mprovements in or relating to Methods of Treating Purified Middlings for the Production of High-class "Patent" Flours.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. ·
mprovements in or relating to Methods of Treating Purified
Middlings for the Production of High-class "Patent" Flours.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM of 32 Seel Street, Liverpool in the County of
ancaster, Milling Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
s follows:-
The object of this invention is to improve the patent flours produced from
urified semolina, middlings and dunst.
In practice it is usual to break the wheat in one or more operations into bran,
emolina, middlings, dunst and break flour, also it is usual to separate the break
lour by means of dressing and dusting machines from the semolina, middlings and
unst before such semolina, middlings and dunst are purified upon sieve or gravity
ourifiers as is well understood by millers.
Such dressing and dusting being required for the purpose of rendering the
emolina, middlings and dunst comparatively free of break flour, because, if such
semolina, middlings and dunst were sent mixed with the break flour to the purifier,
the break flour would not only interfere with the purification but would also, some
of it, become wasted and be sucked or blown away by the fan upon the purifier,
thus entailing a loss.
Even when it appears to the eye that all the break flour has been removed by
means of the above mentioned preliminary dressing and dusting machines before
the purifier, there still remains upon the particles of semolina, middlings and dunst
and the branny impurities contained therein, a thin and closely adhering coating
of fine impalpable break flour dust which passes on with the various products
taken off the purifiers.
For instance, the purified semolina, middlings and dunst are coated with a thin
film of such fine impalpable break flour dust, also the impurities lifted out by the
purifier are similarly coated, also the overtails of sieve purifiers have a similar
coating adhering.
.
On the purified semolina, middlings & dunst this adhering coat amounts to from
two to five or more per cent. of the weight of the purified material.
As a rule the smaller particles of purified material have the greatest adhering,
percentage when compared with the larger particles because they have a greater
superficial area of surface in proportion to their cubical contents.
In usual practice the purified material passes from the purifier direct to smooth
rolls or other reducing apparatus to be reduced into what are known as patent
flours and it follows that the patent flours produced in such operations contains the
impalpable break flour dust which was adhering to the purified material.
It is well known that break flours are inferior in quality to the patent flours
produced from purified semolina, middlings and dunst, and it follows therefrom
that the patent flours produced in the reduction of the above described purified
material are deteriorated in quality in exact proportion to the admixture of the
adhering impalpable dust.
It is at this stage of milling that my new invention is of advantage.
My invention consists in removing the fine adhering impalpable break dust from
the purified material before such purified material is seut on to be reduced into
patent flour upon the reducing rolls or other reducing apparatus and to accomplish

page_text: such removal I place an apparatus or machine hereafter called a polishing
machine, between the purifier and the roller mill or other reduction apparatus
which is being used for producing the patent flour.
The polishing machine I prefer is a suitable modification of my impact machine
described in my Patents Nos.. 6370 and 1830690.
In some cases I may remove the impalpable break dust from the purified
material by means of a suitable arrangement of the well known machines now used
in daily milling practice, namely, by means of a rotating or vibrating sieve, or by
an ordinary reel or centrifugal, dressing machines, or by means of a brush dressing
machine, or by a machine with working barrel covered with sheepskin or other
hairy skin, as is. commonly used for polishing rice and as will be readily understood
by millers.
_ In some cases I may attach the polishing apparatus to the sieve purifier or
gravity purifier itself.
In other cases I may place the polishing machine or apparatus immediately over,
or attached to the roller mill or other reducing apparatus which is being used for
reducing the purified material into patent flour.
In other cases I may use the polishing machine or apparatus as a separate
machine placed between the purifier and the reduction apparatus at any convenient
position.
By the removal of the impalpable break flour dust from the purified material
before such purified material is reduced into patent flour, it is possible to produce
a patent flour of a purer quality and of a brighter colour.
I am aware that dressing and dusting machines are in daily use working upon
semolinas, middlings and dunst before such material has been purified, and I do
not propose to use the polishing invention upon unpurified material.
In some cases where one purification and one or more re-purifications are made
upon the same material I may use my polishing invention placed either after the
first purification or after any or all of the succeeding purifications, but in all cases
I use my polishing invention upon purified material only.
In some cases I arrange the polishing apparatus so that a current of air is passed
through the polished semolina, middlings and dunst for the purpose of removing
light flocculent matter which may be too light in specific gravity to permit of
being separated with the heavier impalpable dust through the gauze covering of
the polishing machine.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1894
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Methods of Treating Purified
Middlings for the Production of High-class "Patent" Flours.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM of 32 Seel Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Milling 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 :-
The object of this invention is to improve the patent flours produced from
purified semolina, middlings and dunst.
In practice it is usual to break the wheat in one or more operations into bran,
semolina, middlings, dunst and break flour, also it is usual to separate the break
flour by means of dressing and dusting machines from the semolina, middlings and
duust before such semolina, middlings and dunst are purified upon sieve or gravity
purifiers as is well understood by millers.

