IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY AND OTHER SCREENS FOR SCREENING OR SEPARATING ALL KINDS OF GRAIN, SEEDS, AND OTHER MATERIALS." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Shield, of Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, and
William Norris Crockett, of Mansfield Grove, in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY AND
OTHER SCREENS FOR SCREENING OR SEPARATING ALL KINDS OF GRAIN,
SEEDS, AND OTHER MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Shield and William
Norris Crockett at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st
July 1880.
HENRY SHIELD, of Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, and WILLIAM NORRIS
CROCKETT, of Mansfield Grove, in the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY AND OTHER SCREENS FOR SCREENING OR SEPARATING
ALL KINDS OF GRAIN, SEEDS, AND OTHER MATERIALS."
The Invention has for its object improvements in rotary and other screens for
screening and separating all kinds of grain, seeds, and other materials, and relates
to a simple means whereby the size or gauge of the mesh may be readily altered to
suit different seeds or materials, and whereby the screen can be readily cleared
without the aid of a brush.
For this purpose we form rotary screens preferably of one continuous wire coiled
around a suitable number of dividing or gauging bars running from end to end of
the screen, and carrying division pieces or projections, or having holes or recesses
formed therein for the purpose of separating or gauging the coils, and of raising or
lowering adjacent coils in relation to each other, as required for altering the gauge
of the screen.
The bars are capable of being partially rotated or moved inward or outward, and
in one position the various coils will be arranged on the same level, thereby
forming a screen of the finest gauge possible for a given screen; but by partially
rotating the bars or moving them inward or outward alternate coils can be raised
or lowered in relation to the intermediate coils, so as to produce a coarser gauge
screen, the gauge of which will depend upon the difference in level of adjacent coils.
If desired the coils could alternately be passed one over and the next under the
dividing or gauging bars, but it is more convenient to place all the coils exterior of
the said bars.

page_text: By giving a jogging or reciprocating partial rotary motion to each bar as it
arrives at its highest position, the screen may be readily cleared. If desired, instead
of employing only one continuous wire, two or more coils of wire or separate wire
rings may be employed, and intermediate coils or rings may be held stationary,
whilst for varying the gauge the other coils or rings are alone moved.
A straight screen can be made on the same principle as the above, except that
straight wires are mounted in a number of bars formed as herein described, in
which case the gauge of the screen can be varied, as above described, by partially
rotating the dividing bars, and the screen can be cleared by a reciprocating motion
given to the dividing bars or to the wires.
One mode of forming these bars is to take suitably corrugated metal, and form
in the heads or crowns of the corrugations at the same or at different heights holes
or recesses to receive the wires, so that by partially turning the corrugated bar on
tts axis, the coils or wires can be caused to approach or recede from each other
according to the gauge required, but other modes of constructing the dividing or
gauging bars may be employed.
In rotary screens the dividing or gauging bars have tail pieces or projections
from their axes, which are acted upon by a cam in one direction to regulate the
size of mesh, whilst a fixed weighted or sprung finger acts upon the tail piece
or projection from each bar as it approaches the top of its course, to lift it a short
distance from the cam to clear the screen.
Other means may however be employed for operating the tail piece or projection
from each dividing or gauging bar, as it arrives at its uppermost position.
By the means herein described a rotary screen can be produced, the gauge of
which can be readily varied without altering the length of such screen.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Shield and William Norris Crockett in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 31st January 1881.
HENRY SHIELD (now of Cranmer Quadrant, Nottingham), of Grantham, in the
County of Lincoln, and WILLIAM NORRIS CROCKETT, of Mansfield Grove, in the
Town and County of the Town of Nottingham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY AND
OTHER SCREENS FOR SCREENING OR SEPARATING ALL KINDS OF GRAIN, SEEDS,
AND OTHER MATERIALS."
The Invention has for its object improvements in rotary and other screens for
screening and separating all kinds of grain, seeds, and other materials, and relates
to a simple means, whereby the size or gauge of the mesh may be readily altered to
suit different seeds or materials, and whereby the screen can be readily cleaned
without the aid of a brush. The object above stated we carry into effect by means
of the various arrangements herein after particularly described, that is to say:-
We sometimes form rotary screens of one continuous wire coiled around a suitable

