Improvements in Fruit Dressers.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fruit Dressers.
I, EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, and 3, East Parade, Leeds, in the County of York, Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention (a communication to me from abroad by James Dunn, of the City
of Toronto, in the County of York, in the Province of Ontario, in the Dominion
of Canada, Merchant), to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a fruit dresser or, cleaner having an elongated open
wire stationary-cylinder supported on a frame, the cylinder having open ends
through which passes a shaft provided with adjustable revolving brushes, the
shaft being revolved either by hand or power. Above this cylinder is a receptacle
for small fruit, and a water compartment.
The objects of the invention are, frst, to provide a machine that will effectually
separate, clean and stem, dried fruit, principally currants. Second, to afford
facilities for the proper adjustment of the operating parts, especially the
revolving brushes, relating principally to the wear and tear of same, and to
adjust same to different relative positions, on their common shaft, to suit different
grades of fruit, and third, to provide means to withdraw the open wire cylinder
from position through opening in rear frame, for cleaning or renewing purposes.
The open wire cylinder, or elongated sieve is composed of a series of wire
rings, and longitudinal wires, bent over and under said rings, thus forming a
mesh, and having open ends, the cylinder being supported at each end in a
circular inner flange, which forms a part of the framework.
Above this cylinder is located the fruit receptacle, which is provided with a hori
zontal plate, and around the four sides of the upper surface thereof, and forming a
wide border, there are the corrugations: the central part of said plate has apertures
or mesh, on which is placed the fruit to be cleaned. This fruit receptacle is
divided into compartments one being a reservoir, which has an inlet for water,
and also an opening communicating with a mesh, forming part of the bottom of
the fruit receptacle.
When the fruit has undergone a partial cleaning and mixing process by
manipulation, and with water, on the corrugations and over the apertures on
the horizontal plate, the fruit falls upon a incline plane, and through an opening
at the lower end of the inclined plate into a hopper falling upon agitators fixed
on the revolving shaft, to the lower part of said hopper and thence into the
cylinder. There are spiral brushes or beaters fixed on the shaft within the
cylinder near the ends thereof, and also middle horizontal brushes or heaters,
also on the shaft, all being adjustable on the said shaft, by means of set screws,
and revolved by means of power helt applied to pulley on the shaft. This shaft
revolves in a fixed outer hearing, which is bolted to the front frame, and in a
bearing which is situated at the centre of the removable circular cover, which
covers the large opening in rear frame, at the rear end of cylinder, and is
secured to the rear frame by means of a clip and a pin.
As the brushes are revolving the fruit is entering the cylinder from the lower

page_text: part of the hopper, as previously mentioned. The rear end cover has a large
opening, which allows the cleaned fruit to drop into a suitable receptacle, and
there is a guard and shield which prevents the fruit from scattering, and formis
a part of the said removable cover. The fruit is guided into the receptacle by
means of a guide plate.
There is a semi-circular inclined plate located underneath the cylinder, which
plate is supported by the framework and forms a passage for the water and
refuse from the wire cylinder, into a vertical pipe. Instead of the machine
being driven by 'power it may be driven by hand the shaft being then fitted
with a small pinion gearing into a large gear wheel for the purpose of obtaining
the necessary speed. The framework is suitably braced to prevent vibration.
It will be obvious that these brushes which have three or four wings or blades.
may be composed of bristles, rubber, or other suitable material, may be adjusted
to operate one partially in the other, or their positions changed if preferable.
בד
1
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds,
Agents for the Applicant.
improvements In Fruit Dressers.
I, EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, and 3, East Parade, Leeds, in the County of York, Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention (a communication to me from abroad by James Dunn, of the City
of Toronto, in the County of York, in the Province of Ontario, in the Dominion
of Canada, Merchant), and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a fruit dresser or cleaner having an elongated open
wire stationary cylinder supported horizontally cn a frame, the cylinder having
open ends through which passes a revolvable shaft provided with adjustable
brushes, and helical and other beaters, the shaft being revolved either by hand
or power.
Above this cylinder is a receptacle for small fruit, and a water
compartment, hereafter fully described.
The objects of the invention are, first, to provide a machine that will effec-
tually separate, clean, and stem, dried fruit, principally currants, second, to
afford facilities for the proper adjustment of the operating parts, especially the
revolving brushes and beaters, relating principally to the wear and tear of same,
and to adjust same to different relative positions, on their common shaft, to
snit different grades of fruit, and third, to provide means to withdraw the open
wire cylinder from position through an opening in the rear frame, for cleaning
or renewing purposes.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings, whereon Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a fruit dresser
machine, constructed according to the said invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical trans-
verse section of same taken about the line XY of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an elevation
of a part of the machine at the delivery end, to shew means whereby the
stationary wire cylinder may be readily removed, Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation
and Fig. 5 a plan shewing in detail a convenient construction for the wirework
cylinder.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the
drawing.

