Year: 1898

page_text: I, ALFRED BLACKIE, of 50, Grove Hill Road, Tunbridge Wells, in the County
of Kent, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inventon to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object to effect certain improvements in the method
of and apparatus for hop drying.
In the present system of hop drying generally practised, there are admittedly
many imperfections, which my invention is designed to remedy.
Some of the defects of the present system are as follows:
The green hops are placed in the drying kiln on a hair-cloth floor (a very
expensive material costing say from £7 to £12 for the hair-cloth) to the depth
of from nine to fifteen inches, and the heat applied from below. The result is
that the hops at the bottom of the layer dry most quickly, and the reek or
moisture escaping through them is drawn up through the colder layer of hops
above, where a great part of it condenses, rendering the upper hops wet, and to a
great extent retarding the drying, so that the hops have to be subjected to long
continued heat (often at a temperature higher than is desirable), and the lower
layer must necessarily be overdried before the top layer is sufficiently done. This
overdrying not only often injures the lupuline of the under layer, but renders
the hops so brittle that they break to pieces when moved and cannot be got into
the pockets in a whole condition. This breaking occasions much loss of the
lupuline (which constitutes the principal value of the hop), and also loss of
weight, and a whole sample such as the brewers like cannot be obtained.
Moreover the hops have to be turned on the hair to mix the upper under-
dried layer with the lower over-dried layer, so that the one may correct the
other to some extent. Again, they must be moved from the hair-cloth into the
cooling chamber, and again moved in putting them into the pockets.
occasions a great deal of breaking up of the hops with loss of lupuline and
weight.
All this
Expensive hair-cloth has to be used on the drying floors and the men have to
tread over this in loading and unloading the hops. The hair-cloth is objec-
tionable on account of its expense and the treading among the hops in loading
often leaves pieces caked together by the pressure, and which refuse to dry,
while in unloading the treading breaks the hops.
By my invention I remedy these defects, and the conditions I have endea-
voured to obtain are as follows:-
(1). To provide arrangements by which the hops shall not be handled in any
way so as to break them, from the time they are placed on the drying floor till
they actually reach the pocket's mouth in fit condition for packing, so that they
are packed in fine whole condition and without any loss of lupuline.

page_text: (2). To provide arrangements either to hasten the cooling of the hops on the
cooling floor, or to retard it as may be most convenient or expedient, according
to circumstances, and that without handling the hops.
(3). To provide arrangements by which the hops on the drying floor_can_be
more equally heated, so as to avoid over-drying at the bottom layer and under-
drying at the top, and which will not only hasten the operation of drying, but
admit of its being conducted at a somewhat lower temperature than has hitherto
been the general practice, and will both prevent to a great extent the condensa-
tion of the reek on the upper hops, and facilitate its speedy escape from the
mass.
(4). To provide arrangements for the perfect loading of the hops on the drying
floor, so that they may be deposited in a perfectly equal layer all over, without
any treading or lumping together, and also for the unloading without any
breaking or loss of condition.
(5). To provide arrangements that shall admit of the use of a much less expen-
sive material than hair-cloth for spreading the hops upon during drying.
In order to carry my invention into effect, I employ a series of frames or cases
of suitable and convenient form fitted with bottoms of porous or open cloth or
other suitable material, (or if preferred, hair-cloth), and either with or without
movable lids of porous or open cloth, or hair-cloth.
Into these open frames the green hops are loaded by hand without any tread-
ing among the hops, and as there is thus but little wear on the cloth bottoms
and lids, ordinary inexpensive porous cloth may be used instead of expensive
hair-cloth. The frames are then placed on the drying floor, and while drying
such frames (provided with lids) may be turned or reversed without disturbing
or handling the hops, so that each side of the layer of hops is alternately pre-
sented to the heat, and this may be done as often as desired during the drying.
When the frames are of considerable capacity, I preferably arrange partitions
in same, so as to prevent the hops falling all over on one side and lumping
together in the action of reversing the frames. Such partitions can be made
removable and in two or more parts in depth so as to permit the lid of the frame
to be lowered into contact with the upper surface of the hops as the drying
progresses, and the hops consequently shrink, thus still further tending to prevent
the hops from shifting in the frames as the latter are reversed.
In these frames the hops are dried and do not require handling or mixing to
equalise the drying, and while still in the frames the hops are removed from
the drying floor to the cooling chamber without handling, and in such frames
the hops are cooled, and by proper manipulation of the frames the cooling may
be either hastened or retarded at will without handling the hops.
This reculation of the cooling is produced by standing the open frames con-
taining the dried hops on edge either some distance apart or close together or
with any desired amount of space between the different frames; or by placing
the frames flat one upon the other, and if necessary covering over the top frame
with a cloth or cover.
While in the frames on the cooling floor the hops regain much of their tough-
ness, and when sufficiently cool for packing, and in a condition to resist breakage,
they are gently shot direct from the frames into the pockets and pressed up,
one end of the frames being provided with a shutter or door, which is opened
when it is desired to shoot out the hops the passage through the opening being
facilitated if necessary by gentle handling so as to prevent the clogging or
choking of the hops at the orifice.
The hops are thus only handled once and that in the gentlest manner, and
only when they have recovered from the brittle condition induced by the
drving.
The frames are made of different shapes to suit either round or square drying
Aoors. For circular drying kilns the frames will preferably be in the form of

