IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND BAKING BREAD AND BISCUITS, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ramsey Nevins and Joseph John Yates,
both of the City of New York, in the United States of America,
Machinists, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND BAKING
Sealed the 3rd September 1857, and dated the 13th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ramsey Nevins
and Joseph John Yates at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 13th March 1857.
We, WILLIAM RAMSEY NEVINS and JOSEгH JOHN YATES, both of the City
of New York, in the United States of America, Machinists, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND BAKING
BREAD AND BISCUITS, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists, first, in new arrangements of machinery for the
rolling of dough previously kneaded, for passing it under cutters, and for
working the cutters which give the desired shape to the bread or biscuit.
The dough is placed upon a table or apron in front of a pair of rollers,
which can be regulated so as to roll the dough in the various thicknesses
necessary to produce bread or biscuits. After coming through the rollers the
dough is received upon an endless web, and carried forward until it reaches
that part of the machine where the cutters are placed. These cutters are
held by a band to excentrics upon a shaft, to which motion is communicated

page_text: from the driving shaft through toothed gear, and by shifting this gear the
velocity of the cutter shaft, and consequently of the cutters, can be regulated at
pleasure. The cutters extend across the machine, and bring up the waste or
parts of dough not required to form the article being made, while the articles
to be formed, after being cut or stamped out by the cutters, are pushed down
on the rising of the cutters through them on to the endless web, from whence
they are taken to the oven to be baked. There is but one driving shaft, and
the toothed gear for driving the dough rollers is so regulated as to cause a
continuous and regular feed to the cutters.
Second, our Invention consists in suspending from a shaft in ovens (which
we prefer to be heated by fire applied at the bottom outside of the oven, and
to have flues carried round the sides, ends, and top), swinging pans or trays,
which, on the shaft being caused to rotate, will carry round the trays, and which
from their connections with the shaft will always maintain a horizontal position.
We find it convenient to feed the trays through a door at the lower part, and
to take the bread or biscuits, when baked, through another door at the upper
part of the oven.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Ramsey Nevins and Joseph John Yates in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 12th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
RAMSEY NEVINS and JOSEPH JOHN YATES, both of the City of New York,
in the United States of America, Machinists, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Ramsey Nevins and Joseph John Yates, Her special licence that we,
the said William Ramsey Nevins and Joseph John Yates, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Ramsey
Nevins and Joseph John Yates, our 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PREPARING AND BAKING BREAD AND BISCUITS, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED

page_text: THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Ramsey Nevins and Joseph John Yates, or one of us, our executors or adini-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or
their bands 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 we, the said William Ramsey Nevins and Joseph
John Yates, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists, first, in new arrangements of machinery for the
rolling of dough previously kneaded, for passing it under cutters, and for
working the cutters which give the desired shape to the bread or biscuit.
The dough is placed upon a table or apron in front of a pair of rollers,
which can be regulated so as to roll the dough in the various thicknesses
necessary to produce bread or biscuits. After coming through the rollers the
dough is received upon an endless web, and carried forward until it reaches
that part of the machine where the cutters are placed. These cutters are
held by a band to eccentrics upon a shaft to which motion is communicated
from the driving shaft through toothed gear, and by shifting this gear the
velocity of the cutter shaft, and consequently of the cutters, can be regulated
at pleasure.
The cutters extend across the machine, and bring up the waste or parts of
dough not required to form the article being made, while the articles to be
formed, after being cut or stamped out by the cutters, are pushed down on the
rising of the cutters through them on to the endless web, from whence they
can be taken to the oven to be baked. There is but one driving shaft, and
the toothed gear for driving the dough rollers is so regulated as to cause a
continuous and regular feed to the cutters.
Second, our Invention consists in suspending from a shaft in ovens (which
we prefer to be heated by fire applied at the bottom outside of the oven, and
to have flues carried round the sides, ends, and top), swinging pans or trays,
which, on the shaft being caused to rotate, will carry round the trays, and
which, from their connections with the shaft, will always maintain a horizontal
position. We find it convenient to feed the trays through a door at the lower
part, and to take the bread or biscuits, when baked, through another door at the
upper part of the oven.

