An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Mixing Food for Animals, known to then as "Horse-mixture."
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 25th Apr., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Mixing Food for
Animals, known to the Corn Trade as "Horse-mixture."
I, ROBERT MURRELL, of The Chesnuts, Sunbury-on-Thames, in the County of
Middlesex, Nurseryman, do declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It consists of a method of mixing a commodity (consisting of crushed maize and
other cereals either whole or crushed) known to the corn trade as horse mixture,
and whereas that article has hitherto been mixed or blended by manual labour (with
shovels &c.) I provide by my invention a means by which the same operation is
performed by machinery.
The mode of operation is as follows :—
Two or more hoppers or bins are provided containing respectively the ingredients
to be mixed.
To the mouth of each is fitted suitable feed mechanism capable of regulation
according to the proportion of each required. The quantities which are thus
measured off are received together in a nixed stream which can be passed by
machinery over screens &c. or otherwise treated as may be necessary.
The feed and delivery mechanism can be constructed of any convenient form
many modifications of which will occur to those experienced in the subject.
I am aware that machines of a somewhat similar nature have been previously
used for blending wheats &c.
But what I wish to claim and secure to myself is, the method substantially as
hereinbefore described as applied to the mixing of "Horse Mixture."
Dated this 20th day of June 1890.
ROBERT MURRELL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Mixing Food for
Animals, known to the Corn Trade as Horse-mixture."
66
I, ROBERT MURRELL, of The Chesnuts, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex,
Nurseryman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The commodity that is now generally known in the corn trade as horse mixture,
and that consists in a mixture (designed for feeding horses or cattle) containing
crushed oats and crushed maize in large proportions, together with white peas or
other ingredients, has hitherto been obtained by manual labour without (or almost
without) the assistance of machinery.
This method of preparation is in all cases objectionable on account of the difficulty
of thereby (1) producing a thorough and homogeneous mixture of the various
ingredients aforesaid or (2) regulating the different proportions wherein it is
necessary that these ingredients should be mixed.
My invention consists in a new method of, and an improved machine for, manu-
facturing horse mixture, whereby, among other things, the above mentioned
disadvantages are obviated.
The said method consists in the use of machinery, substantially as hereinafter
described to the manufacture of horse mixture; and the said machine consists of an
improved apparatus for mixing in a continuous stream and in any proportions that
may be desired the various ingredients of which horse mixture is composed.

page_text: .
The said apparatus consists of a series of hoppers or bins to the mouths of which
I fit a feed of the shaking shoe pattern which I have constructed and adapted to
suit the manufacture of horse mixture. The difficulty to be met in the manufacture
of this commodity lies in the different natures of the ingredients to be mixed, thus,
crushed oats are a constant, and white peas an almost constant ingredient in horse
mixture. But the former from their comparatively small weight for bulk and fluffy
nature are apt to clog in the feed mouth and not to feed regularly, whilst the latter
from their nature feed too rapidly. This difficulty is greatly increased by the fact
that it is mostly necessary to have a large proportion of crushed oats feeding with a
very small proportion of white peas.
I have met the aforesaid difficulties by adapting my feeds and hoppers in the
same machine to suit the differing ingredients and varying proportions by adopting
the following expedients: (1) By varying the width of the mouths of the hoppers
making it narrow for a fast feeding ingredient required only sparingly, and wide for
a slow feeding ingredient required in quantity (2) By altering the slope of the
shaking shoe making it bevel or nearly so for a fast feeding, and at a slope towards
the delivery, for a slow feeding ingredient (3) By altering the rate of speed of the
shaking shoe i.e. shaking the shoe of the naturally fast feeding slower than that of
the naturally slow feeding ingredient. In addition to these three adaptations of old
feeds to suit the different ingredients in horse mixture, I have invented a feed wheel
in connection with the mouths of the hoppers whereby in a still more perfect manner
I adapt my mixing machine to the different ingredients and the different rates at
which they require to be fed. This feed wheel is particularly shewn in the
accompanying drawings and the descriptions hereinafter appearing.
