IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING TEA LEAF."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Haworth, of No. 7, Lothbury, in the
City of London, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING TEA LEAF."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Haworth at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th May 1875.
I, WILLIAM HAWORTH, of No. 7, Lothbury, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING TEA LEAP," to be as follows,
that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a part of the operations for preparing tea
leaf for sale and use, which consists in putting the tea leaf in a bag and
subjecting the bag to a rolling process, whereby the leaf is rolled or
crimped in a more satisfactory manner than was formerly done by
hand.

page_text: The mechanical rolling process has been practised by means of a
machine, such as is described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to the present applicant, and dated 21 October 1871 (No. 2821),
and the present Invention has for its object to obtain an improved
machine with a better rolling action and other advantages.
In one modification of the improved machine three rollers are
employed, being placed in a framing comprising a bed plate, on which
are bolted two side frames connected by tie rods. The rollers are fixed
on horizontal shafts, two of them being supported at about the same
height in bearings in the side frames, whilst the third one is carried by
levers mounted on a horizontal shaft set in bearings in the side frames.
The third roller is above the other two, and when in its lowest position
has its axis in a vertical plane midway between the lower rollers, but it
can be turned up on its carrying levers to admit of the easy introduction
of the bag of tea leaf into the central space between the three rollers.
The levers carrying the upper roller are connected by rods to toothed
sectors mounted on studs on the side frames, and in gear with these
sectors there are pinions on a shaft having a hand wheel on one end of
it. When the roller is moved to its highest position the connecting rods
assume positions relative to the centres of the sectors, such that the
weight of the parts does not tend to move the roller downwards, but
after the sectors are moved round a little by means of the hand wheel
shaft then the roller continues to descend by weight, and if the pressure
it in consequence exerts on the bag of tea leaf is too great the weight
must be partly counterbalanced.
The rollers are driven all in one direction by means of spur wheels
fixed on their shafts, the wheels of the two lower rollers being in gear
with a pinion on a first motion shaft driven by a belt or by a special
steam engine attached to the framing. The spur wheel of the upper
roller is in gear with a spur wheel on the intermediate shaft, on which
the carrying levers are centered, and this last-mentioned spur wheel is
in gear with that of one of the lower rollers. Flanges are fitted at the
ends of the upper roller to prevent anything from being improperly
caught and drawn in, and at the ends of the central space discs are set
loosely on studs inside of the side frames to prevent either end of the
bag of tea leaf from creeping beyond the ends of the rollers.
The rollers are made with hard wood surfaces, and in the form of

page_text: cylinders with or without longitudinal, helical, or annular ribs; or they
may be fluted or grooved longitudinally, helically, or annularly, and in
some cases with grooves crossing each other.
One or more of the rollers may in some cases be made to reciprocate
longitudinally as well as rotate.
The form of roller believed to be most efficacious is one with deep
smoothly rounded flutings.
The bags to contain the tea leaf are made of canvas or other suitable
woven fabric, and in the form of a cylinder with the ends gathered
together.
It is in some cases advantageous to employ bags mado of vulcanised
rubber or leather, covered or not with canvas or other woven material.
In another modification of the machine two acting rollers only are
employed, one being placed above the other, and both revolving in the
same direction so as to produce rotation in the bag between them.
To prevent the bag from getting from between the rollers two smooth
antifriction rollers are placed a little to each side of the middle space,
or two smooth plates are applied instead of such rollers, but the bag is
not intended to touch these unless when it may get a little out of its
proper position.
When the machine is made with two main rollers in this way, the
rollers may be grooved annularly and be made to reciprocate longi-
tudinally in opposite directions.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said William
Haworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HAWORTH, of No. 7, Lothbury, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
0 Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year

page_text: And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append two Sheets
of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing
a modification of my improved tea leaf rolling machinery. In theso
Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings is a front elevation, partly in
vertical section; Figure 2 on Sheet 2 is a side elevation; and Figure 3
is a diagram showing in cross section the three acting rollers 1, 2, 3,
which are employed in this modification. The framing consists of an
open framed bed plate 4 to be bolted down to a suitable foundation, and
having bolted on it two side frames 5, 6, which are connected by tio
rods 7. The rollers 1, 2, 3, aro fixed on horizontal shafts 8, 9, 10, two
of them 8, 9, being supported at the same height in bearings in the sido
frames 5, 6, whilst the third one 10 is carried by a pair of levers 11, 12,
mounted on a horizontal shaft 13 set in bearings on the side frames.
The third roller 3 is above the other two, and when in its lowest position
has its axis in a vertical plane midway between the lower rollers 1, 2,
as shown in Figure 3, but it can be turned up on its carrying
levers 11, 12, to admit of the casy introduction of the bag of tea leaf
into the central space between the three rollers. The lovers 11, 12,
carrying the upper roller 3 are connected by rods 14, 15, to toothed
wheels 16, 17 (or they might be sectors), mounted loosely on the shaft 8
of the front roller 1, and in gear with these wheels 16, 17, there aro
pinions 18 on a shaft 19, having a band wheel 20 on one end of it.
When the roller 3 is moved to its highest position the connecting
rods 14, 15, assume positions in line with the centres of the wheels 16, 17,
to which they are connected, and the roller 3 has no tendency to move
down even if not counterbalanced, or if only partly counterbalanced,
as I at first intended to have it, in which case it would continue to
descend by its weight after being moved downwards a short distance by
turning the hand wheel 20. I now however prefer to have the upper
roller 3 completely or nearly counterbalanced by means of a weighted
bar 21 fixed to the back ends of the levers 11, 12, and for the attendant
workman to make it descend more or less quickly, or to a greater
or less extent as he may find it desirable by continuing to turn the hand
wheel 20.

