IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR MIXING AND KNEADING.
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray, of 65, Bridge Road, Lambeth, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS USED FOR MIXING AND KNEADING.".
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
December 1862.
I, JOHN IMRAY, of 65, Bridge Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS USED FOR MIXING AND KNEADING," to be as follows:-
My improvements apply to apparatus for mixing and kneading flour and
other materials used in making bread and for mixing other substances. I
mount on a vertical axis a basin for holding the materials to be mixed or
kneaded, which I make a portion of a spherical shell, and over this basin
I mount in suitable bearings a horizontal shaft carrying arms, blades, or
spokes, which I make straight or curved, and which I sometimes connect by
transverse bands, according to the nature of the substances which are to be
mixed or kneaded. I connect the vertical axis of the basin with the horizontal
shaft by suitable gearing, so that on turning. the shaft round in its bearings
and thereby causing its arms, blades, or spokes to pass through the materials
in the basin, the basin itself is also caused to turn round, and thereby to bring
constantly new portions of these materials under the action of the arms,
blades, or spokes; I prefer to arrange these armis, blades, or spokes helically

page_text: around the shaft, so that they enter and leave the basin successively during
the rotation of the shaft from which they project.
To facilitate the emptying of the basin and cleaning of the shaft and its
arms, I construct the framing of the apparatus in two parts, the lower part or
base supporting the basin, and the other portion carrying the shaft and the
intermediate gearing; and I connect those two portions of the framing
together by joints, so that the upper portion with the shaft and its arms can
be swung upwards and sideways to leave the basin clear and the shaft and
arms exposed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Imray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
IMRAY, of 65, Bridge Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, 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 John Imray, Her special licence that I, the said John Imray, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Imray, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS USED FOR MIXING AND KNEADING," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Imray, 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 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 John Imray, de hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manuer the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal, and Figure 2 a transverse section, and
Figure 3 a plan of my apparatus for mixing or kneading:
a is a basin, the lower portion of which is of spherical form and the upper
portion is somewhat widened out at the edge; to the bottom of the basin is
fixed a worm wheel 6, with a projecting ring and a pivot fitted respectively to
a circular recess, and to a cup formed in the base 1 of the apparatus, so that
the basin a can turn freely round along with the worm wheel b; c is a shaft
mounted in bearings in the two end frames d; d, the centre of the shaft c
coinciding with the centre of the spherical portion of the surface of the basin a;
to the shaft c are fixed knives, blades, or arms e, e, the extremities of which
are curved so as nearly to fit the inner surface of the basin a, and they are.
arranged helically on the shaft c, so that when this shaft is caused to revolve
they enter and leave the basin in succession; f is another shaft or spindle also
mounted in bearings in the end frames d, d, and fitted with a winch for.
driving the apparatus by hand or with pulleys or wheels for driving it by other.
power; f is a pinion fixed on the spindle f and gearing into a, wheel g fixed,
on the shaft c, this wheel g also gears into a pinion h which is fixed on a
spindle i mounted in bearings on the base 1, and having fixed on it a worn.j
which gears into the worm wheel 6 of the basin a. The materials to be mixed
or kneaded being placed in the basin, and motion being given to the spindle f
the shaft c is caused to revolve, and its arms e, e, are made to pass successively.
through the materials in the basin, while at the same time by means of the
worm gearing the basin itself is caused to revolve horizontally, and thus to
bring continually fresh portions of the materials under the action of the
arms e, e.
:
Scrapers. k, k, attached to the end frames d, d, bear against the inner.
edge of the basin, so that as it revolves such portion of the materials as
may collect on this surface is scraped off and falls back amongst the other
contents of the basin. The end frames d, d, are joined to the base / by means
of bolts or pins 1, 12, so that by removing the one pair of bolts these frames
with the spindle f, the shaft c, and the gearing f¹ and g can be turned round
the other pair of bolts 12, 12, as hinges, leaving the basin accessible for emptying
and cleaning when this may be necessary.
Figure 4 is a transverse section representing a mode which I ordinarily
employ for emptying the basin when its contents are sufficiently mixed or
kneaded. m is a semicircular board which is fitted to the interior surface of
I fix this board to the shaft c by cramps and pincbing screws m',
the basin.

page_text: and when the shaft is caused to revolve slowly the board scrapes the basin and
brings its contents towards and over one side, whence they can be removed on
a convenient tray n.
I prefer to make the shaft c square or polygonal, and the arms e triangular
in section so that they present flat sides, from which can be readily scraped
such of the materials as may adhere to them during the process of mixing or
kneading; and I prefer to round the ends of the arms e, e, and fit them into
round holes in the shaft c, securing them by keys partly sunk into the shaft so
as to prevent the arms from turning round in their holes. By driving back
the keys the arms e, e, can be readily removed when required, and can be
replaced with ease.
As it is sometimes found convenient in kneading dough, for example, to
add the flour gradually, I sometimes fit the apparatus with a feeder, which
consists of a trough o hung by hooks on two pins o¹, o', projecting from the
frames d, d, whence it can be readily unhooked. The side of the trough o
next the basin is formed of wire sieve or grating, or perforated plate through
which the flour can be sifted. Two or more cam-shaped projections q fixed
on the spindle fact on the end of a lever r which is fixed to one end of the
trough o, and a small roller s is mounted on the under side of the trough o, so
as to bear against the lip of the basin a. When the spindle f is in motion
each of the projections q acting successively on the lever r causes the trough o
to be swung a little away from the basin, and then permits it to fall back
by its weight till the roller s strikes the edge of the basin, the slight
concussion thus produced being sufficient to cause a portion of the flour to sift
through the face p and fall into the basin.
I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the particular
details herein described or represented in the Drawing, as these may be
varied according to the nature and quantity of the materials which have to be
operated on.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Imray, have hereunto set my hands
and seal, this Sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three.
JOHN IMRAY. (LS.)