A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING Tea AND OTHER SUBSTANCES.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theodore Pridham, of Assam, East Indies, but
at present of Highbury, in the County of Middlesex, for the Inven-
tion of "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING Tea
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES.
"
Sealed the 28th May 1875, and dated the 2nd December 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theodore Pridham at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd December 1874.
I, THEODORE PRIDHAM, of Assam, East Indies, but at present of
Highbury, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR
DRYING TEA AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows :-
-
Heretofore attempts have been made to construct machines for drying
tea, but so far as I am aware they have very materially injured the leaf
of the tea as the same passes through the machines aforesaid. Now the
chief object of my Invention is to remedy this defect, and at the same
time to produce a machine which dries the tea quickly.

page_text: The Invention consists in the employment of a cylinder, the walls of
which consist of a number of tubes, through which steam, preferably
superheated, is caused to circulate, or hot water or hot air may be used.
The cylinder is lined with wire gauze or any other suitable thin
material provided with a spiral running through cylinder from end to
end thereof. Rotary motion is communicated to the cylinder, and tea or
other substance or material to be dried is admitted at one end, and as the
cylinder revolves the substance or material contained therein is carried
from one end to the other end of the cylinder, and falls out into a
receptacle provided for the purpose.
The whole apparatus may be surrounded by a casing if desired, in
which case air is drawn in at bottom and becomes highly heated by
coming in contact with the tubes, and passing through the tea or other
substance in the cylinder thoroughly dries same as it is conveyed along
through the cylinder as before described. Or the apparatus may be
used without any external casing."
The saturated air escapes, or is drawn out after passing through the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Theodore Pridham in the Great Seal Patent Office 2
on the 2nd June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THEODORE
PRIDHAM, of Assan, East Indies, but at present of Highbury, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters:
Patent bearing date the Second day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Theodore Pridham, Her special licence,
that I, the said Theodore Pridham, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Theodore Pridham, 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

page_text: 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 NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING TEA AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Theodore Pridham, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Theodore Pridham, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
say :-
Heretofore attempts, have been made to construct machines for drying
tea, but so far as I am aware they have very materially injured the leaf
of the tea as the same passes through the machines aforesaid. Now the
chief object of my Invention is to remedy this defect, and at the same
time to produce a machine which dries the tea quickly.
The Invention consists in the employment of a cylinder, the walls of
which consist of a number of tubes through which steam, preferably
superheated, is caused to circulate, or hot water or hot air may be used.
The cylinder is lined with wire gauze or any other suitable thin
material provided with a spiral running through cylinder from end to
end thereof. Rotary motion is communicated to the cylinder, and tea
or other substance or material to be dried is admitted at one end, and
as the cylinder revolves the substance or material contained therein is
carried from one end to the other end of the cylinder, and falls out
into a receptacle provided for the purpose.
And in order that this my Invention may be more fully understood,
I will now describe an apparatus such as it may be constructed in
accordance therewith.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section; Figure 2, a vertical cross
section; and Figure 3 is an end elevation of the same.

page_text: a, a, are a number of tubes which, at each end are fastened into the
tubular rings c and c³, such rings being thereby united as shown, and
the whole structure forming a cylinder, which is lined with wire gauze
d, d, or a perforated plate that may be attached to the cylinder by
means of three rings e, e, fitting on the tubes and perforated with small
holes near their inner peripheries in order to afford the required facility
for circulation of the heat and moisture. Steam or other hot fluid or
liquid is admitted at one end through the pipe f, which may be fitted
with expansion joint, as shown, and circulates through the tubular
parts of the apparatus; g is an outlet at the opposite end, and h is a
regulating tap on same. The interior of the cylinder is provided with a
spiral running through from end to end thereof, as shown (or it might
be more than one spiral). The tubular rings c, c, of the cylinder rest on
four rollers or pullies i, i, and j, j, the latter two being united by a
spindle k provided with a handwheel Z. The tubular rings c are made
of a shape to suit the groove in the pullies. On turning the hand
wheel and spindle k, the pullies j, j, communicate frictional revolving
motion to the cylinder, and the tea or other material to be dried being
put in at A will during the rotary movement of the cylinder, be carried
to the other end, falling out at B into a receptacle provided for the
purpose.
The whole apparatus may be surrounded by a casing C if desired, in
which case air is drawn in at bottom and becomes highly heated by
coming in contact with the tubes, and passing through the tea or other
substance in the cylinder, thoroughly dries same as it is conveyed along
through the cylinder as before described, or the apparatus may be used
without any external casing.
The saturated air escapes or is drawn out after passing through the
material, being dried by a fan or flue.
It is obvious that the cylinder may be made to revolve in many other
ways than the one here shown, so long as there is left room at the ends
for the tea or other substance. to be filled in and to fall out.
The circulation may be effected by other tubular arrangements than
here shown, and condensed water trap and drain tap may be provided as
required.
And having thus described the nature of this Invention, and how
the same is or may be carried into effect, I declare that I claim,—

page_text: A revolving cylinder composed of tubular walls lined with perforated
material, and tubular end rings, the whole heated as described in com-
bination with internal spiral guide appliance, operating substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
2. The cylinder constructed and heated substantially as set forth, and
revolving in a casing in combination with a fan, flue, or other appliance
for drawing off the moist air.
In witness whereof, I, the said Theodore Pridham, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.