page_text: segments of a circle, and for rectangular kilns they will preferably be of rect-
angular form and of suitable dimensions for handling with ease when loaded or
charged.
With a proper series of these frames alone, and without any alteration to
existing oast houses, hops may be dried and finished in a manner far superior
to the ordinary practice, but the manipulation of the frames may be facilitated,
and effected without entering the drying floor, by one or other of the arrange-
ments to be hereinafter described.
To facilitate the manipulation of the frames on round drying floors a hori-
zontally revolving receptacle or carrier may be employed, and be provided with
slides to receive the frames above referred to, so that when the apparatus is
revolved, the end of each slide is in rotation presented at the door of the cooling
chamber, and the frames may be either placed in position, or withdrawn, turned
and replaced with little labour, and without entering the drying floor or dis-
turbing the hops.
For square drying floors all that is necessary is a series of slides for the frames,
with the ends opening into the cooling chamber. The frames may be either
made in one length or in two or more lengths, which may be coupled together
so that they may be pushed in and withdrawn one after the other into or from
the slides, for the purpose of loading, unloading or turning such frames.
When it is desired to turn the hops frequently during drying, the following
arrangements may be employed to facilitate the operation.
For round drying floors the receptacle or cage which receives the frames may
be mounted so that it can revolve both horizontally and vertically, the horizontal
movement as described serving to admit of the frames being placed into and
withdrawn from such receptacle or cage from the cooling chamber, without
having to enter the drying floor, and the vertical revolution permitting of the
whole receptacle or cage containing the frames being reversed or turned unside
down, thus turning the hops, the operation being repeated as often as desired or
found expedient.
For square drying floors, the receptacle with the slides to receive the frames,
may be formed in suitable sections, each of which is mounted on an axle or on
trunnions, so that such section may be reversed, and thus turn the hops when
desired.
The lids of the frames (whether for circular or rectangular kilns) will be. fitted
with means for locking same in position in such frames, so as to prevent them
falling out when the latter are reversed or turned on edge, such means preferably
operating automatically when the lids are placed in position, either at the top
of the frames, or when lowered after the hops have shrunk. For circular kilns
in which a receptacle or cage capable of turning both horizontally and vertically
is employed, locking means are also provided for locking such of the frames as
is necessary in position within the slides formed to receive them, in order to
prevent the frames falling out when the receptacle or cage is reversed, or fouling
anything when the receptacle or cage is turned horizontally. Such locking
means are also preferably employed in circular kilns with a carrier revolving
horizontally only, and also in rectangular kilns, so as to ensure the frames being
securely held in the proper position in the slides and prevent all chance of mishap
when moving them or their carrier.
The wheels, axles, bearings, and other metal parts of the apparatus are pre-
ferably coated with graphite, which acts as a lubricant, instead of employing oil,
which might smell at the high temperature, and impart a detrimental flavour
to the hops. Graphite will also protect the metal work from the strong sulphur
fumes with which the drying floors are filled when the hops are being sulphured,
as it is itself unacted upon by sulphur fumes.
In order to facilitate the transport of the frames by one man from one part
of the cooling chamber to another, small wheel carriages may be used, on which

