CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN A MACHINE FOR THRASHING CORN AND PULSE
Year: 1805

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN BALL,
of the City of Norwich, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said John Ball, did, by my Petition, humbly represent
unto His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that
I, after much study and expence, had invented "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
A MACHINE FOR THRASHING CORN AND PULSE," which improvements, as I con-
ceived, would be of public utility; that I was the first and true Inventor
thereof, as I believe, and that the same had not been practis'd by any other
person or persons to my knowledge; I therefore most humbly prayed that
His said Majesty would be graciously pleased to grant unto me, my exe-
cutors, admistrators, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent under the Great
Seal of His United Kingdom, for the sole use, benefit, and advantage
of my said Invention, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, pursuant to the Statute in such case
made and provided; and His said Majesty, being willing to give encouragement
to all arts and inventions which might be for the public good, was graciously
pleased to condescend to my request; and therefore, by His Royal Letters
Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifth day of February, in the
forty-fifth year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain knowledge, and
mere motion, did, for Himself and His successors, give and grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, my executors, administrators, and assigns;
and every of us, by myself and themselves, or by my or their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said John Ball, my exe.
cutors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others.

page_text: from time to time and at all times thercafter during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my said In-
vention, within that part of His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said John Ball, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or any of them, should in my or their discretions
seem meet, and that I, the said John Ball, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy tlie whole profit, benefit,
commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing, accrueing, and
arising by reason of the said Invention, for and during the term of years
therein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence,
powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned
to be granted unto me, the said John Ball, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and. term of fourteen
years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and immediately
ensuing, and fully to be complete and ended, according to the Statute in
such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that if I, the said John Ball, should not particularly
describe as ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly
cease, deterinine, and become void, anything therein before contained to the
contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as by the said Letters Patent,
relation being thereunto had, may fully and at large appear.
⚫NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Ball, in compliance with the said
proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, that is to say :-
There is a platform for the reception of the unthrashed corn and pulse
immediately over the top of the drum, by means of which position of it the
person who feeds the machine can draw the corn and pulse regularly and
constantly towards him, for the purpose of its being gathered by or taken into
the rollers, instead of the usual method whereby the feeder is obliged to turn
to the right or left for every sheaf of wheat or parcel of other corn or pulso
he wants to put into the rollers of the machine. The rollers are fixed in the
manner described in the above Drawing, by which means if any hard substance,
or an unusually large quantity of corn or pulse, be suffered to enter the rollers,
the upper roller rises from the beaters, and the under roller gives way from

page_text: the upper one so as to admit such hard substanco or large quantity of corn or
pulse to pass freely through the machine without injuring it, and without
materially impeding its velocity. The under roller is drawn towards the upper
one by two springs fixed as in the above Drawing, and the upper roller is
drawn towards the beaters by two other springs, as delineated in the Drawing.
The rollers are to be driven by pulleys fixed on each end of the drum spindle,
and at one end of each of the said rollers, with small strings passing over
them, and crossed on the end of the upper roller, but not so on the end of the
under one. By fixing variously sized pulleys on the ends of the drum spindle,
the proportional velocity of the rollers to that of the beaters may be regulated
at pleasure, according to the kind of corn or pulse to be thrashod. The
machine has only two beaters, which, when in motion, describe a circle of
about three feet in diameter, which beaters are severally about eight inches
wide and as long as the straw or haulm of the corn or pulse to be thrashed, as
the machine is intended to thrash the corn or pulse when put into the rollers
sideways or parallel with them, as well as in any other direction. The
advantage of using but two beaters is, that a much greater portion of the
straw or haulm goes far enough towards the centre of the drum to receive a
proper blow or stroke from each of the beaters, while a much smaller portion
of it is drawn from the rollers by the edge of the beaters, there being fewer
strokes made by them during the time a given quantity of the straw or haulm
is entering the machine, and consequently a much greater quantity of the
straw or haulm can pass through the machine with less resistance to the power.
A grating is to be fixed in the manner described by the above Drawing which
will separate the corn or pulse from the straw or haulm, and conduct the straw
or haulm out from under the the feet of the feeder. The frame of the machine
may be either moveable or permanently fixed, and the connection with the
multiplying wheels is by a leading bar and an universal joint, or any other
convenient apparatus. The said wheels should be so multiplied as to drive the
circumference of the drum or extremity of the beaters about four thousand
feet per minute for thrashing tough wheat, but less velocity. will suffice for
other wheat and corn, and for pulse.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ball, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Fourth day of March, in the forty-fifth year of the reign
of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the
Faith, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
five

page_text: ALEFERENCES TO THE ADOVE DRAWING,
Figure 1st, Section of Front View of the Machine.-a, a, the rollers and
pulleys fixed to the arbers. b, b, the beaters, shewing the front, which is
plated with sheet iron. c, c, c, pulleys and part of the universal joint fixed on
the arber of the beaters, where the horsework is connected. d, d, bench,
whereon the man stands to feed the machine.
Figure 2, Section of Side View.-a, a, showing the ends of rollers fixed on
their brackets, also their position from the centre of the arber whereon
the beaters are fixed. e, the lifting bracket to the smooth or upper roller. f,
the falling bracket to the iron'd roller. g, a set to be turned round under the
shoulder of the lifting bracket when there be occasion to thrash pease or
beans. h, h, springs with cords fixed to the brackets for the rollers to give off
and on according to the thickness or thinness wherewith the machine is fed.
i, side of grateing through which the corn or pulse passes.
Figure 3, section of inside end of beaters, showing the angle whereon they
are fixed.
Figure 4, perspective view of grateing, which is wired across the ribs, on
which are slips of iron screwed to the ribs to keep the wire in its place.
Fig. 5, bracket of the ironed roller, with the cords to fasten to the upper
springs, which are to be tightened or slackened according to the toughness or
freeness of the corn or pulse to be thrash'd.
Fig. 6, bracket of the upper gathering or smooth roller, showing the inside
as it is halfend where it moves by the side of the other bracket.
Fig. 7, smooth or upper gathering roller and its arber.
Fig. 8, under gathering roller, with iron rods screwed on.
Fig. 9, pea and bean set with a pin or screw, whereon it turns when fixed
to the frame.
Fig. 10, perspective view, showing the top or platform where the unthrashed
corn or pulse is laid for the man who stands on the bench to gather and spread
it on the inclined bottom towards the rollers, also showing the spring crossed
between the pulleys to reverse the smooth roller when turned by the pulley
fixed on the arber of the beaters. The top or platform is lined underneath
with sheet-iron to prevent the wood from being worn by the force of the straw.
Note. The pulley No. 1, in Figure 1, whereon the strings are to be placed,
is for peas, beans, and tares. No. 2, for barley and oats. No. 3, for wheat,
rye, and grass seed.
Sinned and cooled be the said Tala Dall

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Fourth day of March,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Ball came before our Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also the
Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute in
that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Fifth day of March, in the year above written.