IMPROVEMENTS IN CANDY MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of the firm of Harris and Mills of
23 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CANDY MACHINES
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The improvements have for their purpose an increased capacity and efficiency in
candy machines so that a great variety of work which is now done by hand may
be effected by machinery, and such machinery may be adapted for making stick
candy either round or flat, plain or striped or corrugated, embossed with figures or
lettered, and in fine stick candy of all the various varieties known and appreciated
in the market.
The invention therein consists in the novel construction, combination and
arrangement of the principal operative parts, all as more fully hereinafter explained
and claimed.
For the better comprehension of the same I will proceed to describe the same in
connection with the drawings accompanying this specification, in which, Figure 1
is an elevation of the machine.
Figure 2 A top plan view of the same, and
Figure 3 A view of a batch of candy.
Similar letters denote corresponding parts of the same in each Figuro.
The essential elements in the machine, are several rolls each of the form of a
truncated cone arranged with their smaller ends downward about a common centre,
but inclined, a little outwardly from this centre and all revolved in the same
direction.
These rolls have their lower ends adjustable out and in from the common centre
and may have their upper ends also adjustable in the same directions.
A batch of candy introduced from above into the common centre falls gradually
by gravity while it is being compressed by the rolls, and passes out of the common

page_text: centre down through a forming or marking die, and then between other rolls which
have rotation toward each other and act as feed rollers, and thence to an endless
belt which carries away the completed stick of candy.
In the act of working this machine suitable means may be employed to keep the
candy at a proper temperature for the best manipulation.
It is evident that embracing this general description, a great variety of changes
in construction may be employed without the exercise of invention and therefore
I do not wish to be confined to the precise construction, herein shown and described,
but to cover equivalent mechanical constructions.
I will describe a construction which has been found very effective.
Upon a base A, are placed standards B, which support a top ring plate C, which
in this instance is shown as of a general three cornered shape and adapted for a
three roll machine.
Between this plate and the base are interposed two other plates the upper
marked D, and the lower E. The rolls F, of the form of truncated cones, preferably
of hollow metal, have each a shaft a properly supported in the centre of the rolls,
which shaft passes through boxes b and is journalled in said boxes which are
secured to the ring plate C, and preferably in radial slots in the same and such
rolls are arranged at equal distances from each other and from a common centro
and are each inclined a little outwardly.
The shafts a rest at their feet upon or within suitable steps c which in turn are
placed upon the plate D.
As a provision for adjusting the tops of these shafts out and in from the common
centre by means of the boxes b the latter may be moved by hand in the slots out
and in and secured in place by thumb nuts to T bolts passing through the ends of
the boxes as a well known method.
Likewise the steps e may be moved out and in, in radial slots in the plate D, and
secured in the same manner, but as the adjustment of the lower ends of the shafts
would be more frequently required than that of the upper ends, a speedier method
might be desirable.
To accomplish this I prefer to employ a ring d with eccentric slots at as many
points as there are steps and with one ore more vertical pins placed upon the
plate D, and passing through the eccentric slots in ring d.
When this ring is arranged with each step kept in place by means of the pins in
the eccentric slots e attached to this ring, a partial rotation of it in one direction
will draw the different steps inwardly and equally in radial lines, and a partial
rotation in the opposite direction will return these steps to the first position.
In order to give rotation to these rolls I prefer to mount sprocket wheels G, upon
them preferably just above the ring plate C, which wheels as they are not horizontal
in their planes of rotation, should have their teeth ƒ placed nearly in a horizontal
plane.
To give rotation to these sprocket wheels, I provide a shaft H, with a suitable
pulley g or bevel or friction gear to which power is applied, which shaft is turned
upon a step h in the base A.
This shaft is provided with a sprocket wheel which has a suitable drive chain I
which passes around the outsides of the sprocket wheels G, and causes them all to
be rotated in the same direction.
To meet the occasional increased length required for this drive chain by reason
of the adjustments of the rolls, it should be one of the well known kinds which
have similar detachable links and to meet the changing elevation of the sprocket
wheels G by reason of adjusting the rolls out and in, suitable adjustable roller
hangers may be attached to the upper side of the ring plate C, through which the
drive chain may be threaded.
A die J, fits loosely in the plate D, directly under the central space between the
bottoms of the rolls through which die the candy passes from the rolls which dies
serve to give the form whether round or flat or corrugated, which the stick of candy
is intended to have, and this die should preferably have a circular outside and