I supply the hoppers or bins above mentioned from elevators specially fitted for
the ingredients they have respectively to elevate I crush the ingredients first and
then elevate them into the bins of the mixing machine I treat the crushing and
mixing of the ingredients in this order in preference to measuring off the proportions
of each ingredient whole and mixing them together after they are crushed, for the
following reasons (1) if the ingredients are measured off first and crushed afterwards,
it is obvious that the full capacity of the crushing rolls for crushing cannot always
be put into force, if, for instance, a less quantity of crushed maize was, at any time
required the maize roll would have to be set to crush only a proportion of what it
was capable of crushing: (2) if one of the rolls gets out of order or breaks down
or stops feeding, there is no supply of the appropriate ingredient crushed in reserve
and the machine either must be stopped altogether or it will produce a mixture
short of one ingredient: and (3) it would be necessary for all the crushing rolls to
be in efficient working order, to make any mixture at all.
When the machine is set in motion the revolutions of the feed wheels or the
shaking of the shoes deliver the proportions that they are set to deliver of each of
the ingredients and all that the attendant has to do is to see that no bin runs empty
of its ingredient.
If one of the bins should run out of its ingredients the attendant has merely to
throw the machine out of gear till that bin has been replenished, on the other hand if a
bin is getting over full it is necessary to stop the rolls crushing into that bin till
the ingredient in it is getting low again I combine with this system of feeding an
endless belt conveyor, which receives all the ingredients and delivers them con-
tinuously in a stream to an elevator which perfects the mixing and in its turn
delivers the mixture in a continuous stream conveniently at a high elevation whence
it can be received on a screen from the end of which it may be received into
hoppers or into sacks or conducted wherever it is desired by its own weight.
In adapting machinery to the preparation of horse mixture I have discarded the
worm or Archimediau screw conveyor usually associated with mixing machinery
and I combine a rapid belt conveyor with an elevator by which means I avoid the
attrition of the worm (which would spoil the appearance of the mixture) without
any sacrifice to the thoroughness with which the mixture of the various ingredients
is carried out.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Similar reference letters indicate similar parts.
The ingredients of the mixture as they pass through the crushing rolls are
received by elevators which convey them to their respective hoppers which are
designed to hold a considerable quantity in readiness for mixing.
Fig. 1 shows an end elevation of the machine with a double series of
hoppers A. & A.
Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the hoppers.
Fig. 3 shews a detailed drawing of the feed wheel described and
Figures 4 & 5 shew detail of the "shaking shoe " feed.
To the mouths of these hoppers is attached a "feed gate" of any suitable form to
regulate the passage of the contents.
These mouths are of different widths to compensate for the different characteristics
of the ingredients. Fixed under the mouth of each of the hoppers A. A. are the
feed wheels B & B. These wheels are mounted on a common rotating shafts X
and turn in troughs C & C which are supplied from the hoppers.
Each wheel carries upon its periphery a number of cups or buckets E (see Fig. 3)
constructed of metal or other suitable material each bucket being provided with a
lid which can be opened or closed according to the proportion of the ingredients
(in which the wheel turns) required.
The width of these wheels at their edges corresponds with that of the mouth of
the hopper and further helps to regulate the proportion of the mixture. Any of the
buckets can be thrown out of work by their lids being closed.
These wheels are driven by any suitable machinery and are arranged so that in
the course of their revolutions they gather up (by means of the buckets) the oats
maize or peas respectively which they then deliver upon a conveyor "F." This
conveyor in its turn delivers the mixture in a stream into an elevator "G" from
which it is discharged down a screen into the store hopper.
Figure 5 shews a feed of the "shaking shoe" pattern. H is the hopper connected
by the spring ties II to the tray J.
The latter whose slope is, as before mentioned adjusted to the ingredient to be
fed is actuated at the required speed by means of the eccentric K, the flow of
ingredient being checked by the feed gate.
Fig. 4 shews a Damsel "shaking shoe" in which the tray receives intermittent
actuation by means of the Damsel N on the rotating shaft N¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The hereinbefore described method of preparing horse mixture by feeding the
respective ingredients continuously & obtaining the mixture in a continuous and
homogeneous stream.
2. The combination consisting of the mixing and feeding apparatus the conveyor
and elevator substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
Dated this 17th day of March 1901
R. MURRELL.