Improved Treatment of Alimentary Substances for their Preservation, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improved Treatment of Alimentary Substances for their
Preservation, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
I, HUGO PISCHON of 6 Mariannen-Ufer, Berlin in the German Empire, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
For preserving alimentary substances that are in the condition of flour or in
small grains, such as rye, wheat, or peas, it is necessary to render them free from
water and to compress them so as to exclude the outer air. My invention relates
to an improved mode of treating such substances whereby they are first subjected
to the action of exhaust so us to remove moisture and air and are then, while still
subjected to exhaust, compressed into a more or less dense coherent condition.
The flour or grain is for this purpose introduced into a hopper upon a closed
casing which is exhausted of air by means of a suitable pump communicating
with its upper and lower ends, the hopper being provided with a suitable device
such as a revolving cylindrical valve or drum with radial divisions, or a slide, for
feeding the material into the casing without admitting air. Within the casing are
arranged suitable means for subjecting the entering material in thin layers to the
action of the exhaust. The arrangement employed by preference for this purpose
consists of a hollow vertical spindle having a series of trays upon it, one below the
other, revolving with the spindle, there being between each two revolving trays a
stationary tray fixed to the casing. The stationary and rotating trays carry on
their underside rakes or stirrers that act upon the tray immediately below, so as to
spread out and stir the material upon it and at the same time push it through
apertures so as to fall on to the next tray below. The revolving trays are hollow,
and steam, hot air or hot water is admitted into them from the hollow shaft so as
to heat the material upon them and thus accelerate the driving off of the moisture.
Arrived at the bottom of the casing, the material is pushed by a revolving
scraper into a passage leading into a compressing cylinder, having a restricted
tubular extension, so that as the material passes into the cylinder it is compressed
by a reciprocating piston therein and pushed thereby into the tubular extension,
so as to be propelled from the open end of the latter in the form of a compressed
cylindrical core. The piston has on its front face one or more projecting studs
which, in penetrating the material as it compresses it, serves to unite the successive

page_text: layers of material formed by it into a solid mass. As the cylinder in which the
compression of the material takes place is in communication with the exhausted
casing, the material will also be compressed under the action of the exhaust, no
air finding its way through the compressed column of material in the cylindrical
extension. In order to prevent the impure outer air from penetrating the pores
of the material as it issues from the tube, the latter is made to communicate at a
short distance from its open end, by a small pipe, with a reservoir of pure
neutral gas, such as carbonic acid, or nitrogen, so that the compressed material will
absorb a certain quantity of this gas before issuing, and thus be prevented from
absorbing the outer air, the compressed material being at once cut into suitable
lengths and hermetically enclosed in casings.

page_text: Preservation, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
I, HUGO PISCHON of 6 Mariannen-Ufer Berlin, in the German Empire 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:
For preserving alimentary substances that are in the condition of flour or in
small grains, such as rye, wheat or peas, it is necessary to render them free from
water and to compress them so as to exclude the outer air. My invention relates
to an improved mode of treating such substances whereby they are first subjected
to the action of exhaust so as to remove moisture and air, and are then while still
subjected to exhaust compressed into a more or less dense coherent condition.
To clearly explain how my invention may be carried into effect reference is
made to the accompanying drawing which represents in vertical section a suitable
form of apparatus.
The flour or grain is introduced into a hopper a upon a closed casing 6 which is
exhausted of air by means of a suitable pump communicating with its upper and
lower ends by a passage c. The hopper is provided with a suitable device such as
a revolving cylindrical valve or drum d with radial divisions, or it might be a
slide for feeding the material into the casing b without admitting air. Within the
casing are arranged suitable means for subjecting the entering material in thin
layers, to the action of the exhaust; the arrangement employed by preference for
this purpose consists of a hollow vertical spindle h, having a series of trays e upon
it, one below the other, revolving with the spindle, there being between each two
revolving trays, a stationary tray el fixed to the casing b. The stationary and
rotating trays el e carry on their under sides, rakes or stirrers f, f¹ each of which
acte upon the tray immediately below, so as to spread out and stir the material
upon it and at the same time, push it through apertures in the trays or at the
sides so as to fall on to the next tray below. The revolving trays are hollow,
and steam, hot air, or hot water is admitted into them from the hollow shaft h, so
as to heat the material and thus accelerate the driving off of the moisture.
Arrived at the bottom of the casing the material is pushed by a revolving
scraper k, into a passage 1, leading into a compressing cylinder o, having a restricted
tubular extension n, so that as the material passes into the cylinder it is compressed
by a reciprocating piston q therein and forced thereby into the tubular extension n,
so as to be propelled from the open end of the latter in the form of a compressed
cylindrical core. The piston has on its front face one or more projecting studs r,
which in penetrating the material as it compresses it, serves to unite the successive
layers of material formed by it into a solid mass. As the cylinder o, in which the
compression of the material takes place is in communication with the exhausted
casing b. the material will also be compressed under the action of the exhaust, no
air finding its way through the compressed column of material in the cylindrical
extension n. In order to prevent the impure outer air from penetrating the pores

page_text: of the material as it issues from the tube n, the latter may be made to communicate
at a short distance from its open end by a small pipe 8, with a reservoir of pure
gas, such as carbonic acid, or nitrogen so that the compressed material will absorb
a certain quantity of this gas before issuing, and thus be prevented from absorbing
the outer air, the compressed material being at once cut into suitable lengths and
hermetically enclosed in casings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is-
1. The herein described method of treating alimentary substances for their
preservation by drying and compressing them in vacuo.
2. In treating alimentary substances in the manner referred to in the preceding
claim introducing into the compressed material gas in order to exclude atmospheric
air, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The construction and use of apparatus for drying and compressing alimentary
substances, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 27th day of August 1886.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Agent.