IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR ROLLING Tea Leap
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Haworth, of No. 7, Lothbury, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR ROLLING Tea Leap."
Sealed the 3rd April 1872, and dated the 21st October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Haworth at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st October 1871.
I, WILLIAM HAWORTH, of No. 7, Lothbury, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR ROLLING TEA LEAF," to be as follows:-
Heretofore in the tea leaf rolling machine invented by me, and which
has now been worked with considerable success for some years, there
was a fixed cylinder lined internally with hard wood, having ribs or
corrugations on its surface. Concentrically within this cylinder was
mounted an inner cylinder or barrel similarly coated with hard wood,
corrugated or ribbed on its surface, and between the two was an annular

page_text: space about five inches in width. At one side of the outer cylinder an
opening was formed, through which a bag containing the leaf to be
rolled could be introduced into the annular space, the wooden lining of
the outer cylinder being bevelled off below the bottom of the opening so
that the bag might enter such space freely. The shaft of the inner
cylinder was driven at one of its ends so that the bag containing the tea
leaf was caused to roll continuously around the annular space, and the
bag was thus kept revolving for from one and a half to two minutes, by
which time the leaf was sufficiently rolled or more properly crimped so
far as the first rolling was concerned. The bag was then extracted from
between the cylinders by an inclined sliding board or table being
pushed in through the opening in the outer cylinder, and so soon as the
bag rolling round in the annular space came up to the inclined board it
rolled down it and escaped from the annular space. The board or table
could then be drawn back and the machine was ready to receive another
bag, and thus the work continued until the day's produce of leaf was
completed.
In the machines first constructed the bearings of the axis of the inner
cylinder were rigidly fixed in position, but in machines subsequently
constructed the bearings were fixed or embedded in a square block of
vulcanized india-rubber to reduce the shock and the strain both upon the
bag and machinery occasioned when a bag of fresh leaf was first introduced
into the machine.
My present Invention has for its object to enable machines of the class
above described to exert a variable pressure on the bag of leaf, com-
mencing the rolling process with a light pressure upon the bag and
gradually increasing the pressure as the rolling proceeds. For this
purpose I mount the bearings of the axis of the inner cylinder in the
centre of a block of vulcanized india-rubber, the periphery of which has
númerous radial projections standing out from it, so as to form a star- 3
shaped block; the outer extremities of the radial projections of the
india-rubber block are received in suitable recesses formed in the interior
of the metal plummer block or bearing, which is fixed to the framing of
the machine. By thus forming the elastic blocks which carry the
bearings of a star shape, the inner cylinder is free to recede con- a
siderably from its normal central position when a bag of leaf is first
introduced into the machine, and to revolve eccentrically thereto until
the tea leaf begins to soften and contract; the clasticity of the vulcanized

