AN IMPROVEMENT IN COM- BINED THRASHING MACHINES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Gilbert, of Evesham, in the County of
Worcester, Machinist, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN COM-
BINED THRASHING MACHINES."
Sealed the 11th December 1857, and dated the 31st August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Gilbert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st August 1857.
I, JOSEPH GILBERT, of Evesham, in the County of Worcester, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
COMBINED THRASHING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to effect the more perfect separation than
heretofore in combined thrashing machines of the corn from smut, dirt, seeds,
white coats, and other foreign matters, and also to deliver the corn in a polished
and bright state from the machine. This I effect by placing at the upper part
of the machine, in a horizontal position, a cylinder composed of wirework,
within which is mounted an agitator, consisting of a shaft extending the whole
length of the cylinder, and furnished with radial inclined blades.

page_text: it is thrashed and riddled in the machine runs into the elevating box, and is
raised thence by an endless band of buckets, and discharged into a hopper
above, whence it passes to the cylinder of wirework before mentioned, where
it is acted upon by the blades of the rotating agitator, which, as they revolve,
cause the corn to rub against the interior of the cylinder and thus free it of
all extraneous matters, which are discharged through the meshes of the wire
cylinder, and are conducted away to a receptacle below. The agitator receives
its motion from a pulley on the shaft of the main drum, which causes it to
revolve rapidly and propel the corn onward through the entire length of the
wire cylinder, and discharge it into a long narrow opening, through which it
falls on to a riddle below. By this riddle it is separated into best, tail, &c.,
after the usual manner. The opening through which the corn falls from the
wire cylinder to the separating sieve below is made long and narrow, in order
that the grain may spread and present to the fan a broad surface for the
current or blast of air to act upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Gilbert in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th February, 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
GILBERT, of Evesham, in the County of Worcester, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Gilbert,. Her special license that I, the said Joseph Gilbert, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Gilbert, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
COMBINED THRASHING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Joseph Gilbert, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly 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

page_text: 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 I, the said Joseph Gilbert, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention of "An Improvement in Combined Thrashing
Machines" is to effect the more perfect separation than heretofore in combined
thrashing machines of the corn from smut, dirt, seeds, white coats, and other
foreign matters, and also to deliver the corn in a polished and bright state from
the machine. This I effect by placing at the upper part of the machine, in a
horizontal position, a cylinder composed of wirework or metal, within which
is mounted an agitator, consisting of a shaft extending the whole length of the
cylinder, and furnished with radial inclined blades. The corn as it is thrashed
and riddled in the machine runs into the elevating box, and is raised thence by
an endless band of buckets, and is discharged into a hopper above, from
whence it passes to the cylinder of metal or wirework before mentioned, where
it is acted upon by the blades of the rotating agitator, which, as they revolve,
cause the corn to rub against the interior of the cylinder, and thus free it of all
extraneous matters, which are discharged through the meshes or holes of the
wire or metal cylinder, and are conducted away to a receptacle below. The
agitator receives its motion from a pulley on the shaft of the main drum,
which causes it to revolve rapidly and propel the corn onward through the
entire length of the wire or metal cylinder and discharge it into a long narrow
opening, through which it falls on to a riddle below. By this riddle it is
separated into best, tail, and other qualities of grain in the usual manner. The
opening through which the corn falls from the wire cylinder to the separating
sieve below is made long and narrow, in order that the grain may spread
and present to the fan a broad surface for the current or blast of air to
act upon.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a combined
thrashing machine, with my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a
sectional plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken
through the cleaning cylinder, and shewing the separators below; Fig. 4 is a
cross section of the cleaning cylinder, beater, and box in which these parts are
placed and work; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the riddle or separator.
The rectangular or oblong perforations of this riddle are extended crosswise

page_text: or transversely to the direction of the current of corn passing over them, and
will be thereby found to act more efficiently than riddles of the ordinary con-
struction. The same letters indicate similar parts of the machine in the
different Figures.
.I
a, a, is the main framing of the machine mounted on running wheels b, b, as
usual. The concave and beater are shewn by dots in Fig. 1, at c, c. The
beater receives the sheaves of corn through the opening d above, and the corn
as it becomes thrashed out by the action of the beater, falls upon the screen e
below, where it is separated from the chaff, bits of straw, and other extraneous
matters, by means of a strong current of air blowing upon it from the fan at
f. The corn, after it has been thus freed from the chaff and other extraneous
matters, is conducted into a box g, and is raised from thence by an endless
band of buckets h, h, and is thrown into the wire or metal cylinder i, which it
is made to enter at the end 2*, where it is acted upon and cleaned by the
beater j, the blades of which, being slightly inclined to its axis like the
blades of an Archimedean screw, cause the corn to travel slowly onwards
through the cylinder i to the end 2 (Fig. 3), from whence it falls on to the
suspended sieves or separators k, l, below, which are agitated or shaken by
means of the crank and rod m, n, Fig. 1, and thereby cause the corn to pass
along them in the direction of the arrow, and thus become separated into various
degrees of fineness, according to its size and quality. The corn having been-
thus separated, is conducted by spouts o, p, q,r, into sacks s, hooked thereon
to receive it. The refuse separated from the corn by the beaters j passes away
through the meshes of the cylinder down the incline w, Fig. 3, and out at the
spout x. The corn, in falling from the cylinder i, passes through a long
narrow opening or spout t, Fig. 1, by which it becomes spread out into a thin
sheet or stream, so that the current of air produced by the fan u may act
upon the falling corn and be more effectual in separating therefrom any light
corn, seeds, and other extraneous matters with which it may be mixed. The
cylinder i, I have shewn as composed of open wirework and with open ends, to
prevent choking; but the cylinder may be made of wrought or cast iron with
suitable sized openings or perforations made therein, for the dirt and other
The various
foreign matters to pass through from its interior into the box v.
operative parts receive their motions from the axis of the main drum or beater
of the machine, which will be readily understood by reference to the Drawing,
without any further description.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improvement in
Combined Thrashing Machines," and explained the manner of carrying the

page_text: same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim, the application to combined thrashing machines
of the means herein described for separating the dust from the winnowed corn,
and afterwards assorting the same ready for the market.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Gilbert, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
HERBERT NEW,
of Evesham, Solicitor.
JOSEPH GILBERT. (L.S.)