IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROASTING COFFEE AND OTHER SEEDS AND ROOTS, AND FOR DRYING GRAIN
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Gentleman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROASTING
COFFEE AND OTHER SEEDS AND ROOTS, AND FOR DRYING GRAIN."-A com-
munication from abroad by Robert Harper, of Melbourne, in the Colony
of Victoria.
Sealed the 2nd July 1861, and dated the 81st January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st January 1861.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
ROASTING COFFEE AND OTHER SCEDS AND ROOTS, AND FOR DRYING GRAIN," the
same being a communication from Robert Harper, of Melbourne, in the
Colony of Victoria, to be as follows, that is to say:
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of machinery or
apparatus for roasting seeds or roots, or for subjecting grain to the action of heat
for the purpose of expelling moisture therefrom. Under one modification, the

page_text: apparatus consists of a furnace built of brickwork, or of iron lined with fire-
clay, the upper part of which is formed with a rectangular opening that may
be closed at pleasure by means of an iron plate or door. Within the upper
part of the furnace is arranged a cylinder open at one end to receive the
products to be roasted or dried. The roasting cylinder has a shaft passing
through it longitudinally, to which radial arms are attached connecting an
open 'framework thereto; the exterior of the framework is covered with wire
gauze or other suitable material. The cylinder is arranged in an angular
position with its open end directed upwards and towards the back of the
furnace. The front end of the cylinder shaft projects out beyond the brickwork
of the 'furnace, and is hooked up to an overhead beam, which is moveable
about its axis in manner similar to a scale beam. The backward end of the
cylinder shaft is carried in a pedestal bearing, which is arranged on a moveable
frame so as to admit of the roasting cylinder being raised or lowered without
impeding the rotatory movement of the same. Motion is communicated to
the roasting cylinder from a pulley or a transverse shaft arranged outside the
furnace, its bearings being carried by a rectangular frame, which is supported
by the overhead oscillating beam. To the transverse shaft is keyed a bevel
pinion which gives motion to a wheel on the end of the cylinder shaft, and in
this way rotatory motion is imparted to the roasting cylinder. The outer or
free end of the oscillating beam carrying the cylinder is graduated, and carries
a counterweight, which is arranged on the beam so as to sustain the cylinder
and its contents in equilibrium. For roasting coffee of different kinds, it is
necessary to drive off a certain amount of moisture, and when this is done
the operation is completed. In this apparatus this is not left to the judgment
of the workman, but it is effected by self-acting means. At the lower end of
the oscillating lever, where it is hooked to the cylinder shaft, there is arranged
a graduated lever carrying a counterweight; the free end of this lever is
furnished with a hook which projects over the end of the oscillating lever.
The weight on this hooked lever keeps the principal lever down until the pre-
determined amount of moisture has been expelled, upon which the counter-
weight at the end of the beam overcomes the pressure of the hook, and the
cylinder is raised by the descent of the weighted arm of the lever. In this
position the mouth of the roasting cylinder is lower than the other end, so
that the contents fall into a shoot beneath, and thence into a suitable
receptacle. The apparatus is equally adapted for roasting chicory, drying
malt, or other generally similar purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed!
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 31st July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JoпN:
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,-
and of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Gentleman, send]
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Horself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto.
me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as-
I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROASTING COFFEE AND OTHER
SEEDS AND ROOTS, AND FOR DRYING GRAIN," (a communication from abroad by
Robert Harper, of Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria,) upon the condition,
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or under
the hand and seal of one of them, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of machinery,
5 or apparatus for roasting seeds or roots, or for subjecting grain to the action
of heat for the purpose of expelling mosture therefrom. Under one modi-
fication the apparatus consists of a furnace built of brickwork or of iron lined
with fire-clay, the upper part of which is formed with a rectangular opening

