of the machine,
and also a spur wheel D for transmitting the motion to the rolls A, A'.
The spur wheel D is in gear with a spur wheel E mounted on the pro-
jecting spindle c of the roll A', whereby motion is imparted to such roll,
which motion is transmitted to the other roll A by gearing F, F, at the
opposite end, as shewn. The rolls A, A', revolve opposite to one or
more series of tines or projections d, d, and the produce to be thrashed
having been passed over the feed board K to the top roll A is carried
down to the drum G under the action of the rolls, and at the same time
separated by being caused to pass between the spikes or projections a, a',
of the rolls and the fixed tines or projections d, d¹. The shaft bis
supported on one arm of a bell-crank lever H, having its fulcrum at e
in the frame B, to the opposite arm of which lever there is jointed a
connecting rod I. This rod is connected at his upper end to the feed
board K, by which means when the feed board K is depressed the
wheel D will be raised out of gear with the wheel E, and the motion of
the rolls will be stopped.
The second part of our Invention relates to means of cutting the
bonds of the sheaves, and is carried out in the following manner :-L is

page_text: a knife, to which a reciprocating motion is imparted from the upper
roll A through the intervention of bevel gearing M, the crank disc O,
and the connecting rod O', whilst the sheaves are being fed into the
machine. The sheaf is pressed under the action of the roller A. against
the knife L, whereby the bond is cut and the divided sheaf then passes
on to the drum G. A simple form of guide finger may be used for
guiding the knife.
a knife, to which a reciprocating motion is imparted from the upper
roll A through the intervention of bevel gearing M, the crank disc O,
and the connecting rod O', whilst the sheaves are being fed into the
machine. The sheaf is pressed under the action of the roller A against
the knife L, whereby the bond is cut and the divided sheaf then passes
on to the drum G. A simple form of guide finger may be used for
guiding the knife.
The third part of our Invention is illustrated in Figure 1 of our
Drawings.
K is the feed board carried on bell-crank levers P (one only of which
can be seen in the Figure), mounted on fulcra f and jointed by their
opposite arms to a hood or guard Q. This hood or guard is also con-
nected to the frame on which the fulcraf are carried by means of
links R, so as to cause it to close down as herein-after described. The
normal position of the feed board K with its hood or guard Q is that
indicated by the full lines in the Drawing. When however the weight
of the attendant supplying the machine or any other weight comes upon
the feed board K it is depressed, and the hood or guard Q is thereby
moved into the position denoted by the red lines, in which position the
two are retained by means of a spring 7 until liberated by the release of
the spring.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The application and use to and with thrashing machines of rolls
having spikes or projections in combination with stationary tines or pro-
jections arranged opposite thereto, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before described.
Second. The combination with a thrashing machine of a knife or
knives for automatically cutting the bonds of the sheaves as the sheaves
are introduced into the machine.
Thirdly. The employment of a feed board arranged and adjusted in
such a manner that the mouth of the drum shall be closed or partially