IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING APPARATUS.
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France,
and 38, Porchester Terrace, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING APPARATUS.'
-A communication by Félix Monmon and Auguste Racinet, residing
at No. 4, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 15th August 1865, and dated the 4th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th March 1865.
I, HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices,
24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, and 38, Porchester
Terrace, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING
APPARATUS," communicated from Félix Monmon and Auguste Racinet, persons
resident at No. 4, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France,
aforesaid, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in an improved apparatus for drying linen and

page_text: similar articles by means of a current of heated air made to circulate in a
contrary direction to that of the articles to be dried. This is attained by
means of a tunnel or hollow tube having a continuous circuit provided with
rails and with a central endless chain, to which the chariots or bearers are
attached in a suitable way; the latter are provided with uprights carrying
baskets or openwork bags of suitable capacity, for receiving articles to be
dried. The endless chain being made to move, and the heated air being
admitted in a contrary direction, the articles are carried through a current of
a temperature which may be elevated at will. The tunnel is provided with
doors, which, opening and closing by the chariots themselves, allow the air
charged with steam evaporated from the articles to return to the furnace, and
thus keep up the current equally and without interruption. By means of
sliding doors to be opened or shut at will, the chariots are allowed to leave
the tunnel at any required period of their dessiccation, or are made to follow
the whole extent of the same any required number of times.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and. Foreign Patent Offices, 24, Rue du
Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, and 38, Porchester Terrace,
Bayswater, in the 'County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said
Henri Adrien Bonneville, Her special licence that I, the said Henri Adrien
Bonneville, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
'said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executor's, 'administrators, and assigns, should
in 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DRYING APPARATUS," communicated to me by Felix Monmon and
Auguste Racinet, persons resident at No. 4, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in
the Empire of France, aforesaid, upon the condition (amongst others)

page_text: that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors or administrators,
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 Inven-
tion, 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 Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This Invention consists in an improved apparatus for drying linen and
similar articles by means of a current of heated air made to circulate in a
contrary direction to that of the articles to be dried. This object is attained
by means of a tunnel or hollow tube having a continuous circuit provided with
a central chain, to which the bearers or chariots are attached in a suitable
way.
The latter are provided with uprights carrying baskets or open work
bags of suitable capacity for receiving the articles to be dried. The endless
chain being made to move, and the heated air being admitted in a contrary
direction, the articles are carried through a current of a temperature which
may be elevated at will. The tunnel is provided with doors, which, opening
and closing by the chariots themselves, allow the air charged with steam
evaporated from the articles to return. to the, furnace, and thus keep up the
current equally and without interruption. By means of sliding doors to be
opened, or shut at, will the chariots are allowed to leave the tunnel at any
required, period of the dessication, or are made to follow the whole extent of
the same, any required number of times.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the drying
apparatus; Fig. 2 different views of the beating apparatus; Fig. 3 an
elevation; and Fig. 4.a-plan, view, of one of the chariots.
In Figures 1 and 2, A, is the entire body of the dryer; B, B², the tunnel;
C', C, sliding doors; D, D, entry of the hot air and conduits, which bring
it from the furnace to the dryer; E, E', communication with the outside and
conduits which bring the air back to the fireplace; F and H, doors closing
the tunnel; G, G, projections; K, shaft provided, at each end with angular
wheels, which,gear with the wheels of, the projections G, G', and com-
municate an inverse movement to the two doors F and H; M, endless
chain: provided at its upper side with rods which hook on the chariot A ;
R, rails.

page_text: In Figures 3 and 4, A, axles and bodies of the apparatus; B, articulations;
C, C¹, pads or buffers; D, arms fixed on the chariot and provided with a
friction roller; E, openwork baskets supported by the rods; F, F, supporting
rods fixed on the chariot; G, projections; H, moveable lever arm on which
the arm D acts; I, rod having a free movement, and uniting the lever arm
H to J; J, J, door hinges with lever arms; K, shaft provided with an
angular arm gearing at a; R, rails..
The apparatus works in the following manner:-The articles to be dried
are placed in the baskets E, and the chariots are made to enter the tunnel by
the sliding doors C, C', which are shut when all have entered. The endless
chain then draws the chariots through the tunnel in a contrary direction to
the current of hot air. This hot air comes from the furnace of the machine
where it is heated by passing through a series of tubes of cast iron or refractory
brick, which series may be larger or smaller according to the heat it is wished
to obtain. The air after circulating in the tunnel returns to feed the furnace
by the conduits E and E', according to the way the doors are opened. When
the chariots, after circulating through the tunnel, arrive at F they find the
doors closed, but by pushing the lever of the projection G they open them,
and at the same time, by means of the wheel and the shaft K, close the
door H. Then the current of air passes by E¹ instead of by F. The chariots
continue their passage, and open in the same way the doors H while closing
the door F, and so on until it is wished to let them out, when the sliding
doors C, C³, are opened, which act like a turntable, and the train of chariots
comes out while another may be made to enter. The arrangement of the
chariots allows them to move in any curved lines with their baskets. The
latter are made and placed in such way as to divide the hot air, and force it
to strike alternately on each of them.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed; what I claim is,-
Firstly, a tunnel over which a current of hot air passes during an indefinite
delay, which, after drying the articles,, returns to the furnace without loss of
heat, and bringing on the contrary a new element of combustion, viz., the
steam with which it is charged.
Secondly, the system of doors and openings for air conduits which open and
shut automatically, and are combined in such a way that the current of air is
not interrupted nor ceases to feed the furnace.
Thirdly, the series of chariots bearing openwork baskets disposed and
arranged so as to circulate in all the curves of the tunnel, and cut the air,

page_text: and other articles.
Fourthly, the mode of traction.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
H. BONNEVILLE. (L.S.)