IMPROVEMENTS IN, SEPARATING SEEDS AND GROUND OR PULVERISED SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Walker Gibson, of the Firm of Gibson
& Walker, of Bonnington Steam Mills, in the County of Mid.
Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN,
SEPARATING SEEDS AND GROUND OR PULVERISED SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE
APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Walker Gibson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th December 1870.
I, WILLIAM WALKER GIBSON, of the Firm of Gibson & Walker, of
Bonnington Steam Mills, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEPARATING SEEDS AND GROUND OR PULVERISED SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE,
APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is to.
say:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction or arrangement of
apparatus which may be used for separating seeds from one another, or
from impurities or foreign substances which may be admixed with them,

page_text: but it is more especially applicable for the purpose of separating the
light particles from the coarser particles of ground or pulverised cereals.
The apparatus consists of a series of frusta of cones superposed
alternately in reverse positions, that is to say, the uppermost conic
frustum over which the materials to be separated are discharged from
a hopper or other receptacle has its base or larger end lowermost whilst
the next succeeding frustum is inverted. Any number of such frusta
of cones are placed vertically one above another, and as the materials to
be separated fall over the outer surface of the conic frusta whose bases
are lowermost, and whilst falling from the edge of the bases of these
conic frusta they are operated upon by the exhausting action of a fan,
pump, or other exhausting apparatus which draws the lighter portions
away from the coarser and heavier; the coarser and heavier portions
then pass down the inner side of the inverted conic frustum and are
therefore converged towards its central part, from which they are dis-
charged over the upper surface of the next pair of conic frusta, when
they are again operated upon by the exhaustive action and still further
separated. By employing a sufficient number of conic frusta similar to
those herein-before described the separating action referred to may be
carried to any desired extent. It is preferred to place a riddle or sieve
at the upper part of the apparatus through which the materials about to
be separated pass before falling on the uppermost conic frustum. In
place ef employing conic frusta as herein-before described pyramidal or
other polygonal frusta may be employed or other inclined surface.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said William Walker Gibson, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WALKER GIBSON, of the Firm of Gibson & Walker, of Bonnington
Steam Mills, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, send 3
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the 34th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and 3

page_text: grant unto me, the said William Walker Gibson, Her special license
that I, the said William Walker Gibson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Walker Gibson,
my executors, administrators, or 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING SEEDS AND GROUND OR PULVERISED SUBSTANCES,
AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Walker Gibson, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 William Walker Gibson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say :-
My said Invention relates to an improved construction or arrangement
of apparatus which may be used for separating seeds from one another
or from impurities or foreign substances which may be admixed with
them, but it is more especially applicable for the purpose of separating
the light particles from the coarser particles of ground or pulverised
cereals.
The apparatus consists of a series of frusta of cones superposed alter-
nately in reverse positions, that is to say, the uppermost conic frustum
over which the materials to be separated are discharged from a hopper or
other receptacle has its base or larger end lowermost, whilst the next
succeeding frustum is inverted. Any number of such frusta of cones
are placed vertically one above another, and as the materials to be
separated fall over the outer surface of the conic frusta whose bases are
lowermost and whilst falling from the edge of the bases of these conio frusta
they are operated upon by the exhausting action of a fan, pump, or
other exhausting apparatus which draws the lighter portions away from

page_text: the coarser and heavier. The coarser and heavier portions then down
pass
the inner side of the inverted conic frustum, and are therefore converged
towards its central part from which they are discharged over the upper
surface of the next pair of conic frusta, when they are again operated
upon by the exhaustive action and still further separated. By employing
a sufficient number of conic frusta similar to those herein-before described
the separating action referred to may be carried to any desired extent.
It is preferred to place a riddle or sieve at the upper part of the
before
apparatus through which the materials about to be separated pass
falling on the uppermost conio frustum. In place of employing conic
frusta as herein-before described pyramidal or other polygonal frusta or
other inclined surface may be employed.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood,
I now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
Upon the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended the left-hand half
marked A of Figure 1, is a vertical section, and the right-hand half of
the same Figure, marked B, is a side elevation of one arrangement of the
apparatus constituting my said Invention. Figure 2, is an end elevation
and Figure 3, is a horizontal section upon the line A¹, B', Figure 1,
whilst Figures 4, and 5, are respectively an enlarged vertical section and
plan of a detached pair of frusta of cones, and Figure 6 is an enlarged
detached view of the index plate 2, and the indicator or pointer k. The
same letters of reference mark the same or corresponding parts upon
the different Figures on which they occur.
Under the arrangement now about to be set forth and illustrated from
Figures 1 to 6 inclusive of the accompanying Drawings, my improved
separating apparatus consists of a series of frusta of cones com-
posed of thin sheet iron or other similarly suitable material arranged
in four distinct sets of vertical rows or columns as more particularly seen
at Figure 3, and in each of these sets the frusta of the cones are super-
posed alternately in reverse positions, that is to say, the uppermost conic
frustum E has its base or end of greatest diameter lowermost, whilst
the next succeeding frustum F is inverted, there being under this
arrangement four of each of the said frusta E and F arranged in
succession constituting each of the said sets as shewn at Figures, 1

