IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING MALT, GRAIN, AND OTHER GRANULAR SUB- STANCES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Thomas King, of Truman's Brewery, Spitalfields,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING MALT, GRAIN, AND OTHER GRANULAR SUB-
STANCES."
"
Sealed the 13th January 1868, and dated the 22nd July 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas King at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd July 1862.
I, THOMAS KING, of Truman's Brewery, Spitalfields, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING MALT, GRAIN, AND OTHER GRANULAR SUBSTANCES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for measuring
malt, grain, and other granular substances. For these
For these purposes a measurer is
employed having two circular ends, the space between the two ends being
divided radially by partitions, so as to produce angular measuring chambers
around the central horizontal axis on which the measurer is caused to turn.
The axis of the measurer turns in bearings carried by the framing of the
machine, the upper portion above the axis being covered in by a bent plate
or cover in the form of a semicircular arch, which is fixed to the framing.
There is an opening through such cover, where the lower end of a hollow
trunk or pipe is attached, which trunk or pipe descends from an upper floor,

page_text: chamber, bin, or place from which the malt or grain or other granular
substance descends through the trunk or pipe to the measurer. In the hollow
trunk or pipe is a valve, the axis of which has a weighted lever fixed on it,
and such lever is arranged to act on the driving strap (which communicates
rotatory motion to the axis of the measurer) and causes such driving strap to
be moved from the driving pulley on to the loose pulley, when the weight of
the lever overcomes the valve by reason of the supply of malt, grain, or
granular substance being insufficient, and the machine will thus be stopped,
but so soon as the weight on the valve, caused by an increased supply of the
substance to be measured, is sufficient to overcome the weighted lever, the
driving strap will be again moved from the loose pulley to the fast one, and
the machine be again put in motion. The driving pulley is on an axis, on
which there is a worm or screw, which gears with and drives a worm or screw
wheel on the axis of the measurer. The malt, grain, or other granular
substance is delivered from the measuring compartments as the radial
partitions descend below the axis of the measurer. The measuring chambers
or compartments are each capable of measuring a bushel or other determined
quantity of material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas King in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
January 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
KING, of Truman's Brewery, Spitalfields, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas King, Her special licence, that I, the said Thomas King, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
King, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING MALT, GRAIN, AND OTHER GRANULAR SUBSTANCES,"

page_text: upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas King, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of 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 I, the said Thomas King, 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
thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for measuring
malt, grain, and other granular substances. For these purposes a measurer is
employed having two circular ends, the space between the two ends being
divided radially by partitions, so as to produce angular measuring chambers
around the central horizontal axis, on which the measurer is caused to turn.
The axis of the measurer turns in bearings carried by the framing of the
machine, the upper portion above the axis being covered in by a bent plate or
cover in the form of a semicircular arch, which is fixed to the framing. There
is an opening through such cover where the lower end of a hollow trunk or
pipe is attached, which trunk or pipe descends from an upper floor, chamber,
bin, or place from which the malt or grain or other granular substance
descends through the trunk or pipe to the measurer. In the hollow trunk or
pipe is a valve, the axis of which has a weighted lever fixed on it, and such
lever is arranged to act on the driving strap (which communicates rotatory
motion to the axis of the measurer) and causes such driving strap to be
moved from the driving pulley on to the loose pulley, when the weight of the
lever overcomes the valve, by reason of the supply of malt, grain, or granular
substance being insufficient, and the machine will thus be stopped, but so
soon as the weight on the valve, caused by an increased supply of the sub-
stance to be measured, is sufficient to overcome the weighted lever, the
driving strap will be again moved from the loose pulley to the fast one, and
the machine be again put in motion. The driving pulley is on an axis on
which there is a worm or screw, which gears with and drives a worm or screw
wheel on the axis of the measurer. The malt, grain, or other granular
substance is delivered from the measuring compartments as the radial
partitions descend below the axis of the measurer. The measuring chambers
or compartments are each capable of measuring a bushel or other determined
quantity of material.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation, Figure 2 shows an end elevation, and
Figure 3 a side elevation in section.
a is the horizontal axis of the measuring machine. This axis when in use
is driven or caused to rotate by a steam engine, or manual, or any suitable
power; b and c are fast and loose pulleys or drums on the axis a¹; d is an
endless band, which when in motion and acting on the fast pulley or drum
communicates a continuous rotatory motion to the axis a', and consequently
by means of the endless screw a², taking into the toothed wheel as, gives
rotary motion to the angular measuring chambers formed between the two
circular end plates e, e, fixed on the axis a, or rotatory motion may be com-
municated to the axis a in any other suitable manner.
I would state that I am aware that wheels or drums divided by several
radial and other formed partitions have before been used in measuring appa-
ratus for measuring water, gas, and other matters; I do not, therefore,
claim generally to employ such a construction of measuring chambers on an
axis. On the contrary, I wish it to be understood that my Invention consists
in the combined arrangement of apparatus herein described, whereby a self-
acting or self-regulating rotating measuring apparatus is produced, consisting
of several angular measuring chambers on an axis, which is caused to rotate
by the application of suitable power thereto, and which power is allowed to
act so long as there is a sufficient quantity of malt, grain, or granular
substances supplied to the measuring apparatus, but such driving power is by
the action of the machinery prevented from rotating the axis of the machine
when the supply of the substances to be measured falls short. At the same
time, the combination is such that the driving power is again by the action of
the machinery caused to rotate the axis of the machine so soon as a sufficient
supply takes place. Hence, a measuring apparatus combined according to
my Invention does not require to be attended whilst it goes on measuring. A
counting apparatus is applied to the axis of the machine to record the number
of rotations of the axis, by which the quantity of malt or grain or other
granular substance which has been passed through and measured by the
machine may be ascertained at all times. f is a bent plate or cover, which is
fixed in the position shown in the Drawing; g is a hollow trunk or pipe,
which at its lower end is fixed to an opening through the cover f, whilst its
upper end communicates with the bottom of a bin or other holder of malt,

page_text: grain, or other granular substance, or the grain or granular substance to be
measured may be constantly supplied to a hopper or other receiver by an
elevator; h is a valve in the supply trunk or pipe g. On the axis of the valve
is fixed a weighted lever i, which is arranged to act on the driving strap in
such manner as to move such strap off the fixed pulley or drum on to the loose
one so soon as the supply of malt or grain or granular substance falls short
and becomes insufficient by its pressure on the valve to uphold the weighted
lever i.
I would remark that it is important that provision should be made as
above described, or by equivalent means, in order to stop the machine when
the supply falls short, otherwise if the axis a of the measuring apparatus
continues to rotate at a time when the measuring chambers are not filled the
counting apparatus would continue to be driven by the rotation of the axis a
of the measuring apparatus, and a false register would result, which is
prevented by having self-acting apparatus. The malt or grain or other
granular substance may, when measured by the machine, fall into a hopper or
otherwise, and be conveyed by a shoot, pipe, or trunk to any suitable bin,
chamber, or receiver.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately; but what I claim is, the combined
arrangement herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas King, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
THOMAS KING. (L.S.)