Improvements in Coffee Pulping Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Coffee Pulping Machines.
I, Alfred CHAPMAN, of 17, York Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to machinery for pulping coffee.
According to this invention, the machine comprises a box or vessel in which
the coffee, that is, coffee berries, are first introduced, a grinding or rubbing face
over which they are passed, and a hollow revolving wheel or part to which the
berries pass from the said box or vessel, and by which they are moved over and
rubbed upon the face, and eventually discharged,
According to one arrangement or form under the invention, the box or vessel
portion into which the berries are introduced, is made substantially in two parts,
one on either side of the centre; one side serves as the receiver chamber, into
which they are fed, and to which water is also introduced; and from this side
they pass to the other, over a lip and under a plate or cover. Through this
part of the vessel or box, the axle of the pulping wheel or device passes, it being
supported and adapted to revolve in a sleeve acting as a bearing in this box or
chamber. The shaft which is preferably hollow and its bearing are horizon-
tally disposed. The outlet for the berries from the box or chamber takes place
around and about this sleeve, and they are guided towards the outlet, preferably
from the rear end, by an inclined floor or bottom extending in that direction.
The arms of the revolving wheel are hollow, and are arranged tangentially about
the centre, where the wheel is in the form of a hollow box or hub with tangential
partitions. The hollow arms and central part of the wheel are open on the
inside surface facing the end of the machine in connection with which it works.
On this end of the machine there is provided the rubbing surface, consisting of
a ribbed or roughened face, which is an annular plate, of steel or other suitable
metal, bolted, or otherwise suitably fixed on the body; and the ribbed face faces
the open inner sides of the wheel arms and centre, and which revolve over it.
In action, the hollowed arm wheel or part is revolved, and the coffee berries
from the interior of the containing and feeding box or chamber, pass into its
central compartments; and by the centrifugal action, and eccentric and tangential
arrangement of its arm, the berries are caused to move outwards, and round or
over the rough or rubber stationary surface, and towards the periphery of the
wheel, in which they are pulped in the required manner. As they are
operated upon and discharged, fresh berries pass from the outer to the inner
or secondary part of the containing or feed box, and to the annular opening in
its end round the bearing sleeve.
80
The depth of the space within the arms diminishes towards their ends, the
back of the arms being tapered or inclined towards the ribbed rubbing plate;
and the discharge opening, which is at the periphery of the wheel, is narrow.

page_text: The berries are discharged into an annular trough on the case, about the periphery
of the wheel, from which they pass away by a spout at the lower part.
Dated this 4th day of January 1898.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.
Improvements in Conee Pulping Machines.
I, ALFRED CHAPMAN, of 17, York Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention has reference to machinery for pulping coffee.
According to this invention, the machine comprises a box or vessel in which
the coffee, that is, coffee berries, are first introduced, a grinding or rubbing face
over which they are passed, and a hollow revolving wheel or part to which the
berries pass from the said box or vessel, and by which they are moved over and
rubbed upon the face, and eventually discharged.
According to one arrangement or form under the invention, the box or vessel
portion into which the berries are introduced, is made substantially in two parts,
one on either side of the centre; one side serves as the receiver chamber, into
which they are fed, and to which water is also introduced; and from this side
they pass to the other, over a lip and under a plate or cover. Through this
part of the vessel or box, the pulping wheel or device passes, it being supported
and adapted to revolve in a sleeve acting as a bearing in this box or chamber.
The shaft which is preferably hollow-and its bearing are horizontally dis-
posed. The outlet for the berries from the box or chamber takes place round
and about this sleeve, and they are guided towards the outlet, preferably, from
the rear end, by an inclined floor or bottom extending in that direction. The
arms of the revolving wheel are hollow, and are arranged tangentially about the
centre, where the wheel is in the form of a hollow box or hub with tangential
partitions. The hollow arms and central part of the wheel are open on the
inside surface facing the end of the machine in connection with which it works.
On this end of the machine there is provided the rubbing surface, consisting of
a ribbed or roughened face which is an annular plate, of steel or other suitable
metal, bolted, or otherwise suitable fixed on the body; and the ribbed face faces
the open inner sides of the wheel arms and centre, and which revolve over it.
In action, the hollowed arm wheel or part is revolved, and the coffee berries
from the interior of the containing and feeding box or chamber, pass into its
central compartments; and by the centrifugal action, and eccentric and tangential
arrangement of its arm, the berries are caused to move outwards, and round or
over the rough or ribbed stationary surface, and towards the periphery of the
wheel, in which they are pulped in the required manner. As they are
operated upon and discharged, fresh berries pass from the outer to the inner
or secondary part of the containing or feed box, and to the annular opening in
its end round the bearing sleeve.
80
The depth of the space within the arms diminishes towards their ends, the
back of the arms being tapered or inclined towards the ribbed rubbing plate,
and the discharge opening, which is at the periphery of the wheel, is narrow.

