IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING STEAM THRASHING MACHINES, WHICH APPARATUS ACTS ALSO AS A SAFEGUARD FOR THE ATTENDANTS AGAINST THE DANGER OF FALLING ON TO THE THRASHING DRUM
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Head, of Ipswich, in the County of
Suffolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
FEEDING STEAM THRASHING MACHINES, WHICH APPARATUS ACTS ALSO AS A
SAFEGUARD FOR THE ATTENDANTS AGAINST THE DANGER OF FALLING ON TO THE
THRASHING DRUM."
Sealed the 28th July 1874, and dated the 10th June 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Head at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th June 1874.
I, JOHN HEAD, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR FEEDING STEAM THRASHING MACHINES, WHICH APPARATUS ACTS ALSO AS A
SAFEGUARD FOR THE ATTENDANTS AGAINST THE DANGER OF FALLING ON TO THE
TERASHING DRUM," to be as follows:―
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for

page_text: for the attendants against the danger of falling on to the thrashing
drum.
I fix near the ordinary feed mouth of the thrashing machine two
upright standards, in the lower part of which are bearings for the
spindle of a roller. This roller, which may be made of iron, wood, or
any other suitable material, or covered if necessary with india-rubber,.
leather, or the like, is to be fluted or otherwise, according to the nature
of the material to be fed into the thrashing machine, and is caused to
revolve at the desired speed by a strap from any of the moving parts of
the machine, such as the fan spindle, jog crank, or drum spindle. Guides
are formed in the standards above mentioned just above the bearings
for the roller, and in these guides the ends of a cross spindle are carried
so that the spindle is free to move up and down at either end. Upon
this spindle are strung a number of narrow rollers having the centre hole
considerably larger than the diameter of the spindle, and are placed so as
to touch each other, but also so that each roller is free to lift indepen-
dently of the rest as far as the spindle will allow, or in case too large a
quantity of straw be fed into the machine the rollers will all lift together
with the spindle, the latter sliding in the guides in the standards. Set
screws are employed to adjust the range of the sliding motion of the
spindle in the guides, and thus limit the quantity of the feed, and a pair
of levers are attached to the end of the spindle communicating with a
cross bar fixed in front of the feeder, by which means he can elevate or
depress the top rollers..
It will be seen that these rollers press upon the lower roller by their a
own weight with sufficient force in the aggregate to feed in the material
to be thrashed; but should a hand or foot get between the rollers it
would at most have the weight of one or two sections of the upper
rollers upon it, and could be withdrawn without suffering serious
injury.
The passage of the material being fed in between the rollers is also
nearly horizontal, and the liability of the attendants getting injured is..

page_text: The apparatus is so constructed that it may be readily disconnected
and the ordinary method of feeding the thrashing machine employed if
desired..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Head in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HEAD, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Head, Her special license that
I, the said John Head, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
sucli others as I, the said John Head, my executors, administrators,
and 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 APPARATUS FOR
FEEDING STEAM THRASHING MACHINES, WHICH APPARATUS ACTS ALSO AS A SAFE-.
GUARD FOR THE ATTENDANTS AGAINST THE DANGER OF FALLING ON TO THE THRASHING
DRUM," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Head,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and
ascertain tlic 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 YẺ, that I, the said John Head, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be.
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
feeding thrashing machines, which apparatus acts also as a safeguard..

page_text: for the attendants against the danger of falling on to the thrashing
drum.
I fix near the ordinary feed mouth of the thrashing machine two
upright standards, in the lower part of which are bearings for the
spindle of a roller. This roller, which may be made of iron, wood, or
any other suitable material, or covered if necessary with india-rubber,
leather, or the like, is to be fluted or otherwise according to the nature
of the material to be fed into the thrashing machine, and is caused to
revolve at the desired speed by a strap from any of the moving parts of
the machine, such as the fan spindle, jog, crank, or drum spindle.
Guides are formed in the standards above mentioned just above the
bearings for the roller, and in these guides the ends of a cross spindle
are carried, so that the spindle is free to move up and down at either
end. Upon this spindle are strung a number of narrow rollers having
the centre hole considerably larger than the diameter of the spindle,
and are placed so as to touch each other, but also so that each roller is
free to lift independently of the rest as far as the spindle will allow; or
in case too large a quantity of straw be fed into the machine the rollers
will all lift together with the spindle, the latter sliding in the guides in
the standards. Set screws are employed to adjust the range of the
sliding motion of the spindle in the guides, and thus limit the quantity
of the feed, and a pair of levers are attached to the end of the spindle
communicating with a cross bar fixed in front of the feeder, by which
means he can elevate or depress the top rollers.
It will be seen that these rollers press upon the lower roller by their
own weight with sufficient force in the aggregate to feed in the material
to be thrashed, but should a hand or foot get between the rollers it
would at most have the weight of one or two sections of the upper
rollers upon it, and could be withdrawn without suffering serious
injury.
The passage of the material being fed in between the rollers is also
nearly horizontal, and the liability of the attendants getting injured is

page_text: The apparatus is so constructed that it may be readily disconnected
and the ordinary method of feeding the thrashing machine employed if
desired.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings here.
unto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 an end elevation, both
partly in section of a thrashing machine provided with feeding apparatus
arranged according to my Invention. Figure 3 is a longitudinal section,
and Figure 4 an end elevation partly in section of the feeding apparatus
to a larger scale. a, a, is the lower roller of the feeding apparatus; I
prefer to make it of wood and to groove it longitudinally as the Drawings
show. This roller is driven by a belt passing around a pulley upon its
axis. Its surface speed may conveniently be about one-ninth of that of
the thrashing drum; b, b, are slotted standards; they carry bearings in
which the axis c is able to turn freely, the bearings also are able to slide
up and down in the slots of the standards; d, d, are narrow rollers, or as
I call them rings, they are made by preference of wood, and are strung
upon the axis c, the hole in the centre of each ring is considerably
larger in diameter than the axis, so that the ring is free to play; e, is a
hinged flap which can be set at any desired inclination to lead the crop
down to the thrashing drum. Hand levers may be applied to enable the
attendant to lift the axis c, but such levers are not necessary; the
apparatus can be worked without them, and they are not shewn in the
Drawings.
What I claim is the means for feeding thrashing machines consisting
of a roller and rings arranged substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Head, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.