IMPROVE- HESTS IN TREATING OR DRESSING COFFEE TO RENDER IT MORE WHOLESOME FOR USE
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
SNOWDEN, of No. 7, City Road, Middlesex, Tea Dealer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing dato at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her hairs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Snowden, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, and sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert Snowden,
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Snowden,
my exors, adñññors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
HESTS IN TREATING OR DRESSING COFFEE TO RENDER IT MORE WHOLESOME FOR
USE;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
Robert Snowden, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, under my hand
and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the snid
Robert Snowden, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, aro fully described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
heroon; that is to say:-

page_text: My Invention relates, first, to a method of cleaning or purifying the coffee
berry previous to its being roasted, by means of which I rid the coffee of dirt,
dust, and extraneous matter.
Secondly, my Invention relates to improvements in roasting the coffee
berry, by which I am enabled to roast coffee without causing any offensive
smell to arise, as from the ordinary process; and also to improvements in
roasting the coffee berry, whereby I am enabled to prepare the berry for
depriving it of the fibrous or chaffy particles which are found in that berry,
and known to the trade as the wing of the coffee berry.
Thirdly, my Invention relates to improvements in cleansing the coffee (after
having been roasted and crushed) from such chaffy or fibrous particles.
But in order that.my Invention may be better understood and more readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to give a description of the Drawings here-
unto annexed. A, Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 1, represents a cylinder of wire gauze,
or of thin sheet iron or other material, closely perforated over its surface with
minute holes. This wire gauze or perforated cylinder is fixed upon and
supported by the framing B. Through this cylinder the shaft C
passes, having
proper bearings at either end fixed upon the frame B immediately without the
ends of the wire gauze or perforated cylinder A. Upon that portion of the
shaft C within the cylinder are fixed brushes D, made of hair, cane, whale-
bone, or other suitable material. These brushes are made to revolve within
the cylinder, as hereafter shown. At the top and at one end of the wire gauze
or perforated cylinder A is fixed the hopper H, for the purpose of supplying
the cylinder with coffee during the process. At the other or opposite end of
the wire gauze or perforated cylinder A, on the bottom or lower part thereof,
is fixed the opening O, for the eduction of the coffee from the wire gauze or
perforated cylinder A, after its having been therein subjected to the action of
the revolving brushes D. Upon one end of the shaft C may be fixed the
drum or rigger E, deriving motion from steam, manual, or other power,
thus giving motion to the shaft C, and with it the brushes D within the wire
gauze or perforated cylinder A. Upon the other end of the shaft C is fixed
the drum or rigger F, for the purpose of giving motion through the Drum G
to the fanner I, for the purpose herein-after described.
and
Having described this apparatus, I will now state the operation of passing
the coffee berry through such apparatus. The coffee berry being put into the
hopper H, from that it passes gradually down into the wire gauze or perforated
cylinder A, where it is subjected to the action of the revolving brushes D,
by which the dirt, dust, or other matter adhering to the coffee berry is detached
and partially expelled through the wire gauze cylinder A. The action of the
revolving brushes D gradually carries the coffee berry.to the other end of the

page_text: wiro gauze or perforated cylinder A, where it passes out at the opening 0,
falling upon the inclined shoot P, and from thence into any vessel placed below
to receive it. The coffee berry, while falling upon the shoot P, is subjected to
a current of air from the fanner I, which receives motion from the drum F, as
aforesaid, by which means the remaining portion of the dirt, dust, and other
extraneous matter is removed from the coffee berry. The brushes D, which
may be made of hair, cane, whalebone, or other suitable and proper materials,
may also be fixed upon the shaft C in manner other than shewn in the annexed
Drawings; they may be also placed spirally or otherwise.
The coffee berry being now cleared of the dirt and dust hitherto mixed with
it (by its treatment in the dressing apparatus aforesaid), is now subjected to
the action of the semi-roasting apparatus, Figs. 3 and 4, Sheet 2. L is a
cylinder of wire gauze or other suitable material, closely perforated as in
Fig. 1, and provided with a door or opening L'. Through this wire gauzo
or perforated cylinder, and fixed in the ends thereof, is the shaft M, having on
one extremity thereof the drum or rigger N, by which rotary motion is com-
municated to the wire gauze or perforated cylinder L when placed within the
close cylinder P. Beneath the cylinder P is the furnace R, constructed in
the usual manner, with proper dampers and doors in the same to regulate the
heat. The shaft M, on which the wire gauze or perforated cylinder is fixed, is
placed and revolves upon the bearings S, S, at either end of tho close
cylinder P, which close cylinder P is divided longitudinally along its diameter,
but fastened by the hinges T; the upper half is thus capable of being removed,
to allow the wire gauze or perforated cylinder to be removed when necessary.
Along the top of the upper semi-close cylinder P is an opening or aperture U,
for the purpose of allowing free escape of all vapour from the interior during
the process of semi-roasting.
I will now describe the process of semi-roasting by the above-described
apparatus. The upper semi-close cylinder P being removed, the coffee berry,
after passing through the dressing process, is introduced into the wire gauze
or perforated cylinder L through the door or aperture L'. The upper semi-
cylinder P is again closed down. Motion is given to the wire gauze or per
forated cylinder L by the drum or rigger N, the coffee berry being subjected
to the action of the heat of the furnace R, passing through and tempered by
the close cylinder P, the vapour arising from the coffee during this process
of semi-roasting passes freely upwards through the wire gauze or perforated
cylinder L, and thence escapes through the opening or aperture U. The
coffee being semi-roasted by being operated upon by the above described
apparatus, is removed thence, and again passed as before through the dressing
apparatus, Figure 1. This operation detaches and removes from the coffee tho

