Improved Means of Drying and Roasting Coffee Berries, Chicory Roots, Cocoa Beans, and other similar Materials Requiring similar Treatment PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONOTHER SIMILAR MATERIAQUIIMILAR TREATMENT
Year: 1884

page_text: Improved Means of Drying and Roasting Coffee Berries, Chicory
Roots, Cocoa Beans, and other similar Materials Requiring
similar Treatment
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
I, HENRY MARSHALL THORNE, of Lady Lane, Loods, in the County of York,
Cocoa Manufacturer, and Chicory Roaster, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVED MEANS OF DRYING AND ROASTING COFFEE BERRIES,
CHICORY ROOTS, COCOA BEANS, AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS REQUIRING
SIMILAR TREATMENT to bo as follows:-
My invention consists in passing heated air-under pressure or otherwise-
through Coffee berries, Chicory roots, Cocoa Beans, or other similar materials
requiring to be dried and roasted, whilst the particular material to be operated
upon is passing through an oven or ovens or is enclosed in an oven or receiver.
The object of my invention is to leave the material subjected to the drying and
roasting action of the heated air more thoroughly and uniformly dried and
roasted, and that, with less chance of burning, and with greater economy-In
carrying out my invention I proceed as follows-With any ordinary blowing
apparatus, fan, or air compresser, I pass air in suitable quantities through any
ordinary air heating apparatus, in which latter the air is raised to the temperature
found most effectual for the quantity and quality of the material to be operated
upon. I then conduct this heated air into and through one or more drying
ovens or other receivers in which are placed the materials to be operated upon. I
conduct the air in such a manner into and through the ovens that it shall-whilst
the material is resting, in the oven, or being stirred or shaken, or passed through
the oven-thoroughly mix with the material, carry off the superfluous moisture,
and leave all dried and roasted as required. I take any suitable oven-of any form
or shape-and insert one or more inlet pipes through which the heated air is
admitted, placing them in such numbers and positions as shall best distribute and,
pass the heated air. thoroughly into & through the material to be operated upon.
The material may be left at rest, or may be stirred up by knives or agitators, or by
other means according to the nature of the requirements. The material may be
placed on shelves-perforated or not-and the air may be directed by guide plates
so as to pass over each shelf in succession. Or the oven may be made to revolve-
in which case the heated air would be admitted and expelled through the trunnions.

page_text: -and the oven, if required, may be fitted with small shelves to assist in stirring
the contents, and with blades or guide plates to direct the currents of air and also
the progressive movements of the material from end to end-Or a series of ovens
-with the necessary pipes and valves-may be so arranged that the air may be
passed through the entire series, consecutively, as directed, before being liberated;
in this case the air would always be first admitted into the particular oven which
then contained the driest material and from that into the others in like succession
-in a manner similar to the working of the well known Hoffmann Brick Kiln―
Or the material may be placed in a suitable box or cylinder-perforated, or made
of wire netting-which may be revolved or shaken or left at rest inside the oven-
Or the material may be placed in, or fed into a cylindrical oven, fitted with a
central shaft carrying knives and blades for the purpose of stirring and giving the
material a slow progressive movement from end to end-tho air being. first admitted
at the end towards which the progressive movement is arranged and expelled at
the other The axis of this oven with internal revolving knives and also the axis
of the revolving oven, before alluded to, may be arranged vertically, horizontally, or
at any angle-Or a vertical or other oven may bo arranged with loose shelves-
resting on one another-in such a manner that a progressive movement may be
given to them in a direction that meets the incoming dry air; the air being directed
progressively from shelf to shelf by the formation of the shelves themselves; in
such an oven suitable doors are made by which the shelves may bo removed and
replaced at both ends as required by the direction of the heated air current-In
all cases I arrange, where necessary an outlet valve or valves, for the better regu-
lation of the passing off of the moistened air after it has passed through the
-materials-operated-upou-These-outlet-valves-may-be-arranged and weighted_like_
a steam safety-valve, so that any desired pressure however slight-may, if
required, be maintained in the ovens before the air is allowed to pass off-The
vessels referred to as ovens may be fitted with or without heating jackets, heated
in the usual way, or any way.
Where found convenient the air may be sucked through the ovens or other
apparatus instead of being forced.
JASPER & Wч SNOWDON,
Agents for the Applicant,
Beckett's Bank Chambers,
Leeds, Yorkshire,

