IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING, DRYING, AND CLEANSING CORN, SEED, EGYPTIAN BEANS, OR OTHER PULSE
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Gripper, of Winchester Wharf, Bankside, in
the Borough of Southwark, Corn Factor, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING, DRYING, AND CLEANSING CORN, SEED,
EGYPTIAN BEANS, OR OTHER PULSE."
Sealed the 13th November 1857, and dated the 15th May 1857..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Gripper at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th May 1857.
I, EDWARD GRIPPER, of Winchester Wharf, Bankside, in the Borough.
of Southwark, Corn Factor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING, DRYING, AND CLEANSING
CORN, SEED, EGYPTIAN BEANS, OR OTHER PULSE," to be as follows:-
I wash the grain or pulse by means of a cylinder or other vessel, which is
formed of wire or seiving, or of perforated material, and made to revolve in a
tank of water, and is so arranged as to receive the grain or pulse in the
interior of the cylinder, which is so constructed by means of arms or ledges
that the grain will pass from one end of the cylinder to the other when
revolving in the water. When the grain or pulse is discharged, it is elevated
into a straining hopper, where it is well rinsed with fresh water, and then
elevated or passed into a tank having a false or perforated bottom.

page_text: The grain or pulse is elevated by means of buckets made of seiving or per-
forated material, after the manner of a dredging machine.
I dry the grain or pulse by subjecting it to the action of centrifugal force, by
means of the rapid motion, in apparatus similar to the hydro-extractor.
I clean the grain or pulse by passing it through a pair of rollers covered. 5
with india-rubber, or other elastic substance hard enough to break the dirt
without injuring the grain or pulse, which may be afterwards smutted in
an ordinary machine for that purpose..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Gripper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
GRIPPER, of Winchester Wharf, Bankside, in the Borough of Southwark,
Corn Factor, send greeting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Gripper, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Gripper,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edward Gripper, 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING, DRYING, AND, CLEANSING CORN, SEED, EGYPTIAN BEANS,
OR OTHER PULSE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward
Gripper, 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,
Office within six calendar months next, and immediately after the date of the,
said Letters Patent.
1
3
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the, said Edward Gripper, do hereby declare the.
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to, be per- 3

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say)-
I wash the grain or pulse in a cylindrical or other shaped vessel constructed
of wire sieving or some perforated material, with rings and arms or ledges, the
said vessel revolving in an inclined position in a tank partly filled with water.
A continuous supply of grain is passed into the said vessel at its closed end,
and is carried forward to the other end by means of the arms or ledges; which
are fixed on the rings forming the cylindrical vessel, and assisted by its
revolving motion. At the end of the cylinder the grain is discharged into a
receiver with a false bottom, into which the elevators work, the buckets of
which are made of some perforated material; so that as a quantity of water is
playing on the grain during its passage.up, it becomes well washed or rinsed
during the operation of lifting or elevating it to be discharged into a trough at
the required elevation, where it is again rinsed with clean water, which, with
the water thrown into the buckets, falls into the main tank, through which a
flow of water is continued during the operation. The grain, being received
into the trough from the elevators, is driven along any required length by
means of an archimedean screw, and the bottom of the said trough being made
of wire or some perforated material, a constant drainage takes place, when it is
discharged into tubs, which also have false bottonis to assist its further
drainage; or, instead of the above, I have à cylinder revolving in a' tank
partly filled with water, and within the said cylinder I fix a ring to revolve at
a higher speed than the cylinder, the said ring having fixed arms for the
purpose of mashing up the grain which is carried forward through the machine,
and on reaching the opposite end of the supply it is elevated by the arms into.
the small end of the cylinder, through which works an archimedean screw,
this portion of the cylinder being above the water level. The application of
the screw is to discharge the grain in a drained state, water being discharged
at the same elevation from the main tank during the working; and clean
water for the purpose of rinsing is supplied at the small end of the cylinder,'
where it is received on the screw. A supply of grain is continued during the
working of the machine.
Another modification of my said improvements consists of a tank partly filled
with water, through which a wire-covered cylinder revolves, having a shaft,
passing through its entire length, round which is formed an archimedean
screw. The cylinder is constantly supplied with the grain at the closed end,
and the screw passes or forces it through; a portion of the length being placed
out of the water forms a drainage for the grain, clean water being passed on it
for the purpose of rinsing. For partially drying the grain or pulse, I use an;

