AN IMPROVED CONTINUOUS COMPRESSING MACHINE
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas King, of Spitalfields, in the County of
Middlesex, Surveyor, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONTINUOUS
COMPRESSING MACHINE,"
Sealed the 7th April 1857, and dated the 9th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas King at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th October 1856.
I, THOMAS KING, of Spitalfields, in the County of Middlesex, Surveyor,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CON-
TINUOUS COMPRESSING MACHINE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in arranging two endless bands or websofarticulated
bars or links, in such a manner that, whilst they each work around two suit-.
ably-formed drums, placed at such a distance apart as corresponds with the
length of each band, web, or chain, their faces shall not be, parallell to each
other in the direction of their length, but the axes of the drums at one end
of each of the bands shall approach the other, so that there is but a small
space or distance between the faces of the bands at that end, whilst at the
other end the drums, being; further apart, the continuous bands are also more.
distant; thus, the space between the faces of the two continuous webs, bands,
or belts, is wedge-like,and any materials placed or filled in between them upon

page_text: the webs, bands, or belts, being caused to move forward together from the
wide end toward the narrow end, will be gradually compressed untill they
reach a point in a line with the centres of the drums in closer proximity.
The two drums may be geared together, and driven at any suitable speed
and by any suitable means, and the four drums and their connections may be
mounted on suitable framing or standards, and in this way tan, hops, and other
articles or matters requiring to be compressed and freed from moisture, may
be rapidly and continuously treated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas King in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
KING, of Spitalfields, in the County of Middlesex, Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas King, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas King, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said Thomas
King, 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 CON-
TINUOUS COMPRESSING MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas King, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hand and seal, 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 Thomas King, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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 and accompanying Drawing:-
This Iuvention consists in arranging two'endless perforated bands or websof

page_text: articulated bars or links, in such a manner that, whilst each works around two
suitably-formed drums, placed at such a distance apartas corresponds with its
length,their faces shall not throughout their entire length be parallell to each
other in the direction of their length, but the axes and diameters of the drums
at one end of each of the bands shall approach one another, so that there is
but a smaller space or distance between the faces of the bands at one end than
at the other end; thus, the space between the faces of the two continuous
webs, bands, or belts, is somewhat wedge-like, and any materials placed on or
filled in between them, will, upon the webs, bands, or belts, being caused to
move from the wide end toward the narrow end, be gradually compressed
until they reach a point in a line with the centres of the drums in closer
proximity.
The two drums may be geared together, and driven at any suitable speed
by any suitable means, and the four drums and their connections may be
mounted on a suitable framing or standards, and in this way tan, hops, and
other articles or matters requiring to be compressed and freed from moisture,
may be rapidly and continuously treated.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan, exhibiting thearrangement
of a machine, wherein the four drums stand vertically, and their spindles are
stepped into a horizontal sole plate, bed, or metallic frame. The endless
bands or webs are shewn as composed of metal links with spaces between
them, larger than they should be if no cloth or wire wove web be used to
cover them; as where no covering, cloth, or other web be used, the ends of
the links are prolonged beyond the stud or pin holes, in the manner shewn in
detail by Fig. 10. I sometimes, especially in the case of the horizontal
machines, shewn by Fig. 5, prefer making one of the endless bands in such
a manner, or of such a material, as will not allow of liquids passing through
it, such as leather, india-rubber, gutta percha, thin sheet metal, &c. The
shafts or axles of the two drums, which approach nearer together than those
at the opposite end of the frames, are each shewn fitted with a spur wheel
of the same diameter, but the one shaft is longer than the other, to permit.
of its wheel being fitted above the wheel belonging to the other drum. These
wheels are each driven by a pinion, which is keyed on to a short shaft. On
each of these shafts there is also a worm wheel; these two worm wheels
work upon the same plane, and are driven by one screw or worn working
between them. This screw or worm is shewn fitted to a horizontal shaft,
upon which there is a flat drum or band wheel, by.which motion is conveyed

page_text: from the steam engine or other power.
A shoot or hopper at the wide end
of the machine conveys the materials to be compressed or freed from moisture
into and between the two endless bands placed on edge, and as the material
passes through the machine during the revolution of the endless bands the
moisture is expressed, and passes through each aperture between the links or
joints of the endless bands (in the cases in which the said endless bands are
made with links or joints), and falls on the back of the chains and on to the
bottom of the machine into suitable tanks or receptacles, whilst the solid com-
pressed matter on leaving the machine falls on to the other shoot or hopper
placed at the narrow end of the machine.
Fig. 2 exhibits an elevation of Fig. 1. In this view the spaces between the
ends of the links are shewn as described in Fig. 1, and greater than they
would be if no covering cloth or other web be used.
Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 1, with the gearing and top framing removed, the
better to exhibit the four drums and two endless chains. In this view the
friction rollers, which are introduced behind the one side of each chain, are
shewn dotted in. The mode of staying adopted in Fig. 1 is also shewn. The
mode of adjusting the bearings, to compensate for the wear and elongation of
the chains, is also herein shewn."
Fig. 4 is an elevation of the face of one of the endless webs or chains,
being a section of Fig. 3, taken ou the line A, B, and shews the bottom
plate and frame, as also the friction rollers and the pitched wheels or drum
ends, into which the rods or ends of the chains take and work. In this
view, part of the top frame is shewn with the bearings, for the purpose of
taking the ends of the friction rollers. Referring to the Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4,
a, a, is the sole plate or bottom frame, upon which there are bearings for
supporting the four rollers or drums over which the chains pass; b, b, are
the drums or rollers, over which the endless bands, webs, or chains pass, and
around which they revolve; c, c, are the endless bands, webs, or chaius; dis
the top frame, supporting the upper ends of the drums or rollers; e, e, are the
friction rollers, working in slots or bearings in the top and bottom frames;
ff, are the spur wheels; g, g, are the spur pinions, which drive the wheels ff;
h, h, are the short shafts, on to the lower ends of which the pinions g, g, are
keyed, whilst at the upper ends the worm wheels i, i, are secured; k, the screw
or worm, fitted on to.a shaft /, having the drum m upon the other end; n, the
upper shoot or hopper; and o, the lower shoot or hopper, into which the dry
or compressed stuff fulls after passing through the machine.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another arrangement of a machine constructed
according to my Invention. In this machine the drums are placed liori-

