IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND CLEANING SEEDS
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Rose and Robert Emerson
Gibson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 28th November 1867.
I, THOMAS ROSE, of Oxton, in the County of Chester, Ironfounder, and
ROBERT EMERSON GIBSON, of New Brighton, in the same County, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND CLEANING SEEDS," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates to machinery or apparatus for effecting the separation
and cleaning of seeds simultaneously, or for effecting their separation only.
By separation we mean so removing one kind or size from another kind or
size that the desired kinds or sizes are obtained by themselves, and by cleaning
we mean removing the earthy and other foreign matter often mixed with
seeds, and usually found in & powdery state. And although our said machinery
or apparatus can be used for separating and cleaning or for separating only
all kinds of seeds or grain, we desire to state that it has been devised
by us more especially for separating and cleaning at one operation, and
thereby preparing for the seed crusher the large quantities of mixed linseed
and rape seed imported into this country from India and other places,

page_text: and which seeds are much depreciated in value simply because they are mixed
together.
Our said machinery or apparatus consists essentially of two rotating
separating screens of cylindrical or other suitable shape placed in a sloping or
angular position the one within the other. These screens are constructed or
formed of wirework or of perforated metal or other material, the inner one
having elongated openings and the outer one circular or nearly circular
openings; they are supported on suitable framework and are made to rotate
by power applied in any convenient manner. The seeds, for convenience we
here refer to linseed and rape seed, are fed through a hopper or pipe into the
inner screen. As the screens rotate the linseed, it being of a flat rounded
shape, passes through the elongated openings into the annular space between
the screens; but the rape seed, it being larger in diameter than the width
of the elongated openings, is retained within the inner screen. At the lower
end of the screens the seeds fall into separate spouts or chambers. During
the separation of the seeds as described the earthy and other foreign substances,
as well as the very small and inferior seeds, pass through both screens and are
collected in a casing which partly surrounds the screens and delivered in a
third spout or vessel.
When the seeds have a tendancy to stick in the meshes or openings of the
screens we give in addition to the rotatory motion a vibratory or joggle motion.
This we prefer to effect by supporting the lower end of the shaft on which the
screens are fixed in a frame suspended on or over a rotating ratchet wheel or
And to regulate the feed of the seeds to the speed of the machine we
employ a governor similar to the governor of a steam engine; this governor
is operated from any convenient part of the machinery or apparatus, and
forces out or draws in by a rod a valve fitted into the feed hopper or pipe, and
so increases or decreases the area of the opening through which the seeds
must pass.