A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FILLING SEEDS OR OTHER MATERIALS IN A GRANULAR OR POWDERED STATE
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Henderson, of Birkenhead, in the County
of Cheshire, for the Invention of " A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
FILLING SEEDS OR OTHER MATERIALS IN A GRANULAR OR POWDERED STATE
Sealed the 15th February 1876, and dated the 3rd December 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Henderson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd December 1875.
I, DAVID HENDERSON, of Birkenhead, in the County of Cheshire,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW
OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FILLING SEEDS OR OTHER MATERIALS IN A GRANULAR
OR POWDERED STATE INTO POCKETS OR ENVELOPES OR OTHER RECEPTACLES," to be
as follows:-
My Invention is specially intended for filling seeds into the pockets
or envelopes in which they are generally made up for sale, but the
Invention is also applicable to filling other materials in a granular or
powdered state into pockets or other receptacles, drugs for example.

page_text: My machine is composed of a cylinder placed horizontally at the
bottom of a hopper or other like receptacle, and formed at its upper
surface with a longitudinal recess, which may or may not be divided
transversely into a number of recesses corresponding with the number
of shoots or tubes about to be mentioned. Below and contiguous to the
cylinder are a number of inclined or vertical shoots or tubes, the lower
ends of which are suitably shaped to allow of paper pockets or other
receptacles being readily placed thereon. The said cylinder is capable
of receiving a rocking (or it may be a rotary) motion on its axis, imparted
by a handle or otherwise.
The action is as follows:-The seed is supplied to the hopper and fills
the recess in the cylinder; the cylinder is then turned on its axis, so
that so much of the seed as the recess contains is emptied out, and
entering the shoots or tubes passes down the same into the pockets or
other receptacles. The pockets or other receptacles are then removed,
fresh empty pockets or other receptacles are substituted, and the cylinder
is returned to position ready for the next operation. The capacity of
the recess should be regulated according to the quantity of seed to be
supplied to the pockets.
In some cases I form the cylinder with two recesses at different parts
of the periphery and of different capacities, the larger one for example,
being for vegetable seeds, such as mustard, cress, onion, or turnip, and
the smaller for flower seeds, such as mignonette. Or by having the two
recesses of the same or similar capacity and employing two sets of tubes
at opposite sides, one recess will be filling for one set of tubes, while the
other recess is emptying into the other set. A number of pockets will
thus be filled at every backward as well as at every forward movement
of the cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Henderson in the Great Seal Patent Office a
on the 1st June 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
HENDERSON, of Birkenhead, in the County of Cheshire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Lottors Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said David Henderson, Her special licence,
that I, the said David Henderson, my executors, administrators, and
5 assigns, or such others, as I, the said David Henderson, 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 "A NEW OR
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FILLING SEEDS OR OTHER MATERIALS IN A GRANULAR OR
POWDERED STATE INTO POCKETS OR ENVELOPES OR OTHER RECEPTACLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said David Henderson, my exe-
cutors 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 David Henderson, do hereby declare
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 thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :—
My Invention is specially intended for filling seeds into the pockets
or envelopes in which they are generally made up for sale, but the
Invention is also applicable to filling other materials in a granular or
powdered state into pockets or other receptacles, drugs for example.
My machine is composed of a cylinder placed horizontally at the
bottom of a hopper or other like receptacle, and formed at its upper
surface with a longitudinal recess, which may or may not be divided
transversely into a number of recesses corresponding to the number of
shoots or tubes about to be mentioned. Below and contiguous to the
cylinder are a number of inclined or vertical shoots or tubes, the lower
ends of which are suitably shaped to allow of paper pockets or other
receptacles being readily placed thereon. The said cylinder is capable
of receiving a rocking (or it may be a rotary) motion on its axis, imparted
by a handle or otherwise.

page_text: Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a side elevation; Figure 2, a
transverse section; and Figure 3, a front elevation of a machine
constructed according to my Invention; a, a, is a stand or frame made
by preference of wood; 6 is a hopper extending the whole length of the
frame; c is a horizontal cylinder which forms the bottom of the
hopper b; this cylinder is made by preference of brass or other metal,
and its axis is provided with a handle d outside the frame a, by means
of which handle the cylinder can receive an axial motion limited by the
stops e and f; g is a longitudinal recess in the cylinder c, and extending
the whole length thereof; h, h, are a number of inclined shoots below
the cylinder c; they may be conveniently secured by soldering them
together, and fixing the two outermost to the two end frames by screws.
They are preferred to be of the particular form represented in Figures 4,
5, and 6, which are respectively a full sized section, side view and plan
of so much of one of the shoots as projects beyond the front frame.
The action is as follows:-The seed is supplied to the hopper band
fills the recess in the cylinder c; the cylinder is then turned on its
axis by moving the handle d from the position shewn in full lines to
that shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1, that is to say, from the stop e to
the stop so that so much of the seed as the recess contains is emptied
out, and entering the shoots or tubes h, h, passes down the same into
the pockets or other receptacles represented at i, i. The pockets or
other receptacles are then removed, fresh empty pockets or other
receptacles are substituted, and the cylinder c is returned to position
ready for the next operation. The capacity of the recess 9 should be
regulated according to the quantity of seed to be supplied to the
pockets, and it may be arranged so that one, two, or more turns may
supply the required quantity to each pocket. Packets of seeds or of
pockets may be placed on the shelf k.
In some cases I form the cylinder with two recesses at different parts
of the periphery and of different capacities, as seen in Figure 2, the
larger one g¹ for example, being for vegetable seeds, such as mustard,
cress, onion, or turnip, and the smaller g for flower seeds, such as
mignonette; or by having the two recesses of the same or similar capacity,
and employing two sets of tubes h, h, at opposite sides, one recess will
be filling for one set of tubes, while the other recess is emptying into
the other set. A number of pockets will thus be filled at every
backward as well as at every forward movement of the cylinder. Or in

page_text: some cases I divide the cylinder
longitudinally as represented in
Figure 7, and fit a bottom in the form of a sort of piston 7 which
extends the whole length of the cylinder, and the height of which can
be adjusted to regulate the space or recess 'g for the seeds as required by
means of two or more screws m working in nuts n in the cylinder. The
piston may be furnished with indicators to shew the capacity of the
space at various heights of the piston. The piston 7 may, if preferred,
be of thin metal, so as by its elasticity to press closely against the sides
of the half cylinders.
เ
In some cases also I employ only a single shoot or tube, and then
have only a short cylinder, the recess in which is by preferonce circular;
the capacity of this recess may be regulated as required by means of an
When the
adjustable bottom or piston in the manner just described.
cylinder is short as is the case when only one shoot or tube is employed,
it may be made to recover its first position after each delivery by means
of a counterweight, or by being weighted at its lower side.
It may sometimes be thought advantageous to furnace the shoot or
shoots with means of moistening the gum ordinarily used on the flaps of
the pockets or like receptacles; this may be conveniently effected by
forming a reservoir below the lower part of the shoot, and by covering
that part of the lower surface of this reservoir against which the flap of
the pocket will come with cloth or felt through which the water in the
reservoir will permeate from small holes in the reservoir.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, con-
structing machines for filling seeds or other materials in a granular or
powdered state into pockets or envelopes or other receptacles, sub-
stantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Henderson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
DAVID HENDERSON. (L.S.)