CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING OR MANUFACTURING BREAD AND BISCUITS
Year: 1831

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
COWDEROY, of Britannia Street, Hoxton New Town, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourteenth day of October, in the second year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Cowderoy, His especial licence, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said John Cowderoy, my exors, adors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Cowderoy, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
TO BE USED IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING OR MANUFACTURING BREAD AND BISCUITS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John
Cowderoy, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said.
John Cowderoy, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, (reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon), that is to say:-
My improvements in the process of manufacturing bread are designed to
perform the operation by means of machinery, in a quicker and more superior
style than the present mode of manufacturing by means of manual labor,
whereby I am enabled to produce an article of an improved quality, and at a
considerable reduction in the expence, as well to produce bread entirely free
from those impurities which are at present unavoidable when manufactured
by hand.
Sheet 1, Figure 1, represents a section of an apparatus for mixing the
ingredients for making the sponge and dough; and Figure 2 a plan of the
same, shewing the mode of giving motion to the mixing apparatus (some of
the parts being removed to shew it more clearly), the same letters of reference
being used to denote similar parts in all the Figures. a is a vessel or tub,
into which the "ferment" or liquid ingredients for mixing with the flour
(previously prepared in the usual manner) is strained; at the bottom of this
tub a cock b is placed, leading into the inclined trough c. d is a wooden rack,
having teeth fixed vertically, corresponding, with the inclined trough c. e is.a box,
having a wire gauze opening at bottom, through which the flour is distributed
into the inclined trough by means of a cylinder f; this cylinder is provided
with several rows of bristles in the form of brushes, for the purpose of working
the flour through the wire gauze opening into the inclined trough in a regular
On the axle of the cylinder f a pulley is fixed, from which a band
passes to the pulley on the crank axle 9, seen best in Fig. 2, by which means
the cylinder is made to revolve; the rack d is fixed to two side pieces, which
slide backwards and forwards in grooves formed in the frames h, and acting as
guides as the crank is made to revolve; these side pieces have a cross bar i
between them, to which are attached, by joints, the arms j, connected to the
crank g by a swivel joint k; at the bottom of the inclined trough a square
box or trough is placed, into which the sponge or dough falls from the
inclined trough c as it is formed, where it is allowed to remain the usual time
to "rise and fall;" this trough has a moveable rack m working to and fro
within it, by means of a crank similar to that last described, seen in Fig. 3,
for the purpose of breaking the sponge after the usual quantity of liquor is
added to it. The sponge, when broken sufficiently, is to be conveyed by a
manner.

page_text: pump, or other suitable means, into the tub a before described, when it again
passes down the inclined trough, receiving an additional quantity of flour
from the cylinder before mentioned necessary to form dough; and being again
operated upon by the rack d, falls into a receiving box A, mounted upon
rollers, as seen in Fig. 4, where it is left to rise the usual time. The bottom
of the box A is made to open in the middle, shewn by dots, for the purpose of
discharging the dough into the moulding apparatus hereafter described.
In working flour of different qualities, it will be necessary to alter the angle
of the inclined trough, as the coarser and weaker qualities of flour require to
be made into dough of a stiffer texture; consequently it will descend slower
than the dough made of finer or stronger flour; therefore the stiffer the dough
is required, the trough must be so much the more inclined, and the supply of
the liquor from the tub a must be diminished, which can be regulated by the
cock 6, and will entirely depend upon the judgment of a person acquainted
with the manufacture of bread, and it will be evident that thus far the
machinery is equally applicable to the mixing of the materials for making
biscuit.
Having described the process of manufacturing the sponge and dough, I
shall now proceed to describe the manner in which I mould or form
it into loaves, and convey them to the oven to be baked.
Sheet 2,
Figure 5, exhibits a side elevation of the machinery or apparatus for
pressing and moulding the dough into different shapes and sizes. o is a
strong hollow box or press made of wood, firmly braced together, into
which the pressboard p is made to ascend and descend by means of the toothed
racks 9, worked by pinions on the shaft of the toothed wheel r, only one of
which is seen in the Drawing. This wheel r takes into a pinion on the shaft
of the toothed wheels, which wheel receives its motion from the pinion
worked by the handle t. At the bottom of the presso is an aperture for the
purpose of allowing the dough to pass through when acted upon by the press-
board p. This aperture is formed by a part of the bottom being made to slide
or open by its connection to the lever u fixed to it by the iron brace v. This
lever moves upon a pin w, which acts as its fulcrum. x is a box to contain
flour, extending the whole length of the press, with a wire gauze bottom,
having a revolving cylinder within it for dusting the board or iron plate F,
which receives the dough from the press o, as explained hereafter. This
cylinder is made to revolve by a band passing over a pulley on its axis to a
pulley on the axis of the wheel s. y is a square cast-iron frame, mounted
upon rollers, which run upon the iron plates or railways 2, extending from end
to end of the apparatus. This frame has a flap opening or door extending its