page_text: one end of the frame may be placed, while the man lifts the other end and
pushes it along.
Doted thin 92nd day of March 1900
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, ALFRED BLACKIE, of 50, Grove Hill Road, Tunbridge Wells, in the County
of Kent, Gentleman, 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:―
My invention has for its object to effect certain improvements in the method
of and apparatus for hop drying.
In the present system of hop drying generally practised, there are admittedly
many imperfections, which my invention is designed to remedy.
Some of the defects of the present system are as follows:-
The green hops are placed in the drying kiln on a hair-cloth floor (a very
expensive material costing say from £7 to £12 for the hair-cloth) to the depth
of from nine to fifteen inches, and the heat applied from below. The result is
that the hops at the bottom of the layer dry most quickly, and the reek or
moisture escaping through them is drawn up through the colder layer of hops
above, where a great part of it condenses, rendering the upper hops wet, and to a
great extent retarding the drying, so that the hops have to be subjected to long
continued heat (often at a temperature higher than is desirable), and the lower
layer must necessarily be overdried before the top layer is sufficiently done. This
overdrying not only often injures the lupuline of the under layer, but renders
the hops so brittle that they break to pieces when moved and cannot be got into
the pockets in a whole condition. This breaking occasions much loss of the
lupuline (which constitutes the principal value of the hop), and also loss of
weight, and a whole sample such as the brewers like cannot be obtained.
Moreover the hops have to be turned on the hair to mix the upper under-
dried layer with the lower over-dried layer, so that the one may correct the
other to some extent. Again, they must be moved from the hair-cloth into the
cooling chamber, and again moved in putting them into the pockets. All this
occasions a great deal of breaking up of the hops with loss of lupuline and
weight.
Expensive hair-cloth has to be used on the drying floors and the men have to
tread over this in loading and unloading the hops. The hair-cloth is objec-
tionable on account of its expense and the treading among the hops in loading
often leaves pieces caked together by the pressure, and which refuse to dry,
while in unloading the treading and handling breaks the hops.
By my invention I remedy these defects, and the conditions I have endea-
voured to obtain are as follows:-
(1). To provide arrangements by which the hops shall not be handled in any
way so as to break them, from the time they are placed on the drying floor till
they actually reach the pocket's mouth in fit condition for packing, so that they
are parked in fine whole condition and without any loss of lupuline.
(2) To provide arrangements either to hasten the cooling of the hops on th
cooling floor, or to retard it as may be most convenient or expelient, according
to circumstances, and that without handling the hops.

page_text: the drying floor to the cooling chamber without handling, and in such frames the
hops are cooled, and by proper manipulation of the frames the cooling may be
either hastened or retarded at will without handling the hops.
This regulation of the cooling is produced by standing the open frames con-
taining the dried hops on edge either some distance apart or close together or
with any desired amount of space between the different frames; or by placing
the frames flat one upon the other, and if necessary covering over the top frame
with a cloth or cover.
While in the frames on the cooling floor the hops regain much of their tough-
ness, and when sufficiently cool for packing, and in a condition to resist breakage,
they are gently shot direct from the frames into the pockets and pressed up,
one end of the frames being provided with a shutter or door F, which is opened
when it is desired to shoot out the hops, the passage through the opening being
facilitated if necessary by gentle handling so as to prevent the clogging or
choking of the hops at the orifice.
The hops are thus only handled once and that in the gentlest manner, and
only when they have recovered from the brittle condition induced by the
drying.
The frames are made of different shapes to suit either round or square drying
floors. For circular drying kilns the frames will preferably be in the form of
segments of a circle, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and for rectangular kilns they
will preferably be of rectangular form and of suitable dimensions for handling
with ease when loaded or charged.
With a proper series of these frames alone, and without any alteration to
existing oast houses, hops may be dried and finished in a manner far superior
to the ordinary practice, but the manipulation of the frames may be facilitated,'
and effected without entering the drying floor, by one or other of the arrange-
ments to be hereinafter described.
To facilitate the manipulation of the frames on round drying floors a hori-
zontally revolving receptacle or carrier G, as shown in Figs. 6, 7, 10 and 11,
may be employed, same being mounted on wheels or rollers H, and provided
with slides g to receive the frames above referred to, so that when the apparatus
is revolved, the end of each slide is in rotation presented at the door I of the
cooling chamber, and the frames may be either placed in position, or withdrawn.
turned and replaced with little labour, and without entering the drying floor or
disturbing the hops.
For square drying floors all that is necessary is a series of slides for the frames,
with the ends opening into the cooling chamber. The frames may be either
rande in one length or in two or more lengths, which may be coupled together,
so that they may be pushed in and withdrawn one after the other into or from
the slides, for the purpose of loading, unloading or turning such frames.
When it is desired to turn the hops frequently during drying, the following
arrangements may be emploved to facilitate the operation.
For round drying floors the receptacle or cage G which receives the frames A
may, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, be mounted so that it can revolve both hori-
zontally and vertically, the horizontal movement of the wheels or rollers H
running on the circular rail h serving to admit of the frames being placed into
and withdrawn from such receptacle or cage from the cooling chamber, without
having to enter the drying floor, and the vertical revolution (which can be
effected by removing one of the wheels or rollers H and then turning the carrier
over by any suitable means, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 7), permitting of
the whole receptacle or cage containing the frames being reversed or turned
upside down, thus turning the hops, the operation being repeated as often as
desired or found expedient.
For square drying floors, the receptarle with the slides to receive the frames,
may as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 be formed in suitable sections G and G₁, each of
which is mounted on an axle or trunnions J. so that such section may he reversed,

