IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS KNOWN AS MIDDLINGS PURIFIERS
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Peter Jensen at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
November 1873.-A communication from abroad by Francis Way-
land Glen, of the Village of Oshana, in the County and Province of
Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada.
I, PETER JENSEN, of 89, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS KNOWN AS MIDDLINGS PURIFIERS," a communication
to me from abroad by Francis Wayland Glen, of the Village of Oshana,
in the County and Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, to be
as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in the arrangement of a series of
inclined screens or bolts one above the other, each bolt being provided
underneath with a knocker or thumper; said bolts are arranged in such
manner that the middlings as they pass through the bolt fall on a
polished or smooth inclined plane sloping in the opposite direction to
the screens or bolts, the object being to convey the middlings after they
are fed to the uppermost bolt successively over and through each bolt
throughout the whole series. The knockers are caused to strike the

page_text: frame of the bolts, thus assisting the middlings in their passage through
such bolts, and prevent the same from being clogged.
The second part of my Invention relates to a novel arrangement for
supporting and vibrating the inner shoe of the machine, whereby a short
sharp vibratory reciprocating movement is imparted to such inner shoe
containing the bolts.
The third part of my Invention consists in the combination with the
reciprocating inner shoe containing the bolts of a blast and suction
apparatus, the object of the blast being to produce a light upward
current of air through the middlings passing over the delivery roller and 1
through the series of bolts, carrying with it the light fuzzy particles and
brown specks from such middlings as they sift through the bolting
cloth, and the object of the suction or exhaust apparatus is to carry off
all such particles and specks.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in the combination with the 1
reciprocating shoe of an adjustable feed hopper, provided with a feed
roller for the purpose of spreading the middlings, being fed to the
machine across the receiving end of the upper bolt in a uniform broad
and thin sheet.
In carrying out my Invention I construct a frame sufficiently strong
to resist the strains of working. A reciprocating shoe is suspended
inside of this frame and contains a series of inclined bolts. This shoe is
suspended inside of the frame by means of spring suspenders preferably
made of wood, and enough space or play being allowed to the shoe
within the frame to enable it to swing clear when it is agitated by a
series of cams attached to the driving shaft, which is driven by a pulley
and belt or by other suitable gearing. Across the front of the shoë and
opposite the centre of the driving shaft is fastened the striking bar,
which is lined with wood covered with raw hide or other suitable
material in order to deaden the shocks or vibrations of the cams.
Polished slides made of metal or other suitable material arranged
underneath and sloping in the opposite direction to the bolts transfer
the middlings as they pass through one bolt to the one immediately
underneath.
In order to agitate the bolts I employ a series of knockers or

page_text: Where the heads of the knockers strike the bolt frames, I glue on or
otherwise affix a layer or layers of raw hide or other suitable material to
receive and deaden the force of the blow.
These knockers are operated as follows:-To the outside of the main
frame and on each side is bolted or otherwise secured an upright piece
of wood, and passing through these uprights and projecting therefrom
are long nicked studs, screwed in their entire length with one nut placed
near the neck, two pieces of wood are then placed on the studs and a
spiral spring encircling such studs is placed between the two pieces of
wood, and another nut placed outside of all.
The position of the pieces of wood can be changed at will by means of
the nuts and springs, as will be readily understood. The spindle to
which the knockers are fastened projects from the side of the shoe, and is
turned up at right angles forming a crank, and then bent again and
passes between the pieces of wood on the studs above referred to.
When the shoe is actuated by the cams, the spindle of the knockers
forming part of such shoe has a tendency to move horizontally, but
coming in contact through the bent arm with the pieces of wood on the
studs changes such horizontal motion to a rocking motion and agitates
the knockers. The pieces can be adjusted so as to regulate and vary the
blows or stop all action of the knockers when desired. A blast fan is
arranged on the under side of the machine, and an exhaust or sucking.
fan on the top of the same; these fans are operated by a belt driven from
the main driving shaft.
A main distributing blast pipe provided with branch pipes or mouth-
pieces is affixed to the blast fan, such branch pipes serving to carry the
currents of air directly under each bolt as well as under the feed roller.
The entrance of such mouth-pieces are provided with adjustable hinged
valves to regulate the currents of air.
The apparatus is further provided at or near the top with a feed hopper
into which the middlings are fed through a spout from a bin or chamber'
above. The feed hopper is provided at its mouth with a roller extending
the full width of such hopper, which by its revolution causes the
middlings to be fed to the upper or receiving bolt in a broad even
stream. The mouth of the feed hopper is so constructed that by means
of a thumb screw and nut the opening can be regulated at will. The
feed roller is driven from a pulley on the main driving shaft.
:

page_text: The spaces between the series of bolts and between the upper bolt and
air chamber are connected to the main frame by a flexible fabric such
as cotton ticking or other suitable material, which acts like the sides of
bellows and prevents all access of the external air except through the
blast fan.
In order to obviate the entrance of dust or other impurities through
the mouth of the blast fan, I cover the same with fine bolting cloth or
other suitable material. The hopper bottom of the shoe is provided with
a two-way discharge pipe, having a dividing valve for the purpose of
separating the different grades of middlings purified. This valve is
regulated by means of a handle upon the outside of the shoe, operating
in stops or notches formed in a segmental bar. The apparatus is also
provided with a hopper for the reception of and for carrying off of the
coarse heavy particles too large to pass through the bolts and too heavy
to be carried off by the blast and exhaust fans, and which fall over the
screens.
:
The operation of my improved machine is as follows:-The machine
being set in motion the middlings to be purified are fed into the hopper
and are discharged in a broad even stream on the upper bolt, the blast
fan forcing a current of air up and out of the air chamber through the
distributing mouths, not only does the current pass up through the bolts
and the middlings spread thereon, but the mouths are so arranged that
as the middlings are fed into the shoe, and are transferred from one bolt
to another by the inclined planes, a current of air passes through the
thin broad stream at the bottom of the inclined boards or plates. The
suction fan receives the dust laden air and sucks it out, removing the
brown fuzzy particles without any loss of good middlings.
The action of the air current is assisted by vibratory blows which are
given to the shoe by the cams on the driving shaft. The particles of
middlings being sharp like sand when actuated by the blows of the
cams, such particles are thrown up and turned over with a wave-like
motion at each blow, and the air current passing up through the bolt
completely cleans such middlings, the action of the knockers as before
described on the bolt cleaning the meshes of the bolting cloth, and
helping the particles to pass through such meshes quickly.
For grading middlings different numbers of bolting cloth are used.

page_text: The front wall of the frame is hinged for convenience of inspection and
adjustment.
the screen blow.
The upper wind spout or mouth acts on the middlings befor they
reach the screen, blowing out the brown fuzzy particles, while the
middlings are falling from the hopper to the screen. The suction fan
carries off these particles at once. The other wind spouts act on the
middlings as they pass from the inclined boards to
The bolts may be made by the stretching upon the frames of bolting
cloth of various Nos. of fineness or of any similar material, or wire cloth,
or perforated plates of metal of different degrees of fineness may be
employed. The tail of the main frame is so constructed as to enable the
operator to have free access to the series of bolts for insertion, removal,
or repairs.
The currents of air passing through the machine are regulated by
means of handles affixed to valves, such handles projecting through and