page_text: that may be closed at pleasure by means of an iron plate or door. Within
the upper part of the furnace is arranged a cylinder open at one end to receive
the products to be roasted or dried. The roasting cylinder has a shaft passing
through it longitudinally, to which radial arms are attached connecting an
open framework thereto; the exterior of the framework is covered with wire
gauze or other suitable material. The cylinder is arranged in an angular
position with its open end directed upwards and towards the back of the
furnace. The front end of the cylinder shaft projects out beyond the brick-
work of the furnace, and is hooked up to an overhead beam, which is move-
able about its axis in manner similar to a scale beam. The backward end of
the cylinder shaft is carried in a pedestal bearing which is arranged on a
moveable frame so as to admit of the roasting cylinder being raised or lowered
without impeding the rotatory movement of the same. Motion is commu-
nicated to the roasting cylinder from a pulley on a transverse shaft arranged
outside the furnace, its beaings being carried by the standards of a rectan-
gular frame which supports the overhead oscillating beam. To the transverse
shaft is keyed a bevel pinion, which gives motion to a wheel on the end of the
cylinder shaft, and in this way rotatory motion is imparted to the roasting
cylinder. The outer or free end of the oscillating beam carrying the cylinder
is graduated, and carries a counterweight, which is arranged on the beam so'
as to sustain the cylinder and its contents in equilibrium.
In roasting coffee of different kinds, it is necessary to drive off a certain
amount of moisture, and when this is done the operation is completed. In
this apparatus this is not left to the judgment of the workman, but it is
effected by self-acting means. At the lower end of the oscillating lever, where
it is hooked to the cylinder shaft, there is arranged a graduated lever carrying
in counterweight; the free end of this lever is furnished with a hook, which
projects over the end of the oscillating lever. The weight on this booked
lever keeps the principal lever down until the predetermined amount of
moisture has been expelled, upon which the counterweight at the other end of
the beam overcomes the pressure of the hook, and the cylinder is raised by
the descent of the weighted arm of the lever. In this position the mouth of
the roasting cylinder is lower than the other end, so that the contents fall into
a shoot beneath, and thence into a suitable receptacle. The apparatus is
equally adapted for roasting chicory, drying malt, or other generally similar
purposes.
And in order that the said Invention of improvements in machinery or
apparatus for roasting coffee and other seeds or roots, and for drying grain,
hiny be properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe the several

page_text: Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended
for the purpose of showing certain modifications under which the improvements
may be judiciously carried out in practice, that is to say :--
Heretofore in roasting coffee it has been generally the practice to roast
coffee in close vessels, and the moisture evolved in the operation passes away.
through holes perforated in such vessels in which the coffee is roasted, by
which it is subjected to the injurious influence of watery vapours for a time.
Another inconvenience in the use of close vessels is, that they have constantly
to be opened to ascertain the condition, and the coffee does not become roasted
evenly throughout the mass, owing to the fire not acting equally upon the
length of the cylinder. Now, this Invention is intended to obviate these
inconveniences, and it consists, first, in roasting the coffee in cylindrical or
other shaped vessels open at the front end, and being set at an inclined
angle, and revolving upon an axis, by which the vapour as it arises from the
coffee in the process of roasting immediately escapes, and the whole of the
berries of the coffee, owing to its being constantly kept in motion from
one end to the other, become equally affected by the heat, and are in
consequence evenly roasted throughout. The angle at which it is preferred
to set the vessel is from twenty to thirty degrees, although it is not intended
to confine the arrangement to that angle. In some cases the end of the
vessel may be closed, but the angle of the vessel will still be inclined, there
being holes perforated for the escape of steam, and in that case the coffee will
be delivered, when roasted, according to the ordinary plan, but this mode is
not so beneficial as when the vessel is open in the front. The vessel in which
the coffee is roasted is made to deliver itself of the coffee when it has been
roasted to the proper degree.
It is well known that coffee contains a certain amount of moisture, which
it is necessary to drive off before it is properly roasted. This quantity varies
according to the nature of the berry, thus, with plantation coffee it is one-
sixth. Now, the second part of this Invention consists in so arranging and
adjusting the vessel in which the coffee is placed to be roasted, that as the
moisture is drawn off and the coffee roasted, the decreased weight acts against
the cylinder, and causes the lower end of it to rise up, so that the coffee is
delivered in front into any suitable receiver. Thus, if one hundred pounds of
plantation coffee are put into the cylinder, and the moisture to be drawn off is
one-sixth, the cylinder will be kept in its working position by a pressure of
about seventeen pounds; then when the moisture to that extent is drawn off,
the lower end will rise up, and the coffee will be delivered into the receiver
below, the rotatory motion being continued, thus the operation will be carried

