Improvements in Fruit and Seed Cleaning Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: The decision of the Chief Examiner, acting on behalf of the Comptroller, of the
5th day of March 1895, allowed, under Section 18 of the Patents, &c.
Act, 1883, an Amendment of this Specification.
Date of Application, 30th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fruit and Seed Cleaning Machines.
I CALEB DUCKWORTH of Cloth Hall, Colne, in the County of Lancaster
Fruit Preserver and Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
An improved fruit and seed cleaning machine, having a slide motion self-feeding
inlet into the end of a conical cylinder which revolves horizontally; the brushes
are fixed inside on the central shaft, and by means of a screw the brushing power
is regulated. A water jet is connected through the inlet into the cylinder, to wash
or sprinkle the fruit.
Dated this 90th day of January 1894.
CALEB DUCKWORTH.
Improvements in Fruit and Seed Cleaning Machines.
I CALEB DUCKWORTH of Cloth Hall Colne in the County of Lancaster,
Fruit Preserver and Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to construct a simple and efficient machine for
cleaning currants and other fruit and seeds.
The nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference
to the two sheets of drawings hereunto annexed and the following explanation
thereof.
On Sheet 1 of the drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved
fruit and seed cleaning machine, and Fig. 2 is an elevation of the driving end of
the same.
On Sheet 2 of the drawings Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a part of the gearing
detached, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the machine.
a is the framing which supports in suitable bearings the horizontal axle or shaft b,
upon which the conical wire gauze or perforated cylinder e is mounted so as to be

page_text: able to revolve independently thereof. Inside this cone c there is mounted on the
square part of the axle b a conical brush d, the bars of which may be provided with
bristles as shown on the drawing, or with strips of india rubber or other suitable
material.
Above the conical wire gauze or perforated cylinder c is mounted the self feeding
trough e, so arranged that it is capable of having a to and fro transverse sliding
motion imparted to it. The bottom of this feeding trough is inclined to suit the
form of the cone, and its lower end communicates by means of a feeding inlet
with the interior of the conical revolving cylinder c.
The brush d may be slidden on the horizontal sbaft b so as to adjust it nearer
to or further from the interior of the conical cylinder c, so as to regulate the
brushing power (as may be required) by means of the screw 9 or other similar
device. h is a water jet in communication with any convenient water supply to
admit water through the inlet f into the cylinder or sieve c to wash or sprinkle the
fruit er-seeds, and the surplus water runs out through the perforations in the
cylinder. k is a drawer or tray to receive the surplus water and the waste or dirt
from the fruit or seeds, and is the drawer into which the cleaned fruit or seeds
fall from the conical cylinder c through the outlet m.
The gearing which operates the several parts of the machine is as follows: n is
the main driving shaft which may be driven either by hand or power. Upon this
shaft n is keyed a spur wheel o which, by means of a pinion drives the horizontal
P,
axle or shaft b and thus gives a rapid revolving motion to the internal brush d.
There is also keyed upon the same shaft na spur pinion g driving by means of a
carrier wheel q¹ (see Fig. 3) a spur wheel q on the smaller end of the conical
cylinder c, which it thus drives at a slower speed and in the reverse direction to the
internal brush d.
The side shaking, or transverse slide motion requisite for self feeding, is given
to the feeding trough e by means of a cam or excentric r keyed also on the
driving shaft n (or cast to the spur wheel o), which cam acts on a bowl s (see
Fig. 2) carried by one arm of a bell-crank lever t, the vertical arm of which is
jointed to the cranked bar u which carries the feeding trough e. The bottom of
the latter may either be plain, as shown at Fig. 1, or it may be made like a sieve,
in which case guard-plates v should be placed beneath the same (as shown at Fig. 4)
in order to prevent dirt or waste from falling on to the wire gauze or perforated
cone cylinder c.
The amount of feed may be regulated by means of the hinged plate z shown
at Fig. 1.
When the machine is intended to be used as a hand machine alone, the driving
pulleys may be dispensed with, and the fly wheel w, handle x, and spur wheel y,
may be mounted as shown by the dotted lines on Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The general construction and arrangement of the improved fruit and
seed cleaning machine substantially as above more particularly described and
represented by the annexed drawings, and especially I claim
Secondly. In fruit and seed cleaning machines the combination with a conical
sieve mounted horizontally upon an axle and revolving in one direction, of an
internal conical brush (or series of brushes) mounted on the same axis and caused
to revolve rapidly in the reverse direction.
Thirdly. I claim the use or employment in such machines of a screw or equivalent
device for the adjustment of such conical brush in the interior of the conical
sieve.
Fourthly. I claim in such machines the use of a feeding trough to which a
to-and-fro sliding or shaking motion is given to facilitate the self feeding of the
fruit or seeds.

page_text: Fifthly. I claim in such machines the use of a spray of water admitted into the
conical sieve through the feeding inlet.
Dated this 26th day of October 1894.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.