An TrPRATED RICE AND MEE Presa MACHINE
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Craven and Hiram Craven, both of
Hazlehead, near Sheffield, and Jonathan Nowell Craven, of
Lighthorne House, near York, all in the County of York, for the
Invention of 66 An TrPRATED RICE AND MEE Presa MACHINE"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Craven,
Hiram Craven, and Jonathan Nowell Craven at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 31st March
1869.
We, BENJAMIN CRAVEN and HAM CRAVEN, both of Hazlehead, near
Sheffield, and JONATHAN NOWELL CRAVEN, of lighthorne House, near
York, all in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED BRICK AND TILE PRESSING MACHINE," to be as
follows:-
Upon and in the centre of a suitable rectangular framework we mount
standards adapted to support an overhead steam cylinder, to the lower

page_text: end of the piston of which is attached a die of a formation suitable to the
shape and size of the brick or tile requiring to be pressed.
Between
the sides of the frame and at or near the top of the same is a sliding
A
table, upon which are two moulds, one near either end of the same.
rack is affixed to the under side of the table, and into it is geared a
quadrant wheel secured to a side shaft in the centre of the side frame.
On the outer end of such shaft is secured a curved wing tappet, the two
wings of which are acted upon alternately by the vertical reciprocating
motion of a catch placed upon the lower end of a vertical shaft con-
nected to a cross head from on the cylinder piston. Within the frame-
work and in the centre of the same are two planes adjustably inclined
from the outer ends towards the centre, where they have their fulcra,
and upon such planes run two friction pulleys (one for each mould), to
which are connected bars having false bottoms on their upper ends
adapted to the dimensions of their respective moulds.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The engine being started
the vertical rod attached to its cross head through the intermediate
action of the tappet and quadrant motions referred to moves the table
until one of the moulds (previously charged with material) is placed
under the cylinder dic, which then descends and presses it. The engine
being then reversed the mould is removed from under the die, and with
this action the friction pulley of the false bottom ascends the inclined
plane, and thus by means of the bar and false bottom the article
moulded is forced out of the mould ready for removal, the contents of
the alternative mould meantime being pressed and afterwards in like
manner removed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Craven, Hiram Craven, and Jonathan
Nowell Craven in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, BENJAMIN
CRAVEN and HIRAM CRAVEN, both of Hazlehead, near Sheffield, and
JONATHAN NOWELL CRAVEN, of Highthorne House, near York, all in
the County of York, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Benjamin Craven, Hiram Craven, and
Jonathan Nowell Craven, Her special licence that we, the said Benjamin
Craven, Hiram Craven, and Jonathan Nowell Craven, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Benjamin
Craven, Hiram Craven, and Jonathan Nowell Craven, 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 IMPROVED BRICK
AND TILE PRESSING MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Benjamin Craven, Hiram Craven, and Jonathan Nowell
Craven, 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 Jonathan Nowell Craven, on behalf
of myself and the said Benjamin Craven and Hiram Craven, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, 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 of the improved machine herein-after de-
scribed for compressing and consolidating bricks, tiles, and other like
articles.
The said machine is constructed and acts as follows:-Upon a suitable
rectangular framework we mount standards which support an overhead
steam cylinder, to the lower end of the piston rod of which is affixed a
platten or plunger of a form suitable to the shape and size of the brick
or tile to be pressed. Between the sides of the frame, and at or near
the top of the same is a sliding table upon which are fixed two moulds,
one near either end of the said table. A rack is formed on or affixed

page_text: to the under side of the said table, into which rack is geared a toothed
sector secured to a shaft which has a motion of partial rotation in the
said frame. On the outer end of the said shaft are affixed curved wings
or levers, which are acted upon alternately by a reciprocating clutch
mounted upon the lower end of a vertical rod affixed to a cross head
carried by the piston rod of the cylinder aforesaid. The ascent of the
said piston rod thus causes the table carrying the moulds to slide in one
or other direction so as to remove from under the platten or plunger the
mould containing the compressed brick, and to bring under the said
platten the mould containing the brick to be compressed. Within the
framework, and in the centre of the same, are two inclined planes which
are capable of adjustment and slope from the outer ends towards the
centre where they have their fulcra, and upon such planes run two
wheels (one for each mould) which carry uprights, having on their upper
ends sockets in which are fixed the bottom plates of the moulds. As
the table is moved to and fro by the rack and toothed sector aforesaid
one of the said wheels descends, and the upright carried by it draws into
one of the moulds the bottom plate carrying the brick or material to be
compressed, and the other wheel rises, and the upright carried by it
raises the bottom plate of the other mould and thereby forces out the
brick which has been compressed.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, we will proceed
to describe the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference
being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed and to the letters and
figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved brick and tile pressing
machine; Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same; Figure 3 is a
plan of the same; Figure 4 is a plan of the frame and table of the
said machine; and Figure 5 is a sectional plan (taken on the line Z,
Figure 1) showing the arrangement of the inclined planes hercin-after
referred to. Figures 6 and 7 represent sundry details herein-after
referred to. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all
the Figures.
A is the frame of the machine, on which are fixed standards B, B,
which support a cross piece B¹ on which the steam cylinder C is fixed.
The valves of the said cylinder are worked by means of a band lever c*.
The piston rod c' carries a platten or plunger c³, and a cross head c³, the
ends of which slide in guide slots b, b. 1) is a table which slides as