page_text: I, HENRY MArshall. ThornE, of Lady Lane, Leeds, in the County of York,
Cocoa Manufacturer and Chicory Roaster, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVED MEANS OF DRYING AND ROASTING COFFEE BERRIES,
CHICORY ROOTS, COCOA BEANS, & OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS REQUIRING SIMILAR.
TREATMENT, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in passing heated air-under pressure or otherwise-
through Coffee Berries, Chicory Roots, Cocoa Beans, or other similar materials
requiring to be dried and roasted, whilst the particular material to be operated
upon is passing through an oven or ovens or is enclosed in an oven or receiver.
The object of my invention is to leave the material subjected to the drying
& roasting action of the heated air more thoroughly & uniformly dried and
roasted, and that, with less chance of burning, & with greater economy. In
carrying out my invention I proceed as follows:-With any ordinary blowing
apparatus, fan, or air compresser, I pass air in suitable quantities though any
ordinary air heating apparatus, in which latter the air is raised to the temperature
found most effectual for the quantity and quality of the material to be operated.
upon. I then conduct this heated air into and through one or more drying ovens
or other receivers in which are placed the materials to be operated upon. I conduct
the air in such a manner into and through the ovens that it shall-whilst the
material is resting in the oven, or being stirred or shaken, or passed through the
oven-thoroughly mix with the material, carry off the superfluous moisture, and
leave all dried and roasted as required. I take any suitable oven-of any form or
shape and insert one or more inlet pipes through which the heated air is admitted,
placing them in such numbers and positions as shall best distribute and pass the
heated air thoroughly into and through the material to be operated upon. The
material may be left at rest, or may be stirred up by knives or agitators, or by other
means according to the nature of the requirements. The material may be placed on
shelves-perforated or not-and the air may be directed by guide plates so as to
pass over each shelf in succession. Or the oven may be made to revolve-in which
case the heated air would be admitted and expelled through the trunnions-and
the oven, if required, may be fitted with small shelves to assist in stirring the
contents, and with blades or guide plates to direct the currents of air & also the
progressive movements of the material from end to end. Or a series of ovens―
with the necessary pipes and valves-may be so arranged that the air may be
passed through the entire series, consecutively, as directed, before being liberated;
in this case the air would always be first admitted into the particular oven which
then contained the driest material and from that into the others in like succession―
in a manner similar to the working of the well known Hoffman Brick Kiln.-Or
the material may be placed in a suitable box or cylinder-perforated, or made of
wire netting which may be revolved or shaken or left at rest inside the oven.
Or the material may be placed in, or fed into a cylindrical oven, fitted with a
central shaft carrying knives & blades for the purpose of stirring and giving the
material a slow progressive movement from end to end, the air being first admittedl
at the end towards which the progressive movement is arranged, & expelled at the
other. The axis of this oven with internal revolving knives & also the axis of the
revolving oven, before alluded to, may be arranged vertically, horizontally, or at
any angle. Or a vertical or other oven may be arranged with loose shelves, resting
on one another, in such a manner that a progressive movement may be given to

