IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHELLING COFFEE AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS, AND FOR SEPARATING THE HUSK FROM THE BEAN SIMULTANEOUSLY.
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jose Antonio Mosquera, of Caracas, Venezuela, at present
residing at 45, Linden Gardens, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHELLING COFFEE AND
OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS, AND FOR SEPARATING THE HUSK FROM THE BEAN
SIMULTANEOUSLY. "
Sealed the 9th April 1878, and dated the 12th February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jose Antonio Mosquera at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th February 1878.
JOSE ANTONIO MOSQUERA, of Caracas, Venezuela, at present residing at 45,
Linden Gardens, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SHELLING COFFEE AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS, AND
SEPARATING THE HUSK FROM THE BEAN SIMULTANEOUSLY."
FOR
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for shelling coffee and other
similar products, and for separating the husk from the bean simultaneously, and
consists in fitting a drum serrated or formed with teeth on its periphery, the drum
being enclosed between two side plates, which have prolongations or extension
pieces upon them to enable the drum to be carried on the main frame of the
machine on which the bearings carrying the drum spindle are mounted.
A series of spring tumblers or levers of peculiar form and size are arranged in
circumferential order for about one half of the circumference of the serrated drum,
and are maintained in position relatively with the drum by a spring acting upon
one arm of each lever, another arm or projection of the said lever taking against
a stop pin. The internal face of each tumbler or lever, that is to say, the face next
the serrated periphery of the drum, is also serrated, the pitch of the serrations being
finer than those of the drum. The toothed or serrated face of the tumbler is so
arranged with reference to the periphery of the drum that there is more room
afforded for the bean to enter than at the point where it leaves, from which the
shelling action ensues.

page_text: The area of the opening at the point where the bean enters each row of tumblers
is in the same proportion as the feed drum.
The coffee is fed into a hopper fixed at the upper part of the machine. The shoot
conveying the beans to the acting portion of the drum is fitted with a smaller drum
driven by a pulley from the axle of the main drum, and formed with pockets to
regulate the feed in conjunction with two blades, which are fitted one on either
side of this smaller drum, and which also prevent the entrance of stones or any
other foreign substance into the machine without being detected.
Below the drum is an inclined plane upon which the bean and husk fall together,
and from which they are delivered into a receptacle. Through openings in this
receptacle a strong current of air is drawn or sucked up by a fan, put in motion
from a large pulley on the axle of the main drum. The fan causes the husk and
other debris to be drawn away from the bean itself, which latter by its superior
specific gravity escapes from an opening at the bottom of the first named receptacle,
where they can be collected as desired in a perfectly clean state.
The main drum can be fitted with a pulley for driving by steam or other power or
by hand according to the size of the machine.
The extensions or prolongations of the side plates which enclose the serrated
drum offer great facility for the insertion and removal of the shelling portion of the
machine by their simple attachment to the side frames.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The bean is fed into the hopper, from
which it descends by its own weight on to the serrated periphery of the shelling drum,
the feed being regulated by the smaller pocketed drum above. From this point
the rotation of the drum causes the beans to enter between the serrated periphery
and the serrated face of the tumblers or levers which surround a portion of its
circumference, by which they receive a rubbing action, the husks being removed under
the pressure of the springs acting on one extension of the tumblers or levers as
before described, the bean and husk being delivered at the lower part and acted
upon for their separation by the fan as before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Jose Antonio Mosquera in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
June 1878.
JOSE ANTONIO MOSQUERA, of Caracas, Venezuela, at present residing at 45,
Linden Gardens, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex. " IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SHELLING COFFEE AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS, AND FOR
SEPARATING THE HUSK FROM THE BEAN SIMULTANEOUSLY."
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for shelling coffee and other
similar products, and for separating the husk from the bean simultaneously, and
consists, as will be seen by reference to the annexed Drawings, Figures 1 and 2, in
fitting a drum A serrated or formed with teeth on its periphery (as clearly seen at
Figure 3, which shows on a larger scale a portion of the periphery of the drum)
between two side plates B, B, which have prolongations or extension pieces C, C,
upon them to enable the drum to be carried on the main frame D of the machine
on which the bearings E, E, carrying the drum spindle F are mounted.
A series of spring tumblers or levers G, G, of peculiar form and size are arranged
side by side with washers between in any desired number on pins G¹ in circum
ferential order for about one half of the circumference of the serrated drum A as
shown in Figure 1, and are maintained in position relatively with the drum A by
springs a acting upon one arm 6 of each lever G, another arm or projection c of the
said lever taking against a stop pin d. The spring a of each tumbler encircles a
pin a² attached to the tumbler, the outer end of which pin is guided in its motion
by a comb bar v, which also forms a stop for one end of the spring a. A nut u
enables the spring to be adjusted. The internal face of the arm 6 of each tumbler
or lever G, that is to say, the face next the serrated periphery of the drum A, is also
serrated, the pitch of the serrations being finer than those of the drum. The toothed
or serrated face of the tumbler G is so arranged with reference to the periphery of
the drum A that there is more room afforded for the bean to enter at the point e
than where it leaves at the point f, from which the shelling action ensues.
The area of the opening at the point where the bean enters each row of tumblers
is in the same proportion as that of the feed drum above.
One of the tumblers or levers G with a portion of one of its side plates B is shown
on a larger scale in Figure 3, and several of them in end view in Figure 4.
Figures 5 and 6 show a modification of the tumbler G, and the mode of regulating
the pressure by means of the spring a. It will be seen that in this view the tumbler
has a less number of teeth on its working face than in the preceding Figures, and
that the said working face is brought nearer to the serrated periphery of the revolving
drum. The spring arrangement is capable of nice adjustment, as it is only necessary
to loosen the nut u on the bar v(as described with reference to Figure 4) to adjust
its position, and so regulate the pressure of the spring to a nicety. Although the
pins G in Figures 1, 3, and 5 are shown as fixtures in the side plates B, it is obvious
that they may be made adjustable to and from the centre of the serrated drum A
by any of the well-known mechanical means to regulate the distance of the working.
face of the tumblers from the serrated periphery of the drum.
A main feature in connection with these tumblers is their width, which is
preferably about the length of the bean, and is thus so regulated with reference to
the beans that no bean can possibly be subjected to the action of more than two
tumblers at the same time.
The coffee is fed into a hopper H fixed at the upper part of the machine. The
shoot I conveying the beans to the acting portion of the drum A is fitted with a
smaller drum J, the axle K of which carries a pulley L driven by a smaller pulley M

