Improvements in Apparatus for Mixing or Blending Tea or other like Substances.
Year: 1899

page_text: ·PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Mixing or Blending Tea or other like
Substances.
We, BERNARD HARRY WATSON, of 72, Lincoln Road E., Peterborough, in the
County of Northampton, Gentleman, and HENRY CLAUDE WALKER, trading as
The Grocers' Engineering Company," of Falmouth Road, Great Dover Street,
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus for the blending or mixing
of tea or other like substances, and has more especial reference to such machines
as are designed to discharge their contents from a central aperture in one or
both ends of the mixing drum or cylinder.
in the interior of the aforesaid drum or cylinder we arrange two or more mixing
blades, of any approved outline, inclination and curvature, but in addition to these
we also make use of two or more blades of such special design that upon revolving
the drum or cylinder in a direction opposite to that by which the mixing or
blending is effected, the tea or other substance is conducted by these said blades
to the aperture in the end of the drum, aforesaid, and so finds exit, without the
usage of any independently moving parts or mechanism within. the drum itself,
the mere reversal of the motion sufficing to discharge the contents thereof, upon
the removal of a door or slide, which during the mixing process closes the central
aperture.
The general conformation of each of the emptying blades is approximately that
of a right angled triangle, whose base. is about equal to the semi-diameter of the
drum, plus one fourth the perimeter of the discharge aperture; its perpendicular
is equal to, or somewhat in excess of the length or width of the drum, taken in
direction of its axis. The said perpendicular is applied to or lies along the internal
periphery of the said drum; the base aforesaid is applied to or lies along the
front or discharge end of the drum, being led up to the perimeter of the discharge
aperture, so as to touch the latter at a tangent, the remaining portion beyond the
point of tangential contact being bent or curved to an arc of the aforesaid dis-
charge aperture, and this curved form of the blade extends the entire length of the
hypothenuse thereof.
It will thus be seen that the hypothenuse of the triangle form a shoot or channel
down which the tea or other substance will flow, when, with the motion of the
drum, the inclination of the emptying blades becomes sufficiently steep.
Previous to discharge and when revolving in the opposite direction these blades
co-operate with the mixing blades proper in blending and thoroughly inter-
mingling the contents of the drum or cylinder.
For convenience of construction and to facilitate the discharge of the tea or
other like substance, we divide the discharge aperture by a plate which is con-
tinued along the curved portion or hypothenuse of the discharging blades in order

page_text: to prevent any portion of the tea or other substance lifted by the discharging
blades from falling back into the drum during the discharge operation.
Dated this 1st day of February 1899.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Mixing or Blending Tea or other like
Substances.
We, BERNARD HARRY WATSON, of 72, Lincoln Road East, Peterborough, in the
County of Northampton, Gentleman, and HENRY CLAUDE WALKER, trading as
the Grocers' Engineering Company, formerly of Falmouth Road, Great Dover
Street, London, but now of Cole Street, Swan Street, Great Dover Street, London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
-
! ..
Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus for the blending or mixing
of tea or other like substances, and has more especial reference to such machines
as are designed to discharge their contents from a central aperture in one or
both ends of the mixing drum or cylinder.
In order that our invention may be more clearly understood we will now
describe the same by the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which the like
lettering refers to like parts in all the figures.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section and with one half of periphery of
.drum removed to show more clearly the conformation of mixing and emptying
blades.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of drum the end of same being removed to show the
interior arrangement.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one of our smaller machines .complete.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of the discharge aperture and parts carried
thereby.
in reference to the said Figures E, E¹ represent the main standards of machine
which, by means of a cross bracket at one end and the discharge hood K at the
other carry the main shaft on axis, to which the drum or cylinder is attached so
as to revolve therewith. C, D are two mixing blades which may be of any
approved outline, inclination and curvature. A B are the emptying blades which
constitute the more particular feature of our invention and whose conformation is
approximately that of a right angled triangle whose perpendicular a, a¹ is applied
to or lies along the internal periphery of the drum or cylinder, its base a, a² being
applied to the front or discharge end of the same, being moreover led up to the
perimeter of the discharge aperture L L at a tangent to the latter, the remaining
portion of the base beyond the point of tangential contact being bent or curved
to an arc of the said discharge aperture, so that the hypotenuse of the aforesaid
right angled triangle as represented by the shaded line a', a in the drawings
will form a shoot or channel down which the tea or other like substance will flow
when, with the rotation of the drum, its inclination becomes sufficiently steep:
We have here described the conformation and action of one emptying blade, A,
but the same explanation will apply to the other by the substitution of the
letters B, b, b1, b2 in the said description and explanation.
For the sake of structural convenience, and in order to facilitate the discharge,

page_text: of tea or other like substance we preferably divide the discharge aperture LL
into two portions by means of a metal plate or septum M, which forms a continua-
tion of the hypotenuse of each of the right angled triangles or discharging blades
herein before mentioned, and is of material assistance in preventing tea or other
substance from falling back into the drum. It also by means of a thickened up
boss at its centre affords a ready means whereby the front end of cylinder may
be attached to the main shaft. The corresponding end of the said shaft is
carried by a bearing formed in the hood K which is bolted to the front standard E
shown. This hood or cover moreover
by a semi-circular flange as
lid N
shaft F, G
allows
the
of
of the
along the
whereby the discharge aperture L L' may be opened or closed at will by
means of the links 0, 0, passing through slots in the aforesaid hood or cover,
and the cross handle P. Means are provided whereby the lid when closed may be
kept in firm contact with the mouth of discharge aperture until the desired mixing
or blending is effected. When closed this lid or disc rotates with the cylinder by
frictional contact.
movement
The cylinder may be rotated in any convenient manner as by worm and worm
wheel or by spur gearing, means being provided, as by a crossed and straight
belt off the same driver, whereby the motion can be reversed when it is desired to
discharge the tea or other substance.
In applying the invention to a mixer or blender designed to discharge its contents
from a central aperture at each end thereof we duplicate the emptying blade or
blades A, B, placing them end to end on the shaft F, G, in reversed position to
each other so that their discharge ends are at opposite ends of the drum or cylinder.
The mixing blades are suitably extended or duplicated and a lid N and hood K are
applied at each end of the drum. The mixer or blender will in this way effect the
mixing or blending as before described when rotated in one direction whilst it
will when rotated in the reverse direction discharge simultaneously from both
ends.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
In machines for blending or mixing tea or other like substances, and which are
designed to discharge their contents from one or both ends of the mixing drum,
the combination with such mixing drum of an emptying blade or blades of the
nature and construction substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 21st dox of October 1899.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.