SHAKING STRAW, TO BE ATTACHED TO THRASHING MACHINES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Brinsmead, of the Parish of Saint
Giles in the Wood, in the County of Devon, Machine Maker,
for an Invention for "SHAKING STRAW, TO BE ATTACHED TO THRASHING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 6th April 1853, and dated the 30th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Brinsmead
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 30th October 1852.
I, HENRY BRINSMEAD, of the Parish of Saint Giles in the Wood, in
the County of Devon, Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature
of
my Invention for "SHAKING STRAW, TO BE ATTACHED TO THRASHING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The objections to the shakers generally in use are of three kinds :
1. They invariably let the grain drop under the shaker.
2ndly A great many of them shake the straw too coarsely, in con-
sequence of which a large quantity of short straw falls down with the
grain.
3rdly. A great many more of them, by shaking too fine (as it is
called), cause the grain to be carried away with the straw.

page_text: The object, therefore, of the present Invention is to remove all
these objections, and this is accomplished by producing three different
effects, hereafter mentioned, by one movement.
In the annexed Drawing B, relating to the Invention, the circle
encompassing the letter (a,) describes the fly that thrashes out the
grain. The long tube extending from (b,) to (c,) describes the straw
shaker. All the straw shakers now in use have one great defect,
namely, that the portion of grain which is shaken out of the straw
drops underneath the shaker, in the direction of the dotted lines marked
below it. This defect is remedied in the following manner:-The
grain shaken out of the straw, instead of being allowed to drop beneath
the shaker, is by the new Invention carried down the channel marked
by the red line from (f) to (g,) and falls into the sieve marked (h,)
through the wire grating dotted with red ink, and extending from (d,)
to (e). This sievo is placed in the body of the thrashing machine (being
quite a new position), where it receives the grain from the shaker as
well as from the fly, and is worked by the sanic movement as the
shaker; but in all the machines now in use the sieve is placed in the
winnowing machine, and requires more power and more machinery to
work it in that position. The obvious advantage of placing the sieve
in the body of the thrashing machine is, that the whole process is
carried on by the same machinery, which, while it saves considerable
expence, performs the work much more effectually than it can ever be
done by placing the sieve in the old position. The machines now in
use are so constructed that the fan, marked (i,) could not be placed and
worked within the thrashing machine, and it was therefore always
placed in the winnowing machine; but in this Invention the fan is
placed quite in a new position, near the sieve, in the body of the
machine, where it has the advantage of acting immediately upon the
sieve, and thereby completely separating the chaff from the grain.
The 1 effect produced by it is, to separate the grain entirely and
completely from the straw.
The 2, to collect all the short straw that has fallen down with the
grain, and drive it out with the long straw.
The 3 is to convey the grain back under the machine to the place
where it is winnowed.

page_text: Another material advantage connected with this Invention is, that a
new and improved position has been found for the sieve which is
worked by the new invented shaker; and a fan placed under the
shaker blows away all the chaff from the grain, thus performing a
considerable part of the work usually done by the winnowing machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Brinsmead in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 30th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
HENRY BRINSMEAD, of Saint Giles in the Wood, in the County of
Devon, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of October, in the year
of our Lord Once thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Brinsmead, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Brinsmead, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Brinsmead,
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
"SHAKING STRAW, TO BE ATTACHED TO THRASHING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Henry Brinsmead, by an
instrument in writing under my 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 Henry Brinsmead, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, that is to say:

page_text: The circle encompassing the letter (a,) in the accompanying Draw-
ing describes the fly that thrashes out the grain. The long tube,
extending from (b,) to (c,) describes the straw shaker. The grain
shaken out of the straw is carried down the channel marked by the
red line from (f) to (g) and falls into the sieve marked (h,) through
a wire grating dotted with red ink, and extending from (d,) to (e,) and
is thus prevented from falling underneath the shaker. The sieve is
placed in the body of the thrashing machine, and is worked by an iron
rod connected with the shaker. The fan marked (i,) is placed beneath
the shaker, and, acting immediately upon the sieve, completely sepa-
rates the chaff from the grain. Figure 2, describes two of the rollers
detached from the shaker, as they work one in the other horizontally.
The shaker contains twelve or more of these rollers, which are triangular,
and have iron pegs or teeth on cach angle an inch and three quarters
long, and an inch and half apart. At each end of these rollers is fixed
a crank two inches long, worked by a rod on each side, which connects
all the rollers together, the crauks standing at right angles, and the
rollers so fixed as to cause the angles to meet as they revolve. The
pegs or teeth on each angle work between each other, as shewn in
Figure 2, and the shaker is driven by a belt connected with the
thrashing machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Brinsmead, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
HENRY BRINSMEAD. (L.s.)