IMPROVEMENTS IN PULPING, DRESSING, AND SORTING COFFEE
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MEACOCK, of Kingston, Jamaica, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourth day of December, in the ninth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Meacock, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said James Meacock, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Meacock, my exors, adññors; or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PULPING, DRESSING, AND SORTING
COFFEE;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the
said James Meacock, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Meacock, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed,. and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists,-
First, of improvements in machinery for removing the pulp from coffee; and,
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in machinery for dressing
and sorting coffee.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by mic.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a section of the apparatus or machinery used for pulping
coffee. Figure 2 a back view, partly in section, and Figure 3 a front view,
partly in section. In pulping coffee as heretofore practised, a cylinder of sheet
metal has been used with numerous holes punched through to give a rough
exterior surface, and with such roughed surface the pulp has been removed.
Now the first part of my Invention partly consists of using rollers having
plates or surfaces with teeth cut or formed thereon; and the first part of my
Invention also consists of having springs applied to the back surface between
which and the roughed cylinder used the coffee passes to be pulped, the
object being that the back surface should be able to give way; in the
event of the revolving surface becoming clogged, the back surface would
give way and prevent injury to the machine. a is the hopper, into which
the coffee is put in order to have the external pulp removed. b is a
revolving cylinder having numerous teeth thereon formed by notching
plates, which are fixed on the cylinder. c is the back surface, which is
to be so arranged that when pressed on it may give way, it being kept up
to its position by springs d, which are pressed on by set screws e, c. Motion
is communicated to the cylinder by means of a cog wheel f, which receives
motion from any suitable power, and it gives motion to the pinion g
fixed on the axis of the cylinder 6; and the axis of the wheel f, by means
of a drum or pulley, gives motion to the band h, which gives motion to
the axis i, on which are fixed projections, which coming on the inclined
trough j, which is of wire similar to a sieve, shake that trough j so as to cause
it to deliver the coffee and pulp into any suitable receiver placed below. The
inclined trough is hinged at its upper end to the framing of the machine. On
the back surface c are affixed similar plates with teeth to those on the cylinder,
but this is not absolutely necessary. I, however, prefer such to be the case.

page_text: The coffee is then washed as heretofore and dried, when it will be in a con-
dition to undergo the processes carried out by the machinery constituting the
second part of my Invention, which I will now proceed to describe.
Figure 4 shows a side view, Figure 5 a plan, Figure 6 a back view, and
Figure 7 a front view of machinery constructed and arranged according to the
second part of my Invention. In this machine the coffee is deprived of its
outer shell, dressed and sorted, and means are provided for conveying the coffee
through the succeeding processes, whereby the coffee going in with the shells
or outer coating is deprived thereof; then it is carried on to the next process,
where it is brushed; then it is moved to the next process, where it is
subjected to a blast of air, by which any dust is removed; and lastly, the
coffee is delivered by the machine sorted into berries of similar sizes. a is the
hopper, into which the coffee is introduced, from which it descends into the
apparatus b, which consists of two circular surfaces, one of them 6' being fixed,
through the centre of which is a hole, so that the coffee as it descends may
enter between the two surfaces 61, 62, the surface 62 being fixed on the shaft or
axis c, and therefore revolves with it. The surfaces b', 62, are each faced with
leather or other suitable material, to which are affixed radially a series of metal
plates with teeth formed thereon; and in order that the blades or plates thus
affixed to the surface of the leather may be supported laterally, I apply on
either side thick strips of leather, nailed on so as to give support on either side
to the metal plates with teeth. The two surfaces 6', 62, are enclosed in the case
b, so that the coffee as it is freed from the outer skin or shell descends into the
apparatus & through the shoot or pipe which connects the cases b and d, and
d, d, are two similar surfaces to those described at 6', 62; but in the case of
d', d, the rubbing surfaces are close brushing surfaces, made up by preference
of the fibre of the cocoa nut, or other brushing surfaces may be used. By this
means the grains of coffee will be more completely dressed and then fall into
the trough e. The axes c, c, of the apparatus 6 and d turn in bearings at c¹, c',
and they are acted on by springs, as is shewn at the upper one, in such manner
as to press the revolving surface 6º and d² up towards the surfaces b¹, d¹, and
yet allow the surfaces b³, d³, to move back, should the feeding of the coffee
between those surfaces be too much. The coffee, as it descends into the
trough e, is raised by means of the elevator f, which is an endless strap with
buckets, and the buckets deliver the coffee into the trough g, where (as it
passes down that trough) it meets with a blast of air, which drives off the dust
and extraneous matters, and thus allows of the coffee descending into the
sorting apparatus free from dust and clean. And I have found it advantageous
to place woven wire, as indicated at h, across the trough g, which prevents the

