Improvements in Tea Leaf Rolling Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 8th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 9th May. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tea Leaf Rolling Machines.
I, SAMUEL CLELAND DAVIDSON of Sirocco Engineering Works, Belfast,
Ireland, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to the type or class of tea leaf rolling machines in
which as hitherto ordinarily inade, there is a table which has a horizontal excentric
reciprocating movement, and a receptacle surmounting the table for holding the
leaf to be rolled, this receptacle having a similar reciprocating movement to that
of the table below it; the vertical sides of the receptacle are usually parallel and
it has an inside lid or cap at the upper end which can be moved up and down for
the purpose of giving the contained leaf less or more pressure as required, against
the reciprocating table underneath it; and in the centre of the table is a slight
hollow or well, in the bottom of which is a trap door through which the leaf, when
fully rolled, is discharged into a receiving box or basket below it.
The present invention has for its object the construction of a machine of the
above mentioned type for rolling tea leaf, in which the working parts are fewer,
the mechanism simpler and stronger, and with an improved arrangement for
discharging the leaf when rolled.
In a tea leaf rolling machine in which the present improvements are embodied
the horizontal excentric reciprocating movement above referred to is confined to
the table underneath the leaf receptacle, and the leaf receptacle itself is made a
fixture to the framework of the machine, and preferably octagonal in form (but it
may be if required quadrilateral, polygonal or circular) with its sides tapering or
having a slight inward curve from at or near the bottom upwards; this inward
taper or inward inclination of the sides efficiently obviates any necessity for the
inside movable lid or cap hitherto employed for giving pressure to the leaf. There
is a door or port in the side of the leaf receptacle which when opened allows the
rolled leaf while the machine is still in motion to discharge direct out of the
leaf receptacle upon the exterior surface of the under table, the reciprocating
movement of which assists this discharge and throws the rolled leaf over the edge
of the table into a delivery shoot. From the shoot the rolled leaf falls perfectly
clear of the driving gear, all of which is located immediately below the under
table, and the arrangement of which is such, and its operation on the rolling table
so direct, that the absorption of power for the work done and the number of its
component parts are reduced to a minimum.
The horizontal excentric reciprocating movement of the table is communicated
thereto by preferably one strong central crank, and the table is supported and
carried through its horizontal movement by preferably four corner cranks, and the
socket in which the lower end of each crank shaft or the crank pin revolves is so
constructed and fitted with a removable plug or plate on the lower end that it
forms an oil-tight joint therewith which retains the oil in the socket and at same
time forms a footstep for supporting the lower point of the crank shaft or the
crank pin either with or without an intervening washer to minimise the wearing
friction thereon.
If desired the leaf receptacle may be formed with internal ribs or projections
in order to give a better grip to the leaf, which is more particularly useful if the

page_text: receptacle be circular that is to say without angles but the use of such ribs or
projections is not essential.
The improved construction of leaf receptacle having its sides tapering or curved
inwards towards the top although specially applicable to machines in which the
said receptacle is stationary can also be employed in machines in which the
receptacle has the ordinary horizontal reciprocating movement. Similarly
the provision of a side door or port in the leaf receptacle in lieu of the ordinary
trap door in the centre of the under table is applicable to machines in which the
leaf receptacle has the said ordinary reciprocating movement and whether the sides
of the receptacle he tapered or vertical and, whether an inside lid or cap for giving
pressure to the leaf be used or not.
Dated this 4th day of November 1895.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in Tea Leaf Rolling Machines.
I, SAMUEL CLELAND DAVIDSON of Sirocco Engineering Works, Belfast,
Ireland, Merchaut, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :―
.
This invention has reference to the type or class of tea leaf rolling machines in
which as hitherto ordinarily made there is a table which has a horizontal excentric
reciprocating movement, hereinafter called the rolling table, and a receptacle
surmounting the table for holding the leaf to be rolled, hereinafter called the leaf
receptacle, with a similar but oppositely timed reciprocating movement to that of
the rolling table below it; and the vertical sides of which are usually parallel, and
said leaf receptacle has usually an inside lid or cap at the upper end for moving up
and down to give the contained leaf less or more pressure as required against the
rolling table underneath it; and in the centre of the rolling table there is a slight
hollow or well, in the bottom of which is a trap door through which the leaf when
fully rolled is discharged into a receiving box or basket below it.
The present invention has for its object the construction of a machine of the
above mentioned type for rolling tea leaf, in which the working parts are fewer,
the mechanism simpler and stronger, and with an improved arrangement for
discharging the leaf when rolled.
.
