IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND CUTTING HOPS."
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Moreland, junior, of 5, Old Street, St.
Luke's, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND CUTTING HOPS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Moreland at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th September 1862.
I, RICHARD MORELAND, junior, of 5, Old Street, St. Luke's, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND CUTTING HOPS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for preparing
and cutting hops. For these purposes two rotating frames are employed, one
moving within the other, the inner frame is caused to rotate in the opposite
direction to the outer one. The outer frame consists of a horizontal disc
mounted on an upright hollow shaft, around the outer edge of the upper surface
of this disc are fixed parallel bars, the inner edges of which act as cutters, and
the spaces between them admit of the hops being thrown off therefrom by
centrifugal force; the upper end of these bars are connected by a suitable
ring or circular frame; within this outer rotating frame of bars is another
similar frame carried by an upright shaft, which works within the hollow
apright shaft of the outer rotating frame. The bars of this frame are not set
so close together as those of the outer frame. The outer edges of the bars of

page_text: the inner frame are formed to act as cutters as they pass the cutting edges of
the bars of the outer frame. The hops are received into the inner rotating
frame, and are by its quick rotation thrown outwards, and are thus caused to
pass between the bars of the inner frame, and thence through the spaces between
the bars forming the outer frame. In thus passing the cutting edges of the
two sets of bars the hops are cut and are thrown off from the outer frame into
any suitable receiver or receivers; and when desired provision may be made
for the seeds and pollen to be separated from the cut hops by taking advantage
of the different specific gravity or otherwise.
It is desirable that the hops should be opened out after leaving the pockets
and before they are introduced into the inner rotating frame; this opening
out may be done in any convenient manner, but I prefer that at the upper
end of the outer frame there should be spokes with upright pins thereon, and
at the bottom of the hopper or vessel above the rotating frames similar spokes
or bars are applied, having similar pins descending therefrom, so that by the
passage of the pins on the rotating frame between the stationary pins
descending from the bar or bars across the bottom of the hopper, the masses
of hops will be opened out and separated as they descend into the inner frame.
In order to prevent the hops being carried round with the inner rotating
frames a stationary plate or plates is or are used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Moreland in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th March 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
MORELAND, junior, of 5, Old Street, Saint Luke's, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Moreland, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Moreland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Richard Moreland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND CUTTING HOPS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Moreland, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describo 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 Richard Moreland, 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, that is to say:―
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for preparing
and cutting hops. For these purposes two rotating frames are employed, one
moving within the other, the inner frame is caused to rotate in the opposite
direction to the outer one. The outer frame consists of a horizontal disc
mounted on an upright hollow shaft. Around the outer edge of the upper
surface of this disc are fixed parallel bars, the inner edges of which act as
cutters, and tho spaces between them admit of the hops being thrown off
therefrom by centrifugal force. The upper ends of these bars are connected
by a suitable ring or circular frame. Within this outer rotating frame of bars
is another similar frame, carried by an upright shaft, which works within the
hollow upright shaft of the outer rotating frame. The bars of this frame are
not set so close together as those of the outer frame. The outer edges of the
bars of the inner frame are formed to act as cutters as they pass the cutting
edges of the bars of the outer frame. The hops are received into the inner
rotating frame, and are by its quick rotation thrown outwards, and are thus
caused to pass between the bars of the inner frame, and thence through the
spaces between the bars forming the outer frame. In thus passing the cutting
edges of the two sets of bars the hops are cut and are thrown off from the
outer frame into any suitable receiver or receivers, and when desired provision
may be made for the seeds and pollen to be separated from the cut hops by
taking advantage of the different specific gravity or otherwise.
It is desirable that the hops should be opened out after leaving the pockets
and before they are introduced into the inner rotating frame; this opening out
may be done in any convenient manner, but I prefer that at the upper end of
the outer frame there should be spokes with upright pins thereon, and at the
bottom of the hopper or vessel above the rotating frames similar spokes or