page_text: zontally instead of vertically, as in the machine illustrated by Figs. 1 2, 3,
and 4, and the bottom endless band or web works horizontally, being level or
nearly level in the direction of its length, whilst the upper endless band is
inclined, or made to work at an angle, to give the proper degree of opening at
one end, whilst at the other it approaches sufficiently close to the lower one.
The gearing for working the two chain drums at the closer end is shewn on
one side only (although it may be applied to both sides or both ends of the
drums if desired.)
Fig. 6 is a plan of Fig. 5. The upper endless band, is shewn as close or
blank, the links being either constructed as shewn in Fig. 10, or, instead
thereof, panels curved in their width to suit the radius of the drums, and of
a length equal to the length of the drums, or the distance between the maiu
or side chains, of which there may be two, three, or four, in the width of the
machine.
In Figs. 5 and 6 the letters of reference used in the previously described
Figures refer to corresponding parts herein, although the form or design of
the framing, as also the position of the endless bands or chains, being hori-
zontal instead of on edge, differs, and shoots or hoppers are not shewn in
Figs. 5 and 6. In the machine therein shewn at Figs. 5 and 6, the angle
or difference between the width of the opening at one end and the other is
greater than for many purposes is described, but in the Fig. 5, the opening at
the narrow end is shewn greater, and the angle formed by the approach of the
two endless bands is also greater, for the purpose of more clearly exhibiting
the gearing and parts adjacent thereto.
Fig. 7 exhibits two views of panelled plates, intended to be substituted for
links or articulated bars; and Fig. 9 is another variety of panel, which may
be made to extend to the width of the endless band or web, having a clip or
link in the centre of each end (or more than one such in the length of each.
panel) to keep them close jointed or hinged together. In the latter Figure
(Fig. 9) each panel has a stud in the centre of each end, and projecting there-
from, so that it takes into a slot, notch, or groove in the pitch wheel or end of
the drum. The ends of the panels are also connected together by means of
links passed over the stud pins projecting therefrom, or they may be connected
in any other suitable manner. These panels may also be curved externally, as
so form a corrugated surface.
Fig. 8 is a detached view of the drums and endless bands or chains, wherein
is shewn a length of parallellism, or approximate parallellism, between the
surfaces of the two endless bands, belts, or chains, so that the p
pressure may be
thereby continued for a longer period, and so ensure the moisture being as

page_text: entirely expressed as possible, and that the dry result of the process may be
delivered in cakes of uniformdensity and thickness, and of any required length
of cake or sheet.
Fig. 10 shews the details of the articulated bars used for endless bands,
with only fine or small openings, and intended to be used without any wire
gauze, webbing, or other covering. In this arrangement, instead of using the
flat-link pitch chain form or combination, in which there are alternate open-
ings, corresponding with the width of each link, and about half the length
thereof, the bars have their holes drilled at some distance from their ends,
so that the ends of one link nearly touch the ends of the next adjoining links
before and behind it, and thus the size of the openings may be regulated and
kept as small as may be desired
Having described the several Figs. and the parts thereof shewu in the
accompanying Drawing, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise shape, arrangement, or disposition of the parts which I have
delineated, as they may be varied to suit the purpose for which the machine
or apparatus is intended to be applied, as in addition to the pressing of tan,
spent hops, and such like materials, for the purpose of abstracting the liquor
or weak solution of those materials therefrom,for the drying and consolidation
of the solid matter, that such material may be usefully applied to other pur-
poses; these machines may be used for consolidating and drying peat, ex-
tracting oil from seeds, and such like matters, for expressing the oleagenous
fluid from the stearic matter used in candle making, for seperating and com-
pressing the materials from tallow melters' and soap boilers' vessels,and many
similar purposes; and by making the meshes of the webs, or the openings
between the links or articulated bars, sufficiently close and the angle of the
two bands suitable, machines constructed according to this Invention may be
used for expressing the juice from the grape and other fruits, from the beet
root, sugar cane, and other vegetable substances; and generally where screw
roller or hydraulic presses have heretofore been used; I am aware that endless
bands or aprons have been used for carrying in or feeding materials to, or into
and from machines, as in brickmaking machinery, chaff cutting, tobacco cutting,
and in other machines, and for other similar purposes, as carriers or feeders;
but what I claim is, the combination of two endless bands, belts, or chaius,
either or both of which may be of such a nature as will allow liquids to be
forced therethrough, constructed or formed as described, and mounted on
rollers, of such a size and at such distances from each other, as that the two
faces of such endless bands, belts, or chains, are caused to approach each other
gradually, in the manner described, for the purr se of continuously compressing

page_text: materials fed in or placed between them, whether one or both of such bands,
belts, or chains, be permeable, and whether they are erected and worked hori-
zontally, vertically, on their edges, or otherwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas King, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
THOMAS KING. (L.S.)