IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PULPING COFFEE
Year: 1885

page_text: I, SAMUEL BEAVEN of Campinas, Sao Paulo, in the Empire of Brazil, Mechanical
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PULPING COFFEE" and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in machinery for pulping coffee and the
object of my invention is to enable coffee planters, who (as is the practice in Brazil for
instance) pick their coffee in all stages of ripeness, to remove the outer skin or hull
from ripe cherry coffee, without breaking the parchment skin or injuring the berry,
and at the same time allow the green unripe berries to pass through the machine
without being crushed or pulped.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1. is an elevation,
figure 2 an end view, and figure 3. a plau partly in section of a machine for
pulping coffee constructed according to my invention; figures 4 to 8 are detached
details of some of the parts of the machine. Similar letters in all the figures
represent similar parts..
My Improved Coffee Pulping machine is constructed of a toothed cylinder A
working against a cast iron concave breast B, shewn in elevation at fig. 4 with
oblique openings C, to which is fitted a hinged grating D with pieces of rubber E,
corresponding in form to the openings C in the breast B, and so fitted against it.
as to leave channels F between the cylinder and the rubber; a revolving wire
screen or screens G and H are placed underneath the Cylinder.
The coffee is pulped by being caused to pass between the cylinder A and the
rubber E in the oblique channels F. formed by the openings C in the breast B
covered by the rubber, it then falls into the shoot I. which conducts it into the
revolving wire screen G, the pulped coffee passes between the wires and falls below,
and the unpulped coffee passes out at the mouth of the screen, and is carried up
again by an archimedean screw elevator (not shewn in the drawing) and caused
to fall into one end of the hopper J, from whence it again passes through the
machine and falls into the shoot K, which conducts it into the wire screen H,
where the final separation of the green unripe berries is effected.
The hulls are separated from the berries in the process of pulping, the teeth of
the cylinder A carrying them between the cylinder and the oblique edge of the
openings C in the breast B (where there is insufficient space for the berries to pass)
into the hollow part L, and on to the inclined plate M.
There is a division N in the hopper J to prevent the coffee discharged at the
mouth of the wire screen G, from becoming mixed with the fresh coffee which has
not already passed through the machine.

page_text: When the machines are required for use in Countries where only fully ripe coffee
is picked I construct them without the division N and the second screen or
separator H, the smaller screen G in this case being used to separate the green
berries, and prevent them from being crushed by being continually repassed through
the machine.
The pulping cylinder A is constructed either of a number of thin wooden discs
as shown in figure 3 or of a number of wooden segments as shown in the sectional
view at figure 5, the segments being so united that the grain of the wood shall be
in the direction of the radius of the circle, and end ways to the exterior surface of
the cylinder; the parts are secured to the shaft by means of flanges and longitudinal
screw bolts; or the cylinder A may be formed of an iron tube covered with gutta-
percha, papier maché, or any similar material as shown in section at Fig. 6.
The cylinder (whether made of wood, gutta-percha or paper) is covered with sheet
metal, and the teeth are formed of steel wire staples, driven through the sheet
metal into the wood or paper, so that the heads of the staples are in contact with
the cylinder.
The concave breast B is secured by screw bolts O, and the distance between it
and the cylinder is regulated by means of set screws P. The oblique openings in
the Breast B are of the form shown at C, and the uncovered continuation of these
in the part of the breast which forms the bottom of the hopper allows the coffee
to come in contact with the cylinder A and to pass down the channels between it
and the rubber E.
The bottom of the hopper J is covered by a sliding plate having openings
corresponding with openings in the hopper and the quantity of coffee entering
the machine, is regulated by moving this plate longitudinally by means of a
lever R.
The Coffee is kept in motion in, the bottom of the hopper by means of a
stirrer S, the teeth of which are formed of a number of staples passing through
a spindle on the end of which is a cog-wheel T, geared with a pinion U on the
shaft of the cylinder A.
The grating D to which the rubber E is attached is hinged on pivots V,.secured
to flanges W on the breast B, against which the grating is held by means of
a pair of cams X, (one of which is shewn in elevation at figure 8) on a spindle Y.
The distance between the rubber E and the cylinder A is regulated by the
pressure brought to bear on the lower bar of the grating D by means of the
cams X, which are operated by a lever Z, and secured by a ratchet a, shewn in
detached elevation at figure 7. The holes in the flanges of the breast B through
which the pivots V pass, are made oblong, so as to allow of regulating the distance
between the upper part of the grating and the breast.
The maximum of elasticity is obtained in the application of the rubber, by
securing it to the grating at the edges only, leaving the part which covers the
openings in the breast B without any backing.
The pieces of rubber E are lined with thin strips of the same material exactly
covering the openings in the breast, and this lining can be renewed from time to
time as it wears away.
The revolving screens G and H are made of galvanized steel wire wound round
a reel constructed of a number of longitudinal iron rods which are notched to
receive the wires.
The screens are both situated upon the same spindle, and are caused to revolve
by means of cog-wheels b and c geared with the pinion U. They are cleaned by
means of a brush f-fixed at the back of the machine.
The part shown within the broken lines in Fig-3 represents an oblique section
of the cylinder breast and grating taken on the line d. e. of figure 2.
Amongst the advantages arising from the use of my improved coffee pulping
machine may be mentioned the following:-Greater durability is obtained by the
use of steel staples in the construction of the pulping cylinder, liability of the
berries becoming injured is practically prevented by the use of rubber in the
i

page_text: manner described-facility is afforded for removing by merely lifting the grating,
any extraneous substance which may by accident, enter the machine with the
coffee, and for regulating the feed and preventing choking, by means of the sliding
plate Q and the stirrer S, and the complete separation of the green or unpulped
coffee is effected by means of the revolving screens G and H.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use of wire staples to form the teeth of the pulping cylinder as herein-
before described.
2. The use of thin wooden discs, secured by flanges and longitudinal bolts, and
covered with sheet metal, in the construction of pulping cylinders substantially as
hereinbefore described,
3. The use for the purpose described of wooden segments, so united, or built up,
that the grain of the wood is more or less in the direction of the radius of the
circle, and endways to the exterior of the cylinder the said cylinder being covered"
with sheet metal, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. A pulping cylinder constructed of a cast iron tube covered with gutta-
percha, paper, or other suitable material having like properties into which the
staples forming the teeth are driven substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. In a machine for pulping coffee a cast iron concave breast having a number
of oblique openings covered by rubber substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
6. In a machine for pulping coffee a hinged grating, to which are secured a
number of rubber plates of the form of the oblique openings in the breast, to which
it is fitted in such a manner as to form oblique channels between the Cylinder and
the rubber substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
7. In a machine for pulping coffee the use of a brake for tightening the rubber
against the breast, the said brake consisting of a pair of cams arranged on a
spindle in combination with a lever and ratchet substantially as and for the purpose
Bet forth.
蘩
8. In a machine for pulping coffee the use of a sliding plate, for regulating the
feed, and having openings corresponding to the apertures in the bottom of the
hopper substantially as herein before described.
9. In a machine for pulping coffee the use of a revolving wire screen placed
underneath the pulping cylinder, for the purpose of separating the unpulped coffee
substantially as herein before described.
10. In a machine for pulping coffee the use of a wire screen smaller than and
arranged upon the same spindle as the screen claimed in claim 9 for separating the
green coffee substantially as herein before described.
11. Providing the hopper of a coffee pulping machine with a division for
preventing the admixture of the fresh coffee with that which is re-passing through
the machine substantially as herein before described..
12. The improved machine for pulping coffee herein before described and repre-
sented in the accompanying drawing.