IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF DECORTICATING GRAIN AND OTHER SEEDS, AND I APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF DECORTICATING GRAIN AND OTHER SEEDS, AND I
APPARATUS FOR THE SAME."-A communication from abroad by Gustave
Lataste, Christophe Ours Bullot, and Clément Montoille, Millers, all of
29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris.
Sealed the 15th August 1865, and dated the 28th February 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th February 1865.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF DECORTICATING GRAIN AND OTHER SEEDS,
AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved means of decorticating all kinds of grain,
and consists in first soaking the grain for the purpose of softening the husk for

page_text: from three to four minutes, according to the nature of the wheat or other
grain to be decorticated. The grain thus prepared is ready to be subjected to
the decorticating operation. The improved apparatus used for this purpose
consists,―
1st, of a pair of wood grinding surfaces covered with an elastic material
such as buff leather, for example, and also with wire gauze, one of said
grinding surfaces (the lower one by preference) being rotated in order to effect
the decortication of the grain.
2ndly, of a fan or blower for producing a current of air at the exit of the
grain for the purpose of separating the latter from the bran or husks.
3rdly, of a second pair of grinding or finishing surfaces also of wood, but
furnished with an elastic covering only and having a blower the same as the
upper pair of grinding surfaces, by passing through which the wheat or other
grain will be decorticated and separated from the bran or husks, and may then
be ground in an ordinary mill. By this means from 90 to 95 per cent. of
flour may be obtained according to the nature of the grain and without any
of the bran which has been previously separated. The apparatus employed,
as may be easily understood, will vary according to the kind and quality of
the grain.
The annexed Drawing represents one arrangement for effecting the decorti-
cation of grain by the wet process. The wheat falls gradually from an upper
level down an inclined delivery channel a in any suitable manner, which
directs the grain on to one end of an archimedian screw b, which is of
sufficient length to enable the wheat or other grain to be well soaked with the
water which is introduced before the grain enters the screw. On reaching the
end of the archimedian screw the wheat falls into a hopper c, of a size and
with a rate of supply sufficient to retain the wheat for two or three minutes
according to its nature in order to permit of the husks being suitably softened.
A distributor placed at bottom of hopper c supplies the wheat to a first pair of
wood grinding surfaces d, furnished with a leather disc i and wire gauze j, the
latter serving to effect the decortication of the grain. This distributor
produces a uniform flow of the grain on to the upper horizontal grinding
surface. The grain passes from the first pair of stones through a channel e,
into which abuts a pipe from a fan or blower f serving to separate the grain
from the husks or bran. The grain then falls on to a second pair of grinding
surfaces g, termed "finishers," also of wood as before, and furnished with a
leather disc i, thence the grain falls into a channel e, in which is a current of
air from a blower h for separating any remaining husks that may be left. In
this manner the wheat will be perfectly hulled and separated from the bran,

page_text: after which it is conveyed in any suitable manner to mills for grinding as in
ordinary. This system of decortication by the wet process is applicable to
grain, seeds, and leguminous substances generally, such as all kinds of wheat
and cereals, rice, beans, peas, coffee, cocoa, and all vegetable products generally
serving for nutritive and other uses.
The Invention thus consists, 1st, in the preliminary softening of all kinds of
grain by means of water for the purpose of effecting its decortication; and;
2ndly, in the use of two pairs of wood grinding surfaces, the one covered with
an elastic material such as leather and with wire gauze, and the other pair
with leather only, the two acting in combination to produce the decortication
of the grain after it has been softened in the manner described.
!
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
me,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MEANS OF DECORTICATING GRAIN AND OTHER SEEDS, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR THE SAME," a communication to me from abroad by Gustave Lataste,
Christophe Ours Bullot, and Clement Montoille, Millers, all of 29, Boulevart.
St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Clark, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
This Invention relates to improved means of decorticating all kinds of grain,
and consists in first soaking the grain for the purpose of softening the husk for
from three to four minutes according to the nature of the wheat or other grain
to be decorticated. The grain thus prepared is ready to be subjected to
the decorticating operation. The improved apparatus used for this purpose
consists,―
1st, of a pair of wood grinding surfaces covered with an elastic material
such as buff leather, for example, and also with wire gauze, one of said
grinding surfaces (the lower one by preference) being rotated in order to
effect the decortication of the grain.
2ndly, of a fan or blower for producing a current of air at the exit of tho
grain for the purpose of separating the latter from the bran or husks.
3rdly, of a second pair of grinding or finishing surfaces, also of wood, but
furnished with an elastic covering only, and having a blower the same as the
upper pair of grinding surfaces, by passing through which the wheat or other
grain will be decorticated and separated from the bran or husks and may then
be ground in an ordinary mill. By this means from ninety to ninety-five per
cent, of flour may be obtained, according to the nature of the grain and without
any of the bran which has been previously separated. The apparatus
employed, as may be easily understood, will vary according to the kind and
quality of the grain.
The annexed Drawing represents one arrangement for effecting the decorti-
cation of grain by the wet process. The wheat falls gradually from an upper.
level down an inclined delivery channel a in any suitable manner, which directs
the grain on to one end of an archimedian screw b, which is of sufficient length
to enable the wheat or other grain to be well soaked with the water which is
introduced before the grain enters the screw. On reaching the end of the
archimedian screw the wheat falls into a hopper c, of a size and with a rate of
supply sufficient to retain the wheat for two or three minutes according to its
nature, in order to permit of the husks being suitably softened. A distributor.
placed at bottom of hopper c supplies the wheat to a first pair of wood grinding
surfaces d, furnished with a leather disc i and wire gauze j, the latter serving

page_text: to effect the decortication of the grain; this operation may also be effected
between any suitable and sufficiently hard grooved substances, such as leather,
fish skins, stone or metal surface. This distributor produces a uniform flow
of the grain on to the upper horizontal grinding surface. The grain passes
from the first pair of stones through a channel e, into which abuts a pipe from
a fan or blower f, serving to separate the grain from the husks or bran. The
grain then falls on to a second pair of grinding surfaces g, termed "finishers"
also of wood as before, and furnished with a leather disc i, thence the grain
falls into a channel e', in which is a current of air from a blower h, for separa-
ting any remaining husks that may be left. In this manner the wheat will
be perfectly hulled and separated from the bran, after which it is conveyed
in any suitable manner to mills for grinding as in ordinary. This system
of decortication by the wet process is applicable to grain, seeds, and legumi-
nous substances generally, such as all kinds of wheat and cereals, rice, beans,
peas, coffee, cocoa, and all vegetable products generally serving for nutritive
and other uses.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is-
First, the preliminary softening of all kinds of grain by means of water for
the purpose of effecting its decortication.
Secondly, I claim the use of two pairs of wood grinding surfaces, the one
covered with an elastic material such as leather, and with wire gauze, and the
other pair with leather only, the two acting in combination to produce the
decortication of the grain after it has been softened in the manner described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)