IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHIPS AND OTHER BISCUIT OR BREAD
Year: 1834

page_text: DILO
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BRUCE, of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, Baker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of August, in the fifth year of
His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Bruce, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Bruce, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Bruce, my exors, admors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years, therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHIPS
AND OTHER BISCUIT OR BREAD," communicated to me by a certain person
resident abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,
the said William Bruce, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear:

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Bruce, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, commu-
nicated to me as aforesaid, is fully described and ascertained in and by the
following description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The Invention consists, first, in improvements in machinery or apparatus
for performing that part of the process of making ships' and other biscuit or
bread called kneading the dough.
And, secondly, in improvements in machinery or apparatus for cutting the
dough into ships' and other biscuit or bread.
And in order that the said Invention may be most fully described and
ascertained, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a machine for kneading dough, and Figure 2 is
a plan of Figure 1. In each of these Figures the same letters of reference
indicate similar parts, a, a, being the framing of the machine, the construction
of which will be evident on inspecting the Drawing. 6 is what I call the
kneading table or board. This table 6 is circular, and has a shaft or axis c
affixed through its centre, which shaft turns in suitable bearings d, d, in the
framing of the machine, as is clearly shewn in Figure 1. e is a toothed
wheel affixed to the under side of the kneading table b, by means of which and
the toothed pinion f rotatory motion is communicated to the kneading table b.
The pinion is affixed on the shaft g, turning in bearings h, h, on the upright
framings a, a, of the machine. i is a fly wheel, affixed on the shaft g; and j
is a crank or winch handle on the shaft 9 for giving motion to the machine.
k, k, are diagonal stays, to give additional strength to the kneading table b.
On the surface of the kneading table are two conical rollers, the one being
plain, and the other grooved or furrowed; is the plain roller, and m the
grooved roller. These rollers turn on axes n, which have suitable bearings
in the frames o, which framings o are capable of moving up or down in slits
or openings cut in the upper part of the framing a of the machine. p, p, are
two weighted levers, by which the desired pressure may be given to the rollers
1, m, as will be evident on inspecting the Drawing. 7, 1, are two scrapors or
guides by which the dough is gathered together after having passed under the
conical grooved roller m, the outer scraper 7 being affixed to the framing a,
and the inner scraper is affixed by straps or stays s to the scraper q.
Having thus described the construction and arrangement of the machinery
or apparatus, I will describe the manner of action. A quantity of dough

page_text: mixed by any of the ordinary means is to be placed in the space (on the
kneading table) between the scrapers 9 and r. Rotatory motion is to be
communicated to the kneading table in the direction of the arrow by means of
the handle j; by this operation the heap of dough will be brought under the
plain roller 1, by which it will be rolled out into a thin layer on the surface of
the kneading table, and will arrive next at the grooved roller m, in passing
under which the dough will be pressed into ridges or furrows, it will then be
gathered together by the scrapers 7 and r, and will again arrive at the plain
roller 1, and be again pressed. These operations are to be continued till the
kneading is complete, which will be as usual readily judged of by a competent
person.
I will now describe the second part of the Invention, that of cutting or
forming the dough into biscuit. Figure 3 is a side elevation of a machine
constructed according to the improvements; Figure 4 is a plan thereof. A, A,
is the framing, the construction and manner of fixing the same are clearly
shewn in the Drawing, and will be readily understood by any competent
workman; B is the main or driving shaft or axis turning in bearings on each
side of the machine. On this shaft or axis B are affixed the toothed wheel C
and the cylindrical roller D; below the roller D is another roller E on an
axis F, which axis turns in suitable bearings on each side of the machine.
On the shaft F is a toothed wheel G, which takes into and is driven by the
toothed wheel C. At each end of the roller E is a projecting flanch, between
which the upper roller D works; these flanches are for the purpose of pre-
venting the dough being forced endwise from between the rollers D and E.
The dough is fed between these pressing rollers by means of the sloping table
or slab H, as will be hereafter fully described. 1 is another shaft or axis
turning in suitable bearings on each side of the machine. On this shaft or
axis is affixed the toothed wheel J, which takes into and is driven by the
toothed wheel G, and on the said shaft I is affixed the cylinder K, the con-
struction of which forming the important feature of this machine, I will enter
into more particular detail as to its construction.
Figure 5 is a plan, and Figure 6 a section, of one of the cutting
instruments, on a larger scale, which are placed on the cylinder K;
these cutting instruments are affixed at proper distances by means of screws,
rivets, solder, or otherwise, to the cylinder K, there being suitable holes
perforated to allow of the passage of the piston rods N, which force out
the biscuit from the cutting instruments. L represents these cutting
instruments, and M the various points or spikes for perforating the biscuits;
these spikes or points are affixed at the bottom of the cutting instruments,