page_text: bevelled inwardly toward the bottom so that it can be easily removed and replaced
by other dies.
Below the die are journalled the feed rollers K having revolution imparted in the
direction toward each other by suitable belting with the main driving shaft in
any convenient way.
These feed rollers should be conveniently removable, so that others can be
readily substituted and their faces should be cliannelled for the description of stick
candy passing between them, whether round or flat, and may bo embossed with
designs or letters to be impressed upon the candy as it passes between them.
Below these feed rollers is arranged an endless belt M driven by suitable belting
or other connection with the main driving shaft, which belt conveys away the
completed stick candy. As it is desirable to have the candy at a suitable
temperature when passing through the machine any well known heating apparatus
may be employed, but it is preferred to introduce gas jets into the lower ends of
the rolls F, for instance as indicated by L, L, L, in Figure 2.
In the operation of the machine a batch of candy of the general form shown in
Figure 3 is introduced into the opening between the upper ends of the rolls F, and
by gravity and by the pull of the feed rolls after it has entered them it is drawn
downward and compressed and given a round forin.
By the less rapid presentation of surfaces of the lower ends of the rolls, duo to
the decreased diameter, the candy is also twisted at the same time that it is
compressed and lengthened.
These rolls may have horizontal corrugations, so that the candy will have
corrugated twists, and indeed it is apparent that a great variety of external
ornamentation may be given by proper surface changes to these rolls.
From the rolls the stick of candy passes through the dies, where its final shape,
whether round, flat or otherwise is determined, and where another variety of
ornamentation may be given to it by the interior surfaces of the dies, by vertical
corrugations and other ornaments in the same, the die being loose in its bed,
turning more or less as desired with the twisting of the candy.
The stick of candy then passes to the feed rolls, and at this point may if desired
be further changed or ornamented.
It is apparent that in the use of this machine the die may be omitted in certain
kinds of work or altogether.
From the feed rolls the stick of candy passes to the endless belt and is conveyed
away.
"
This machine will be found very effective in the making of candy in striped
sticks the various colored candy being made up in a batch in the usual way, on
account of the regularity of the variously colored spirals, and by increasing or
diminishing the speed of the revolution of the rolls F, any desired pitch can be
given to these spirals.
In fine, all the well known and saleable varieties of stick candy can be made of
a great variety of ornamentation, and of any length whatever with a better and
more attractive appearance of the candy than if done by hand and with much
greater speed, with greater cheapness, and with also a greater uniformity throughout
in its density, than if made by hand.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the samo is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
First: A candy machine having adjustable rolls of the form of truncated cones
correspondingly arranged with an outward inclination around a common centre at
equal distancos froin each other and from the common centre and rotated in the
same direction substantially as described.
Second: A candy machine with the correspondingly arranged conical rolls F in
combination with feed rollers substantially as described.
Third: A candy machine with the correspondingly arranged conical rolls F, in
combination with feed rollers and au intermediate die substantially as described,

page_text: Fourth A candy machine with the adjustably and correspondingly arranged
conical rolls F, the feed rollers, and and endless belt to carry away the candy
substantially as described.
Fifth A candy machine with the correspondingly arranged conical rolls F,
corrugated or embossed substantially as described.
Sixth: A candy machine with the rolls F, combined with means for heating the
interior of the same substantially as described.
Seventh: A candy machine having corrugated embossed or ornamental feed rolls
in combination with conical rolls for twisting the candy substantially as described.
Eighth A candy machine having a corrugated or ornamental die intermediate a
set of feed rollers and a set of conical rolls for twisting the candy substantially as
described.
B. J. B. MILLS.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.