page_text: coffee flowing too freely down the trough; and there is a shaking motion (as
bereafter explained) communicated to the trough 9, in order to ensure the
coffee shall descend down the trough. i is the apparatus for sorting the coffee
into grains of three sizes. This apparatus consists of a cylinder of wire cloth
of two different degrees of fineness. The part of the cylinder from ¹ to i is
of the finer mesh, so that only the smaller grains can fall through, and they
fall into the compartment j, whilst the grains of coffee not capable of passing
through the meshes of the wire cloth from 1 to 3 proceed onward, and those
which are small enough pass through the larger meshes of the wire cloth, of
which the second portion of the cylinder i is composed, and such grains
of: coffee fall into the compartment k, and the grains of coffee which are
too large to pass through either portion of the meshes of the wire cloth pass
out of the cylinder i, and are received into a receiver at l. In the
cylinder there is a frame of brushes m, which is affixed to the axis or
shaft n, which, revolving in the cylinder i, keeps the grains of coffee con-
stantly moving against this wire cloth of which the cylinder is formed, and thus
the grains of coffee must either pass through the meshes or pass out of the
cylinder i. The cylinder is kept in form by an external framing, as is well
understood when making similar cylinders for other purposes. The nature of
the framing of the machine, and the construction of the various parts, are
shewn in the Drawing, and a machine maker will, from the above description,
aided by the Drawings, readily construct a machine according thereto. The
various parts of the machine are put in motion in the following manner :-
o is main or driving shaft, which receives motion from a water wheel or other
power, as is well understood. On the shaft or axis o is fixed the cog wheel p,
which takes into and drives the pinions c, c, which are respectively fixed on
the two axes or shafts c, c, of the dressing apparatus. On the axis or shaft o
is also affixed the drum q, which by means of a strap q' gives motion to the drum r;
fixed on the shaft or axis v, and thus is that shaft or axis put in motion. On this
shaft vis affixed one of the pullies or drums of the elevator f, the other drum or
pulley of this elevator being affixed on the shaft or axis s; and on this shaft or axis
v is fixed a drum t, which by means of a strap gives motion to the drum u, fixed
on the axis u'. In order to give motion to the axis y of the rotatory fan
or blower, the cog wheel p gives motion to the pinion fixed on the shaft or
axis w, and by means of a drum w', fixed on that axis, motion is communi-
cated to the strap w, which gives motion to a drum y', fixed on the axis y of
the rotatory fan or blower, all which will readily be traced in the Drawing.
The fan or blower is of the ordinary construction, and the air is forced through
the trunk or pipe x to act on the coffee in the upper trough, as above de-

page_text: scribed; and, in order to shake that trough, there is a projection g' on the
under side thereof, which is successively acted on by studs w³, fixed in a frame
on the axis or shaft w. I would remark, that I do not confine myself to the
details herein given of the construction of the parts, nor do I confine myself
to the means of giving motion to the different parts of the machine, as the
same may be varied without departing from my Invention, so long as the
peculiar character of the Invention be retained. And in place of using the
plates with serrated teeth on the surfaces b', 63, of the secondly described
machine, strong wire cards or other means of making rough toothed surfaces
may be resorted to. And I would have it understood that what I claim is,-
First, the mode of constructing the cylinder of the pulping machine, as
herein described, and also the applying springs to the back surface c of that
machine; and,
Secondly, I claim the so arranging machinery that coffee may be dressed
and sorted in the same machine.
And I also claim the combining the machinery for dressing coffee, consisting
of the surfaces b', b², and d', d, and parts connected therewith.
And I also claim the mode of arranging apparatus, consisting of a blower
and apparatus connected therewith, for completing the process of dressing
coffee, as herein described.
And I also claim the mode of sorting coffee by machinery, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Meacock, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
JAMES (L.s.) MEACOCK.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of May, in the