IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS USED FOR SIPTING CLAY."
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Sharpe, of Swadlincote Potteries, near
Burton on Trent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS
USED FOR SIPTING CLAY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Sharpe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
January 1854.
I, EDMUND SHARPE, of Swadlincote. Potteries, near Burton-on-Trent,,do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPA-
RATUS USED FOR SIFTING CLAY" to be as follows:-
Heretofore, in the manufacture of china and other wares in which clays are
used, it has been usual to sift the clay combined with the water in which it has
been ground or washed through sieves, the. sieves receiving a to and fro motion,
and when a quantity of refuse has accumulated in a sieve it has been usual to
stop the further supply of clay and water, and to empty.the sieve by turning-it
over, by which means the sieves, particularly the finer ones, have quickly
become injured, and when the clay and water has been passed through a succes-
sion of sieves it has been necessary to repeat the process. Now,.my Invention
consists of forming the frames of the sieves so as only partly to surround each
sieve, and to give a to and fro motion to the sieves, they constantly working in
an inclined position; hence the clay and water may, by a proper sluice, be
allowed to flow continually over the whole width of a sieve at its upper end;

page_text: pass
and descend down its inclined surface, by which the water and clay will
through the inclined sieve into a proper vessel below, and the refuse will
pass off at the bottom of the sieve, and when a succession of finer and finer
sieves are used, they may be combined and worked together one below the
other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edmund Sharpe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
July 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
SHARPE, of Swadlincote Potteries, near Burton on Trent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edmund Sharpe, Her special licence that I, the said Edmund Sharpe,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edmund
Sharpe, 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 THE APPARATUS
USED FOR SIFTING CLAY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Edmund Sharpe, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 1, the said Edmund Sharpe, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):- :
Heretofore, in the manufacture of china and other wares in which clays are
used, it has been usual to sift the clay coinbined with the water in which-it has
been ground or washed through sieves, the sieves receiving a to and fro motion,
and when a quantity of refuse has accumulated in a sieve, it has been usual to
stop the further supply of clay and water, and to empty the sieve by turning it

page_text: over, by which means the sieves, particularly the finer ones, have quickly become
injured, and when the clay (and water) has been passed through a succession
of sieves, it has been necessary to repeat tlie process. Now my Invention
consists of forming the frames of the sieves so as only partly to surround each
sieve, and to give to and fro motion to the sieves, they constantly working in
an inclined position; hence, the clay, and water may, by a proper sluice, be
allowed to flow continually over the whole width of a sieve at its upper end,
and descend down its inclined: surface, by which the water and clay will pass
through the inclined sieve into a proper vessel below, and the refuse will
pass off at the bottom of the sieve, and when a succession of finer and finer
sieves, are used, they may be combined and worked together one below the
other..
い
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
"
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a side section of a machine combined and worked according
to my said Invention; Figure 2 is a front view thereof; and Figure 3 is a
plan. In all these Figures the same letters of reference indicate the same.
parts; and it should be stated that in the arrangement shown there are two
sieves used, but machinery may be arranged with either one or more sieves.
a, a, is the framing of the machine; b, b, is the frame which carries the
sieves; this frame only surrounds three sides of the sieves, the lower end of the
sieve being open so that the matters which do not pass through the sieves may
pass away at that end. The sieve frame b, b, is carried by the frame c, c,
suspended by rods d, d, so as to allow the sieves to vibrate or swing freely, and
to be shaken by means of a crank or other convenient motion; e is a connect-
ing rod, which by the crank ƒ gives motion to the sieve apparatus. The axis
of the crank receives motion by a strap acting on the drum or pulley g from a
steam engine or other power. The sieve frame b is supported by necks or
axes in the bearings formed in the bars c, c, a little space being left between
the two in order to communicate the shock or concussion which is necessary in
the sifting of clay, and the bars c, c, are connected together at c', c'. The clay
is combined with water supplied by the shoot h, in a continued stream; i, j,
are two sieves which are fixed in suitable frames ', j', and these sieve frames
are fixed in the frame by screws, there being a space between the two
sieves. It will be evident that in place of two sieves being used at the same time
only one or more than two might be used. In working the machinery the clay
blunged" or mixed with water will flow freely over the upper sieve, and, with

page_text: the exception of the coarser matters, will pass through the sieve i on to the
sieve j, through which only the finest matters will pass, and those matters
which do not pass through the sieves will fall off at the lower ends of the sieves.
It will thus be evident that the process will be continuous, and there will be no
stopping of the sieves from time to time to turn them over to empty away the
matters which have not passed through the sieves.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to the
mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details. But what
I claim is, the combination of mechanical parts, as herein. described. ...
In witness whereof, 'I,' the said Edmund Sharpe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
WILLIAM WESLEY,
of Burton-upon-Trent,
Printer.
"
TL
EDMUND SHARPE. (L.S.)
f