page_text: them in a direction that meets the incoming dry air; the air being directed
progressively from shelf to shelf by the formation of the shelves themselves; in
such an oven suitable doors are made by which the shelves may be removed and
replaced at both ends as required by the direction of the heated air current. In all
cases I arrange, where necessary, an outlet valve or valves, for the better regulation
of the passing off of the moistened air after it has passed through the materials
operated upon. These outlet valves may be arranged and weighted like a steam
safety-valve, so that any desired pressure-however slight-may, if required, be
maintained in the ovens before the air is allowed to pass off. The vessels referred
to as ovens may be fitted with or without heating jackets, heated in the usual way,
or any way.
Where found convenient the air may be sucked through the ovens or other
apparatus instead of being forced.
Referring to the drawing, fig. 1, shows a sectional elevation of a rectangular
oven A, A, which, (although not so shown) may be surrounded by a heating jacket
which in most cases will be found to be advantageous. B is a hopper into which
the material to be dried is first placed. From this hopper it is distributed upon a
wire belt (traversing over drums C & C¹) which delivers it slowly towards the
drum C', from which end it is dropped onto another wire belt, (running over the
drums D' & D) travelling in an opposite direction; on reaching the end of this belt
it again falls over on to another belt, & so, in succession, on & off as many belts as
may be thought desirable, in the manner shown by the belts running over the
drums E&E and F & F (and so on). The drums have their shafts prolonged
-and-are-driven-from-the-outside-of-the-oven-by-any-convenient-means.-After-
traversing the last belt the material is delivered, at the outlet G, into a wlicel
revolving freely on its axis; the weight of the material delivered onto the vanes of
the drum causes the drum to turn from time to time & so discharge the now dried
material.
The hopper B may, if required, be made to feed with any degree of regularity by
a revolving drum worked mechanically as desired.
The heated air enters at any convenient point H, at the bottom of the oven, and
by means of the guide plates 1, 11, I¹¹ is made to traverse from side to side, until it
reaches the outlet K at the top. Here a valve is arranged to regulate the pressure
& flow of the air, whilst the fumes are carried away in a suitable pipe.
The hopper B may either be covered by a lid-to prevent the egress of the
fumes or a valve may be attached as shown opening downwards. Whenever
the hopper happens to be emptied the counterweight will close the valve.
The small arrows denote the direction of the movements of the belts and their
drums, whilst the larger arrows show the movements of the current of air.
The speed of the drums must be in accordance with the time during which it is
found desirable to keep the material in the oven.
The pressure in a rectangular oven, unless strongly stayed, must not be above a
few pounds per square inch.
The temperature must be kept carefully below the point at which damage may
be done to the material, & must bear some proportion to the speed at which it is
desired to pass the material through the oven.
Fig. 2. shows a modified arrangement-with a circular oven, which is made to
revolve.
Fig. 3. shows a similar arrangement, except that the oven is stationary, and a
central shaft, with spiral blades, is caused to revolve.
The same letters refer to the same parts (as far as possible, in their modified
form) in all the figures. These circular ovens, which are drawn "broken," may be
of any convenient length.
The material after leaving the outlet of the hopper B, gradually traverses the
length of the oven, being moved forward by the spiral blades (fixed on the oven in
fig. 2, and on the revolving shaft in fig. 3; shelves, or projecting ledges-not
shown may also be fixed on the sides of the oven in fig. 2, to agitato the contents;

page_text: & similar projections-not shown-may be fixed to the blades on fig. 3) and is
delivered at the outlet G, which may be arranged to discharge by a wheel as
in fig. 1.
The hot air enters at H and is caused to zigzag through the material, according
to the positions of the holes, or gaps, provided for it in the spiral blades; (these
holes perform the same duty as the guide plates I, I, I, in fig. 1) and discharges
at K. The outlet K, and the inlet from the hopper B, may be treated in the same
way as shown on fig. 1.
A convenient & economical way of heating the jacket is obtained by carrying
the waste gases, from the heating furnace, round the outside of the oven, on their
way to the chimney.
It is not intended that the heating jacket shall roast the material, but that the
heat & efficiency of the current of hot air shall not be vitiated by being too much
reduced in temperature in passing through the oven.
One important result of the heated air is that the vapours, arising from tho
materials, are no longer allowed to hang about them, as in ordinary roasting
ovens, but are at once absorbed & carried off by the heated air, & this quickly
& continuously.
In cases where it was found desirable to exhaust the heated air through the
oven, the throttle valve would be best arranged on the inlet pipe H.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The use of air, first heated, and afterwards passed into a suitable oven or
ovens, & therein used, in the manner described, for Drying and roasting Coffee
Berries, Chicory Roots, Cocoa Beans, or other similar materials requiring similar
treatment.
2. The arrangement of oven or ovens as herein before described, & as shown on
the drawing, when used, for the purpose described.