A New or Improved Sifting Apparatus for Sifting Cinders and other Substances.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 6th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 20th May, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Sifting Apparatus for Sifting Cinders and other
Substances.
I, JOHN FERNLEY, of South Leigh, in the County of Oxfordshire, Teacher, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
It consists of a rotary box-like sifter, and is made up of two parts, viz., the box
proper, and the lid or tray into which the cinders or other substances fall when
the box is inverted; and in which they are removed to a convenient place when
sifted The two parts combined resemble in shape an ordinary oblong box; and
the size and shape I should prefer (lid included) would be as follows:-Length
from left to right about eighteen inches; depth about thirteen inches; width from!
front to back about nine or ten inches. But other sizes or shapes might be used.-
The lid or tray alone would always be the same length and width as the box proper,
but only about four inches deep. The box proper would be constructed as
follows For the front and back parts of the box take two pieces of wood or
sheet metal about eighteen inches long and about nine inches deep, and if of wood,
about three quarters of an inch thick;-connect these at each of the corners by
a stay, which if made of wood, might be about nine inches long, one and a halt
inches wide, and three quarters of an inch thick. Now cover this box-like shape
at the ends and bottom with perforated sheet metal or other sifting material. In
order to give strength to the tray or lid the sides and ends are preferably wood
of the same strength as the box proper; or sheet metal; and only the top of the lid
would be sifting material.
The lid is not connected to the box proper by hinges but in such a way as to be
attached or detached at pleasure. Two holes preferably round and about an inch
in diameter are made through the sides of the box proper, one through the front
side and one through the back part opposite each other, about two inches from
the upper edges of the box, and at equal distances from the ends of the box proper.
A round bar is passed through these two holes and it is round this bar or axle
supported at each end in a horizontal position and at a convenient height from the
ground that the box revolves until the sifting of its contents is complète-The bar
is preferably not a fixture but can be removed at pleasure.
To propel the box instead of a handle being attached to one end of the bar I
prefer two narrow strips of wood or metal; and if of wood, about two inches wide
and three quarters of an inch thick, being attached to the front part of the box
proper, one across each end of the box so as to project about four inches above the
lid and four inches below the bottom of the box. These four projections form the
handles for propelling the box round the loose bar or axle above mentioned; and
this method of propulsion, and the detachable lid form the main features of this
invention. When the box is required for sifting it is placed on the bar; and when
the lid is taken off, the box proper, owing to its particular construction and the
position of the holes and bar, swings automatically into the right position for
being filled.

page_text: When filled, the lid or tray is adjusted; and the box is propelled round and
round the bar until the sifting of its contents is complete; and then the cinders
are removed in the lid or tray which is now turned underneath the box proper to
receive them--The lid is then détached, and the cinders are removed to a suitable
place. To assist the process of sifting and to prevent the accumulation of the
inaterial to one part of the box, I prefer to divide the box proper into three equal
compartments by means of wires about an inch apart, and running over each other
from the front to the back of the box. The bar or axle round which the box
revolves may be supported at each end, and at the required height, in any
convenient manner.
Dotad this Wourth day of Wabuary 1899
A New or Improved Sifting Apparatus for Sifting Cinders and other
Substances.
I, JOHN FERNLEY, of South Leigh, in the County of Oxfordshire, Teacher, 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:
It consists of a rotary box-like sifter and is made up of two parts, viz. the box-
proper, and the lid or tray, into which the cinders or other substances fall when the
sitter is inverted; and in which they are removed to a convenient place when sifted.
The two parts combined resemble in shape an ordinary rectangular oblong
box; and the size and shape I should prefer lid included" for a small sifter,
would be as follows: length from lett to right about eighteen inches; depth
about thirteen inches; inside width from front to back, about seven and a half
inches. But other suitable sizes or shapes might be used-The lid or tray alone
would always be the same length and width as the box-proper; and for small
sifters about four inches deep.
The box-proper, would be constructed as follows-For the front and back parts
of the box, take two pieces of wood or sheet metal, but preferably wood, about
eighteen inches long, nine inches deep; and if of wood about three quarters of an
inch thick. Connect these at each of the corners by a stay inside, which if made
of wood, might be about seven and a half inches long; one and a half inches
wide; and three quarters of an inch thick-Now cover the outside of this box-
like shape at the ends and bottom with perforated sheet metal-diameter of
holes four or five twelfths" or other sifting material, such as parallel bars &c.
which may be attached in any convenient manner.