In tea leaf rolling machines in which the present improvements are embodied,
the horizontal excentric reciprocating movement above referred to is preferably
confined to the rolling table, and the leaf receptacle itself made a fixture to the
framework of the machine, and octagonal in form (but it may if required be
quadrilateral, polygonal or circular) with its vertical sides having a slight taper or
inward curve near the top end; and in the side of the leaf receptacle there is a
door or port which, when opened, allows the rolled leaf, while the machine is still
in motion to discharge direct out of the leaf receptacle upon the exterior surface
of the rolling table, the reciprocating movement of which assists this discharge and
throws the rolled leaf over the edge of this table into a delivery shoot from which
it falls perfectly clear of the driving gear, all of which is located immediately
below the under table, and the arrangement of which for carrying the rolling table,
and its relative, position thereto, are such and its operation thereon so direct, that
the absorption of power for the work done and the number of its component parts
are reduced to a minimum.
In the herein described improved rolling machine, the rolling table is supported
on four pins, which are strongly fastened on the bottom side of it, and have their

page_text: ends inserted into, and their points resting on the bottom part or footstep of
vertical oil-tight bushes or bearings formed in the outer end of each of the four
supporting cranks on which the table moves, and which are carried on vertical
shafts mounted in similarly constructed footstep bushes in the frame-work of the
machine, and a fifth pin is fitted on the bottom of the well of the table, and
similarly inserted into, but without resting its points upon the bottom of a vertical
oil-tight bush, constructed in the arm forming the crank of the bevel geared
driving wheel, which in revolving communicates through said fifth pin, the
horizontal excentric reciprocating motion to the table, and all of these five
bushes being oil-tight, and filled with oil to their top surface, they each
practically constitute an oil bath in which the inserted pins, work with a minimum
of friction.
The accompanying drawings represent a tea leaf rolling machine in which the
improvements are embodied.
Figure 1 is a side elevation; Figure 2 an end elevation; and Figure 3 a plan
of the machine.
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation through the line a-b on Figure 5;
Figure 5 is a sectional plan through the line c-d on Figure 4; and
Figure 6 another sectional plan but through the line e-fon Figure 2.
The letters indicating the various parts are the same in each figure and are as
follows:-
A A is the framework of the machine, which is preferably made in sections for
convenience of manufacture and on two of the legs or standards of same is bolted
the footstep bracket or bridge B upon which is constructed the footstep bearing C
for carrying or supporting the ends of the upright spindle or shaft D. To this
shaft is fixed the bevel wheel E constructed in such manner that it constitutes a
crank or crank dise, by having the bearing or bush F upon the web thereof at any
suitable distance from its centre. The said bush F is bored to receive the crank
pin G which crank pin-is attached to the rolling table H in any suitable manner.
The rolling table H, near the centre of which is a dished cavity I, is mounted on
pins Y firmly secured by flanges or otherwise to its under side, and the ends of
which pins are inserted into, and their points rest on oil tight plugs or caps N
securely bolted or fixed in any other manner so as to close the bottom of the
bushes M formed in the outer ends of the cranks J J on which the table is thus
supported and carried through its horizontal excentric reciprocating movement,.
the special feature of this method of supporting the trolling table on pins being
that the pins work in footstep bushes M in the ends of the supporting cranks J,
which bushes retain their lubricating oil for an indefinite period, owing to their
being closed at bottom with the aforesaid oil-tight caps or plugs N, the upper or
working faces of which may either be case-hardened or constructed out of any
suitable hard metal to form a good wearing footstep, and may have a loose washer
or washers between them and the points of the crank pins which rest upon them, to
further decrease wear and friction, and as these bushes remain continuously filled
with oil to their top surface, they thus practically constitute oil baths in which the
pins work with a minimum of friction. The crank shafts or pillars K of the
cranks J J are carried in oil-tight bushes L similarly constructed to the bushes M.
The octagonal sided leaf receptacle O (which may also be circular, rectangular or
polygonal) is bolted to the framework A-A and fitted with discharge doors P, and
an inlet hopper Q. RR are belt pulleys one of which is keyed to the driving
shaft S carried by bearings T constructed on the framework or bridge U which is
in turn bolted to the framework A A of the machine. On the end of the driving:
shaft S is keyed a bevel pinion V which gears into the bevel wheel E. W is a.
wooden platform around the leaf receptacle O, and X is a delivery shoot into.
which the rolled leaf is discharged over the edge of the table H from the machine,:
so that it falls quite clear of the machine on to the floor or into any suitable:
receiver.
The vertical bearing C in which the shaft D revolves is preferably constructed:

page_text: in the same manner as the crank bearings L on the frame A A, and M on the
cranks J J, so that the shaft D, like the pins K and Y while being supported on
its end on the cap or plug or intervening washer, is also practically revolving in a
bath of oil, whereby friction is reduced to a minimum.
