Improvements in Apparatus for Classifying and for Removing Dust and Light Material from Tea or other produce.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Classifying and for Removing Dust
and Light Material from Tea or other produce.
I, WILLIAM JACKSON, of Thorn Grove, Mannofield, Aberdeen, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention has for its object to provide apparatus by means of which tea, or
other produce, (for brevity I will refer to it as tea), can be cleaned from dust, or
light material, and classified, or subdivided, into different qualities, in a rapid.
convenient, and efficient manner.
Apparatus constructed according to my invention consists of a chamber in one
part of which is a passage down, or along, which the tea travels in a circuitous,
or zig-zag, manner, and in another part of the said chamber is an air exhausting
device, or fan, which draws air through the said passage and so removes the
dust, and lighter material, from the tea, the dust and refuse, draw away by the air
exhausting device, or fan, being discharged outside the chamber, whilst the lighter
portions of the tea fall into a receptacle, or into receptacles, outside the afore-
said passage, and beneath the space between it and the air exhausting device, or
fan, the heavier portions falling down the said passage into another receptacle
beneath it I do not limit myself to the precise details, but the following is a
convenient arrangement according to my invention. The aforesaid passage is
constituted by a depending frame containing louvres, or inclined shelves, set at
opposite downward angles from opposite sides, and partly overlapping each other,
and the tea is fed into the upper end from a hopper by a feed roller. This
frame constitutes one end of a chamber at the opposite end of which chamber
is an exhaust fan. The feed roller can be driven from the fan shaft. Beneath
the frame is a receptacle for the heavier portions of the tea, and outside the said
frame is another receptacle, (or other receptacles), into which lighter tea drawn
out by the air current will fall; dust and very light matter, passing out through
the fan. Discharge doors are provided from each receptacle, which doors may
each form one of the inclined sides of the bottoms of the receptacles, and be
connected with each other in such a manner that they may be operated simul-
taneously to discharge the tea periodically from the receptacles; or spaces may
be left open so as to discharge the tea continuously. The frame may be hinged
at top, or otherwise arranged, so that it may be moved, or swung, nearer to, or
ne lower end may be
further from, the fan. If it be hinged at the upper end
connected to the chamber by flexible material, or jointed plates, to move with
the frame and keep closed the opening which would otherwise exist at this part,
so that the fan draws in air only through the said frame. The louvres, or
inclined shelves, or some of them, say those at one side, may be made adjustable,
When the apparatus is in
so as to regulate the speed of passage of the tea.
operation, tea from the hopper falls down over the louvres, or inclined shelves,
and the fan draws a current of air through the tea, so descending and thereby
the lighter leaves, and dust, are drawn into the chamber outside the frame, the

page_text: lighter leaves falling into the receptacle, or receptacles, below the space between
the frame and the fan, and the dust and lightest matter passing through the
fan, and being discharged thereby outside the apparatus, whilst the heaviest leaves
fall into the receptacle beneath the frame.
D
1 11
1
1000
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Apparatus for Classifying and for Removing Dust
and Light Material from Tea or other produce.
I, WILLIAM JACKSON, of Thorn Grove, Mannofield, Aberdeen, North Britain,
Engineer, 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:-
My invention has for its object to provide apparatus by means of which tea, or
other produce (for brevity I will refer to it as tea) can be cleaned from dust or
light material and classified or subdivided into different qualities in a rapid,
convenient and efficient manner.
Apparatus constructed according to my invention consists of a chamber in one
part of which is a passage down, or along, which the tea travels in a circuitous,
or zig-zag manner and in another part of the said chamber is an air exhausting
device, or fan, which draws air through the said passage and so removes the
dust and lighter material from the tea, the dust and refuse drawn away by the air
exhausting device or fan being discharged outside the chamber whilst the lighter
portions of the tea fall into a receptacle, or into receptacles outside the afore-
said passage and beneath the space between it and the air exhausting device, or
fan, the heavier portions falling down the said passage into another receptacle
beneath it. I do not limit myself to the precise details, but the following is a
convenient arrangement according to my invention. I will describe it with
reference to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 being a plan Figure 2 a side
elevation and Figures 3 and 4 elevations of the opposite ends of an apparatus
constructed in accordance with my invention.
Figure 5 is a section to a larger scale of the frame carrying the inclined shelves
down which the tea falls. The aforesaid passage is constituted by a depending
frame A containing louvres, or inclined shelves a, set at opposite downward
angles from opposite sides and partly overlapping each other and the tea is fed
into the upper end from a hopper B by a feed roller b. The frame A constitutes
one end of a chamber at the opposite end of which chamber is an exhaust
fan D, the shaft of which is provided with the fast and loose pulleys d d the
driving being effected by any suitable motor. The feed roller 6 can be driven
from the pulley d on the fan shaft by a band passing over a pulley f on a shaft
in the bracket E which shaft carries a pinion e gearing with a toothed wheel b
on the axis of the feed roller b. Beneath the frame A is a receptacle G for the
heavier portions of the tea and outside the said frame is another receptacle G¹ (or
other receptacles) into which lighter tea drawn out by the air current will fall,
dust and very light matter passing out through the fan D. Discharge doors
are provided from each receptacle which doors may each form one or part of one,
of the inclined sides of the bottoms of the receptacles, and be connected with
each other by their levers being connected by a bar 93 provided with a
تو

page_text: handle so that they may be operated simultaneously to discharge the tea
periodically from the receptacles; or spaces may be left open so as to discharge
the tea continuously. The frame A may be hinged at top, or otherwise arranged,
so that it may be moved, or swung nearer to, or further from, the fan. If it be
hinged at the upper end the lower end may be connected to the chamber by
flexible material or jointed plates as shewn at h to move with the frame A and
keep closed the opening which would otherwise exist at this part, so that the
fan D draws in air only through the said frame. The position of the frame and
plates when moved inwards is indicated by the lines at z. The louvres, or
inclined shelves a or some of them say those at one side, may be made adjustable,
so as to regulate the speed of passage of the tea. When the apparatus is in
operation tea from the hopper B falls down over the louvres, or inclined shelves a
and the fan D draws a current of air through the tea so descending, and thereby
the lighter leaves and dust are drawn into the chamber C outside the frame A
the lighter leaves falling into the receptacle G¹ (or receptacles) below the space
between the frame A and the fan D and the dust and lightest matter passing
through the fan D and being discharged thereby outside the apparatus whilst the
heaviest leaves fall into the receptacle G beneath the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is: —
1. Apparatus for classifying and removing dust and light material from tea,
or other produce, the said apparatus consisting of, or comprising, a chamber, in
one part of which is a passage down, or along, which the tea, or produce passes
in a circuitous or zig-zag manner, and means for causing a current of air to pass
through the said tea, or produce; substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claiming clause, a
passage for the tea, or produce, consisting of a frame, hinged at top and provided
with louvres, or inclined shelves (which, or some of which, may be adjustable);
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding first claiming clause a
passage for the tea, or produce, consisting of a frame, hinged at top, and provided
with louvres, or inclined shelves, and having a flexible or yielding connection
with the chamber, or a system of hinged plates, to close the space between the
frame and chamber to whatever position the frame may be adjusted, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
4. In an apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding first claiming clause,
receptacles in the lower part of the chamber, with the side, or part of the side
thereof arranged as a door; substantially as, and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
5. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus
for classifying tea, or other produce, and removing dust and light material there-
from, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
11
1
.
1000