page_text: ordinary drying cylinder with an iron chamber inside, to which is given a
centrifugal motion. In the interior of this chamber I fix an archimedean
screw on oblique arms, set so as to revolve at a different speed from the cylinder,
by which they act by slight pressure on the grain, causing it to fall gradually,
thus causing a constant supply of grain to be continued through the machine
without arresting its progress. When highly dried grain is required, I admit
to the interior of the centrifugal chamber a blast of highly heated air, for the
purpose of highly drying the grain, when necessary.
For cleaning grain or pulse which cannot be subjected to the action
of water in the cylinder without damaging it, I pass the grain or pulse between
rollers covered with india-rubber or other elastic substance; but I first moisten,
and then partially dry it, and pass the same between the surfaces of the said
rollers revolving face to face, and thus crush or break the dirt without injurying
the grain, which may afterwards be smutted in the ordinary manner.
The manner, in which my said Invention is to be performed, will be clearly
understood by reference to the accompanying three Sheets of Drawings, and
the letters of reference thereon, the said letters referring to each Figure
separately.
Fig. 1 represents an improved apparatus for washing, rinsing, and elevating
grain, seed, or pulse; Figs. 2 and 3 are detached views of the ends of the
cylinder; Fig. 2 has its arms set obliquely for the purpose of forcing the grain
forward in the cylinder; Fig. 4, a simple arrangement for washing or cleaning
grain, seed, pulse, &c.; Fig. 5 is also an improved machine for cleaning or
washing; Fig. 6, a detached view of the cylinder and arms; and Fig. 7, an
improved drying cylinder.
In Fig. 1, a represents the cylinder in an inclined position, revolving in the
tank 6 partly filled with water; a continued supply of grain from the hopper c
is passed into the cylinder a at its closed end, which grain is carried to
the further end by means of the fixed arms on the rings forming the cylinder.
The grain is discharged into the-receiver d, into which the elevators e work.
The buckets fare either perforated or made of sieving. The elevator dis-
charges the grain into the trough g at the required elevation, from whence it is-
driven along any required length by means of the archimedean screw h, and
discharged into the tubs i, i, or otherwise disposed of.
In Fig. 4, a is the tank; b, a cylinder, made of wire gauze, or perforated
plates; c, a screw passing through the entire length of the cylinder b, to which
it is attached; d is an inlet or feed spout for the grain, &c. to the cylinder;
e, the outlet or delivery spout. The tank a is partly filled with water; the
screw is then set in motion, and the grain, being received into the cylinder

page_text: through the inlet spout d, is gradually carried forward by the screw c; a portion
of the length being placed out of the water causes the grain, &c. to drain,
when it is conveyed to the outlet spout e.
Fig. 5 represents a tank partly filled with water, a revolving cylinder b,
within which the oblique arms c revolve, fixed fast to the shaft d, for the
purpose of mashing up the grain which is carried through the machine.
On
reaching the opposite end of the supply, it is elevated by the arms into the
small end of the cylinder b, which is above the water line, in order to discharge
the grain in a drained state, through which works the archimedean screw e,
which is fast to the shaft d. A continued supply of water is given during the
working of the machine through the pipe f, which I propose to place either at
one or both ends of the machine; g is the inlet spout for the grain, &c.
to enter the machine, and h the outlet spout. The cylinder 6 works loose on
the shaft d, and is driven by the pinions i on the shaft k at a slower speed than
the arms or blades c.
In Fig. 6, c represents the arms.
In Fig. 7, representing my improved drying cylinder, a is the casing; b, the
wire chamber, to which a centrifugal motion is given; c, the shaft on which
is the archimedean screw d, which revolves at a different speed from the
cylinder, so as to give a slight pressure on the grain, causing it to fall gradually,
thereby allowing a continued supply of grain to pass through the machine
without arresting its progress. When highly dried grain is required, a blast of
heated air, at any desired temperature, may be admitted through the pipe e
into the interior of the centrifugal chamber, the supply being governed by the
throttle valve f; k is the overflow pipe.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly
understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein set forth, as
such may be varied or modified without departing from the principle thereof;
but I claim as my Invention, and which to the best of my knowledge and
belief has not been hitherto used within the realm,―
Firstly, the elevating washed grain from the water used in washing it,
in place of the usual method of discharging the water from the grain, by which
plan I clean a large quantity of grain with a small quantity of water and very
little power.
Secondly, the screw for forcing the grain through the cylinder. In my
drying process, I secure an improved method of loading and discharging the
centrifugal machine without slackening its speed.
Also the application of heated air as being new, as all such improvements

page_text: are herein described, and illustrated in the accompanying three Sheets of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Gripper, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Edward Gripper, in
the presence of
EDWARD GRIPPER. (L.S.)
EDWARD GRIPPER. (L.s.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Edward Gripper, in
the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
123, Chancery Lane, London.