In order to give strength to the tray or lid, the sides and ends, are preferably
wood, of the same strength as the box-proper; or, they may be sheet metal, and
only the top of the lid would be sifting material-diameter of holes the same as
in the box-proper, viz. four or five twelfths of an inch.
The ends of the lid and stays, should be placed inside. The lid is not connected
to the box-proper by hinges, but in such a way as to be attached or detached at
pleasure. The following is the method I prefer-For small sifters, I take two
pieces of iron each about six inches long; one eighth of an inch thick; and about
an inch wide-Three, about one eighth inch holes, are made towards one end of
each of them: the first, about a quarter of an inch from the end of each; and
the three on each plate, about an inch apart, and at an equal distance from both
edges of the plates. At about half an inch from the other end of each plate, and
at equal distances from the edges, a hole about three eighths of an inch in diameter

page_text: is made These plates are then screwed on to the upper corners, on the ends of the
sides of the box-proper one at each corner-About half the plate is screwed to
the box-proper, and the other half with the large hole near the end, projects about
two and a quarter inches above the upper edge of the box-proper, and with the
large hole towards the length of the oblong box. Then, two round iron pegs about
two and a half inches long, and an eighth of an inch thick, are driven one into each
corresponding edge of the tray, so that when the lid is placed in position on the
box-proper, the two pegs previously mentioned, will project about three quarters
of an inch through the two large holes, in the upright plates I have just mentioned;
and so will secure the lid to that end of the box-proper-At the centre of the
other end of the lid, (where the hasp catch must be fastened) on the edge which
rests on the upper edge of the box-proper, when the lid is in position, a round hole
about a sixth of an inch in diameter, and about one inch deep, is made; and an
iron peg about one eighth of an inch thick, which is driven into the opposite edge
(about an inch and a half) of the box-proper, and is left projecting about an inch,
fits loosely into this hole in the edge of the lid, and so prevents it from moving
sideways either to the right hand or to the left. This end of the lid is then
secured by an ordinary hasp catch, such as is generally used for boxes.--But other
ways of attaching the lid might be used.
Two round holes about an inch in diameter are made through the sides of the
box-proper one through the front side, and one through the back, opposite each
other, and about two inches from the upper edges of the box, and at equal distances
from the ends of the box-proper. A round bar is passed through these two holes,
and it is round this bar or axle, supported at each end in a horizontal position,
and at a convenient height from the ground, that the sifter revolves until the sifting
of its contents is complete. The bar is preferably not a fixture, but can be removed
at pleasure.
To propel the sifter, instead of the bar or axle being a fixture with a handle
attached to one end of it, I prefer two narrow strips of wood or metal; and if of
wood, which I prefer, about one and a half inches wide, and three quarters of an
inch thick, being attached to the front side of the box-proper, one across each end
of the box, so as to project about six or more inches above the lid, and six inches or
more below the bottom of the box.-These four projections form the handles or arms
for propelling the sifter round the loose bar or axle above mentioned; and this
method of propulsion, and the detachable lid, as described and illustrated, form
two of the main features of this invention. The leverage given by these arms,
which, if attached to only the front of the sifter, will enable a youth to sift
easily three month's cinders wet or dry in a remarkably short time.
To assist the process of sifting, and to prevent the accumulation of material in
any part of the sifter, I prefer to divide into three compartments, by means of
two partitions of wires, wood, or sheet metal; and if wires are used--and I prefer
them, they may be more or less than an inch apart, according to the material to be
sifted. These wires should run over each other from the front to the back of the
box, and should extend from almost the bottom of the box-proper, to almost the
sifting material on the lid or tray; and this division of the sifter into compart-
ments is another of the chief characteristics of this invention.
The wire used should be about one twelfth of an inch thick; it can then easily
be laced through and through the sides of the sifter, and answers well.-When
worn out it can easily be replaced. The end compartments should be about four
inches wide and the centre one eight inches wide.
When the lid is on the box proper, the three compartments are all connected,
not only by all the spaces between the wires, but by an empty space of about
three inches or more over one partition of wires; and by another empty space of
about three or more inches wide under the other partition of wires. And it is
chiefly through these two large openings which run the full length of the wires
from the front to the back of the sifter, and close to the sifting material, that the
three compartments fill and empty their contents into each other as the sifter
.

page_text: revolves The end compartments fill when they are under the axle; and empty
themselves into the middle and bottom compartments when they are over or nearly
over the axle as the sifter revolves. So that while the compartment over the axie
is emptying through one large opening, the compartment under it is filling through
the other large opening, and this process is repeated until the sifting is nnished-
And owing to the forward motion of the sifter, the contents of the end compart-
ments, on arriving over the axle, are alternately thrown forward through the
two openings against the sitting material opposite, which is now in the best possible
position to receive them; and the part that does not escape through the sifting
medium, talls into the middle and bottom compartments below.
