IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCREENING AND CLEANING COALS." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robert Breckon, of Sunderland, in the
County of Durham, Colliery Manager, and David Joy, of Middles-
brough, in the County of York, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
“ IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCREENING AND CLEANING COALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robert Breckon
and David Joy at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 16th October 1871.
-
We, JOHN ROBERT BRECKON, of Sunderland, in the County of
Durham, Colliery Manager, and DAVID JOY, of Middlesbrough, in the
County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCREENING AND CLEANING
COALS," to be as follows:-
Our improvements consist in the employment of machinery applied
to pass the coals over the screens, where it is picked, instead of leaving
the whole of the work, to be done by manual labour as heretofore; and
we accomplish this either by giving a reciprocating or rotating motion to
i

page_text: the screen as a body, coupled with a sufficient angle of inclination to
cause the coal to pass downwards over its surface at a suitable speed to
permit the picking and screening; or we give alternate motion to the
bars of the screen to produce the same effect, or we make the whole
surface of the screen of a scries of links pinned together and passing ||
round suitable drums at each end so that its upper surface shall have a
forward movement so carrying the coal with it; or having the screen
itself stationary we work over it or under it (with their points passing
through) rakes or brushes, with a reciprocating or rotating action for
drawing the coal over the surface of the screen, leaving space between
or beyond the action of such machinery for the picking to be performed,
and we place such motion under the control of the picker, that he may
accelerate, or retard, or if necessary arrest it; or we combine any of the
above arrangements to produce the desired effect.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 1
filed by the said John Robert Breckon and David Joy in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
ROBERT BRECKON, of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Colliery
Manager, and DAVID JOY, of Middlesborough, in the County of York,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in
the thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said John Robert Breckon
and David Joy, Her special licence that we, the said John Robert
Breckon and David Joy, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said John Robert Breckon and David Joy,
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 “IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCREENING AND CLEANING Coals,” upon 3

page_text: the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Robert Breckon
and David Joy, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, 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 we, the said John Robert Breckon and David
Joy, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) : →
Our improvements consist in the employment of machinery applied:
to pass the coals over the screens, where it is picked, instead of leaving
the whole of the work to be done by manual labour as heretofore; and
we accomplish this either by giving a reciprocating or rotating motion
to the screen as a body, coupled with a sufficient angle of inclination to
cause the coal to pass downwards over its surface at a suitable speed to
permit the picking and screening; or we give alternate motion to the
bars of the 'screen to produce the same effect, or we make the whole
surface of the screen of a series of links pinned together and passing
round suitable drums at each end so that its upper surface shall have a
forward movement so carrying the coal with it; or leaving the screen
itself stationary we work over it or under it (with their points passing
through) rakes or brushes, with a reciprocating or rotating action, for
drawing the coal over the surface of the screen, leaving space between
or beyond the action of such machinery for the picking to be performed,
and we place such motion under the control of the picker that he may
accelerate, or retard, or if necessary arrest it; or we combine any of the
above arrangements to produce the desired effect.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying two
Sheets of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters
marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of our improved machinery
for screening and cleaning coals; Figs. 2 and 3 are detached portions
of the same drawn to an enlarged scale. On Sheet 2, Figs. 4 and 5 are
other detached portions of our improved machinery.

page_text: a is part of the ordinary inclined screen, and 6 is a horizontal screen
over which the coal is propelled by the rakes c, c. These rakes are jointed
to the rods d, d, which are supported in the swing frame e, to which a
reciprocating motion is given by the driving shaft f. This shaft is driven
by the steam engine or other motive power at a speed of about forty
revolutions per minute or more or less as may be found requisite. To
the shaft fis fixed a crank or disc with a crank pin g, to which is jointed
one end of the rod h, the other end being connected to the stud e³ of the
swing frame e. The position of the stud e' can be varied to increase or
reduce the to-and-fro motion of the rakes c, c. The fine coal or brecze
escaping through the screens a and b falls into the hopper /', and is
discharged through the spout in the ordinary manner, while the
screened coal is pushed by the rakes c on to the endless belt ; which is
taken over the drums k and Z. The beltj in passing over the drum /
discharges the coal into the truck m or other suitable receptacle,
and as the coal passes from the drum k to the drúm the stones
or other refuso are removed by pickers standing at each side of the
endless belt. The drum k is driven by a strap from a pulley on the
driving shaft f, and this strap is kept at its proper tension by the
pulley n on the elbow lever o, the upright arm of which is within reach
of the persons employed to pick the coal, by this arrangement the picker
by moving the lever o can take the pressure off the strap to control or
arrest the motion of the endless belt j.
The trapdoor p above the screen a is to regulate the quantity of
coal that is allowed to descend, and it can be opened or closed by the :
handler, which is also placed within reach of the picker. By means of
this improved machinery the partially screened coal deposited from the
inclined screen a on to the screen 6 is carried forward by the forward
motion of the rakes c, and during the back motion the rakes c, which
are jointed to the bars d ride over the coal that remains on the screen b.
The coal carried forward by the rakes c is deposited upon and carried
forward by the endless belt j, thereby dispensing with the manual
labour heretofore employed for carrying forward the coal while being
picked.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described a
convenient arrangement of machinery for performing the same, we wish
to observe that the arrangement of the parts and the machinery for
traversing the coal while it is being picked may be modified by giving a

page_text: reciprocating or rotating motion to the screen as a body, coupled with a
sufficient angle of inclination to cause the coal to pass downwards over
its surface at a suitable speed to permit the picking and screening; or we
give alternate motion to the bars of the screen to produce the same
effect, or we make the whole surface of the screen of a series of links
pinned together and passing round suitable drums at each end so that
its upper surface, which forms the screen, shall have a forward movement
for carrying the coal with it; or the rakes o may be placed under the
screen 6, with the point of the rakes passing between the bars of the
screen to push the coal towards the endless belt j.
These and other modifications might be made without departing from
the peculiar character of our Invention.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Robert Breckon and David
Joy, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fifth day
of March One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.