page_text: india-rubber will then cause the inner cylinder gradually to approach to
its normal central position.
In order also to be enabled to increase the pressure upon the bag as
the rolling progresses I provide apparatus for bringing the inner cylinder.
towards its central position more quickly than it would be by the star-
shaped clastic block before mentioned, and by this means I am enabled
materially to encrease the pressure ou the bag towards the close of the
rolling operation (when the greatest pressure is required) by diminishing
the space between the two cylinders. To effect this I, by preference,
fix to the outer side of the fixed plummer blocks or bearings which cany
the star-shaped clastic blocks a hollow conc, and on each end of the axis
of the inner cylinder is a corresponding conical wheel, which can be slid
to and fro along the axis. As the rolling of a bag progresses these
conical wheels are simultaneously moved inwards and caused to enter
more and more into the hollow fixed cones, and so the shaft of the inner
cylinder is gradually brought more and more to a central position. Any
convenient way of simultaneously moving inwards the coned wheels at
the two ends of the shaft may be adopted. The weight of the inner
cylinder, which is considerable, I arrange to be balanced by causing the
brass plummer blocks or bearings in which its axis turns to rest upon a
metal plate having a rod descending from it through the clastic block
before mentioned, and through the outer fixed plummer block. The
lower end of the rod I join to one arm of a lever, the opposite arm of
which carries a counterbalance weight, or a spring might be employed
for acting upon the rod and counterbalancing the weight of the shaft
and inner cylinder carried by it. I however prefer to employ a
counterbalance weight in the manner above described.
In order also to obviate a present difficulty in abstracting a bag of leaf
from the space between the two cylinders, in case of its contents
becoming so soft as to cause it to stop in its revolution at the lower sido'
of the space or at the commencement of its rise, as now sometimes
happens, I provide a door hung on hinges at the under side of the outer
cylinder. On a bag ceasing to revolve the attendant withdraws a catch
which previously retained the door, on which the bag drops out, and the,
door is again closed by the action of a counterbalance weight, and is,
again fixed by a suitable catch.
:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Haworth in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 19th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HAWORTH, of No. 7, Lothbury, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the. thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Haworth, Her special
licence that I, the said William Haworth, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such. others as I, the said William Haworth, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from tinic 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
“IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR ROLLING TEA LEAF," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Haworth, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
bo 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 William Haworth, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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, that is to say :-
Heretofore in the tea leaf rolling machine invented by me, and
which has now been worked with considerable success for some years,
there was a fixed cylinder lined internally with hard wood, having ribs
or corrugations on its surface. Concentrically within this cylinder was
mounted an inner cylinder or barrel similarly coated with hard wood,
corrugated or ribbed on its surface, and between the two was an annular

page_text: space about five inches in width. At one side of the outer cylinder an
opening was formed, through which a bag containing the leaf to be
rolled could be introduced into the annular space, the wooden lining
of the outer cylinder being bevelled off below the bottom of the opening
so that the bag might enter such space freely. The shaft of the inner
cylinder was driven at one of its ends, so that the bag containing the
tea leaf was caused to roll continuously around the annular space, and
the bag was thus kept revolving for from one and a half to two minutes,
by which time the leaf was sufficiently rolled or more properly crimped
so far as the first rolling was concerned. The bag was then extracted
from between the cylinders by an inclined sliding board or table being
pushed in through the opening in the outer cylinder, and so soon as the
bag rolling round in the annular space came up to the inclined board it
rolled down it and escaped from the annular space. The board or table
could then be drawn back and the machine was ready to receive another
bag, and thus the work was continued until the day's produce of leaf
was completed.
In the machines first constructed the bearings of the axis of the inner
cylinder were rigidly fixed in position, but in machines subsequently
constructed the bearings were fixed or embedded in a square block of
vulcanized india-rubber to reduce the shock and the strain both upon the
bag and machinery occasioned when a bag of fresh leaf was first
introduced into the machine.
My present Invention has for its object to enable machines of the
class above described to exert a variable pressure on the bag of leaf,
commencing the rolling process with a light pressure upon the bag,
and gradually increasing the pressure as the rolling proceeds. For this
purpose I mount the bearings of the axis of the inner cylinder in the
centre of a block of vulcanized india-rubber, the periphery of which
has numerous radial projections standing out from it, so as to form a
star-shaped block. The outer extremities of the radial projections of
the india-rubber block are received in suitable recesses formed in the
interior of the inetal plummer block or bearing, which is fixed to the
framing of the machine. By thus forming the elastic blocks which
carry the bearings of a star shape, the inner cylinder is free to recedo
considerably from its normal central position when a bag of leaf is first
introduced into the machine, and to revolve eccentrically thereto until