page_text: bars are applied, having similar pins descending therefrom, so that by the
passage of the pins on the rotating frame between the stationary pins
descending from the bar or bars across the bottom of the hopper, the masses
of hops will be opened out and separated as they descend into the inner frame.
In order to prevent the hops being carried round with the inner rotating
frames a stationary plate or plates is or are used.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a vertical section of a machine arranged or combined
according to the Invention; Figure 2 shews an elevation partly in section;
Figure 3 shews a horizontal plan of the lower part of the framing above the
main or driving shaft; Figure 4 shows a plan of the upper framing and of the
hopper; Figure 5 shews a horizontal section through the inner and outer
revolving frames; and Figure 5* a similar section, the form of the cutters
being somewhat varied as more suitable for Bavarian hops.
a, a, is the outer revolving frame consisting of the lower disc or circular
plate a and the upper ring a', a', between which are fixed parallel bars a³, a³,
the inner edges of which act as cutters. The lower horizontal disc or circular
plate a is fixed to a hollow shaft c, on the lower end of which is keyed a
bevilled toothed wheel d. To the upper ring a', a', of the outer revolving
frame is fixed by brackets a³, a³, a cylinder a', a', having radial spokes a³, a³.
This cylinder a' forms the upper part of the outer revolving frame. The
spokes a, a, are for the purpose of opening out the hops before they descend
from the hopper into the inner revolving frame b. The cylinder a* may be said
to form the lower part or spout of the hopper, and the spokes a³, a³, revolve
between stationary fixed spokes d', d', in the lower part of the hopper j, and
such fixed and stationary spokes d' are fixed and radiate from a central bar d³,
which is fixed at the upper part of the hopper by cross framing, as is shewn.
The bar d' is hollow, and serves to conduct oil or lubricating fluid. The lower
part of the cylinder a' is supported by the circular frame a, which is fixed to
the bar by radial spokes, between which the hops as they are opened out by
the spokes a and d descend into the inner rotating frame b. The lower end
of the bar d³ rests in a step or bearing in the upper end of the shaft 6+, to
which the disc or circular plate 6 of the inner rotating frame is fixed, and by
which it receives motion; b is the upper ring or circular frame of the inner
rotating frame. The ring 6' and the circular plate or disc b are connected
together by parallel bars 6, the outer edges of which act as cutters. The

page_text: wo revolving frames receive motion from the main or driving shaft f by means
f a bevilled toothed wheel e, which takes into and drives the two toothed
wheels on the shafts or axes of the two rotating frames a and b; and the
haft receives motion from a steam engine or other power by an endless
strap on the pulley or drum g, fixed on the main shaft f. If desired pins or
projections may be applied to the spokes a and d', so that those on the
spokes as may pass between those on the spokes d', and thus cause the hops to
bo more opened out before they descend into the inner revolving frame b. The
two revolving frames a and b are enclosed in a chamber, from the bottom of which
descends a spout h, by which the hops are delivered into any suitable receiver.
i, i, are plates fixed to the upright fixed bar d³, by which the hops aro
prevented being carried round by the action of the two rotating frames a and b.
In the arrangement shewn the parallel bars a, b, are vertical, but this is not
essential, as they may be somewhat inclined to their respective discs or plates
a and b. I have not found it desirable to separate the seed and pollen, but
they might be, if desired, by passing the cut hops through a rotatory sieve.
The hops somewhat opened out after coming from the pockets are placed into
the hopper j, from which as they descend they are further opened out by the
As the hops descend
rotating spokes at the upper part of the outer frame a.
into the inner rotating frame they are thrown outwards and passed through the
spaces between the parallel upright bars 6, and thence through the spaces
between the bars a³ of the outer revolving frame, and in thus being thrown
outward by centrifugal action the hops in passing the bars 6 and a³ become
divided or cut.
Having thus described the naturo of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the parts separately; but what I claim is the combined arrangement herein
described, whereby the hops are driven or blown outwards by contrifugal
action through between the parallel bars of the two rotating frames, and are
divided or cut by the edge of such parallel bars as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Moreland, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
RICHARD MORELAND, JUNIOR. (L.B.)