page_text: The berries are discharged into an annular trough on the case, about the periphery
of the wheel, from which they pass away by a spout at the lower part.
In the drawings illustrating this invention, Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of
the two ends of the machine, and Figure 3 is an end elevation with the pulping
wheel removed. Figure 4 is a side elevation, and Figures 5 and 6 are sectional
elevation, and a bottom view of the machine, respectively. Figures 7 and 8
are respectively transverse section and plan of the machine. Figure 9 is a group
of views shewing an elevation and opposite face views of the wheel of the machine.
And Figure 9 shews a section of the wheel and its shaft, taken at the lines A A
and B B, respectively, in Figure 9. Figure 10 is a group of figures shewing
the ribbed or serrated plate.
Referring now to the drawings, a is the box into which the berries to be pulped
are introduced; and it consists substantially of two parts viz., the receiving
chamber or part a' in which water is contained, and another chamber as on the
opposite side. These two chambers are separated by the semi-circular dia-
phragm a3 over the upper edge or lip a of which the berries pass from a¹ to a³..
The coffee is introduced into the machine through a hopper b at the open upper
end of the case; and it is guided into a¹ from this hopper by a plate c forming
a roof to the chamber a². Concentric with the diaphragm a³, there is a tubular
bearing or sleeve d, extending from the back end plate of the case a to the end
on which the hollow revolving wheel hereafter described is disposed; at which
end there is an annular opening around it. This sleeve d' is supported from
the bottom of the diaphragm a² by a web d; and an inclined plate e, or the
diaphragm, forms a back end of the chamber a² on both sides of the sleeve d.
o is a lubricating tube to the sleeve d.
At the end of the case a, concentric with the axis of the sleeve d, there is a
recess or opening, the outer part f of which is in the form of an annular trough,
opening at its inner circumference; and in this space the wheel h revolves, the
periphery of which lies directly inside the troughs f, i.e. it covers it. At one of
the lower corners of the case this annular trough extends and opens out into a
discharge mouth f¹, from which the de-pulped coffee passes away from the
machine. On the outer face of the inner end plate of the machine, adjacent to
which the inner face of the wheel revolves, there is an annular recess g; and to
this recess the ribbed or serrated mill plate g₁ is fitted and fixed. The entrance
aperture of this plate is co-incident with the aperture in the end plate round
the end of sleeve d.
The wheel has a hollow shaft or spindle h¹, and hollow arms h in the form
of open troughs, having their openings facing inward towards the plate g. The
side walls of these trough arms are curves, being tangential or equivalently
disposed to the shaft h¹, from which they extend. At the parts directly above
the shaft, they are at the full depth of the disc, minus the outside plate; but
towards their tips they are shallow for a considerable length, as indicated in
the right hand view of Figure 9 at h³. The periphery of the wheel h is cylin-
drical, and of the full width of the annular groove or channel f, the only opening
in it being the ends viz., the part 3, of the hollow arms h². The plate g¹, which
say is of steel, is ribbed, as shewn in the drawings, in the manner of a mill-stone.
The wheel his revolved by a handle k directly connected to it, and the wheel
and handle at the other end of the machine, on the end of the shaft h¹. But
of course artificial power may be employed to work the machine instead of it
being done by hand.
In action, the coffee to be de-pulped is introduced into the chamber a¹, i.e. into
the water in it; and from here it passes over into the chamber a³ over the lip a*.
Any stones or similar solids which fall to the bottom of the chamber af are
collected.
When in the chamber a², the coffee passes along towards the annular
opening &, and thence passes into the curved portions of the hollow arms h.
By the rotation of this wheel, and the tangential arrangement of the hollow arms,

page_text: the berries in being moved over the inner edge of the plate g will be caused to
be moved centrifugally, and hence will pass from these parts of their arms up
the inclined parts + towards the tips, and to the shallow portions. In this
passage they are acted upon by the mill plate g', and the palp or coating of the
berries is gradually removed, and when they arrive at the tips of the arms the
operation is completed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is;
1. A coffee pulping machine having a rotative wheel, disc, or the like, with
conduits, and a disc or plate such as described, over which the coffee berries are
revolved or moved by the revolving wheel or disc; substantially as set forth.
2. In a coffee pulping machine, a rotative wheel or disc with hollow conduits
in it open at the inner face; a fixed and roughened plate opposite the openings
of the conduits; a shaft on said rotative disc or wheel; a sleeve in the body of
the machine in which the shaft revolves; and an annular opening round the
sleeve through which the berries pass from the machine body to the hollow
conduits of the wheel or disc; substantially as set forth.
3. A coffee pulping machine comprising chambers a¹ and a²; a diaphragm ;
sleeve d; faces g; disc or wheel h with hollow arms ²; and shaft h¹; sub-
stantially as set forth with reference to and shewn in the drawings.
4. In a coffee pulping machine, a wheel or disc, as h, with hollow arms curved
in relation to the axis as described, and adapted to operate substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
5. The coffee pulping machine having parts arranged, constructed, and adapted
to operate particularly as set forth with reference to and shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 21st day of October 1898.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.