page_text: and strap from the axle of the main drum, and the drum J seen in Figure 1 is
formed with pockets to regulate the feed. Two adjustable blades g, h, which are
fitted one on either side of this smaller drum J, prevent the entrance of stones or
any other foreign substance into the machine without being detected.
Below the drum A is an inclined plane N forming a delivery shoot, upon which
the bean and husk fall together, and from which they are delivered into a
receptacle P. Through one or more openings i, i, i, i, in this receptacle a strong
current of air is drawn or sucked up by a fan Q, put in motion by the band S from
the large pulley R on the axle of the main drum, as seen in Figure 1. The fan Q
causes the husk and other debris to be drawn away from the beans, which latter by
their superior specific gravity fall and escape through the opening 1' at the bottom
of the receptacle P, where they can be collected as desired in a perfectly clean state.
Although the fan Q is shown at the left-hand side of the machine, it is obvious
that it may be placed underneath or in any other position found desirable.
The axle of the main drum A is fitted with a pulley U for driving through the
intermediation of a band or gut by steam or other power, or the machine may be
driven by hand if desired, according to the size of the machine.
The extensions or prolongations C, C, of the side plates B, B, which enclose the
acting portion of the serrated drum A offer great facility for the insertion and
removal of the tumbler portion of the machine, it being only necessary to remove
the four screws k, k, k, k, to enable the frame carrying the tumblers to be
withdrawn.
Another frame carrying one or more brushes fitting the periphery of the serrated
drum may be inserted if desired to polish the berry, which is again passed through
the machine after being shelled. One view of such a brush is shown in Figure 7.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The beans are fed into the hopper H,
from which they descend by their own weight on to the serrated periphery of the
shelling drum A, the feed being regulated by the smaller "pocketed" drum J above
as herein-before explained. From this point the rotation of the drum A causes the
beans to enter between the serrated periphery, and the serrated face of the tumblers
or levers G which surround a portion of its circumference, by which they receive a
rubbing action, the husks being removed under the pressure of the springs a acting
on one extension of the tumblers or levers G, the beans and husks falling together
down the inclined plane N into the receptacle P, where they are separated from
each other by the action of the blast produced by the fan Q, the beans escaping
by the opening T, while the husks and other debris are driven out at the
opening W.
The fan is enclosed within two side casings 1, 1, as will be seen on reference to
.Figure 2, these being in continuation with the receptacle P, and through which the
shells and husks are drawn into it through the opening Q¹. These side casings 1, 1,
are provided with one or more. self-acting flaps or doors m, m, at the base of a
sloping plate n, which arrests any beans which may be carried through the
openings i, i, by the suction of the fan. These collect on the flaps m, m, until their
weight overcomes that of the balance weight p, when the flap opens, discharges the
beans, and then returns to its normal position as shown.
The strap driving the fan is kept taut by means of the roller r being pressed
against it by the weight s, the two being centred on opposite ends of the lever t
pivoted on the side of the frame, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that 1 claim,-
First. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improve-
ments in apparatus for shelling coffee and other similar products, and for separating
the husk from the bean simultaneously, as herein-before described and substantially
as shown in the annexed Drawings.
Secondly. The employment of serrated levers or tumblers of the width mentioned,

page_text: and fitted as described in combination with a revolving serrated drum, the two
acting as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jose Antonio Mosquera, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight.
J. A. MOSQUERA. (L.S.)