IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MIXING AND RE-PACKING 33 TE, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MIXING OF OTHER GRANULAR SUBSTANCES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thompson, of No 85, Lower Gardiner
Street, in the City and County of Dublin, Ireland, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MIXING AND RE-PACKING
33
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thompson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th July 1866.
I, WILLIAM THOMPSON, of No 85, Lower Gaidmer Street, in the City and
County of Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MIXING AND RE-PACKING
TE, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MIXING OF OTHER GRANULAR SUBSTANCES," to be as
follows
--
My Invention consists of a combined apparatus for first mixing the
teas and then re-packing the same in the chests, of which, however either
the mixing apparatus or the re-packing apparatus may also be employed
separately
One arrangement of my improved tea-mixing apparatus consists of a series
of sieves or gratings fixed radially round a central spindle inside a surrounding

page_text: drum or casing mounted on a suitable framing. which drum is made to revoive
with the spindle and sieves or gratings by means of a pulley and belt or other
suitable gearing driven either by the hand only or by a steam engine or other
source of motive power
The teas to be mixed are introduced into the drum
through an opening in its periphery provided with a sliding lid, and the drum
is then caused to revolve slowly, whereby, as the meshes on spaces of the
sieves or gratings are made sufficiently large for the tea to fall through, the
latter, while being lifted up by the sieves or gratings on the side on which
these rise, will gradually pass through the same and fall on to the next sieve
or grating below, whereby the tea will be most expeditiously and perfectly mixed
When the mixing has been effected the tea is allowed to fall through the
before-mentioned opening into a trough below the drum provided with a door,
through which the tea is removed
In another arrangement of this apparatus the sieves or gratings, insteart of
being placed radially round a spindle as described, are attached to a vertical
endless band caused to travel over two rollers inside a fixed casing in a
similar manner to a chain pump The tea is introduced through an opening
in the top of the casing, and after passing down to the bottom on one side it
is raised up by the rising sieves or gratings on the other side, and while being
raised it continually falls through from the one sieve to the next below
By the process of mixing the tea becomes thoroughly opened out, and it
consequently occupies considerably more space than before. In order there-
forc to re-pack the ica into the chests it requires to be subjected to pressure,
for which purpose I arrange a screw spindle working either in a portion of
the same framing that carries the mixing machine or in a separate framing,
which screw spindle is provided at the upper end with a lever or fly wheel,
and carnes at the lower end a plate or piston corresponding in form and size
with the interior of the tea chests Immediately beneath this screw is a
framing consisting of a number of uprights, between which the tea chests fit,
which uprights are made adjustable, so as to fit closely against and to serve
as supports to the sides of the chests by means of tie rods passing across from
the one upright to the other, and provided with thumbscrews at their ends
The chest having been filled with tea from the mixing machine is placed inside
such framing, and the plate or piston is then screwed down so as to compress
the tea, after which more tea is placed in the chest and compressed in like
manner until the chest is full
The before-described mixing apparatus may also be employed for mixing
other granulu substances

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMPSON, of No. 85, Lower Gardiner Street, in the City and County of
Dublin, Ireland, send greeting
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Пer Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thufieth year of Her
eign, did, for Пerself, Ife heirs and successors, give and giant unto me, the
said William Thompson, Her special licence that I, the said William Thompson,
my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Thompson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
dung the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Butain and
Treland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR Apparatus FOR MIXING AND RE-PACKING TEA, ALSO
APPLICABIE TO THE MIXING OF OTHER GRANULAR SUBSTANCES," upou the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Thompson, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, 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 William Thompson, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say.-
My Invention consists of a combined apparatus for first mixing the
teas and then re-packing the same in the chests, of which, however, either
the mixing apparatus or the re-packing apparatus may also be be employed
Separately.
One arrangement of my improved tea-mixing apparatus consists of a series
of sieves or gratings fixed radially round a central spindle inside a surrounding
drum or casing mounted on a suitable framing, which drum is made to revolve

page_text: with the spindle and sieves or gratings by means of a pulley and belt or other
suitable gearing driven either by the hand only or by a steam engine or other
source of motive power. The teas to be mixed are introduced into the drum
though an opening in its periphery provided with a sliding lid, and the drum is
then caused to revolve slowly, whereby, as the meshes or spaces of the sieves
or gratings are made sufficiently large for the tea to fall through, the latter,
while being lifted up by the sieves or gratings on the side on which these risc,
will gradually pass through the same and fall on to the next sieve or grating
below, when the tea will be most expeditiously and perfectly mixed When the
mixing has been effected the tea is allowed to fall through the before-mentioned
opening into a trough below the drum provided with a door through which the
tea is removed
In another arrangement of this apparatus the sieves or gratings, instead
of being placed radially round a spindle as described, ac attached to a
veitual endless band caused to travel over two 1ollers inside a fixed
casing in a similar manner to a chain pump The tea is introduced through
an opening in the top of the casing, and after passing down to the bottom.
on one sule it is raised up by the rising sieves or gratings on the other side,
and while being raised it continually falls through fion the one sieve to the
next below.
By the process of mixing the tea becomes thoroughly opened out, and it
consequently occupies considerably more space than before In order, therefore,
to re-pack the tea into the chests it requies to be subjected to pressure, for
which purpose 1 arrange a screw spindle working either in a portion of the
same framing that carries the mixing machine or in a separate framing which
screw spindle is provided at the upper end with a lover or fly wheel, and carries
at the lower end a plate or piston corresponding in form and size with the
interior of the tea chests Immediately beneath this screw is a framing con-
sisting of a number of uprights, between which the tea chests fit, which uprights
are made adjustable, so as to fit closely against and to serve as supports to the
sides of the chests by means of tie rods passing across from the one upright to
the other, and provided with thumbscrews at their ends. The chest having
been filled with tea from the mixing machine is placed inside such framing,
and the plate or piston is then screwed down so as to compress the tea, after
which more tea is placed in the chest and compressed in like manner until the
chest is full.
The before-described mixing apparatus may also be employed for mixing
othic granular substances.
1igues 1 and 2 on the accompanying Drawing show respectively a font

