A FRUIT CLEANING AND DRESSING MACHINE
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Gent, of Northampton, in the County
of Northampton, Grocer, and Samuel Smith, of the same Place
and County, Agricultural Implement Maker, for the Invention of
"A FRUIT CLEANING AND DRESSING MACHINE."
Sealed the 16th March 1853, and dated the 9th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Gent and
Samuel Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 9th October 1852.
We, GEORGE GENT, of Northampton, in the County of Northampton,
Grocer, and SAMUEL SMITH, of the same Place and County, Agricultural
Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "A FRUIT CLEANING AND DRESSING MACHINE" to be as follows:-
Figure 1, is an end elevation, and Figure 2, a side elevation of this
machine, and Figure 3, a section on the line A, B, of Figure 2.
A, is a feed hopper, which discharges the fruit to be cleaned upon a
vibrating shoot B, from which it drops on to a second hopper A', in a
partially cleansed.state. From A', it passes into a revolving wire gauze
cylinder C, within which there are placed brushes, separately represented
in Figures 1, and 2", which brushes revolve at a greater speed than

page_text: the revolving cylinder, and in an opposite direction, whereby the fruit is
completely cleansed from the dirt, which is discharged through the
moshes of the cylinder. The cleansed fruit is discharged from the
lower end of the cylinder C, by the spout D; the whole operation being
continuously performed from beginning to end.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Gent and Samuel Smith in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 9th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
GEORGE GENT, of Northampton, in the County of Northampton, Grocer,
and SAMUEL SMITH, of the same Place and County, Agricultural Imple-
ment Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said George Gent and Samuel Smith, Her special
licence that we, the said George Gent and Samuel Smith, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
George Gent and Samuel Smith, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A FRUIT CLEANING AND DRESSING
MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
George Gent and Samuel Smith, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, should particularly describe 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Gent and Samuel Smith,
do hereby declare, the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
Figure 1, is an end elevation, and Figure 2, a side view of this
machine. A, A, is a frame, on which is mounted a feed hopper B,
which may be more or less inclined by means of a thumb.screw at the
side. Under this hopper is a vibrating tray or shoot C. D, is a second
hopper, placed at the lower end of the hopper B, and opening into an
inclined wire gauze cylinder E, at thefurther end of which is a shoot F.
B², is a feed plate or gauge inside the lower hopper D. Through the
cylinder E, passes a shaft G, (made in two parts,) to which are screwed
three or more longitudinal brushes b, b, b, extending the whole length
of the cylinder. Rotary motion is communicated to the shaft G, by a
pinion H, gearing into a toothed wheel I, set in motion by a handlo
J. K, is a fly wheel.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The hopper and cylinder
having been first sprinkled with water, the handle J, is to be turned,
whereby the brush shaft G, is set in motion. The fruit to be cleaned is
then placed in the first hopper B, whence it is discharged on to the
vibrating shoot C, where it undergoes a preliminary sifting or cleansing;
it is thence delivered into the second hopper D, whence it passes into
the cylinder E, wherein the fruit is completely cleansed from dirt and
dust by the action of the brushes, the dirt falling through the meshes of
the wire gauze cylinder on to a hollow tray L, placed for the purpose just
below the cylinder, and cut away at one end to allow of the shoot F.
passing through it. The fruit having been well cleansed in the cylinder
falls through the shoot F, into a box or tray M, placed at the bottom of
the frame A, and from which it may be withdrawn when required to be
emptied. Figures 3, and 3, are views of the brush shaft or spindle
with the brushes attached; the brushes may be drawn nearer to or farther
from the shaft by means of the screws c, c. The shaft G, is made in two
parts, G', and G2, one of which fits into a socket at the end of the other.
The part G, which passes through the second hopper D, may be fur-

page_text: nished with pegs (with rounded heads) to facilitate the feeding in of the
fruit, or, instead of the pegs, a spiral brush may be attached to this part
of the shaft, as shown in Figure 4.
The brush shaft may be withdrawn from the machine when it is
desired to clean or shift the brushes; the cylinder may also be easily
removed from the frame, and replaced by a cylinder of finer or coarser
meshes, according to the nature of the fruit to be cleaned.
The vibrating tray or shoot C, may be dispensed with, and the fruit
allowed to fall direct from the hopper B, into the second hopper D. In
that case the fruit, before it is put into the feed hopper B, should undergo
a preliminary breaking, and be shaken in an ordinary sieve.
The cylinder E, instead of being stationary, may be made to revolve
by means of a toothed wheel and friction rollers, but in a contrary
direction to and at a slower rate than the brush shaft.
In order to facilitate the feeding in of the fruit to be cleaned a
serrated roller may be placed in the lower hopper, and so contrived as
to work against a brush, or two brushes working in opposite directions
to each other may be employed. A sieve may be fixed to the driving or
brush shaft to sift the stones or dirt.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as
of our said Invention the machine for cleaning and dressing fruit
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, wc, the said George Gent and Samuel Smith,
have hereunto set our hands and scals, the Fourth day of
April, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
GEORGE GENT.
(L.S.)
SAMUEL SMITH. (L.S.)