page_text: on without the attention of the workmen, after the coffee has once been placed |
in the vessel.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is an end elevation of
the apparatus; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; Figure 3 is a
front end view; and Figure 4 is a plan of the apparatus.
A is the brickwork, in which the cylinder B is set; C is the furnace for
beating the cylinder; D is the central shaft of the cylinder B, one end of
which turns in bearings in the horizontal frame G. The rotatory motion is
given to the cylinder in the following manner:-F is a fast and loose pulley,
which receives motion by means of a band or strap from a steam engine or
other power; it is placed upon the horizontal shaft F', and gives motion to it.
This shaft is placed across the apparatus, and its bearings are supported by the
vertical columns G' of the apparatus. On the shaft F' is a bevel wheel H,.
which takes into and drives another wheel I upon the shaft D of the
cylinder B, by this means rotatory motion is communicated to the cylinder B.
Radial arms J are fitted upon the shaft D of the cylinder for the purpose of
strengthening it, and the cylinder is lined with a wire cloth which covers the
whole of the inner surface. The application and use of this cloth forms an.
important feature in this Invention, and is specially adapted for all cylinders
used for roasting coffee, for with this arrangement the coffee cannot be burnt,
owing to its being kept from contact with the heated metal of which the
cylinder B is constructed. The shaft D of the cylinder is connected at its
backward end, by means of the link K, to the long rocking lever L overhead.
The bearing of the shaft D is carried on the transverse frame M, which is
connected by means of the two side bars N to the frame G and N'. The
lever L moves upon a knife edge similar to a scale beam, the bearing O of
which is carried in the cross beam of the framing G'. At the front end of
this lever L is a weight P, and a graduated scale, by the regulation of which
the cylinder is kept in a state of equilibrium, and it will easily be understood
that the balance may be adjusted with the greatest nicety by means of a
graduated scale and weight. The cylinder is caused to empty itself as
follows: Bearing upon the backward end of the lever L is a hook Q, which
is kept in that position by a weighted lever R, it being adjusted to the ascer-
tained weight of the moisture in the coffee under operation, and as the
cylinder becomes lighter, owing to the evaporation of the moisture, the hook
will be drawn back, when the cylinder and the frame M will be released, and
rise up into the position indicated by the dotted lines in the accompanying
Drawings. In this way the coffee will be delivered on to the spout S, and
fall into a receiver, which may be placed underneath for that purpose. The

page_text: hook Qis kept bearing against the lever L, by whatever weight of moisture
is required to be driven from the coffee. T is a metal plate placed over the
top of the cylinder, and brickwork to retain the heat therein. This metal
plate is attached to and is carried by the side bars N, so that it rises and falls
with the ascent or descent of the cylinder. Malt may be dried and roasted by
this apparatus, and chicory or other roots and seeds may be beneficially heated
or dried by this process.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or 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 parts forming the
machinery or apparatus for roasting coffee and other seeds or roots, and for
drying grain, as herein-before described and delineated in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, or any mere modification or equivalent for the said
arrangement.
Second, the system or mode of roasting coffee and other seeds or roots, and
drying grain, by means of apparatus in which the rotatory roasting or drying
vessel is placed at an incline, and is caused by its mechanical arrangement to
discharge the contents when a given amount of moisture has been evaporated
from the seeds or roots subjected to the drying operation, as herein-before
described and delineated in the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the system or mode of arranging and constructing vessels for roasting
or drying seeds or roots, with an internal lining of wire gauze or other equi-
valent material, for the purpose of preventing the seeds or roots from coming
in contact with the roasting vessel, and thus avoid injury thereto by burning
as herein-before described, and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.