page_text: The open wire cylinder, or elongated sieve A, is composed of a series of wire
rings A, and longitudinal wires A2, bent over and under said rings, as shewn
by way of example at Figs. 4 and 5, thus forming a mesh, and having open
ends, the cylinder being supported at each end in a circular inner flange B,
which forms a part of the enclosing casing or framework B, and the cylinder
is thus carried in a horizontal position.
Above this cylinder A. and carried upon the casing or frame B, is located
the fruit receptacle C, which is provided with a horizontal plate D, the central
part of said plate having apertures or mesh F, on which is placed the fruit to
he cleaned. This fruit receptacle is provided with an inlet pipe H for water
which passes from the said pipe, under the hinged partition J, to the mesh F.
Below the said mesh F there is constructed an inclined shoot K to a hopper I.
fixed to the framework or casing B, and by which the fruit and water is conducted
to the wire work cylinder, that is to say, when the fruit has undergone a partial
cleaning and mixing process by manipulation with the water on the receptacle
tray C, the fruit falls through the mesh F, into the incline K, and into the
hopper H, from whence it enters the wirework cylinder A to be acted upon by
the agitators therein, and carried along by the helically curved blades. In some
cases the plate D may surround the mesh F on all sides and the said plate may
have a corrugated instead of a plain surface as shewn, upon which the fruit
may be manipulated before passing into the hopper.
Axially within the cylinder A there is located the rotary shaft M, to carry
the agitators and blades. These parts are carried from the shaft by brackets M
which can be adjusted along the shaft or circumferentially thereon, in any
required position, and fixed by means of set screws. The brackets M are formed
with radially drilled bosses, to receive the stems of the brushes and helical and
other beaters, which when adjusted therein in the required positions, are
secured by the set screws,
N are helical beaters, N' are brushes, and N2 are straight horizontal beaters,
all carried as stated in the bosses of the brackets M, and in the drawings two
diametrically opposite helical heaters N and two opposite brushes N' are located
in the entrance end of the cylinder A. A middle set is shewn composed of two
brushes N and two straight blades N2, while the third end set is composed of
two helical beaters N and two straight beaters N2. Although I have found this
arrangement to be an effective one, yet of course the special arrangement,
positions and angles of the beaters may be varied, to suit any particular fruits
under treatment, and this variation may be readily carried out by reason of the
construction being designed to permit of the very ready removal, replacement
and adjustment of the parts.
The shaft M revolves in bearings in the wall of the box-like casing B containing
the wirework cylinder, passes through the said wall and is fitted with fast and
loose pulleys 12, through the medium of which the shaft is driven. The opposite
end of the shaft is carried in a bearing formed in a circular plate P' which when
in position forms a part of the wall of the casing at the delivery end of same:
this plate P is removable being held in position by means of a tongue at the
lower part and a pin and lugs at the upper part. or by other suitable clipping
or holding means, and this rear end plate or cover P, clearly shewn by Fig. 3 has
an opening P by which the cleaned fruit is delivered after being acted upon
by the beaters and brushes while passing through the wirework cylinder A.
By the construction described the wirework cylinder A can be entirely
removed from the machine when required by merely removing the end plate P
and drawing out the said cylinder.
The cleaned fruit falls into any suitable receptacle, and there is a guard R
and shield R which prevents the fruit from scattering.
There is a semi-circular or curved inclined base B3 located beneath the cylinder.
forming the bottom of the casing which constitutes a passage for the water and
refuse from the wirework cylinder, into an outlet vertical pipe Bt. Instead of

page_text: the machine being driven by power, it may be driven by hand, the shaft being
then fitted with a small pinion gearing into a large gear wheel for the purpose
of obtaining the necessary speed. The framework is suitably braced to prevent
vibration.
It will be obvious, that these brushes or beaters may be composed of bristles,
rubber, or other suitable materials.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of, this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
:_
1. In a machine for dressing or cleaning dried fruits, the box-like casing to
receive a horizontally arranged wirework or perforated stationary cylinder with
open ends, the said ends being supported by annular beadings upon the end
walls of the casing, an aperture in one of the said walls through which the
cylinder may be inserted or removed, a removable cover plate to close such
aperture, an aperture in the cover plate for the delivery of the cleaned fruit, an
aperture in the upper surface of the cylinder at the entrance end and a hopper
above same by which the fruit is passed into the cylinder, in combination with
a revolvable shaft extending axially through the cylinder, brackets adjustable
lengthwise and radially on the shaft, removable helical curved blades, carried
by the brackets to pass the fruit through the cylinder from the entrance to the
exit ends, and brushes and beaters also carried by the brackets to act upon the
fruit during its passage, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In a machine for dressing or cleaning dried fruits, the box-like casing,
the horizontally arranged wirework stationary cylinder therein, the means for
supporting and rendering the cylinder removable, the revolvable shaft passing
through the cylinder, and the helically curved blades, brushes and beaters
supported in an adjustable manner upon the shaft, to carry the fruit from the
entrance to the delivery apertures and to act upon same during its travel, in
combination with a tray supported and covering the open top of the casing, a
mesh or grid forming part of the bottom of the tray, a water supply to the tray
upon which tray the fruit is manipulated before passing through the grid. an
inclined shoot down which the fruit and water passes and a hopper by which
it enters the cylinder, substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. In a machine for dressing and cleaning dried fruits, arranged and acting
substantially as set forth, the construction of removable end plate completing the
end wall of the casing and by means of which the cylinder may be removed or
replaced and an aperture in the cover for the escape of the treated fruit,
substantially as described and shewn.
4. In a machine for dressing and cleaning dried fruits, arranged and acting
substantially as set forth, the construction of the tray and inclined shoot from
which the cylinder is supplied with the material to be acted upon, substantially
as described and shewn."
5. In a machine for dressing and cleaning dried fruits, arranged and acting
substantially as set forth, the construction of the wirework cylinder substantially
as described and shewn.
6. The general construction and combination of parts composing the machine
for dressing and cleaning dried fruits, all arranged and acting as and for the
purposes described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated th
J
1 1000
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds.
Agents for the Applicant.