page_text: and pass through the piston or plate O, these plates O being forced out
by means of the piston rods N at the proper time for delivering the biscuits
to be conveyed away to be baked, as is herein-after described. P, P, are
filling pieces between the cutting instruments L; these filling pieces stand
flush with the upper edges of the cutting instruments, and they have similar
piston rods as before described, but in this instance they are constantly pressed
outwards by springs, as clearly shown in Figure 3. Q is an endless cloth
placed on two rollers R, S, which have axes turning in suitable bearings, as
shown in the Drawing; on one of the axis of the roller R is affixed the
toothed wheel T, which is driven by means of the toothed wheel J, and by
this means the endless cloth Q is caused to move and carry off the biscuits
as they are successively deposited thereon by the cutting cylinder K.
Having thus described the nature of the second part of the Invention,
and the arrangement and combination of the various parts, I will proceed
to explain the nature of their action. A quantity of dough properly kneaded
is to be placed on the sloping table H, and it will be desirable that the
same should be taken immediately after it has passed under the plain
roller described in the former machine, as in this case the dough will be
already pressed out into a thin layer, and in its passage between the
rollers D, E, the dough will be brought to the thickness desired for making
the biscuit; and it may be here remarked that it will be desirable to have
a scraper affixed across the machine and under the upper roller, in order
to disengage the dough from that roller just beyond the point at which the
dough receives its greatest pressure. By this means the dough will follow
down with the roller E, and come between that roller and the cutting cylinder.
By this means the dough will be forced into and fill all the cutting instruments
and the spaces between as the pistons and filling pieces above described will
give way to receive the dough. And it will be further desirable to remark
that a scraper should be affixed across the machine in order to separate the
dough from the roller E immediately it has passed the point at which the
greatest pressure is given to the dough between this roller and the cutting
cylinder. It will be evident that immediately the filling pieces P are freed
from the pressure of the roller E they will be forced out and throw off the
pieces of dough into any receptacle placed below to receive them; these are
to be again kneaded and passed through the cutting machine, or they may be
baked if there be no objection to the shape. The cutting instruments filled
with dough will be carried onwards till the ends of the piston rods N come
under the roller V, which is suspended within the cylinder K, from the axis of
that cylinder by means of arms W; see Figure 3. The pressure of this roller

page_text: will force down the piston rods N and the pistons O, which will cause the
biscuits to be deposited on the endless cloth to be carried onwards to be
removed for baking.
I would here remark, that it is necessary constantly to sift flour over the
various parts of the machine in order to prevent the dough sticking. I would
also remark that I do not confine myself to this particular method of forcing
out the biscuit, but this means is the best I am acquainted with.
Having now described the various parts of the Invention as communicated
to me from abroad, I would have it understood that I do not claim any of the
various parts of which the two machines are composed in their separate condition,
nor do I claim the kneading of dough on a revolving table by rollers other than
conical, either plain or grooved; nor do I claim the rolling dough between two
or more rollers in order to reduce it to the thickness desired for making
biscuit. And I would observe that it is evident that other than circular biscuits
may be made, provided the cutting instruments are shaped accordingly; but I
would have it understood that what I claim as the Invention are,―
First, the combining a revolving kneading table b, and with conical rollers
1, m, and the parts which work them, when the same are used for the purpose
of kneading dough in the process of making ships' and other biscuit or bread.
And, secondly, I claim the constructing the cylinder K with cutting
instruments, as above described, when used for the purposes of cutting or
forming of ships' or other biscuit or bread, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bruce, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
Taken and acknowledged by William Bruce,
party hereto, the Twenty-eighth day of
January, Eighteen hundred and thirty-five,
at Edinburgh aforesaid, before me,
JOHN MCLACHLAN,
A Justice of the Peace.
W (L.S.) BRUCE.

page_text: John McLachlan, of Edinburgh, and that he, this deponent, hath examined
the signature to the acknowledgement of the Specification of William Bruce;
and this deponent further saith, that the said signature is that of the said
John McLachlan, and that the said John McLachlan was a Justice of the
Peace at the time of taking such acknowledgement.
Inrolled the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.