IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING EXTRACTS OF HOPS, AND FOR SELECTING OR SEPARATING THE SEEDS AND POLLEN FROM Hops
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Moreland at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
March 1868.
I, RICHARD MORELAND, junior, of Old Street, Saint Luke's, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING EXTRACTS OF HOPS, AND FOR SELECTING OR SEPARATING
THE SEEDS AND POLLEN FROM Hops," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for making
extracts of hops, and for selecting or separating the seeds and pollen from
hops. In order to make extracts of hops, a vessel, by preference, of a cylin-
drical form, is used. The upper end of this vessel is covered by a hollow
cover, which is connected by a suitable steam pipe with a steam boiler, so that
steam may be supplied into the hollow cover. From the under side of the
hollow cover descend perforated tubes nearly to the bottom of the vessel.
There is a central opening or man-hole through the cover by which the hops
are introduced into the vessel, which opening or man-hole is covered when the
process is going on within the vessel. At the bottom of the vessel is applied a
hollow cover which is made to open on a hinge or otherwise so as to admit of
the bottom end of the vessel being opened to allow of the contents of the
vessel being forced out by steam pressing on the upper surface. The inner
surface of the lower cover is perforated, and when in use is covered with
flannel or other suitable fabric, through which the extract is filtered in its
passage from the vessel. The hollow cover to the bottom has an opening and
a cock or pipe and suitable valve to convey the extract from the hollow cover

page_text: to any suitable receiver. The upper part of the vessel below the upper cover
is connected by a steam pipe to the steam boiler so that steam may be intro-
duced below the upper cover; and there is also another pipe by which hot
water may be run into the vessel. When a charge of hops has been introduced
into the vessel hot water is first introduced, then steam is introduced into the
upper hollow cover, and through the perforated pipes descending therefrom
into the vessel, by which the water in the vessel is caused to boil; the extract
thus produced is caused to pass out of the vessel by introducing the steam
under the upper cover in place of into the hollow upper cover, and then, on
opening the passage from the lower cover, the steam, by pressing on the upper
surface of the extract and of the hops in the vessel, will cause the extract to
flow out of the vessel into and from the lower hollow cover. When the extract
has been thus removed the lower cover is to be opened or removed, and the
steam being again allowed to press on the contents of the vessel will force the
contents out of the vessel.
In order to separate or select the pollen and seeds of hops from the leaves
two rotating cylindrical sieves are used, the one within the other, and they
are caused to revolve in opposite directions. The inner sieve is mounted on a
hollow shaft or axis which is connected to a suitable fan or blowing apparatus.
In the hollow shaft or axis are slots or outlets and also projecting arms with
wide flat mouthpieces, through which streams of air are forced, and by which
the hops, seeds, and pollen are driven outwards. The seeds and pollen can
pass through the inner sieve, and the pollen can pass through the outer sieve.
The leaves pass out at the outer end of the inner sieve, a shield or guard
being placed opposite such end in order to cause the leaves to pass out only at
the lower part of the sieve into any suitable receiver. The seeds pass out at
the end of the outer sieve into a suitable receiver, and the pollen descends into
a chamber or receiver below. The sieves are enclosed in a case, so as to
prevent the pollen getting away into the outer air. The hops are supplied
into a hopper or shoot from a machine suitably arranged for opening out and
cutting the leaves, and the bops from such machine are, together with a
quantity of air, propelled into the inner sieve.