page_text: the tea leaf begins to soften and contract; the elasticity of the
vulcanized india-rubber will then cause the inner cylinder gradually
to approach to its normal central position.
In order also to be enabled to increase the pressure upon the bag as
the rolling progresses I provide apparatus for bringing the inner cylinder
towards its central position more quickly than it would be by the star-
shaped elastic block before mentioned, and by this means I am enabled
materially to increase the pressure on the bag towards the close of the
rolling operation (when the greatest pressure is required) by diminishing|
the space between the two cylinders. To effect this I by preference fix
to the outer side of the fixed. plummer blocks or bearings which carry
the star-shaped elastic blocks a hollow conc, and on each end of the
axis of the inner cylinder is a corresponding conical wheel which can
be slid to and fro along the axis. As the rolling of a bag progresses
these conical wheels are simultaneously moved inwards and caused to
enter more and more into the hollow fixed cones, and so the shaft of the
inner cylinder is gradually brought more and more to a central position.
Any convenient way of simultaneously moving inwards the coned
wheels at the two ends of the shaft may be adopted. The weight of
the inner cylinder, which is considerable, I arrange to be balanced by
causing the brass plummer blocks or bearings in which its axis turns to
rest upon a metal plate having a rod descending from it through the
elastic block before mentioned, and through the outer fixed plummer
block. The lower end of the rod I joint to one arm of a lever, the
opposite arm of which carries a counterbalance weight, or a spring
might be employed for acting upon the rod and counterbalancing the
weight of the shaft and inner cylinder carried by it. I however prefer
to employ a counterbalance weight in the manner above described.
In order also to obviate a present difficulty in abstracting a bag of
leaf from the space between the two cylinders, in case of its contents
becoming so soft as to cause it to stop in its revolution at the lower side of
the space or at the commencement of its rise, as now sometimes happens,
I provide a door hung on hinges at the under side of the outer cylinder.
On a bag ceasing to revolve the attendant withdraws a catch which
previously retained the door, on which the bag drops out, and the door is
again closed by the action of a counterbalance weight or otherwise, and
is again fixed by a suitable catch.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation; Figure 2 is a back view; and Figure 3 a
plan of the machine. These Figures are partly in section. a, a, are
fast and loose driving pulleys giving motion to a fly wheel a', on which
are studs a, a*, with india-rubber washers around them. These studs
are received into square slots in the driving arms on the main shaft c
of the machine. This method of driving allows the shaft c to play freely.
d is the outer cylinder of the machine; it is supported on the side
frames d', and its construction is as heretofore, except that it is mado
with a door d* to open in the bottom. The door d* may be provided
with counterpoises to keep it closed, except when the bag of tea lies
upon it; but such counterpoises are not shewn in the Drawings. e are
bolts to secure the door when closed; the bolts at the two ends of the
cylinder are worked simultaneously by the handle e¹. f is the inner
cylinder fixed upon the main shaft c; and g is the feeding board. There
is an opening in the outer cylinder opposite to the feeding board for the
bag containing the tea to be inserted. The board 9 placed on an incline
can also be slidden into this opening until it approaches the inner
cylinder f, and then the bag of tea as it is rolled around the space
between the cylinders d and ƒ comes on to this inclined board and rolls
out of the machine; or, as already mentioned, where this method of
delivery fails, the bag is removed by the door d* at the bottom. The
shaft turns in brasses h, which are more clearly seen in the local
sections, Figures 4 and 5. The brasses are surrounded and supported
by a star-shaped block of vulcanized india-rubber i, which is made in two
halves; the points of the india-rubber block are received into recesses
prepared for them in the bearing k, which is bolted to the frame. The
brasses are also supported on stems 4, which are attached to the weighted
levers m.
In this way the weight of the inner roller is supported so that
the pressure on the bag of tea is no greater when it is beneath than
when it is above the cylinder. n, n, are conical wheels mounted loosely
on the main shaft c; they are controlled by the forked levers o, o, by
which they can be moved nearer together or further apart at pleasure.
p, p, are conical cups fixed on the frame and concentric with the outer
cylinder d. As the wheels n, n, are moved towards each other they
C

page_text: enter these cups, and so, as the inward motion continues, the main shaft c
is brought more and more nearly concentric with the cups p until the
bag of tea is fully compressed. The levers o, o, are connected by rods q
with right and left hand screws upon them working in a hand wheel
nut r, so that by turning this wheel the wheels n, n, are moved along ||
the shaft c simultaneously.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,
my improvements in machinery for rolling tea leaf, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Haworth, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
WILLIAM HAWORTH. (L.S.)