AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BRUISING AND GRINDING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hardley, of Shide, in the Isle of Wight, in the
County of Hampshire, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR BRUISING AND GRINDING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 21st July 1857, and dated the 20th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hardley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th May 1857.
I, JOHN HARDLEY, of Shide, in the Isle of Wight, in the County of Hamp-
shire, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN.
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BRUISING AND GRINDING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES," to be
as follows:-
This apparatus, which is particularly applicable to the bruising of gorse,
grain, and pulse, consists of a cylinder having a furrowed or indented periphery,
and revolving within a concave, the inner surface of which is also furrowed
or grooved; the grooves of the cylinder by preference being straight and
parallel to its axis, while the grooves or furrows of the concave are inclined
thereto. The gorse or other vegetable substance to be acted upon is fed in on
the top of the revolving drum, and is carried round between the two indented
surfaces of the drum and concave, which cut, bruise, and grind it, and
deliver it at the lower part of the drum in a finely divided state.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Hardley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HARDLEY, of Shide, in the Isle of Wight, in the County of Hampshire,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Hardley, Her special licence that I, the said John Hardley, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Hardley, my 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 "AN IMPROVED APPA-
BATUS FOR BRUISING AND GRINDING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Hardley, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, 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 Hardley, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This improved apparatus, which is particularly applicable to the bruising or
grinding of gorse, grain, or pulse, consists of a drum or cylinder having a
furrowed or indented periphery, and revolving within a concave, the inner
surface of which is also furrowed or grooved, the grooves of the cylinder by
preference being straight and parallel to its axis, while the grooves or furrows
of the concave are inclined thereto. The gorse or other vegetable substance
to be acted upon is fed on to the top of the revolving drum, and is carried
round between the two indented surfaces of the drum and concave, which cut,

page_text: bruise, and grind it, and deliver it at the lower part of the drum in a finely
divided state."
And in order that the same may be more clearly understood, reference is
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of my improved apparatus for bruising
and grinding vegetable substances. A, A, is the frame or stand of the
machine; B is an axle, supported in suitable bearings on the sides of the frame.
On the outer end of the axle B is placed a rigger C for the reception of a
strap, which communicates the necessary motion from a steam engine or other
prime mover. Upon the axle B within the frame A, A, is mounted a revolving
cylinder or drum D, the periphery of which is furrowed or indented with
grooves in lines parallel to its axis. E is a fixed semicylindrical hollow drum
or concave, which partially surrounds and encloses the drum D, but the sides
are omitted in the Drawing to show the working parts more clearly. The
concave E is shown detached from the machine upon an enlarged scale at
Figure 2, one of the sides (shown separately at Figure 3) being removed to
show the interior, which is furnished with indents on its inner surface, but the
grooves are inclined in alternate directions to its axis, by which means the
edges of the grooves on the drum D make an angular cut with those of
the concave, and being inclined in alternate directions, the tendency that the
vegetable substances would otherwise have towards the sides of the apparatus
is effectually counteracted. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of another drum, in
which the periphery is covered with alternately inclined in lieu of straight
grooves, corresponding (but the grooves lying in opposite directions) to those
of the concave, Figure 2; and I have occasionally used drums of both the
foregoing constructions with advantage. If gorse is to be operated upon, it is
cut up into short lengths, and fed on to the top of the drum D at F, the rapid
revolution of which immediately seizes it and carries it round between the
exterior surface of the revolving drum and the interior surface of the fixed
concave, where by the action of the grooves it is cut, bruised, and ground
until it escapes at the lower part of the concave, and falls down a shoot G
ready for use. The gorse will be delivered in a coarse or finer state, according
to the distance at which the drum and concave have been set from each other;
the concave being furnished with adjusting screws for this purpose.
And having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to
be understood that what I claim is, the construction and arrangement of appa-

page_text: ratus for bruising and grinding vegetable substances, substantially as herein-
before described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hardley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
BARNABASE, Urry
of Newport, Isle of Wight.
JOHN HARDLEY. (L.S.)