AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SEEDS FROM RAISINS AND SIMILAR FRUIT
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SEEDS FROM
RAISINS AND SIMILAR FRUIT."-A communication from abroad by
George L. Taylor and Dwight Holland, both of Springfield, Mas-
sachusetts. United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd May 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REMOVING
SEEDS FROM RAISINS AND SIMILAR FRUIT," a communication, to be as
follows:-
The said Invention consists, first, in combining a set of needles or
pointed bodies with a set of elastic clearers, the latter being so arranged

page_text: and connected with the bed, that if a raisin be placed on such bed the
sharp ends of the needles may by a single motion be forced through the
raisin, carrying the seeds therefrom on their points below the clearers,
to be thence removed by such clearers on withdrawing the needles; and
secondly, in the particular device herein set forth for effecting the com-
bination of such needles and clearers, the object thereof being to provide
simple and efficient means for removing the seeds from raisins or other
similar fruit.
The frame of my device is provided at the base with a recess and
thumbscrew for attaching the same to a table or other stationary body.
The said frame has eyes, through which plays the spindle. Projecting
from this spindle is a head provided with a set of closely arranged needles.
A perforated arm of the frame serves as a shield to the needle points
when at rest, and as a clearer to remove the raisin from the needles at
their backward stroke.
The bed is perforated for the passage of the needles and attached to
the frame a little below the arm. The elastic clearers are formed of
small coiled wires, and are so attached to the bed as to leave their ends
projecting convergently across the perforation of the bed. A spiral
spring surrounds the spindle and serves to raise the same as soon as the
depressing power is removed therefrom.
A flange projects from the spindle and prevents the turning of the
same in the eyes. On the top of the said spindle is a knob, to which
This device is operated by
the hand is applied to depress the needles.
placing a raisin on the bed and depressing the needles once or more, as
may be found necessary, for completely removing the seeds.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th November 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 3
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SEEDS FROM RAISINS AND SIMILAR
FRUIT," a communication to me from abroad by George L. Taylor and
Dwight Holland, both of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
The said Invention consists, first, in combining a set of needles or
pointed bodies with a set of elastic clearers, the latter being so arranged
and connected with the bed, that if a raisin is placed on such bed the
sharp ends of the needles may by a single motion be forced through the
raisin, carrying the seeds therefrom on their points below the clearers,
to be thence removed by such clearers on withdrawing the needles; and
secondly, in the particular device herein set forth for effecting the com-
bination of such needles and clearers, the object thereof being to provide
simple and efficient means for removing the seeds from raisins or other
similar fruit.

page_text: Figure 4 is a section on the line x, x, Figure 3.
The part marked A represents the frame of the device provided at the
base with a recess B and thumbscrew C for attaching the same to a
table or other relatively stationary body.
D is an eye, through which plays the spindle E. Projecting from 10
such spindle is a head F provided with a set of closely arranged needles G.
H is a perforated arm of the frame A, and serves as a shield to the
needle points when at rest, and as a clearer to remove the raisin from
the needles at their backward stroke.
I is the bed perforated for the passage of the needles, and attached to 1
the frame A. a little below the arm H.
M, M', are the elastic clearers formed of small coiled wires, and so
attached to the bed I as to leave the ends of such wires projecting
convergently across the perforation of such bed.
N is a spiral spring surrounding the spindle E, and serving to raise 2
the same as soon as the depressing power is removed therefrom.
O is a flange projecting from the spindle E, and prevents such spindle
turning in the eye D.
P is a knob on the top of the spindle E, to which the hand is applied
to depress the needles.
The device is operated by placing a raisin on the bed I and depressing
the needles G once, or as often as may be found necessary for completely
removing the seeds.
It is obvious that the elastic clearers need not be of the precise form
or arrangement herein pointed out, but that they are the same in prin- 3
ciple and equally of my Invention, so long as they allow the passage of
a set of needles carrying the raisin seeds on their points, to be thence

page_text: removed on withdrawing the needles; and further, that any convenient
spring may be used instead of a spiral spring, that the spindle E may be
kept from turning by making the same square or otherwise angular,
and that by lengthening the frame A the needles G may be brought
directly under and in line with the spindle E.
Having thus described the said Invention, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same,
I wish it understood that I claim,--
First. The set of needles G in combination with the elastic clearers
M, M', substantially as specified.
Second. The frame A, spindle E, needles G, bed I, clearers M, M',
and spring N, all arranged, combined, and operating, substantially as
herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
Witness,
W. J. LOWE.
WH. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)