IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND PREPARING THE FIBRES AND OTHER PRODUCTS OF THE COCOA NUT AND ITS HUSK
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ROBERT LOGAN, of Blackheath, in the County of Kent, Esquire, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Second day of November, in the fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Robert Logan, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert Logan, my exors,.
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Logan,
my exors, admiors, 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 in the Isles of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and
also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND PREPARING THE FIBRES
AND OTHER PRODUCTS OF THE COCOA NUT AND ITS HUSK;" in which said

page_text: Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Robert Logan,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her
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.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Robert Logan, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):
My Invention relates,first, to a mode of obtaining and preparing
the fibres of the cocoa nut husk. Secondly, my Invention relates to a
mode of obtaining, and preparing the interior product or kernel of the
cocoa nut, in order that the oil may be expressed therefrom.
And in order that my Invention may be fully described, I will pro-
ceed to explain the Drawings hereunto annexed, in the, various Figures
of which the same figures and letters of reference are used to indicate
similar parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figuré 1, represents a side view of a machine for obtaining and
preparing the fibre of the husk of the cocoa nut; Figure 2, is an end
view thereof, partly in section; and Figure 3, shews some of the parts
full size. This part of my Invention has for its object to cause a
quantity of the husks of cocoa nuts to be subjected to the rubbing
action of two rough and pressing surfaces, whereby the combined fibres
pressed and rubbed together and amongst themselves by the action of
the machinery are separated. Eeach portion of the husk or bundle of
'the cocoa nut fibre being in the process caused to turn over and over
under pressure, the fibres are thereby by a rubbing action amongst
themselves caused to separate, giving off a large quantity of very fine
vegetable dust, which will be found valuable as a snuff. a, a, shews the

page_text: framing of the machinery. b, is the main or driving axis which receives
motion by a steam engine or other power. On the axis b, is affixed the
wheel or disc c, to which the crank pin d is affixed, and there are holes.
at various distances from. the centre of motion in order to vary the
movement of the rubbing surfaces. e, c, is the under of the two.
surfaces,. which is made up of angular bars, having spaces between
them for the passage of the dust; this surface e, e, receives motion
from the shaft or axis b, by means of the connecting rod f, as is shewn.
The surface e, is mounted on wheels g,.g, which traverse on rails or
tracks h, h, as is shewn. i, i, is the upper rubbing surface, with.
angular grooves formed therein as a roughing to that surface; this sur
face i, i, is suspended by the connecting rods j, j, to the bell cranks
k, k, which are affixed on the axes 1, 1; such bell cranks are connected
together by means of connecting rods m, m, as is shewn. On the
upper part of the surface are applied four wheels n, n, which work
against guide bars when the surface i is raised or lowered. o, is a shaft
or axis turning in bearings at p, p; on this axis is affixed the cog wheely
9, which receives motion from a winch handle r, by means of the
pinion s, affixed on the axis of the winch handle; and on the axis o, is
affixed the screw or worm t, which takes into and drives the toothed
sector v, such toothed sector moving freely on the axis of one of the
axes 7, and in such manner as to allow the whole weight of the surface
i, to press on the tufts of cocoa nut fibre between the two rubbing
surfaces; but when it is desired, to raise the upper of the rubbing
surfaces, then, by turning the winch handle, the toothed sector; is
caused to move on the axis 1, and by such means the clutch or projec
tion w on the sector will come against a similar clutch or projection x;"
affixed on 'the axis 1, and thus cause the bell cranks on that, axis,,
as well as the bell crank on the other axis I, to raise the upper of the;
rubbing surfaces. In using this machine the cocoa nut fibre is to be;
placed in the machine in the rough and unseparated state, the husk
having been well dried and divided into quarters, and the harder portion
at the end chopped off, and the quarters of the husk are then either;
slightly crushed by a pair of rollers or by beating. In this state the:
bundles or tufts of fibres are placed on the lower of the rubbing surfaces;:

