IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR HUSKING RICE AND OTHER GRAIN AND SEEDS."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Henry Channing Martin, of Church Hill,
Walthamstow, in the County of Essex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR HUSKING RICE AND OTHER GRAIN AND
SEEDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Henry Channing
Martin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th January
1881.
"
JAMES HENRY CHANNING MARTIN, of Church Hill, Walthamstow, in the County
of Essex. IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR HUSKING RICE AND
OTHER GRAIN AND SEEDS."
The Invention has for its object improvements in means or apparatus for busking
rice and other grain and seeds.
For this purpose I employ a drum or cylinder provided with a frictional surface
of either natural or artificial stone, or of a composition of emery or other suitable
material, revolving horizontally in combination with a plane or curved surface
provided with an elastic or yielding covering, preferably of india rubber, such plane
or curved elastic surface being in tangential contact or nearly so with the surface
of the drum or cylinder.
I form such plane or curved elastic surface to extend across the drum or cylinder,
but preferably only a few inches wide, and I mount it in such relation to the drum
or cylinder as to form a lead or conductor to assist in conducting the grain or seed
to the point of greatest nip, and sometimes to retain it in contact with the drum or
cylinder a very short distance beyond such point.
According to one arrangement when employing a curved elastic surface I do not
use a curved surface concentric with that of the drum or cylinder, but I employ a
segment of a larger circle, or a curve either concave or convex, and but slightly
diverging from or combined with a plane surface, which I place in tangential
contact or nearly so with the surface of the drum or cylinder, as above
described.

page_text: According to another arrangement the elastic surface may be applied to a
complete drum or cylinder instead of to a segmental surface, and such drum or
cylinder may be stationary, or it may receive a slow rotary motion.
I also provide means for adjusting the frictional drum or cylinder, or the plane
or curved elastic surface in relation each to the other, so as to regulate the nip, and
in some cases to increase or diminish the surfaces at work as may be required before
or after the greatest nip is reached, and so as to prevent the elastic surface
wearing into a concentric concave, and so destroying the lead towards the point of
contact.
By these means the husk is completely removed from the rice or other grain or
seeds with less breakage than heretofore, whilst the power required is less than that
required for other husking machines, the speed of the frictional cylinder being
preferably very slow.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Henry Channing Martin in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th July 1881.
"6
JAMES HENRY CHANNING MARTIN, of Church Hill, Walthamstow, in the County
of Essex. IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR HUSKING RICE AND
OTHER GRAIN AND SEEDS."
The Invention has for its object improvements in means or apparatus for husking
rice and other grain and seeds.
For this purpose I employ a drum or cylinder provided with a frictional surface
of either natural or artificial stone, or of a composition of emery or other suitable
material, revolving horizontally in combination with a plane or curved surface
provided with an elastic or yielding covering, preferably of india rubber, such plane
or curved elastic surface being in tangential contact or nearly so with the surface
of the drum or cylinder.
I form such plane or curved elastic surface to extend across the drum or cylinder,
but preferably only a few inches wide, and I mount it in such relation to the
drum or cylinder as to form a lead or conductor to assist in conducting the grain
or seed to the point of greatest nip, and sometimes to retain it in contact with the
drum or cylinder a very short distance beyond such point.
According to one arrangement when employing a curved elastic surface I do not
use a curved surface concentric with that of the drum or cylinder, but I employ
a segment of a larger circle, or a curve either concave or convex, and but slightly
diverging from or combined with a plane surface, which I place in tangential
contact or nearly so with the surface of the drum or cylinder, as above
described.
According to another arrangement the elastic surface may be applied to a
complete drum or cylinder instead of to a segmental surface, and such drum or
cylinder may be stationary, or it may receive a slow rotary motion.
I also provide means for adjusting the frictional drum or cylinder or the plane
or curved elastic surface in relation each to the other, so as to regulate the nip, and
in some cases to increase, or diminish the surfaces at work as may be required
before or after the greatest nip.is reached, and so as to prevent the elastic surface
wearing into a concentric concave, and so destroying the lead towards the point of
contact.
By these means the husk is completely removed from the rice or other grain or
seeds with less breakage than heretofore, whilst the power required is less than
that required for other husking machines, the speed of the frictional cylinder being
preferably very slow.
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings, more fully
to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a cross section, and Figure 2 is a front elevation of one mode in
which I carry my Invention into effect.
a represents a supply hopper, into which the rice or other grain or seeds are fed
in any suitable and convenient manner; b is a gate or sliding door at the lower
end of the hopper a to regulate the feed of rice or other grain or seeds to the
elastic surface c, which is caused to travel slowly over supporting rollers d, d,
mounted in bearings carried in a frame e, which is hinged at one end e', and at the
other end is provided with an adjusting screw e to enable the operating portion of

page_text: the elastic surface c to be properly adjusted with respect to the frictional roller f
the periphery of which is covered or formed with a frictional surface f' of either
natural or artificial stone, or of a composition of emery or other suitable material.
The frictional roller fis caused to revolve by means of a strap or band from any
suitable motive power acting upon a drum or pulley f2 fixed on the axis fs of said
frictional roller f, and motion is communicated from the axis f³ to the axis d¹ of
one of the supporting wheels d by means of a strap or band g passing partly around
a pulley f fixed on the axis f³, and partly around a pulley d² fixed on the axis d¹.
The travelling elastic surface c is supported by a plane e³ carried by the frame e,
and is maintained at a suitable tension in any convenient manner, but that shown
in the Drawing consists in mounting the axis d' of one of the rollers d in a sliding
frame h working in guides on the frame e, and in connecting to the centre of such
sliding frame a screw i, which is acted upon by a fly nut i to put tension on the
elastic surface c.
The working parts of the machine are contained in a suitable frame k of either
wood or iron.
If desired, instead of using the arrangement above described, a curved elastic
surface may be employed, in which case I form it as a segment of a larger circle
than that of the frictional roller f, either concave or convex; or I form it of a
curve, either concave or convex, but slightly diverging from or combined with a
plane surface.
According to another modification the elastic surface may be applied to the
periphery of a complete drum or cylinder, instead of to a segmental surface, and
such drum may be stationary during the working of the machine, and be rotated
from time to time for adjustment, or it may receive a slow rotary motion during
the working of the machine. I have not thought it necessary to give Drawings of
these various modifications, as such will be readily understood from the above
description by a competent mechanic.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
employment of a drum or cylinder revolving on a horizontal axis, and provided
with a frictional surface in combination with a plane or curved surface, provided
with an elastic or yielding covering, substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Henry Channing Martin, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
J. H. C. MARTIN. (L.S.)