IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE RIDDLES FOR PRO FOR SEPARATING STRAW FROM GRAIN, AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Humphries, of Pershore, in the County of
Worcester, Machinist, and Thomas Humphries, of the same Place,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE RIDDLES FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Humphries and
Thomas Humphries at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 11th May 1855.
I, EDWARD HUMPHRIES, of Pershore, in the County of Worcester, Machinist,
and I, THOMAS HUMPHRIES, of the same Place, Machinist, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE RIDDLES FOR
SEPARATING STRAW FROM GRAIN, AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements in machine riddles refer to the perforated surfaces used
for separating straws from grain, and for other like purposes, which usually
consist of woven wire or perforated metal.
Our improvements consist in forming these perforated surfaces with the
perforations inclined to the plane of the riddle surface, instead of being directly
through, as usual, which we find facilitates the separation of short straws from
the corn, and also advantageous for other purposes. To give better effect to
the inclined perforations, we prefer to make the riddling surface thicker than
usual. The perforations may also be larger at the lower side than the upper
surface of the riddle, which with the shape of the openings is matter of
detail, and will depend somewhat upon the nature of the materials to bo
separated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Humphries and Thomas Humphries in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 9th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, EDWARD
HUMPHRIES, of Pershore, in the County of Worcester, Machinist, and
THOMAS HUMPHRIES, of the same Place, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Edward Humphries and Thomas Humphries, Her special licence that
we, the said Edward Humphries and Thomas Humphries, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edward Humphries
and Thomas Humphries, our 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 Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINE RIDDLES FOR SEPERATING STRAW FROM GRAIN, AND FOR
OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Edward Humphries and Thomas Humphries, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 Edward Humphries, on behalf of
myself and of the said Thomas Humphries, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
Our Invention of improvements in machine riddles refer to the perforated
surfaces used for seperating the short straws from the grain after threshing,
and for other like purposes. These surfaces usually consist of woven wire or
of perforated metal.
Our improvements consist in forming these perforated surfaces with the
perforations inclined to the plane of the riddle surface, instead of being directly

page_text: through, as usual, which we find facilitates the separation or short straws from
the corn, and also advantageous for other like purposes. To give better effect
to the inclined perforations, we make the riddling surface thicker than usual.
The perforations may also be larger at the lower side than the upper surface
of the riddle, which with the shape of the openings is matter of detail, and
will depend somewhat upon the nature of the materials to be separated. The
riddles attached to threshing machines are usually formed of perforated metal,
the holes being punched through the plate or sheet at right angles to tho
surface. Now, we find in separating the short straws and pulse from grain
that the straws are very subject to pass partly through the perforations and
there stick, which with the pulse and other matters very soon choke the riddle
if allowed to accumulate, whereas by inclining the perforations to the plane of
the riddle, the straws and pulse pass readily over the surface, and at the same
time the corn and chaff have a free passage through the riddle.
In order to give full effect to the inclined perforations, we make the riddle
or perforated surface considerably thicker than usual, to prevent the ends of
the straws getting partly through and under the perforated surface.
Fig. 1 of the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed represents, in plan, a
portion of a riddle constructed according to our Invention; Fig. 2, a vertical
section, in the direction of the length and incline of the riddle; and Figure 3,
a transverse vertical section of the same. The perforations represented in
these Figures are of about the full size for corn. They are disposed and
arranged in the surface as best calculated to intercept the grain, and somewhat
in the ordinary way. a, a, are the raised sides of the riddle, forming the limit
of the perforated surface; b, b, the corn and other matters to be separated, as
is well known, are led on at the higher level of the riddle, and move towards
the lower level; in its passage the corn and chaff pass through, but the short
straws and pulse are too long to pass through the perforations c, c, c, c, and in
the event of any inclination to do so, the ends of straws or pulse, resting against
the inclined side of the perforations c, c, by the motion of the riddle, are dis-
placed and carried over the hole, which thus prevents any of the short straws
getting through, or sticking and choking up the perforations c, c, c, c. It will
be seen that the perforations are inclined in an opposite direction to that of
the riddle, and at such an angle as will have the effect described. The tonal
Figures show the riddle b, b, of the thickness we prefer, which may be made
of wood perforated, or of gutta percha, or of other suitable material. We
form the perforations c, c, c, rather larger towards the under side of the riddle,
in order that the corn and chaff once entering the perforation may descend
and escape freely through the riddle. Fig. 4 represents a plan, & Fig. 5 a

page_text: longitudinal vertical section, of another arrangement of the inclined perfora-
tions. In this case they are not so numerous, but the corn and straw is
constrained to pass over the perforated part of the riddle b, b, by means of
ridges d, d, formed on its surface in the direction in which the matters to bo
separated travel over it, producing a series of hollows e, e, e, or grooves, along
which the matters to be seperated pass over the riddle; the perforations c, c,
being formed through the riddle at the bottom of the hollows e, e, the grain in
its passage is intercepted and passes through. We have represented the per-
forations in this case larger than the first. This will, however, depend somewhat
on the kind of grain and straw to be operated on. Fig. 7 represents a
plan, Fig. 8 a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 9 a transverse vertical
section, of a portion of a riddle having a system of square perforations or
holes 9, 9, 9, instead of round ones, as before represented and referred to.
These are such as may be used for the separation of beans and peas from their
straw, although round holes will answer the purpose equally well, the shape
being a mere variation & question of economy in manufacture. These squaro
holes 9, 9, 9, are inclined at an angle to the plane of the riddle surface, and
to the direction of motion of the matters to be seperated, as before mentioned,
and as herein shown, so that the straw and other matters required to be carried
over the riddle will not stick in the perforations or choke and obstruct them,
but will pass freely away, and permit the ready seperation of the matters
intended to pass through the perforations.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, we would have it understood that what we claim
is, constructing machine riddles with the perforations inclined, as and for the
purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Humphries, on behalf of myself
and Thomas Humphries, have hereunto set my hand and seal, the
Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty five
Witness,
W. CLARK, Patent Agent,
EDWARD HUMPHRIES. (LS.)
53, Chancery Lane, London.