page_text: external fibres or skin adhering to its outer surface, and by the action of the
current of air from the fan the coffee is also cooled, preparatory to the next
operation, namely, that of completing the roasting. In this my improvements
consist in the materials of which the roasting cylinder is constructed, the
roasting furnace being of the usual construction. a, Figures 5 and 6, Sheet 1,
is a section of a roasting cylinder which is composed of sheet iron or any other
metal or suitable material, having a door or aperture 6, for the introduction and
extraction of the coffee. A shaft C passes through and is fixed to this cylinder,
having a drum d on one end, for the purpose of giving motion to the roasting
cylinder a in the usual way. This shaft is hollow, and communicating by a
number of perforations with the interior of the roasting cylinder d. For the pur-
pose of carrying off all vapours generated during the roasting. I line or cover
the interior surface of the cylinder d with glass, porcelain, china, enamel, or
other similar or suitable material; or I make the said roasting cylinder wholly
of glass, porcelain, earthenware, or other suitable material. The coffice, after
being sufficiently and properly roasted, is then removed therefrom, and again
passed through the dressing apparatus, Figure 1, and there submitted to the
action of the revolving brushes and the fan, which detaches and removes all the
external fibres from the coffee that might have remained after the former
operations. The coffee being now sufficiently roasted and cooled, I subject
it to the next operation, namely the crushing or breaking.
Figure 7 and 8, Sheet 2. X, X, represent the crushing rollers driven by
the drum or rigger Y, these rollers being properly adjusted by the set
screws W, W. A hopper Z is placed above, to supply the rollers with coffee
by the feeder V. A trough below conveys the crushed coffee away to any
required receptacle. These rollers may be made either plain or fluted, or in
any other manner, or the coffee may be crushed by any other means, but I
prefer to employ rollers for this purpose. I remove the crushed coffee, and
again subject it to the action of the dressing apparatus, Figure 1, which
effectually detaches and removes the fibrous or chaffy particle from the interior
of the coffee berry, but which has hitherto been ground up with the coffee
berry. The coffee being now sufficiently roasted, and freed from its pellicles,
both external and internal, is in a fit and proper state to be ground for use.
Figure 9, Sheet 1, is a modification of the cooling apparatus, which may
be
used instead of the apparatus, Figure 1, (after the roasting processes,) for
cooling the coffee. It is a wire gauze or perforated cylinder similar in con-
struction to the wire gauze or perforated cylinder A, Figure 1, having a door
or aperture for the introduction and extraction of the coffee. m is a hollow
shaft, having a driver or rigger n fixed on it at one extremity. The hollow
shaft m is perforated within the wire gauze or perforated cylinder with nume-

page_text: rous small holes, for the passage of atmospheric air to the interior of the said
cylinder during the process of cooling, the whole being supported upon suitable
bearings. The coffee being introduced hot from the furnace into the wire
gauze or perforated cylinder, motion is communicated to the said cylinder by
the drum or rigger n, at the same time, air being freely admitted to the interior
by the hollow shaft m, the coffee is thereby cooled.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish to have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein-before described, but, on the contrary, I
claim the right to vary the processes and to use other suitable apparatus and
machinery for effecting the same purposes, so long always as my peculiar
principles be reserved. But what I do claim as of my Invention is,-
First, the use of a wire gauze or perforated cylinder, having a brush
therein for the purpose of cleaning the coffee berry from extraneous matters.
Secondly, I claim the use of a perforated or wire gauze cylinder, revolving
in another cylinder, placed over a furnace, for the purpose of roasting or
semi-roasting coffee, preparatory to its being finally roasted, as herein-before
described.
Thirdly, I claim the use of the perforated or wire gauze cylinder, having a
brush or brushes therein, in conjunction with a fan or blower, as herein-before
described, for the purpose of cooling the coffee after semi-roasting or roasting.
Fourthly, I claim the use of a cylinder for roasting coffee made of glass,
porcelain, or earthenware, or lined with glass, porcelain, earthenware, or
enamel.
Fifthly, I claim the removing of the internal fibre, pellicle, or wing from
the coffee, being either in a raw or roasted state, by the means herein-before
described, or by other similar suitable means.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and forty-seven.