Improvements in Apparatus for Pressing Fruit, Pulp, and other Substances.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1890-Accepted 5th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Apparatus for Pressing Fruit, Pulp, and other
Substances.
I, RUPERT HEATON, of Malaga, in the Kingdom of Spain, Engineer, 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 apparatus for pressing fruit, pulp and other substances, and
it consists essentially in the employment of a basket or receptacle which has perforated
walls and is designed to receive the substances to be pressed, and which is mounted
upon a carriage so that it can be readily moved; and a piston or presser adapted to
press the substances in the said basket or receptacle; the pressure being applied either
by moving the basket relatively to the piston or vice versa.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which-
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of apparatus constructed according to my
invention and adapted to be worked by hydraulic power;
and
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the same, some parts being removed.
Figure 3 is a view similar to figure 1 of apparatus designed to be worked by
manual power.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
a is the basket or receptacle which is of circular shape, and the walls and bottom
of which are perforated, as shown; and b is the piston or presser which is adapted
to enter within the said basket or receptacle. As shown in figure 1, this piston or
presser is of smaller diameter than the receiver and is secured to a cross-head c
supported upon the columns d, d which latter at their lower ends are secured to the
bed-plate e. f is a hydraulic cylinder also connected to the bed-plate e, and g is the
plunger working within the said cylinder.
is the carriage upon which the basket or receptacle a is carried, which carriage
is provided with the wheels i, i and adapted to run upon the rails j,j, so that the
receptacle can be readily moved into position beneath the presser 6 and removed
therefrom for the discharge of the portion of the substance not passing through the
perforations, and for refilling.
k is a ring or cover fitting upon the top of the basket a and adapted to be held
in place by means of the bolts 1, 1, attached at their lower ends to the carriage. This
ring is of such a size that it will pass over the presser b in the manner indicated in
figure 1.
The operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows, that is to say,
after the receptacle is filled with the material to be pressed or squeezed, the carriage
is pushed into the apparatus beneath the presser b, water under pressure is then
introduced through the pipe m into the hydraulic cylinder f, whereby the plunger 9 is
raised so as to press against the underside of the carriage and lift the same with the
receptacle thereon towards the presser b, the upward movement being continued until
the said presser has entered the receptacle to a sufficient extent to produce the desired
pressure.
The juice passing through the perforations in the receptacle flows into a tray or
channels, formed upon the upper side of the carriage, from which it can be removed

page_text: In order that the receptacle a shall be in a central position relatively with the
presser b before it is moved upward, I attach to the upper end of the plunger ga head o
designed to enter a recess p on the underside of the carriage h, the edges of which
recess are inclined or bevelled, as shown, so that in case the receptacle is not quite
central the head o as it is forced upward will move the carriage to one side or the
other as required.
After the substances have been pressed to the required extent the plunger g is
lowered until the carriage is again supported upon the rails when the receptacle can
be pushed from between the presser b, the residue emptied and refilled.
When in use the interior of the receiver is lined with esparto matting or other
material which will not injure the fruit or other substance being pressed, such lining
being indicated by the lines qq, in the space between the piston and receiver.
In practice I find it advantageous not to allow the ring k to move off the presser b,
and for this purpose, when the receptacle has been lowered to the position indicated in
figure 1, the nuts of the bolts 1, 2 are removed, and rods or hooks, connected to the
cross-piece c, are engaged with the said ring, so that as the receptacle is further
lowered the ring remains suspended.
In the modification of my invention shown in figure 3, the presser b is designed to
be lowered into the receptacle a by means of a screw in the same manner as in an
ordinary screw-press. When the pressing is finished the screw is turned to raise
the presser clear of the receiver, hooks being applied during the last part of the
upward movement of the said presser to raise the ring k from the receptacle and hold
it suspended.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for pressing fruit, pulp and other substances, comprising a per
forated receiver which is fitted with a cover and mounted upon a carriage; a piston or
presser adapted to enter passing through the said cover and of smaller diameter than
the said receiver to press the materials-therein; so as to leave space around the piston
and means for moving the said receiver and the piston or presser relatively to each
other, substantially as described.
2. The manufacture and use of the improved apparatus for pressing fruit, pulp and
other substances, hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 1 and 2, and in
figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 4th day of March 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.