page_text: wheels 22, 23, 24, fixed on their shafts, the wheels 22, 23, of the two
lower rollers 1, 2, being in gear with a pinion 25 on a first motion
shaft 26, having on it fast and loose pulleys 27 for a driving belt (or it
might be driven by a special steam engine attached to the framing),
The spur wheel 24 of the upper roller 3 is in gear with a spur wheel 28
loose on the shaft 13, on which the carrying levers 11, 12, are centered,
and this intermediate spur whcel 28 is in gear with the spur wheel 23
of one of the lower rollers. The rollers 1, 2, 3, are formed with end
flanges 29 to prevent anything from being improperly caught and drawn
in, and at the ends of the central space discs 30, 31, are arranged to 1
turn freely, being formed with central studs, which can turn loosely in
sockets in the side frames to prevent either end of the bag of tea leaf
from creeping beyond the ends of the rollers.
In Figure 3 the bag of tea leaf is shown in dotted blue lines as
compressed by the rollers. At the front of the machine there is provided 1
a board or table 32 shown only in Figure 2 supported by legs 33, and
by hooked arms 34 engaging on the shaft 8 of the roller 1. The bag of
tea leaf is laid upon this board 32, and then the board is tilted by means
of handles 35, so as to tip the bag into the space between the rollers,
the upper roller 3 being then raised. The upper roller is next lowered ?
for the rolling operation, and on the completion of this operation is
again raised, and then the bag is easily removed without risk, the
direction of motion of the two lower rollers 1, 2, favoring its removal.
The motion of the rollers does not require to be stopped whilst taking
out one bag and putting in a fresh one.
The rollers (1, 2, 3,) are made with hard wood surfaces, and may be
in the form of cylinders with or without longitudinal, or helical, or
annular ribs; or they may be fluted or grooved longitudinally, or
helically, or annularly, and in some cases with grooves crossing each
other.
An equivalent for a longitudinally grooved or fluted roller may bo
formed by fixing a set of rounded bars to end discs 'with space between
them and the central shaft.
One or more of the rollers may in some cases be made to reciprocate
longitudinally as well as rotate.
The form of roller which I believe to be most efficacious is that
shown in Figures 1 and 3, and having deep smoothly rounded flutings.

page_text: The bags to contain the tea leaf are made of canvas or other suitable
woven fabric, and in the form of a cylinder with the ends gathered
together.
It is in some cases advantageous to employ bags made of vulcanised
rubber or leather alone, or covered or combined with canvas or other
woven material.
A modification of my improved tea leaf rolling machinery may be
made differing from that shown in the accompanying Drawings in
having only two acting or main rollers. Thus, whilst the general
arrangement of the machine remains as shown in the Drawings the
upper roller 3 may be made a plain cylinder mounted so as to revolve
freely, the spur wheels 24, 28, for driving it being dispensed with; or
one of the two main rollers 1, 2, may be placed above the other, and
both revolve in the same direction, so as to produce rotation in the bag
between them.
To prevent the bag from getting from between the two rollers two
smooth antifriction rollers are placed a little to each side of the middle
space, or two smooth plates are applied instead of such rollers, but the
bag is not intended to touch these unless when it may get a little out of
its proper position.
When the machine is made with two main rollers in this way the
rollers may be grooved annularly, and be 'made to reciprocate longi-
tudinally in opposite directions by any suitable known means.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to
the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I believe
to bo novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The arranging or combining together of the parts of tea leaf
rolling machines or apparatus, substantially in the improved manner
herein-before described.
2. The arranging of two or three rollers with even or uneven surfaces,
and revolving all in the same direction to act on a bag of tea leaf placed
between them, substantially as herein-before described.
3. The arranging of one of the rollers of a tea leaf rolling machine
to be movable towards or from the other roller or rollers without

page_text: disengagement from the driving gear, substantially in the manner
herein-before described.
4. The making of the bag for the tea leaf of vulcanised rubber or
leather alone or combined with canvas or other woven material, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Haworth, have hercunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
WILLIAM HAWORTH. (L.S.)