page_text: and thus turn the hops when desired. In Fig. 9 I have shown the section G¹ in
the act of being turned over, this being effected in any suitable manner.
The lids of the frames A (whether for circular or rectangular kilns) will be
fitted with means for locking same in position in such frames, so as to prevent
them falling out when the latter are reversed or turned on edge, such means
preferably consisting in spring catches such as c or other devices which will
operate automatically when the lids are placed in position, either at the top of
the frames, or when lowered after the hops have shrunk. For circular kilus in
which a receptacle or cage G capable of turning both horizontally and vertically
is employed, locking means a are also provided for locking such of the frames A
as is necessary in position within the slides formed to receive them, in order to
prevent the frames falling out when the receptacle or cage is reversed, or fouling
anything when the receptacle or cage is turned horizontally. Such
locking means a are also preferably employed in circular kilns with a
carrier revolving horizontally only, and also in rectangular kilns in which the
carrier or carriers can be turned vertically, so as to ensure the frames being
securely held in the proper position in the slides and prevent all chance of mis-
hap when moving them or their carrier.
The wheels, axles, bearings, and other metal parts of the apparatus are pre-
ferably coated with graphite, which acts as a lubricant, instead of employing oil,
which might smell at the high temperature, and impart a detrimental flavour
to the hops. Graphite will also protect the metal work from the strong sulphur
fumes with which the drying floors are filled when the hops are being sulphured,
as it is itself unacted upon by sulphur fumes.
In order to facilitate the transport of the frames by one man from one part
of the cooling chamber to another, small wheel carriages may be used, on which
one end of the frame may be placed, while the man lifts the other end and
pushes it along.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The improved process of drying hops consisting in placing same in frames
or cases provided with bottoms and (if desired) also with removable lids both of
porous or open cloth, hair-cloth or other suitable porous material, the frames or
cases being charged off the drying floor and then run or pushed on to same
separately, whereby the hops can be dried and withdrawn without handling,
such frames or cases further permitting of the regulation of the cooling of the
dried hops by suitably arranging or standing them in the cooling room (again
without handling), and also of the shooting out of the dried and cooled hops into
the pockets practically without having to touch them, except in so far as is
necessary to keep the exit opening of the frames or cases from choking, all sub-
stantially as specified.
2. The improved frames or cases to receive hops, and in which the latter are
spread out in a layer so that they can be exposed to heat in an oast house and
in which they can be turned if desired so as to present the opposite sides of the
layer successively to the action of the heat, without any handling of the hops
themselves, and in which the cooling of the hops can be subsequently regulated
by suitably arranging the frames in a cooling room, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3. Providing the frames or cases referred to in the two preceding claims with
partitions for preventing to a great extent the hops contained in such frames or
cases from falling in a mass to either side or to either end thereof, when these
frames or cases are being moved about or reversed, such partitions being pre-
ferably removable, so as not to subsequently interfere with the emptying of the
frames or cases after the hops have been dried and cooled, substantially as
specified.

page_text: 4. Making the partitions of the frames or cases referred to in the preceding
claim in portions or sections which are detachable in the direction of their
height, so as to permit of one or more portions or sections being removed as
required, and enable the lid of the frames or cases to be lowered as the operation
of drying the hops proceeds, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
5. In apparatus for drying hops the employment of a carrier mounted in the
oast house and serving to receive frames or cases in which the hops are arranged
before such frames are placed on the carrier, and from which carrier the frames
can be withdrawn and reversed when desired, substantially as and for the pur-
pose specified.
6. In apparatus for drying hops mounting the carrier referred to in the pre-
ceding claim so that same can turn horizontally in the oast house for the pur-
pose of allowing the frames or cases in which the hops are arranged to be placed
upon and withdrawn from such carrier through a suitable opening in succession,
substantially as specified.
7. Mounting the carrier referred to in Claims 5 and 6 so that same can be
caused to turn vertically (or in the case of a circular carrier vertically as well
as horizontally) in the oast house, and thereby reverse the frames or cases in
which the hops are arranged, so as to expose the opposite sides of the layer of
hops in each case or frame successively to the action of the heat, substantially
as specified.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1898.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.