And, as the compartments are with the exception of the spaces between the wires,
closed at opposite ends, and open at opposite ends, only the finer parts can get at
once into the bottom compartment; and escape through the sifting screen or sieve
below. The wet or dry material is thoroughly cleaned as it passes and repasses
from one compartment to the others.
Also the end compartments being closed, one near the lid, and the other at the
bottom of the sifter, prevents the material from falling out into the lower com-
partments as it is being carried up and over the axle bar; and being open at
opposite ends, they easily fill as the sifter revolves.
The wire partitions also prevent the accumulation of material in the compartment
under the axle bar; and keep back the coarser contents of the sifter from the
sifting medium so that the finer parts may the more easily pass through it.
But more than three compartments might be used; and other arrangements
of the partitions might be made; but the shorter the sifting medium brought into
use, the less effectually will the work be done, and therefore more than three com-
partments would hinder rather than help, the sifting process.
When the bottom of the sifter rests on the floor, and the length of it runs from
left to right, one of the two large openings mentioned should be underneath the
right hand partition; and the other over the left hand partition. Also, when
in the above position, the two plates already described, and the two iron pegs at
the end of the tray which project through them, should be at the right hand end
of the sifter, and the hole, peg, and hasp should be at the left hand end of the
sifter. The arms or projections should be on the near side of the sifter; and
should revolve preferably from left to right, but may be used either way.
The strength, shape, and size of the sifters and fastenings may vary as required.
When the box is required for sifting it is placed on the bar; and when the lid
is taken off the box proper owing to its construction and the position of the holes
and bar, swings automatically into the right position for being filled. When
filled, the lid or tray is adjusted, and the box is propelled round and round the
bar, until the sifting of its contents is complete; and then the cinders are removed
in the lid or tray which is now turned underneath the box-proper to receive them.
-The lid is then detached; and the cinders are removed to a suitable place. To de
the work expeditiously, first fill a large scuttle, and then pour it all into the sifter
at once. Then stand at the right hand end of the sifter not in front, and propel
it round the axle from left to right for a few seconds.
The quantity to be sifted at one operation is only limited by the size of the sifter,
and the power to work it. With a moderately sized sifter, and with very little
labour, a ton of cinders, gravel, or coal, wet or dry, can be sifted in a very small
fraction of the time generally required.
The good points of the sifter are as follows;-easily and cheaply made, nothing
to get out of order; does the greatest amount of work with the least amount of
labour, and time; and after thirty or forty years wear, can, with about a shilling
outlay, be recovered with sifting material and made to last probably as long
again and to convince of its efficiency, and these statements, try one.
The bar or axle round which the sifter revolves, may be supported at each end,
and at the required height, in any convenient manner-The following cheap
., method answers well.-Take a disused packing case about two feet long, one foot

page_text: six inches wide; and about one foot deep.-Erect a vertical support inside the box
at each of the four corners, about two feet two inches high. Then join the tops
of the vertical supports at the narrow ends of the box by two cross bars, about three
and a half inches wide.-Cut out a small piece about one inch deep, and about one
and a half inches wide, from the middle of each of the cross bars, for the ends of
the axle of the sifter to rest in; and see that the packing case stands on a level
surface while the sifter is working.
The strength and length of the wood-work here, and the size of the packing case,"
must depend upon the size of the sifter, but ordinary battens serve very well as
verticals for small sifters.
In order that this my said invention may be more easily understood, reference is
hereby made to the drawing in perspective on the accompanying sheet. To shew
the interior, the drawing mainly represents a light frame-work of the sifter; and
like figures indicate that the parts correspond.
1.asp rastening.
8. Holes in the front and back for the axle to pass through.
9. Screws for holding or attaching the handles or arms to the front side of the
sifter.
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:-
1. The herein described and illustrated box-like sifter, of rectangular form, and
consisting mainly of two parts, the box-proper, and the lid or tray, in which the
sifted material is removed after being sifted.
2. The method of propelling a sifter round a bar or axle by means of arms or
projections, attached to it as herein described and illustrated; and I also claim the
essential principles of this method for the, propulsion of sifters, whether on a
fixed or loose bar.
3. The use of compartments in revolving box-like sifters of rectangular form, for
the purposes herein specified.
4. The use of detachable lids as trays on revolving box-like sifters of rectangular
form, as described and illustrated.