page_text: required in longitudinal grooves in the frame A, and carries moulds d', d,
which have internally the shape of the brick, tile, or other article to be
compressed. Air holes are made in the said moulds to allow the air to
escape as the platten & descends into the said moulds. The moulds
represented in the Drawing are for compressing tiles. The bottom
plates d', d, of the said moulds are moveable and are affixed to sliding
uprights d', d', by means of stems (,, formed on the said plates, which
stems are inserted in sockets in the said uprights. This arrangement
admits of the insertion of bottom plates of different shapes corresponding
to the shapes of the moulds employed. Figure 6 represents in vertical
section one of the uprights d' with a bottom plate fitted therein. The
lower ends of the uprights d', d', carry wheels d", ", which run on
inclined planes E, E, jointed at e, e¹, to the frame A. The free ends of
the said inclined planes are supported by screws c³, e³, carried by the
frame A, by turning which screws the said ends can be raised or lowered
according to the thickness of the articles to be compressed. F is a
toothed sector which gears into a rack d', on the under side of the
table D. The said sector is affixed to a shaft f, which turns in the
frame A. f, fs, are wings or levers which are keyed to the shaft f', and
are alternately raised by a clutch G mounted on the lower end of a
rod g', affixed to the cross head c³, which rod slides in a guide bracket a¹
bolted to the frame A. That part of the rod g¹ on which the clutch G is
mounted is made cylindrical to allow the said clutch to turn as required.
g is a flat spring, which when the clutch G is not in contact with one
or other of the levers f,f, keeps it parallel to the frame of the machine.
The levers ffs, and the clutch G have the sectional form represented
in Figure 7, which is a transverse section on a larger scale of the
lever f, and one end of the clutch G. The upper and lower sides of the
levers ff, and of the ends of the clutch G are bevilled or inclined, as
shown, so that as the inclined surface at one end of the clutch G is
caused to bear against one or other of the inclined sides of one of the
levers ff, the said clutch is caused to turn on its axis, as herein-after
explained. a, a, are bars which are adjusted by means of set
screws,, and act as stops and limit the motion of the table D and
thus prevent "back lash."
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The tile, brick, or other
article to be compressed being placed on the bottom plate d³ of the
mould, the hand lever is moved in a direction proper to admit

page_text: steam to the under side of the piston, and the piston rod c', platten c²,
cross head c³, rod g', and clutch G are thereby raised. As the said
clutch ascends the end of the said clutch engages with the lever f³, and
in so doing causes the said clutch to turn on its axis so as to bring the
other end out of the path of the lever f, which will as it descends
pass clear of the clutch G. The continued upward motion of the said
clutch raises the lever and turns the shaft and the sector F, which
latter moves the table D until the mould d comes under the platten c².
During the motion of the said table the upright carrying the bottom
plate of the mould de descends and draws the said bottom plate into the
said mould, and the upright carrying the bottom plate of the mould d
raises the said bottom plate and the compressed tile or brick thereon,
which said tile or brick is then removed from the said mould. The hand
lever c is then moved in a direction proper to admit steam to the upper
side of the piston, and the platten is thereby caused to descend and
compress the tile in the mould d.
As the clutch G descends the lower
inclined side of one of the ends of the said clutch bears against and
slides upon the incline upon the upper side of the lever or wing which
was lowered by the ascent of the said clutch which is thus caused
to turn on its axis and pass clear of the said lever, and is then held
in its normal position by the spring g².
From the foregoing description it will be seen that the upward motion
of the piston gives the required reciprocating motion to the table
carrying the moulds, and that the downward motion of the said piston
effects the compression of the brick, tile, or other article.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we
do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein-before described, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of our said
Invention; but we claim as our Invention,-
Firstly. The general construction and arrangement of parts con-
stituting the improved brick and tile pressing machine herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The arrangement of mechanism herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing for imparting reciprocating
motion as required to the table carrying the moulds.

page_text: Thirdly. The arrangement of mechanism herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing for raising and lowering the
bottom plates of the moulds.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jonathan Nowell Craven, have
hercunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred
and sixty-nine.
Witness,
H. H. MURDOCH,
7, Staple Inn,
London.
JONN. N. CRAVEN. (L.S.)