Improvements in and relating to Shoots for Lowering Flour, Grain, and other Articles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1896-Accepted, 25th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Shoots for Lowering Flour, Grain,
and other Articles.
WALTER EBENEZER PLEDGE Victoria Flour Mills Ashford Kent Miller, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
My invention consists of a stout square frame with cross pieces, or boarded,
inside which are stout board flaps, hinged to stout cross pieces fixed to frame, the
flaps resting on steel springs, which are regulated by wedges at the back of flaps,
with spring boards to receive goods.
Dated this 16th day of September 1895.
WALTER E. PLEDGE.
Improvements in and relating to Shoots for Lowering Flour, Grain,
and other Articles.
I, WALTER EBENEZER PLEDGE of Victoria Flour Mills, Ashford, Kent, 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 relates to means of regulating or controlling the descent of
full sacks when allowed to fall freely through a vertical shoot and has for its
object to check the too rapid descent of the sacks and to enable them to be
delivered from the shoot at any intermediate floor between the upper and lower
storeys.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 1
represents a vertical section and Figure 2 a sectional elevation of the shoot.
The shoot passes vertically through the several floors of a mill or other building,
two floors A. B only being shown. The shoot may be of square or rectangular
section and formed by four corner posts C closed in by boards or otherwise,
removable doors being provided at the front side as at D to give exit to the sacks
at any of the intermediate floors. Within the shoot are inclined flaps E preferably
two for each storey traversed by the shoot, the lower flap being above the door D.
Each flap is hinged at the top as at e to a stout cross-piece the flaps being freely
movable between the side walls of the shoot and each being inclined forwards at
its lower end to within a short distance of the front wall of the shoot so as to
partially close the thoroughfare, each flap being supported yieldingly in this
position by a pair of springs F of any suitable kind so as to check the descent of
the sacks by offering a gradual and yielding obstruction to their passage. The
springs F are fixed to the flap and abut against adjustable wedge pieces G mounted
on the rear framework of the shoot, the forward inclination of the flap and the
width of the passage which it affords to the sacks depending on the thickness of
the wedge abutments at the bearing point of the springs thereon which is
determined by the adjustment of the wedge blocks relatively thereto in the vertical
direction.

page_text: Provision is made for vertical adjustment of each pair of wedges independently of
the others to suit the strength of the springs and for the adjustment of the whole
of the wedges simultaneously according to the weight or size of the sacks, as
follows: Each wedge G is fitted to slide between a pair of vertical guide bars H
carried by the frame of the shoot and the wedges of each pair are coupled together
by cross members so as to move together. In these cross members is mounted a
vertical adjusting screw I upon which are nuts ii clamping between them the end
of an arm J so that by means of the nuts the height of the pair of wedges
relatively to the arm may be adjusted. This arm J springs from a tubular boss
which is confined between collars; fixed on a vertical rod K so that the rod may
turn freely whilst any motion of the rod K in the upward or downward direction
will be communicated to all the arms J of all the pairs of wedges connected
thereto. The rod K is screw-threaded at its upper part k and works through a
corresponding nut carried by a bracket L fixed to the framing of the shoot the
lower end of the rod being preferably plain and guided in another bracket M so
that by turning the rod by means of a hand wheel N fixed on it at any convenient
point it may be screwed up or down so as to raise or lower the whole of the wedges
simultaneously to suit requirements.
To enable the sacks to be delivered at any intermediate floor a frame O carrying
a spring board P is hinged within the shoot at each floor in position to be turned
down when required, as shewn in dotted lines, so as to intercept the sack and allow
it to be withdrawn at the doorway, the spring board when not required to so act
-being turned up out of the way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The combination, with a vertical shoot, of internal hinged flaps spring-supported
in position to yieldingly check the descent of loaded sacks and combined with
movable wedge abutments and with means of separately and conjointly adjusting
the position of the flaps, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 23rd day of June 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.