page_text: The Drawings hereunto annexed shew the manner in which we carry our
Invention into effect. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the dough rolling
and cutting machine complete; Figure 2 is a view, in plan, of the same; and
Figures 3 and 4 are sections of the cutters. The same letters indicate similar
parts in all the Figures. A is the frame of the machine, constructed in the
ordinary manner; B, B, are the dough rollers, which may be made of the
same size, and of any material deemed most suitable, such as polished iron;
C is the feeding board to receive the dough to be taken in between the rollers,
where it is reduced to a proper thickness; D is an endless apron or web to
receive the dough from the rollers and carry it forward to the cutters ; e, e, are
set screws to regulate the pressure of the dough rollers; R is a cog wheel,
secured on the axle of the under roller B. This wheel gears into the inter-
mediate wheel Q, which is secured on a shaft attached to the frame; P is a
pinion on the main driving shaft Y'. On motion being communicated to this
shaft Y by a crank or other suitable means, the wheel R will be actuated
by means of the pinion P through the wheel Q, and consequently motion will
be given to the under dough roller, which, by means of a cog wheel S
gearing into another cog wheel S¹ on the upper dough roller, causes the two
rollers to act together or have a uniform motion imparted to them, so that the
dough as it passes between the rollers from the table C is pressed into any
desired thickness, and discharged on to the endless apron or web D, to be
carried to the cutters. Y² is the cutter shaft, secured in suitable bearings in
the frame A. This shaft Y2 is driven by a pinion O, through the spur wheel N,
which is secured on the main or driving shaft Y', the pinion O gearing into
the cog wheel N. These wheels are secured by nuts on their respective
shafts in such manner that they can be changed at pleasure to give any
degree of speed to the shaft Y. V is the cutter box, and W, W, are the
cutters. These cutters are secured in the box in the ordinary manner, and are
connected to the shaft Y2 by rods and eccentrics U, U¹, so that when the
shaft V2 revolves the cutter box with the cutters will be lifted up and depressed
at every revolution of the shaft Y2; by these means a reciprocating motion is
imparted to the cutters. As different degrees of speed can be communicated
to the cutter shaft, as herein-before described, it is necessary that the endless
band or web which carries the dough should receive a progressive motion to
correspond with the movement of the cutters. This we accomplish in the
following manner :-M is a crank on the outer end of the cutter shaft Y. To
the pin of this crank one end of a rod L is connected, the other end of which
is jointed on a pin in the extreme end of a lever which is secured on a weigh
shaft Z; this shaft Z has a lever or arm E secured on it. T is a chain attached

page_text: to a rod, which has a gab that hooks over a pin 5, fixed in the slot of the lever
or arm E; this chain T passes over the pulley F, which is mounted loosely
on the shaft of the roller J'. The endless apron or web D passes round the
rollers J, J. Motion is imparted to the roller J¹ and endless web D from
the crank M through the connecting rod L, the lever and weigh shaft Z, the
lever E, the pin 5, the rod and chain T, the pulley F, the pawl H, and the
ratchet wheel G. The dough is thus carried below the cutters, and the cut
dough from the cutters. The distance the endless apron or web D moves
forward at each oscillation of the rocking shaft is regulated by shifting the
pin 5 up or down in the slot of the rod E, according to the kind of biscuit to
be cut, and to the motion desired to be given to the cutter shaft. To the
chain Ta weight I is attached; this weight gives a reverse motion to the
pulley F during the intermission of the forward motion of the endless web D:
G is a ratchet wheel fixed on the axle of the roller J', on which also the
pulley Fis mounted loosely; and II is a pawl taking into the teeth of the same!
On the outside of the ratchet wheel G there is a small projecting arm, to
which the ratchet is connected by a link. Between the nut on the end of the
shaft of the roller J' and the small arm a spiral spring is placed, which presses
on the said arm, and keeps the pawl into the teeth of the wheel. The cutters
employed in this machine, and shewn in the Drawings, Figures 3 and 4, are
three-sided, rectangular, and semicircular, which pass through a stationary
clearer or clearing plate, but any other description of cutter can be employed.
X is the fly wheel to regulate the motion of the whole machine.
By placing the cutters on a second shaft, and regulating the motion of the
endless apron therewith, the cutters can have various speeds imparted to them,
whilst the motion or speed of the main driving shaft, and consequently the
dough rollers, will be uniform.
We now proceed to describe our improved oven; Figure. 5 is a longitudinal
section, and Figure 6 a vertical section thereof. A, A, A, A, are arms on both
sides of the oven, connected to and revolving with bosses fixed on the central
shaft or axis M, which passes through and revolves in bearings in the side walls
on both sides of the oven; a cog wheel is attached to one of the projecting
ends of this shaft, through which rotary motion from any prime mover is
imparted to the shaft and arms. B, B, B, B, are the swinging pans or trays,
connected by braces H, H, H, H. In the upper end of each of these braces
is an eye or hole, and a pin is fixed in the inside and near the extremity of
each of the arms A, A, A, A. By passing the eyes over the pins the pans or
trays are suspended from the arms, and when the arms are made to revolve
the pans or trays B are carried round with them, and from the manner in

page_text: which they are suspended they constantly preserve a horizontal position. By
altering the driving gear the pans may be made to move at any desired speed,
to suit the particular kinds of bread or biscuits to be baked. Where the oven
is not large, recesses may be made on both sides at the upper part to admit of
the revolution of the arms A, A, and these recesses should be covered. D is
the furnace, and U the ash-pit. The furnace being placed underneath and
outside the oven allows of the oven being used continuously without inter-
ruption. W, W', are the two oven doors or mouths, which may be used
indifferently for feeding and for withdrawing the bread or biscuits.
The dotted lines represent the flues, which are provided with dampers
whereby to direct the products of combustion at once into the chimney X, or
to cause them to pass up in front and over the top of the oven back into the
chimney.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the saine is to be performed, we declare that we claim,
First, the general construction and arrangement of machinery herein-before
described for preparing bread and biscuits.
Second, the mode of communicating motion to the cutters by means of
excentrics placed on a shaft which receives motion from the driving shaft, as
herein-before described and represented in the Drawings annexed.
Third, the particular form and construction of cutters herein-before described,
and represented at Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings annexed.
And, fourth, the employment in ovens of swinging pans or trays operating
in the manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph John Yates, for myself and on
behalf of the said William Ramsey Nevins, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-seven.
JOSEPH JN. YATES.
(L.S.)