Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting, Sorting and Classifying Tea or other Products or Materials.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 6th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 27th May, 1899
TROYDONAL DIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting, Sorting and Classifying Tea
or other Products or Materials.
I, WILLIAM JACKSON, of Thorn Grove, Mannofield, Aberdeen, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
are
My invention relates to apparatus for sifting, sorting, or classifying tea, or
other products, or materials wherein sieves having reciprocating motion
employed; the objects of my invention being to provide means whereby the degree
of inclination of the sieves can be readily varied, and whereby the reticulations
of the wirework of the sieves can be cleared) of any knotty leaves or stalks or
other obstructions, which may clog them.
The sieves are mounted upon blade springs which allow of their being recipro-
cated the series being connected to the springs at one end by a joint upon which
they can turn whilst the connection of the sieves with the springs at the other
end is made with the intervention of vertical bars on which the sieves can be
moved up and down (turning upon the centres at the other ends) and to which
they can be secured when adjusted so that the sieves can be readily set to work
at the desired plane or incline. In order to clear the reticulations of the wire-
work of the sieves I provide scrapers or cleaners placed transversely at suitable
distances apart under the wirework of the sieves and in contact therewith. The
scrapers, or cleaners for each sieve are secured to rods carried in bearings in
which they can be slidden so as to cause the scrapers, or cleaners to scrape the
underside of the wirework of the sieves and remove any knotty leaf, stalks, or
material which may clog the reticulations. When the apparatus is in
normal work the scrapers or cleaners and the rods which carry them are secured
in position relatively to the sieves so that they move backwards and forwards
with the sieves and constitute supports for the wirework.
Dated this 20th day of March 1899
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
17, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC Agents
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting, Sorting and Classifying Tea
or other Products or Materials.
I, WILLIAM JACKSON, of Thorn Grove, Mannofield, Aberdeen, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting, Sorting and Classifying Tea
or other Products or Materials.
I, WILLIAM JACKSON, of Thorn Grove, Mannofield, Aberdeen, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My invention relates to apparatus for sifting, sorting, or classifying, tea, or
other products, or materials, wherein sieves, having reciprocating motion, are
employed; the objects of my invention being to provide means whereby the degree
of inclination of the sieves can be readily varied, and whereby the reticulations
of the wirework of the sieves can be cleared of any knotty leaves, or stalks, or
other obstructions, which may clog them.
The sieves are mounted upon blade-springs which allow of their being recipro-
cated, the sieves being connected to the springs at one end by a joint upon which
they can turn, whilst the connection of the sieves with the springs at the other
end is made with the intervention of vertical bars on which the sieves can be
moved up and down, (turning upon the centres at the other ends), and to which
they can be secured when adjusted so that the sieves can be readily set to work
at the desired plane, or incline. In order to clear the reticulations of the wire-
work of the sieves I provide scrapers, or cleaners, placed transversely at suitable
distances apart under the wirework of the sieves and in contact therewith. The
scrapers, or cleaners, for each sieve are secured to rods carried in bearings in
which they can be slidden so as to cause the scrapers, or cleaners, to scrape the
underside of the wirework, of the sieves and remove any knotty leaf, stalks, or
other material, which may clog the reticulations. When the apparatus is in
normal work the scrapers, or cleaners, and the rods which carry them, are secured
in position, relatively to the sieves, so that they move backwards and forwards
with the sieves and constitute supports for the wirework.
In order that my invention may be well understood I will describe, with refer-
ence to the accompanying drawing, an apparatus provided with two sieves recipro-
cated from a crank shaft; but it is to be understood that my invention may be
applied to apparatus having one sieve, or two, or more, sieves, to which recipro-
cating movement is imparted in any, convenient way, and that I do not limit
myself to the precise details illustrated.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 is an end elevation, of an apparatus
constructed in accordance with my invention. Figures 3, 4 and 5 are respectively
a plan of underside, a longitudinal section, and a transverse section, of one of
the frames of the sieves, with the scrapers, or cleaners, attached.
A, is a pedestal bracket carrying the crank shaft 3, driven by any convenient
motor, the crank pins C, transmitting, by means of the connecting rods E, recipro-
cating motion to the sieves D. G are the blade springs, (preferably made of
wood), which carry the sieves D, the lower ends of the said springs being firmly
secured to the base brackets H. At the driving end of the sieves the upper ends
of the springs G, are connected, by the pivot, or hinge, joints J, directly to the
sieves, the upper ends of the springs at, or towards, the other ends of the sieves,
being pivotted to the bars K, on which slide the locking devices L, secured to
the sieves so that these ends of the sieves can be raised and lowered, and fixed
in position, on the bars K, and thus the sieves be worked in, or at, any desired
plane, or inclination.
M, are the frames to which the wirework of the sieves is attached. The said
wirework is omitted from the plan. N, are the scrapers, or cleaners, in contact
with the underside of the wirework of each sieve. The said scrapers, or cleaners,
are firmly secured to the rods O, by clips 02, and these rods O, are mounted in
bearings P, carried by the frame M, and they, and consequently the scrapers, or
cleaners, carried by them, can be moved backwards and forwards, even whilst
the machine is in operation, by the attendant grasping the rod R, which connects
the rods O, and pulling it, and pushing it, backwards and forwards, the springs t,
preventing shock.
When the wirework is cleared the scraping arrangement is secured to the
sieve frames by locking devices provided for the purpose and the scrapers or
cleaners then act as supports to the wirework.

page_text: The locking devices may be of any suitable description. As shewn they consist
of eye screw-bolts S passed through brackets 2, secured to the frames of the
sieves, and provided with hand-wheel nuts 3, so that by screwing these upon the
bolts the eyes are drawn up and pinch the rods O which pass through them, or
are moved down to release the said rods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In apparatus for sifting, sorting, or classifying, tea, or other products, or
material, in which a reciprocating sieve, or reciprocating sieves, is, or are, used, an
arrangement for varying the degree of inclination of the sieve, or sieves; sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In combination with the sieve, or sieves, of apparatus for sifting, sorting, or
classifying, tea, or other products, or material, a device, or devices, for scraping,
cleaning, and supporting, the wirework of the sieve, or sieves; substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the apparatus for
sifting, sorting, or classifying, tea, or other products, or material; substantially
as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of April 1899.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.