It will be readily understood that as the driving shaft S revolves, it transmits
motion through the bevel pinion V to the bevel wheel E, which in turn transmits
a horizontal, excentric, reciprocating movement to the rolling table H through the
crank bearing F, and crank pin G, the table being guided and supported in.its
movement by the pins Y attached to its under side and resting on the footstep at
the bottom of the bushes or bearings in the ends of the supporting cranks JJ, so that
their flange or other means of attachment to under side of rolling table is clear of
the top surface of said bushes, and the slight inward curve or taper of the sides of
the leaf receptacle towards the top end, combined with the weight and depth of the
leaf itself, when the receptacle is full, assists the sides in sufficiently resisting
the compressing pressure due to the forward movement of the opposing sides of
the dished cavity of the rolling table, acting upon the outer side of the column
of the leaf contained in the leaf receptacle, to effect the necessary squeezing and
rolling operation on the mass of leaf throughout, without any requirement for the
inside and upper movable cap or weight hitherto required to press the leaf
downwards against the under table.
When the leaf is fully rolled, the doors P are opened, and the reciprocating
excentric movement of the table H enables it to throw the rolled leaf out of the
leaf receptacle O on to the delivery shoot X, which directs it into a hopper or any
suitable receiver, or on to the floor quite clear of the machinery; and any leaf
which may still remain in the dished cavity can then be easily raked out on to the
shoot X.
If desired, the sides of the leaf receptacle O may be fitted with internal ribs or
projections, in order to give a better grip to the leaf, which are more particularly
useful if the receptacle be circular that is to say without angles such as are formed
by the octagonal shape represented in the accompanying drawings, but the use of
such ribs or projections is not essential.
The improved construction of leaf receptacle having its sides tapering or curved
inwards towards the top although specially applicable to machines in which the
said receptacle is stationary, can also be employed in machines in which the
receptacle has the ordinary horizontal reciprocating movement. Similarly the pro-
vision of a side door or port P in the leaf receptacle in lieu of the ordinary trap
door in the centre of the under table, is applicable to machines in which the leaf
receptacle has movement, and whether the sides of the receptacle be tapered or
vertical, and whether an inside lid or cap for giving pressure to the leaf be used
or not.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In tea leaf rolling machines in which there is a rolling table having a
horizontal, excentric reciprocating movement, surmounted by a receptacle, whether
stationary or movable, for holding the leaf to be rolled, the construction of such
leaf receptacle with its sides slightly tapering or curving inwards near the top,
whereby when the machine is in motion sufficient resistance is opposed to the rather
upward pressure of the contained leaf by the movement of the rolling table, in
addition to the downward pressure of the leaf due to its own weight, to efficiently
roll it, without involving the employment of any inside lid or cap in the leaf
receptacle, such as hitherto ordinarily used for giving the leaf pressure, all
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In tea leaf rolling machines in which there is a rolling table having a
horizontal excentric reciprocating movement, surmounted by a receptacle for

page_text: holding the leaf to be rolled, whether said receptacle be stationary or movable,
and whether fitted or not with an inside movable cap or lid for imparting pressure
to the leaf, the employment of a side door or port in such receptacle through
which the leaf can be discharged out of said receptacle upon the exterior surface
of the rolling table, and thence over its edge into any suitable receiver, instead of
down through a trap door in the table, as hitherto ordinarily employed, all
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying drawings.
3. In tea leaf rolling machines, the combination with a rolling table having a
horizontal excentric reciprocating movement, of a stationary leaf receptacle above
it, whether its sides be vertically parallel or with a slight inward or outward curve
or taper, with a side door or port therein which when opened allows the discharge
of the rolled leaf out of the leaf receptacle upon the exterior surface of said table,
the excentric reciprocating movement of which not only facilitates this discharge
but also throws the leaf over the edge of the table clear of the driving gear below
game, into any suitable receiving hopper, all substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawings.
4. In tea leaf rolling machines, the method of supporting and carrying the
rolling table, by means of vertical pins attached to the under side of said table and
inserted into vertical oil-tight footstep bushes or bearings constructed in horizontal
cranks, on the bottom of which bushes or bearings the points of said pins rest, and
support the weight of the table, whereby as the cranks describe the circle of their
rotation, these bushes or bearings, which can be kept full to the top with oil,
revolve round the contained pius as an oil bath, in which said pins work with a
minimum of friction, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before described
and represented in the accompanying drawings.
5. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the herein-
before described improved tea leaf rolling machine, all substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of April 1896
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.