IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE DUST MIXED WITH THE AIR DISCHARGED FROM MILLSTONES, PURIFIERS, OR OTHER ANALOGOUS APPLIANCES.”
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ralph Howarth, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR
SEPARATING THE DUST MIXED WITH THE AIR DISCHARGED FROM MILLSTONES,
PURIFIERS, OR OTHER ANALOGOUS APPLIANCES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ralph Howarth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th December 1881.
RALPH HOWARTH of Rochdale in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE DUST MIXED WITH THE AIR
DISCHARGED FROM MILLSTONES PURIFIERS OR OTHER ANALOGOUS APPLIANCES."
My Invention consists principally of improvements in apparatus for separating
the dust contained in the air discharged from millstones purifiers and analogous
machines from which air laden with dust is discharged. To this end I forin and
construct a closed box having three compartiments two for the inlet of air and dust
from the millstone casing and one for the discharge of purified air. Within the
said box two vertical partitions composed of flannel or other suitable filtering
media is suspended. Each said partition forms a dust separator and is preferably
arranged in a zig-zag form. Each separator is suspended to the top and bottom
of the box at alternate points the parts of the material between the said points is
triturated or shaken in order to remove any collected dust thereon. A partition
of wood or other material is fixed a suitable distance on each side of each separator
and of a zig-zag or other suitable shape so that when the flannel or other filtering
media is being forced out by the air a partial vacuum is formed between the
wooden partition and the flannel which tends to remove any collected dust in the
pores of the flannel by such exhaust. The air mixed with dust from the millstone
casing is admitted alternately through inlet openings into the said box the said
openings being opened and closed alternately by suitable mechanism and the air and
dust acts upon each separator alternately that is to say during the time the air is being

page_text: forced through one separator the other separator will be being shaken to remove
any collected dust thereon and vica-versa. The said inlet openings are provided
with throttle or other suitable valves being actuated at suitable times by means of
connected levers operated from a rocking shaft or any other well known and
suitable arrangement of mechanism may be employed for this purpose. The air
and dust may be drawn or forced from the mill stone casing by means of a fan,
blower, airpump, or other suitable appliance and is forced or drawn through the
material of each separator alternately while the apparatus is at work. The
material forming each separator is kept well shaken by the said partial exhaust and
admits of a free passage for the air which is an important feature of my Invention.
Each separator is additionally shaken by means of a connected lever mounted on a
rocking shaft and actuated by any well known and suitable arrangement of
mechanism. The dust shaken off from each separator falls onto the floor of the
box within which archimedian screws or endless chains carrying scrapers are
mounted to revolve which discharge the said collected dust from the box through
discharge orifices. The purified air is discharged from the box through a
discharge opening or outlet. The inlet and discharge openings to and from the
box are kept automatically locked at times in order to prevent ignition of the air
if a light were accidentally introduced. In one arrangement for accomplishing
this object two rocking shafts carrying jointed levers are caused to lock and unlock
the said openings at suitable times. I prefer to form the sides of the said box of a
series of interlocking boards so that no one separate board can be removed
until the first board may have been removed and which may be kept locked in
order to prevent any person tampering with the machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Ralph Howarth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th Juno
1882.
RALPH HOWARTH of Rochdale in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE DUST MIXED WITH THE AIR
DISCHARGED FROM MILLSTONES PURIFIERS OR OTHER ANALOGOUS APPLIANCES."
My Invention consists of improvements in apparatus for separating or filtering
the dust laden air discharged or drawn by fans used in connection with millstones,
middlings purifiers or other analogous machines. To this end I construct a box
with three divisions or compartments two for receiving the dust laden air and one
for the discharge of filtered air. Within the said box two vertical partitions
composed of flannel or other filtering material are suspended and fastened at
alternate points to the partition and to shaking lovers and preferably arranged in a
zig zag form. A partition of wood or other material is fixed at a suitable distance
on the receiving side of each separating flannel so that after the flannel has been
forced out by the shaking levers and is falling quickly back to its working position
a partial vacuum will be formed between the said partition and the flannel which
tends to remove any collected dust in the pores of the flannel caused by the air
coming through the pores of the flannel towards the side of the flannel upon which
the dust has collected. The dust laden air from the millstone casing is admitted
alternately through inlet openings into each receiving compartment of the said
box. The said inlet openings being opened and closed alternately by means of
sliding plates operated by means of a lever and tumbling weight and the dust
laden air is admitted to act upon each separating or filtering flannel alternately
that is to say during the time the dust laden air is being forced through one
separating flannel the other inlet will be closed during which time the other flannel
will be being shaken to remove any collected dust thereon and vica versa. Each
inlet opening is provided with a sliding plate operated by means of a lever and
tumbling weight from a rocking shaft cam or crank or any other well known
arrangement of mechanism may be employed for this purpose. The dust shaken
off the flannel falls into hoppers fitted with discharge slides but screws or endless
chains with scrapers may be used to discharge from the box the collected dust.
The purified air is permitted to escape through an outlet at the top of the box.
Another part of the Invention consists in the employment of means for
automatically locking the dust exit openings and of the man door when the dust
laden air is being blown into the compartment with which they are connected.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood I have caused to
be appended to this Specification a Sheet of Drawings marked with letters of
reference to which I will now refer :-
Fig. 1 represents an end view of the apparatus.
Fig. 4 a transverse section on the line in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of Fig. 1 on the line A B in Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 represents a plan (in section) of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 represents the conduit through which the dust laden air flows into the
Baid compartments of the apparatus.
Fig. 6 represents a side view of the levers 7 mounted on the square shafts and

page_text: stud which stud comes in contact with the weighted lever 6¹ and raises it into
an upright position when the weight falls over and moves the sliding doors to
open and close alternately the inlet openings. The shaft carries the cam / worm
wheel and pawl 1. The cam by its rotation moves the jointed levers m. n
carried by the spindle o and operated to open and close alternately the bottom
dust discharge slides p. On the square shafts q are mounted the shaking levers r
moved outwards by the pawl 1 on the shaft bearing against the said levers
which by its rotation forces out slowly the shaking levers r r after contact with
which the levers fall quickly back to their first position by means of the connected
weight 2. The dust falls from the flannel into the hoppers uu and is discharged
through the openings p p. The air laden with dust and flowing through the
spout from the millstone casing is admitted alternately through the openings wx
into one or the other of the compartments bd the said openings wx being.
alternately opened and closed by the sliding plates y actuated by the lever a
and stud on the worm wheel. The lever a¹ moving with the tumbling weight in
the link c¹ but any other and suitable arrangement may be employed for this
purpose. The flannel t or other material forming the dust separator is kept open
or porous by the reversing and shaking of the flannel pockets and also by the
formation of a partial exhaust when returning to its working position. The
flannel is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 when it is carried out by the levers r.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and indicated-some-means-
for carrying the same into effect I would have it to be distinctly understood that
I claim -
First the manner of fixing and working filtering material for the purpose
mentioned and so as to cause it to be turned inside out and the production of a
better vacuum on the dust laden side of the flannel or filtering material whereby
the dust is more completely removed from off the filtering material and admits of
a better air passage.
Secondly automatically locking the dust exit opening and the locking of the door
when ever the dust laden air is being blown into the compartment with which they
are connected.
And lastly the general arrangement and combination of parts substantially as
described and illustrated in the Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Ralph Howarth have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Thirteenth day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
Signed and sealed by the
said Ralph Howarth in
the presence of
•
HUGH G. GRANT,
Of the Firm of Bosshardt & Grant,
Patent Agents, .
Manchester.
RALPH HOWARTH. (L.S.)