page_text: and 2. Round the base of each of the upper frusta E a shallow ring a
is situated and attached thereto by means of the supports b, as more
particularly shewn in the enlarged detached views Figures 4 and 5, and
as the internal diameters of the said rings a are somewhat greater than
the external diameters of the upper frusta E at their base an annular
opening or passage c is thereby formed between each ring a, and
frustum E, the object of which is herein-after more particularly set forth.
At the mouth or upper extremity of each of the lower or inverted frusta
F, other frusta d of less diameter are situated in reversed position
and concentric therewith, with their upper extremities terminating at or
near the same plane with the lower extremities of the upper frusta E, as
clearly shown at Figures 1 and 2, whilst their-base or lower extremities
communicate with pipes e, which extend downwards in an inclined
direction and pass through the surfaces of the lower or inverted frusta
F, and terminate in the exhausting chamber G, as shewn at Figures 1
and 2, and in enlarged detail at Figures 4 and 5, the said chamber G
being in communication with a conveniently situated fan, air pump,
or other exhauster through the medium of a lower air passage: H, as
shown at Figures 1 and 3. Round the upper end of each of the small
conic frusta d, a pair of shallow truncated conic rings ƒ and, are
situated and attached concentrically thereto by means of supports g,
as more particularly shewn at Figures 4 and 5, whilst in each of the
pipes e, which communicate with the bases of the said lower conic
frusta d, throttle valves of the ordinary butterfly shape are situated
in the position shewn, the spindles i of which are passed through the
shell of the said pipes e, each having an indicator or pointer k fixed
to one end, whilst to one side of each of the pipes e index plates /
are fixed, one side of each of which is engraved or otherwise suitably
graduated into divisions ranging between the full open and shut positions
of the throttle valves h. The form and construction of the pointers /
and the index plates are clearly shewn at the detached view Figure 6,
whilst their position relatively with the other parts of the apparatus is
more particularly shewn at Figures 1, 3, and 5.
Having now described in detail the general features and construction
of one arrangement of the apparatus constituting my Invention, the
manner whereby the separation of seeds or ground or pulverised materials
is thereby effected will be more clearly understood as follows:-In con-
ducting the seeds or ground or pulverized materials toward my improved
separating apparatus I prefer to pass the seeds or materials over a set of

page_text: sieves contained in the sieve frame L, Figures 1 and 2, whereby they
receive a first dressing, the very fine dust being discharged through the
spout m, whilst hulls or husks or other large and foreign or impure sub-
stances are discharged at the end spout n, and those particles desired to
be operated upon by the separating apparatus issue from the sieves
through the bottom spouts o, and are discharged into hoppers p, whence
they fall through the contracted lower end thereof upon the upper
frusta E, being thus conducted in order that the seeds or ground or
pulverized material may be uniformly distributed over the outer surface
of the said frusta E, down which they rapidly descend by gravitation, and
finally fall from the base thereof through the openings c and are directed
in their further descent by the rings a at which point they are exposed
to a draught or exhausting current leading towards and passing down the
interior of the small frusta d and the pipe e, the said current or draught
being produced by the action of a fan or other exhauster as herein-before
set forth, and capable of being regulated in intensity by altering the
extent of the opening of the throttle valves h, the indicator or pointer k
and the index plates being provided to facilitate the said adjustment.
The effect of the said draught or exhausting current upon the descending
seeds or ground or pulverized materials at the place of their exposure
thereto is to draw from them the lighter portions which impelled by the
said draught or exhausting current pass therewith over and between the
concentric rings ƒ and ƒ¹, and down through the interior of the small
frustum & and the pipe e into the chamber G, and finally are conducted
therefrom through the lower passage H, and deposited in an adjacent
receptacle, whilst the heavier portions of the said seeds or ground or
pulverized materials continue to descend and fall upon the interior
surface of the lower or inverted frustum F, down the inclined surface of
which they descend, and from which at its lower end they are discharged
into the outer surface of the frustum E next in succession, and are again
exposed to the same exhausting operation as already specified with
reference to the first set of conic frusta, and in like manner with each
of the sets of frusta in succession until finally arriving at the lowest in
the series, having then had all the light particles separated therefrom,
they, issuing through the spouts r, are discharged into bags or other
suitable receptacles.
-
Under another arrangement illustrated in end elevation at Figure 7,
and in plan at Figure 8 of the accompanying Drawings my improved
separating apparatus is shewn arranged into two sets or vertical rows or

page_text: columns of conic frusta, and as the structure and action of the said conic
frusta are in every respect similar to those herein-before set forth with
reference to the foregoing arrangement, differing therefrom only in so
far as their disposal into a less number of sets or vertical rows or columns
is concerned, it is therefore unnecessary to further specify their con-
struction or action.
It is to be understood that I do not confine myself to either of the
arrangements herein-before set forth as any convenient number of sets or
vertical rows or columns of the conic frusta may be employed as con-
stituting one complete apparatus, and similarly any desired number of
the said conic frusta may be arranged in succession in each of the said
sets or vertical rows or columns, and further in lieu of employing conic
frusta as herein-before set forth, elliptical, pyramidal, or other polygonal
frusta may be employed.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement and construction of the apparatus
herein-before described, and the employment of the same for separating
seeds from impurities and foreign substances, and the finer from the
coarser or more impure portions of ground or pulverized materials,
substantially as herein-before described and shown upon the appended
Sheet of Drawings.
Second. The combination of exhausting apparatus with separating
cones, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walker Gibson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one.
WILLIAM WALKER GIBSON. (L.S.)