CERTAIN IM- PROVEMENTS IN MILLS FOR GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BANKS, of West Leigh, in the County of Lancaster, Miller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifth day of March now last
past, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Samuel Banks, my exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial licence that
I, the said Samuel Banks, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Samuel Banks, my exors, adñors, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the
Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MILLS FOR GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Samuel Banks
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the saine
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the said
Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
ADDear.

page_text: front of the radial box f. By this combination of the radial box f and the
vertical slide f', it is evident that the quantity of air admitted between the
stones can be adjusted with the greatest ease, to suit the quantity and quality
of grain under operation. h is the damsil for giving the necessary vibrating
motion to the shute d, and which is connected in the usual manner to the
spindle of the running stone. The running stone revolves in the direction
indicated by the arrows on Figures 3 and 4; and the angle of the arms c¹ is
so calculated that when the stone is in motion the air between the arms will
be brought towards the eye of the running stone, and the partial vacuum
caused by the moving of the arms will be supplied by fresh air entering at the
radial slot e, which in like manner will be conducted to the eye of the running
stone, and establish a continuous current of air through the radial slot e* between
the arms c¹ down the space between the tube c' and the eye of the running
stone b, and from thence between the grinding surfaces of the bed and running
stones, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1, thereby facilitating the escape
of the ground grain, and preventing it from heating. After the ground grain
has been deposited in the space between the curb e and bed stone a, it is con-
ducted by runners attached to the running stone b to the openings g, shewn by
the dotted lines in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and from thence to the spouts g', which
deliver it into the trough or other receptacle g². The runners above referred
to are not shewn in the Drawing, as they are a well-known contrivance for
bringing the ground grain to the openings through which it escapes; but I
make them deep enough to scoop out all the flour, which would otherwise
accumulate between the bed stone and the curb. The spouts g³ convey the
ground grain and the air from the openings g, and they descend together until
they arrive at the opening g³, seen best in Figure 1; at this place the greater
part of the air enters into the chamber g', and the ground grain, after forcing open
the trap door gs, falls into the trough g². The upper portion of the chambers
g' are open, and are made considerably wider than the base; the object of this
is to prevent the escape of the fine particles of ground grain, which are carried
by the current of air through the openings 9³, and ascend a short distance into
the air chambers g'; as soon, however, as the air in the chamber has more
room to expand, the particles of the ground grain raised up by it will descend
by their own gravity and enter into the trough g³ with the remainder, and very
little will escape as dust into the mill. I have shewn two spouts, g', and two
air chambers g', applied to each pair of grindstones, because I consider this to
be the most advantageous arrangement; but one spout g' and one air chamber
9* may also be used when found more convenient.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best manner

page_text: with which I am acquainted for performing the same, I would wish it to be
understood that I do not claim the producing of a continuous current of air
down the eye of the running stone, but I claim,-
First, the air collector herein-before described, and marked c, c', c², cs, and c,
and any modification of the same;
Secondly, the radial box f and slide f for regulating the quantity of air
admitted to the grinding stones, as herein-before described, whether applied to
my improved air collector, or to any other apparatus for causing a current of
air between the grinding surfaces of mill stones; and,
Lastly, the air chambers marked g', when applied in the manner and for
the purposes herein-before described.
And this my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon Tweed, and Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Planta-
tions abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my Specification of the same, and
that I do verily believe this my said Specification doth comply in all respects,
fully and without reserve or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to
maintain exclusive right and privilege to the said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Banks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine..
Enrolled the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.