page_text: when the upper one is raised, and when the lower surface is covered,
the upper rubbing surface is lowered so as to allow of the whole
weight thereof to press on the tufts of matted fibres, and motion is
communicated to the machine, which will cause each of the tufts of fibre
to turn over and over under the pressing action of the rubbing surface,
by which means the fibres will become separated from each other and
the dust from the fibres; and so soon as the workman observes that
the operation has been completed to the extent this machine is capable
of, the upper of the rubbing surfaces is raised and the fibres removed,
and a fresh quantity of the quarters of cocoa nut husks placed on the
lower of the two rubbing surfaces. By the above treatment the fibres
of the cocoa nut husk will be separated to a considerable degree,
when they are to be further treated and prepared for spinning purposes
by submitting them to the operation of a devil or a coarse carding
engine.
This part of my Invention having for its object the rubbing of the
tufts of fibre or parts of the cocoa nut husks between two rubbing
surfaces so as by pressure and movements of the bundles of matted
fibres in the manner above described, the machinery for that purpose
may be in a variety of forms. Figure 5, shows a section of a machine
where two rollers are used, having roughed surfaces; such rollers being
geared together are driven by a steam engine or other power, the roller
6 being driven somewhat faster than the roller a, by which means the
product obtained by the roller a, in working with the curved surface of
angular bars c, will be carried forward and further worked by the roller
b, combined with the curved surface of bars d, the dust passing off
between the bars c, d; and it will readily be understood that the tufts.
of fibres or parts of the husks of the cocoa nut fed in to the machine
at the point e, will be gradually carried forward, each tuft rolling. over
and over in its progress, and being pressed as it passes onwards till
it arrives at the point f, and where it is delivered in a separate state..
Figure 6, shows another arrangement of a machine with two rollers,
the roller a moving faster than the roller b, and the fibre being well
rubbed between them will be progressively delivered in proportion as
the one roller travels faster than the other, and the fibres as delivered

page_text: fall on to the screen g, g, which separates the dust therefrom. Figure 7,
shows another arrangement of a machine, in which two endless chains
of roughed surfaces composed of angular bars are used; the surface
a being so geared and driven in respect to b, that it travels faster than
the surface b. This view shows some of the parts in section. The axes
of the different links of the chain travel in grooves or guides at their
ends in order to their being supported. The tufts of fibre or parts of
the husks of the cocoa nut are fed on to the lower rubbing surface, and
are gradually carried between the two, and thus receive a constant
pressing and rolling motion, and thus will the fibres be separated. I
have not thought it necessary to show the gearing and means of driving
these latter machines, as an engineer will readily apply the parts
necessary.
I will now describe the apparatus for obtaining and preparing the
kernel of the cocoa nut in a finely divided state, in order to facilitate
the expression of oil therefrom. Figure 8 shows a spindle a, turning
in bearings at b, b, in the framing c, c. This framing is to be affixed to
a bench or other convenient place, and motion is to be communicated
by means of an endless strap, or by gearing driven by steam or other
power, such strap working on a pulley or drum d. On the spindle a, a,
are the cutters e, e. The spindle a is hollow, and the product, as fast
as it is removed, passes off through the spindle and falls into a receiver.
In using this machine, a quick rotatory motion is to be kept up to the
spindle, several of such spindles being used, and children hold half nuts
to the cutting head of the spindles, by which the kernels will be quickly
removed and obtained, prepared in a finely divided state. I would
remark that I do not confine myself to the precise form of the spindle
or the cutters thereon, this part of the Invention consisting in mounting
spindles with cutters in bearings in such manner that they may have
power applied thereto.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark
that what I claim is, first, the mode of obtaining and preparing the
fibres of the husks of the cocoa nut by submitting to the action of two
rubbing and pressing surfaces, as above described; and, secondly, I
claim the mode of obtaining and preparing the kernels of cocoa nuts