AN IMPROVEMENT An TunDARENDUSO IN THRASHING MACHINES" OR LUDDARENTNO IN THRASHIING MACHINER
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, the younger, of Coven, in the County
of Stafford, Manufacturer, and John Birch Higgs, of Brewood, in the
County of Stafford, Machinist, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
An TunDARENDUSO IN THRASHING MACHINES"
OR LUDDARENTNO IN THRASHIING MACHINER
"
Sealed the 30th August 1861, and dated the 26th March 1861..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith and John
Birch Higgs at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 26th March 1861.
We, JOHN SMITH, the younger, of Coven, in the County of Stafford, Manu-
facturer, and JOHN BIRCH HIGGS, of Brewood, in the County of Stafford,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IM-
PROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES," to be as follows:**
In making thrashing machines according to our Invention we connect the
straw shakers, the floor, and riddle in the first, and riddle and screen in the
finishing winnowing machines, to a cranked shaft, by the rotation of which
said shaft motion is given to the said parts. Rotatory motion is given to the
fans and elevator by a second shaft. The said shafts are driven by bands
from the thrashing drum, which said drum is actuated in the usual manner.
When it is required to give a rotatory motion to the screen in the finishing
winnowing machine in place of a reciprocating motion, we take the necessary
motion by means of a third band, either from the thrashing drum or from the

page_text: cranked or fan and elevator shaft. In thrashing machines as ordinarily con-
structed the motions of the several moving parts are obtained by from five to
ten bands driven more or less directly from the thrashing drum shaft.
The essence of our Invention consists in driving all the moving parts by
means of two shafts in addition to the thrashing drum shaft, or by the use of
three shafts when a rotatory motion has to be given to the screen in the
finishing winnowing machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Smith and John Birch Higgs in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
SMITH, the younger, of Coven, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer, and
JOHN BIRCH HIGGS, of Brewood, in the County of Stafford, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Smith and John Birch Higgs, Her special licence that we,
the said John Smith and John Birch Higgs, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Smith and John Birch
Higgs, our 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 OR IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said John Smith and John Birch Higgs, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 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 John Birch Higgs, on behalf of myself
and the said John Smith, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,

page_text: and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
Our Invention consists in arranging the parts of thrashing machines in the
manner herein-after described and represented in the accompanying Drawing so
as to effect the motions of the several moving parts of the said machines by
the use of a less number of driving bands and shafts than are employed in
thrashing machines as ordinarily constructed.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in elevation a thrashing
machine constructed according to our Invention; Figure 2 is an end elevation
of a portion of the same; and Figure 3 is an elevation of the cases, in which
the fans work, of the said machine Figure 1. The same letters of reference
are used to indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
T
a is the principal or thrashing drum shaft which is actuated in the usual
manner. A band communicates motion from a pulley c on the shaft a to
the pulley d on the shaft e. The said shafte is provided with a series of
cranks, as seen in Figure 2. The straw shakers f (see Figure 2,) are con-
nected by means of connecting rods g to two cranks on the shaft e, and thereby
receive motion from the said shaft. The floor and riddle h of the first win-
nowing machine are also connected to cranks on the shaft e by means of
connecting rods i, and the required motion is thereby communicated to the
said floor and riddle. When a reciprocating motion only has to be given to
the riddles and screen of the finishing winnowing machine, we connect the
said riddles and screen of the said finishing winnowing machine with the
floor and riddle h, actuated as herein-before described by the cranked shaft e,
and thus give the required motion to the said riddles and screen. When
however a rotatory motion has to be given to the screen in the finishing win-
nowing machine, in place of a reciprocating motion, we employ a third band k,.
which passing over a small pulley 1 on the fan shaft m, and a large pulley n,
on the shaft of the rotatory screen communicates the required rotatory motion
thereto. Or, instead of taking its motion from the fan shaft m, the pulley n
may be connected by means of a band either with a pulley on the thrashing
drum shaft a, or with a pulley on the cranked shaft e. We prefer however to
connect the pulley n with the fan shaft m in the manner first described and
represented in the Drawing. The fans are worked in the following manner :-
The first fan at o, and the second fan or elevator at p, and the third fan at q,
are all situated on the same shaft m, which said shaft m is driven by a
pulley r, connected by means of a bands with a pulley t on the thrashing drum
shaft a. We place a corn cleaner u on the shaft m, (see Figure 3,) in addition
to the fans o, p, and q. The said corn cleaner is of the ordinary construc-

page_text: tion. By means of a valve turned by the winch v, the corn may be made to
pass through the corn cleaner u down the pipe x to the elevator at p, and by
turning the winch into the required position the corn is made to pass direct
into the elevator p, without passing through the corn cleaner u.
In thrashing machines as ordinarily constructed, the motions of the several
moving parts are obtained by from five to ten bands driven more or less
directly from the thrashing drum shaft. By our Invention the same motions
are effected by the use of two or three bands as described and illustrated
in the Drawing.
The parts of the thrashing machine, Figures 1, 2, and 3, which we have
not described, resemble those of ordinary thrashing machines, and constitute
no part of our Invention.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our
Invention the arrangement or combination of parts of thrashing machines
herein-before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing,. that is
to say, actuating the several moving parts of the said machines by two shafts
in addition to the principal or thrashing drum shaft, or by three shafts when a
rotatory motion has to be given to the screen in the finishing winnowing
machine, the said shafts being driven by two or three bands from the principal
or thrashing drum shaft.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Birch Higgs, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN BIRCH HIGGS. (L.S.)