page_text: clevation and a transverse section of one arrangement of my improved tea-
mixing machine combined with the apparatus for ic-packing the tea after the
process of mixing
A is a closed cylinder or drum having a centaal shaft B movided at
one end with a pulley C or other suitable gearing for imparting rotary
motion thereto, and running in bearings formed on the famework D. The
drum A is provided with an aperture E in its circumference capable of being
closed by means of a sliding cover F, and contams a number of sieves or
gratings G, G, arranged m radial positions, as shown in dotted lines in
Figure 1 The sieves are by preference arranged to slide in grooves formed
in the sides of the casing, being introduced through slits in the encumference
thecof, which they close so as to prevent the escape of tea therefrom, and
they are held in their places by means of a bolt or catch II
By this
anangement the sieves can be readily removed for cleansing or repans, or for
introducing other sieves or gratings of a greater or less degree of fineness
The lower part of the drum works inside a box or receptacle I, mto which the
tea is allowed to fall when perfectly mixed, and from which it is filled into the
tea chests though an aperture J closed by a sliding cover The receptacle I
is also provided with a door K for clearing it out, in which door an opening L
is formed, through which access is gained to the sliding cover of the chum.
Foi commencing operations with this apparatus the dium A is turned till the
aperture E is in the position shown at Figure 1, when an attendant situated
on the platform M, formed on the fiaming when the apparatus is of large
dimensions, introduces the teas to be mixed into the drum The aperture E
is then closed, and the dium is caused to revolve slowly, whereby the tea in
falling through the meshes or spaces of one sieve on to the next below as it is
raised by these in passing upwards becomes thoroughly mixed ma comparatively
short space of time When this has been eflected the drum is turned so that
the aperture E is inside the receptacle and the tea is allowed to pass into
the latter, whence it is then filled into the chests These are then removed
to the ic-packing apparatus, consisting of the sciew spindle N working in a
female screw in the faming O, to the upper end of which screw is attached
a lever P, while the lower end carries a plate or piston Q, in the boss of which
it is incc to turn This plate or piston fits inside the tea chest Tv, which is
placed beneath the same, and the sides of which are supported against the
pressure they have to withstand by means of bars or frames S secured by
ods T passing across and provided with thumbscrews at their ends, as shown
The plate
is then screwed down upon the tea in the chest, which is thereby

page_text: compressed to the requisite degree, after which more tea 15 introduced and
compressed in like manner until the chest is full, after which the chest is
removed
As before stated the repacking machine may also be employed separate fiom
the tea-mixing machine.
Figure 3 shows a vertical section of another modification of my improved
apparatus for mixing teas and other gianular substances Inside the closed
casing A is an endless band B of leather or other suitable material stretched
over two polygonal rollers C, the edges of which band fit closely against the
flat sides of the casing. To this band are fixed a number of sieves or
gratings D, D, held in a horizontal position or at right angles to the band by
means of stays or gusset picces E, E, the edges of which sieves fit as closely as
practicable against the surfaces of the casing A hopper F is fixed or formed on
the top of the casing, through which the teas requiring to be mixelareintroduced,
and an aperture closed by a slide II is provided at the bottom, through
which the tea passes after having been mixed It will be seen that if rotary
motion is imparted to the lower roller C by means of a crank handle I, or by
other means, the series of sieves or giatings D will travel up on one side of
the casing and down on the other, and the tea being lifted up thereby gradually
falls through the gratings as they ascend, as in the previous arrangement, and
thus becomes effectually mixed.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what I claim
is,—
First. Constructing apparatus for mixing teas and other granular substances
in which a series of enclosed sieves or gratings are caused to travel upwards
one above the other, so that the tea in being raised up thereby falls through
the meshes or spaces of the one sieve or grating on to the next one below,
and so on in succession, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before set
forth.
Second. I claim the particular arrangements of apparatus for mixing teas
and other granular substances herein-before described with reference to the
accompanying Drawing.
Third I claim the construction of apparatus for re-packing tea into the
chests, consisting of a piston or plate actuated by a screw spindle for compressing
the tea in the box or chest in combination with an adjustable framework
enclosing the sides of the box or chest for supporting the same whilst subjected
to pressure, substantially as herein-before described.

page_text: Fourth. I claim the combined apparatus for mixing and repacking (cas
heiein-before described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 on the accompanying
Drawing
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thompson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.