page_text: Such dressing and dusting being required for the purpose of rendering the
semolina, middlings and dunst comparatively free of break flour, because, if such
semolina, middlings and dunst were sent mixed with the break flour to the purifier,
the break flour would not only interfere with the purification but would also, some
of it, become wasted and be sucked or blown away by the fan upon the purifier,
thus entailing a loss.
Even when it appears to the eye that all the break flour has been removed by
means of the above mentioned preliminary dressing and dusting machines before
the purifier, there still remains upon the particles of semolina, middlings and dunst
and the branny impurities contained therein, a thin and closely adhering coating of
fine impalpable break flour dust which passes on with the various products taken
off the purifiers.
For instance, the purified semolina, middlings and dunst are coated with a thin
film of such fine impalpable break flour dust, also the impurities lifted out by the
purifier are similarly coated, also the overtails of sieve purifiers have a similar
coating adhering. These impalpable small dust particles adhere by attraction to
the larger particles and it requires a gentle force to cause them to separate from
the larger particles.
In usual practice the purified material passes from the purifier direct to smooth
rolls or other reducing apparatus to be reduced into what are known as patent
flours and it follows that the patent flours produced in such operations contain the
impalpable break flour dust which was adhering to the purified material.
It is well known that break flours are inferior in quality to the patent flours
produced from purified semolina, middlings, and dunst, and it follows therefrom
that the patent flours produced in the reduction of the above described purified
material are deteriorated in quality in exact proportion to the admixture of the
adhering impalpable dust.
It is at this stage of milling that my new invention is of advantage..
My invention consists in removing the fine adhering impalpable break dust from
the purified material before such purified material is sent on to be reduced into
patent flour upon the reducing rolls or other reducing apparatus and to accomplish
such removal I place an apparatus or machine hereafter called a polishing machine,
between the purifier and the roller mill or other reduction apparatus which is being
used for producing the patent flour.
The polishing machine I prefer is a suitable modification of my impact machine
described in my Patents Nos. 6370 and 1830690.
In some cases 1 may remove the impalpable break dust from the purified
material by means of a suitable arrangement of the well known machines now used
in daily milling practice, namely, by means of a rotating or vibrating sieve, or by
O an ordinary reel or centrifugal, dressing machines, or by means of a brush dressing
machine, or by a machine with working barrel covered with sheepskin or other
hairy skin, as is commonly used for polishing rice as will be readily understood by
millers.
On the purified semolina, middlings & dunst this adhering coat amounts to from
5 two to five or more per cent. of the weight of the purified material.
As a rule the smaller particles of purified material have the greatest adhering
percentage when compared with the larger particles because they have a greater
superficial area of surface in proportion to their cubical contents.
In some cases I may attach the polishing apparatus to the sieve purifier or
0 gravity purifier itself.
In other cases I may place the polishing machine or apparatus immediately over,
or attached to the roller mill or other reducing apparatus which is being used for
reducing the purified material into patent flour.
In other cases 1 may use the polishing machine or apparatus as a separate
5 machine placed between the purifier and the reduction apparatus at any convenient
position.
By the removal of the impalpable break flour dust from the purified materia

page_text: before such purified material is reduced into patent flour, it is possible to produce
a patent flour of a purer quality and of a brighter colour.
I am aware that dressing and dusting machines are in daily use working upon
semolinas, middlings, and dunst before such material has been purified and I lay no
claim to the use of any polishing device upon unpurified material.
In some cases where one purification and one or more re-purifications are made
upon the same material I may use my polishing invention placed either after the
first purification or after any or all of the succeeding purifications, but in all cases
I use my polishing invention upon purified material only.
In some cases I arrange the polishing apparatus so that a current of air is passed
through the polished semolina, middlings and dunst for the purpose of removing
light flocculent matter which may be too light in-specific gravity to permit of being
separated with the heavier impalpable dust through the gauze covering of the
polishing machine.
The accompanying drawing shows diagrammatically the arrangement of
machinery constituting my invention. No special machine is shown as none is
herein claimed. In this A is the feed spout, B purifier, C overtails, D passage of
purified semolina and middlings to Ę impact centrifugal polisher, F discharge of
fine flour. G discharge of polished or dust-freed middlings to H rolls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improvement in the method or process of treating purified middlings for
the production of high class "patent" flours which consists in removing the fine
adhering dust from the said purified material before passing it on to be further
reduced.
2. The arrangement or combination of plant substantially as and for the purposes
described no claim being made for the various separate machines.
Dated this 4th day of March 1895.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
31, High Holborn, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.