IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINES KNOWN AS 'MIDDLINGS SEPARATORS' OR PURIFIERS."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Abraham Crabtree, of Bacup, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF MACHINES KNOWN AS 'MIDDLINGS SEPARATORS' OR PURIFIERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Abraham Crabtree at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th April 1875.
I, ABRAHAM CRABTREE, of Bacup, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINES KNOWN AS 'MIDDLINGS SEPARATORS' OR PURIFIERS,"
to be as follows .-
-
This Invention relates to those machines used by millers for separating
the finer from the coarser portions of "middlings" flour called "middlings
separators or purifiers," and consists chiefly of a series of revolving and
reciprocating brushes for constantly clearing the under side of the silk
sieves used in such machines, whereby such sieves are prevented from
becoming choked, and I am enabled to use much finer sieves than

page_text: hitherto, and consequently to obtain a finer and cleaner product than
heretoforc The revolving brushes are mounted beneath the sieves in a
frame or carriage, to which a reciprocating motion is imparted by means
of a crank or excentric or other suitable mechanism, and they are at the
same time caused to revolve by means of an endless cord or band which
takes one turn round a pulley keyed on the axis of one of the brushes,
and thus causes it to revolve and at the same time to travel backwards
and forwards. The other brushes on the carriage are driven from the
first by other endless cords or bands.
The traverse to and fro of the frame or carriage should be about 1
equal to the distance between the-brushes, and thus every portion of the
under side of the silk sieves is kept constantly brushed, and choking or
clogging of the sieves is prevented.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Abraham Crabtree in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ABRAHAM
CRABTREE, of Bacup, in the County of Lancaster; send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Abraham Crabtree, Her special license that
I, the said Abraham Crabtree, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Abraham Crabtree, my 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 Butain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINES KNOWN AS MIDDLINGS SEPARATORS OR PURIFIERS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Abraham Crabtree,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 tho
Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar monthis next and immc-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Abraham Crabtrec, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertamed in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawings .—
This Invention relates to those machines (used by millers for
separating the fine from the coarser portions of "middlings" flour)
called "middlings" separators or purifiers," and consists chiefly of
a scries of revolving and reciprocating brushes for constantly clearing
the under side of the sieves of silk or other woven fabric used in such
machines, whereby such sieves are prevented from becoming choked,
and I am enabled to use much finer sieves than hitherto, and consc-
quently to obtain a finer and cleaner product than heretofore.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will now
proceed to describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that tho
same may be clearly understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof.-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing represents a vertical and longitudinal
section of a "middlings separator; "Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same,
Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section thercof; and Fig. 4 is a detached
section of a portion of the same herein-after referred to.
a, a, refer to the frame and ordinary parts of the machine; and b, b, is
the ordinary sieve of silk or other woven fabric, c, c, are the revolving
brushes mounted beneath the sieves b, b, in a frame or carnage d, d, to
which (and consequently to the brushes c, c), a slow reciprocating
motion is imparted by means of an arm e, e, connected to it and to a
crank pin fixed in a face plate f, f, to which a slow revolving motion is
imparted by means of a worm and worm wheel, or in any other con-
venient manner, or the reciprocating motion may be communicated to
the carriage d, d, by an excentric or other suitable mechanism, and the
brushes c, c, are at the same time caused to revolve by means of an

page_text: endless cord or band g, g, which takes one turn round a pulley h, h,
keyed or otherwise secured on the axis of one of the brushes c¹, and
thus causes it to revolve, and at the same time allows the carriage d, d,
to travel backwards and forwards. The other brushes c, c, on the
carriage d, d, are driven from the first by other endless cords or 5
bands i.
The traverse to and fro of the frame or carriage d, d, and brushes c, c,
should be about equal to the distance between the brushes or rather
more, and thus every portion of the under side of the sieves is kept con-
stantly brushed, and choking or clogging of the sieves is prevented, the 1
sicves b, b, at the same time having a short and rapid reciprocating
motion given to it as usual and by the ordinary means.
In order to allow of the sieve being lowered in the ovent of the brushes
becoming worn I elongate or slot the holes in the side frame, through
which pass the bolts for fixing the sieves thereto, as shown at k, k, in 1
Fig. 1, and in the detached section of this part at Fig. 4.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may bc per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention the combination of the reciprocating carriage d
and revolving and reciprocating brushes c, c, actuated by an arm
e, e, face plate,f, endless bands and ?, pulley (or other equivalent
mechanical device producing the same motions), all constructed,
arranged, and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Abraham Crabtrec, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Fourth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.