page_text: number of dividing or gauging bars running from end to end of the screen, and
carrying division pieces or projections, or having holes or recesses formed therein
for the purpose of separating or gauging the coils, and of raising or lowering
adjacent coils in relation to each other, as required for altering the gauge of the
screen. The bars are capable of being partially rotated or moved inward or
outward, and in one position the various coils will be arranged on the same level,
thereby forming a screen of the finest gauge possible for a given screen; but by
partially rotating the bars or moving them inward or outward, alternate coils can
be raised or lowered in relation to the intermediate coils, so as to produce a coarser
gauge screen, the gauge of which will depend upon the difference in level of
adjacent coils. If desired the coils could alternately be passed one over and the
next under the dividing or gauging bars. By giving a jogging or reciprocating
partial rotary motion to each bar as it arrives at its highest position, the screen
may be readily cleaned. If desired, instead of employing only one continuous wire,
two or more coils of wire or separate wire rings or wires may be employed, and
intermediate coils or rings may be held stationary, whilst for varying the gauge,
the other coils or rings are alone inoved. A straight screen either flat or circular
can be made on the same principle as the above, except that straight wires are
mounted in a number of bars or corrugations formed as herein described, in which
case the gauge of the screen can be varied, as above described, by partially rotating
the dividing bars, and the screen can be cleaned by a reciprocating motion given to
the dividing bars or to the wires. One mode of forming these bars is to take
suitably corrugated metal and form in the heads or crowns of the corrugations at
the same or at different heights holes or recesses to receive the wires, so that by
partially turning the corrugated bar or corrugations on their axes, the coils or wires
can be caused to approach or recede from each other according to the gauge
required; but other modes. of constructing the dividing or gauging bars or
corrugations may be employed. In rotary screens the dividing or gauging bars
have tail pieces or projections from their axes, which are acted upon by a cam in
one direction to regulate the size of mesh, whilst a fixed weighted or sprung finger
acts upon the tail piece or projection from each bar as it approaches the top of its
course, to lift it a short distance from the cam to clean the screen.
Other means
may however be employed for operating the tail piece or projection from each
dividing or gauging bar, as it arrives at its uppermost position. By the means
herein described, rotary screens can be produced, the gauge of which can be readily
varied without altering length of such screen.
Having thus far described the nature of our Invention, we will now proceed by
reference to the accompanying Drawings to particularly describe the manner of
carrying same into effect.
Fig 1 elevation of
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
■Fig 1, elevation of circular or rotary screen of straight wires; Fig. 2, view of
straight screen.
Fig. 3, detail view showing interior of screen for actuating wires; Fig. 4, end
view of Fig. 3.
a, a, are the screen wires, every alternate one being fixed and the remainder
loose; b, corrugations which alter the mesh, same being arranged in a screw shape
round the screen, as shown in Fig. 1; c, double internal coil for moving
corrugations b; d, double external coil; e, boss on hollow shaft of the screen, on
which are cast lugs for the attachment of the wires e¹, which move the coil c.
The boss e is moved by a nut on the screw in the hollow shaft of the screen, as
will be well understood. Each of the loose wires a, a, is turned down at the end a¹
and an eye formed, which is weighted either by piece of chain or in some other
way for giving a partially reciprocating motion to the wires as the screen revolves,
thus making it self cleaning. The internal coil c is strengthened by longitudinal
bars running between the corrugations, and at each end has a straight piece in

page_text: continuation of the longitudinals passing through the casting, which forms the end
of the screen; Fig. 5, elevation of coil screen; Fig. 6, detail view showing internal
arrangements. In this screen the wires a form one continuous coil, the mesh of
which is altered by corrugations b having tail pieces g made in short lengths
running parallel to the axis from one end of the screen to the other, eight or more
being in the circumference of the screen. These are moved by bars c coming in
contact with the tail pieces g, which when operated upon act on the wires of the
screen. These bars are fixed in the rims of two or more wheels d, which are loose
on the shaft 8 of the screen, and are moved round as required by a bent rod e
passing through hole or opening in spoke of wheel d, and fixed rigidly to an arm f,
which is moved along the shaft by the screw, as will be well understood. From
another boss on the shaft there radiate arms, shown in Fig. 7, each arm carrying a
longitudinal rod, which prevents the coil coming out of the corrugations or mesh
regulator. Each end of these longitudinal rods is turned into an eye, and slipped
over a pin on which is a spiral spring, which is compressed when the mesh is
enlarged, and when the mesh is closed acts so as to bring the longitudinal rod back
to its original position. One pin is made to carry two rods by being made in a
circular form, each end of the pin passing through the rim of the casting, which
forms the end of the screen, as shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 9 shows end view of screen
made of one wire coiled from end to end; every alternate coil a is plain, while
This bar c has
every other coil b is bent so as to pass round a segmental bar c.
dividing pieces between each coil, and is bent so as to form a tail piece or lever at
one or both ends, and moved by an arrangement similar to that in Fig. 6; Fig. 10
shows detail view of corrugations of spiral form.
Figs. 11 and 12 show corrugated bar, which is formed so as to operate on the
wires to produce the required mesh.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or put in practice, we
hereby declare that we claim,-
(1.) The altering of the gauge of the screens by the use of a bar or bars carrying
division pieces or projections, or suitably corrugated metal, either with or without
holes or recesses formed therein, substantially as herein described.
(2.) The cleaning of screens by giving a reciprocating or partial rotary motion to
the wires, substantially as herein described.
(3.) The construction of screens with one continuous coil of wire so arranged as
to be capable of being adjusted or the gauge altered without reducing the screening
surface, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Shield and William Norris Crockett,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty ninth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
HENRY SHIELD.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM NORRIS CROCKETT. (L.S.)