Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Cracking Nuts.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 5th Nov., 1889-Accented, 7th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Cracking
Nuts.
WILLIAM LITTLEJOHN 11 Clarendon Street Spring Bank Hull Iron Moulder do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My Invention has for its object the cracking the shells of nuts, without crushing
the fruit or beans. The press is round with screw shaft fixed in the bottom of press
tray, this part of the press is stationary. The worm bush and plate revolves and
carrys all the other parts of the press namely, top pressing plate vase
holder Bells, etc.
or nut
The top pressing plate hangs loose from the shaft. The object in this arrangement.
is this, when the press comes down the loose plate remains without turning round
on the nuts.
There are four partitions in nutholder to correspond with four holes in worm plate
the holes are covered with sliding doors. The top pressing plate is also provided
with one hole and sliding door, when nuts are required one of the doors in worm
plate is drawn also the door in loose plate. The nuts falls through into the press
tray, the press revolves and feeds the tray. When other kind of nuts are wanted
the loose plate is put round to the next door, etc. The musical part of my Invention
consists of a Peal of Bells fixed with springs inside of nutholder, on the screw
shaft there are four pinions fixed at crtain distances, the Bell springs overlap the
pinions. When the press ascends the Bells peal until the fourth pinion is reached
when the press descends the same effect is produced. The Bells can be easily changed
and a new chime or tune arranged by changing the pinions or altering the cogs. I
have inserted a Cork Pad or liner into the press tray. The nuts ly on the top of
the cork. This part of my Inventor gives tho press a double power, the Cork Pad or
liner takes in the irregular size of the nuts and insures the success of the press in.
accomplishing the work of cracking the shells of the nuts without crushing the fruit
or beans. I have provided the press tray with loose rings so as to enable the press to
crack all kind of nuts.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Cracking
Nuts.
WILLIAM LITTLEJOHN of 11 Clarendon Street Spring Bank, Hull, 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 has for its object improvements in and connected with means or
apparatus for cracking the shells of nuts without crushing the kernel or fruit, by
which apparatus it is possible to crack at one time or operation a considerable number
of nuts.
And in order that my invention may be thoroughly understood I have appended
the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the entire press, or apparatus for cracking the nuts,
taken along such a line as CD, Fig. 2.
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Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the press, taken along such a line as A - B, Fig. 1.
[Price 81

page_text: Is it vertical section or part of the lower portion of the press, taken along
the line E F, Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of one of the sliding doors, hereinafter referred to, showing
the shape 1 prefer to give to them.
In these figures similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
The press is preferably round and is provided with a screw shaft A fixed in the
bottom of the press tray B. This part of the press is stationary, and it is fixed or
clamped to the table C, or other support on which the press is placed, by means of a
nut and screw or other means.
I provide a screwed or worm bush D having cut in it a screw-thread to correspond
to and engage with that on the screw shaft A. The worm bush D is so formed or
adapted as to be capable of carrying the rest of the press, which is capable of
turning on or around the screw shaft A.
Upon the lower end of the screw shaft A a plate E, which is the top pressing
plate, is loosely mounted in such a manner that it is stationary, without turning
round on the nuts, when the press comes down on the nuts; This arrangement also
enables the variety of nuts to be readily changed, as hereinafter explained. The means
by which I prefer to effect this is as follows:-
To the edge of the plate E are screwed the pillars or projections F that carry
shafts G on which shafts are mounted the anti-friction- rollers H. The anti-friction
rollers H rest on an annular or circular projection or enlargement D¹ formed on the
worm bush D, which circular projection is hereinafter called the worm plate.
To the worm plate D' I fix the vase or nut-holder I. The nut-holder I is
divided into any number of compartments by partitions such as 1¹, I³, 1³, Iª,
which compartments are filled, if desired, with different kinds of nuts. I have
shown only four compartments, as I find that this number is very convenient.
Each of the aforesaid compartments is provided with an outlet formed in the worm
plate, which outlet permits of the passage of the nuts from the compartments of the
nut-holder.
These outlets are closed by sliding doors J.
The top pressing plate is provided with a hole or outlet, which is closed a
sliding door K.
The press-tray B is divided into four compartments, to accord with the four
compartments in the vase or nut holder, by partitions or ribs B, B, two of which
only are seen in elevation in Fig. 1.
When it is desired to introduce into the press tray nuts of one kind the sliding
door in the worm plate underneath the compartiment containing such variety and also
the sliding door in the top pressing plate are drawn, and as the press revolves the
press-tray is fed with the desired kind of nut until a sufficient number has dropped
into it. The sliding door in the top pressing plate is then closed and the press revolves
in the opposite direction to crack the nuts.
When a different kind of nut is wanted the hole or outlet in the top pressing
plate is put round opposite to the sliding door closing the outlet of the compartment
which contains the different kind of nut, the latter sliding door is drawn, and the
press tray fed as aforesaid.
In order to enable the nuts to be placed in the nut-holder I, the upper part of
it I³ is constructed so as to lift off or otherwise be readily removeable. The cracked
nuts are taken from the press-tray by the hands of the operator, who revolves the
upper or moveable part of the press so as to raise it to a sufficient height.
Rotation is given to the upper or moveable part of the press by turning it round
or on the said screw shaft by means of the two handles L, L.
I insert a cork pad or liner M in each of the compartments of the press tray,
upon the top of which pads the nuts lie. The insertion of this pad is an important
feature of my Invention, as it gives the press a double power, for the cork pad or
liner takes in the irregular sizes of the nuts owing to its yielding nature, and ensures
the success of the press in accomplishing the work of cracking the shells of the nuts
without crushing the kernel or fruit.

page_text: The cork pads are made of such depths or guages, varying with the size of the
nuts to be cracked, that in effecting the cracking of the nuts all that the operator
bas to do is to revolve the press till the lower surface of the top pressing-plate comes
in contact with the upper edge or surface of the press-tray, when the nuts will be
found to be cracked.
I provide the press-tray with loose rings so as to enable the press to crack all kinds
of nuts.
The musical part of my Invention consists of a peal of bells N fixed with springs O
inside of the nut-holder I so as to rise therewith when the upper or moveable part
of the press is revolved and raised. On the screw shaft A four or any other number
of toothed wheels or pinions P are fixed at certain distances. The bell springs O
overlap the toothed wheels and engage successively with the teeth of the different
pinions, and consequently the bells peal until the fourth or upper wheel is reached,
and when the press descends the same effect is produced. The bells can be easily
changed and a new chime or tune arranged by changing the pinions or altering
the teeth or cogs of the same, but the diameter of the wheels must be such as to
enable the pinions to freely pass into and out of the central portion of the nut
holder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
First: The apparatus or press for cracking nuts without crushing the kernel or
fruit consisting of the press-tray B divided into compartments, the screw-shaft A,
the vase or nut-holder I divided into compartments, the top pressing plate E loosely
mounted on the said screw_shaft, and the outlets for controlling the supply of nuts
closed by the sliding doors J, K, substantially as and for the purpose described herein
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Second-The use in combination with a press of the kind described by the
preceding claim of the musical arrangement substantially as described herein and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1980
JAMES STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers, 20, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.