page_text: whole width at one end, for the purpose of allowing the board or iron plate F
to be pushed in, in order to receive the dough from the aperture of the press o.
In the centre of the apparatus, between the railways z, is a grooved wooden
frame B, in which the rack C is made to traverse by a pinion, shewn by dots
on the shaft of the pulley D, worked by a band and pulley on the shaft of the
wheel s.
This rack has an upright stay or clasp at each end, for the purpose
of moving the cast-iron frame y to and fro, in order to receive the dough from
the press by raising the longer end of the lever u on to a trigger or catch E.
The aperture at the bottom of the press becomes closed by drawing in the
slide attached to the iron brace v at the shorter end of the lever u. It is held
in this position of the trigger E until the pressboard descend on to the dough.
The pinion, having worked out of the last tooth of the rack, will continue to
move round, leaving the rack and cast-iron frame stationary, and the press-
board will continue to rise to the situation shewn in the Drawing. The dough
having been let down into the presso by the inclined slide from the box A,
above, the handle t is to be turned the reverse way, which will bring down the
pressboard Ip on to the dough sufficiently to level the surface, when the last
tooth of the rack C is to be drawn by hand back into gear with the pinion, by
which means the upright G will strike the bottom of the trigger, and dis-
engage it from the lever u, allowing it to fall down by its own weight on to a
pin fixed in the guide H, and opening the slide in the bottom of the press.
The aperture left in the press by the motion of this slide is regulated by the
distance of the fall of the lever on to a pin or stud placed in the guide H.
The upright G will by this time have arrived at the end of the frame y, and
the dough will have just reached from the press to the board or plate F; the
rack and frame will then move together as far as the teeth will allow, and the
board or plate F at the bottom of the frame will be covered with a small flat
layer of dough, as thick as the width of the aperture in the bottom of the
press; see Fig. 10.
The surface of the dough during the motion of the
frame y has been dusted with flour from the box x. The gear work should be
so regulated that at the time when the frame has moved sufficiently to have
received the dough all over the board, the pressboard p should have descended
to the bottom of the press. The lever u should then be raised on to the
trigger or catch E, by which the slide at the bottom of the press will be drawn
in, and again close the aperture. This will be clearly understood by reference
to the detached Figure 10. The upright I, at the end of the rack C, is made
with a hinge joint at bottom, and, by withdrawing the pin at its centre, will
allow it to fall, and the frame to be removed from the rack, by hand or
otherwise, to the position shewn by the red lines at J, ready to receive tho

page_text: impression of the moulds. The moulds intended to form the loaves are placed
exactly over the cast-iron frame y, and are seen elevated to a sufficient height
at K. They are let down on to the dough by turning the handle, seen in the
Drawing,, which, by means of suitable gear, will act upons rack L, L, and
cause a pressure sufficient to indent the dough half through it. At the back
of these moulds is fixed. a board, which is made to be attached or detached.
This board is attached by hooks or catches M to a strong wooden frame O, to
which frame the racks L are fixed. Upon the required pressure being given
to the dough, the frame is to be detached from the board, and moulds. This
is effected by drawing the handle of the lever N towards the end of the frame,
which pulls down the upper end of the hooks M, and releases them from their
hold, as seen in Figure 6, which is a longitudinal section of the frame O, board
and moulds K. The frame O may then be wound up again by the winch to
its former position. The cast-iron frame y must then be pushed into the
turning frame P, which revolves upon an axis at its centre. This frame is
provided with a collar Qat each end, which, turning upon a pivot, allows the
frame y to run in, and afterwards secures it in the turning frame during the
operation of reversing it, as seen by the red dotted lines. The moulds K are
now underneath the dough, and in this position are to be pushed out of the
turning frame into the situation shewn by the blue lines at W. The board F
being now at top, is taken off by means of the frame O and hooks M descend-
ing and taking it up again in the manner before described, as seen at R;
corresponding moulds T are then to be placed on to the dough, and the frame
being made to descend as before, will force the moulds through the dough
until it meets the edges of the mould K; it is then drawn up again by means
of the hooks, as before described, and the moulds T are then to be removed by
hand from off the dough.
Figure 7 represents the side of a flat board made to fit the interior of the
frame y. At one end of this board are iron plates let in on the outer edges,
which have a notch in them to receive the ends of the iron roller U, over
which roller a cloth is to be passed from end to end in the manner shewn by
the red lines. This cloth and board are to be placed on the
cast-iron frame y, so that the cloth shall be next the dough.
dough in the
The cloth is
attached at each end to a wooden rail X, and, when placed double in the frame,
care must be taken that the cloth next the dough shall not extend beyond the
outside of the frame, the other fold of the cloth being left sufficiently long to
allow the rail at its end to be fixed into a groove in the roller V, described
hereafter. In this position it must be pushed back into the turning frame, and
again reversed and moved onwards into the position shewn by the red lines J;

page_text: the board and moulds K being now at top, must be removed from the dough
by bringing down the frame O and attaching them to the hooks M, as before
described. The cast-iron frame y, containing the batch of dough formed by
the pressure of the moulds, is now to be run into the oven on the railway Z,
when the rail on the cloth mentioned above is to be inserted in the groove of
the roller V, and by turning the handle S the roller will wind out the cloth,
drawing with it the board, which must be prevented by hand from coming out
of the frame too rapidly, leaving the loaves on the bottom of the oven enclosed
by the iron frame. The oven is of the usual construction, excepting the
mouth or opening being left sufficiently wide to allow the cast-iron frame y to
'pass through freely, which mouth is to be closed by a strong sliding iron door
balanced by the weights, as seen in the Drawing, and made air tight by set
screws. The iron railway is also continued into the oven, and is provided with
grooves to receive the rollers, which extend below the frame y, so that the
bottom of the frame shall drop on to the oven. The loaves being sufficiently
'baked, the sliding door of the oven is to be raised, and a flat board or peel, studded
with rollers to allow it to pass freely, and corresponding with the interior of the
frame y, seen in Fig. 8, must be pushed in through the opening at one end of
the cast-iron frame; this board, being made feather-edged in front, will pass
underneath the loaves; and when it is in to its full extent, the whole batch of
loaves, together with the cast-iron frame and peel, may be drawn out of the
oven by hand or any mechanical contrivance. The portion of the mould
described and shewn in the Drawings, Figs. 6 and 9, are calculated for making
2 lb. loaves, the dimensions of which I have found to be as thereon marked.
Of course they will vary in proportion to the size and shape of the loaf required
to be made, and the aperture at bottom of the press o will also vary according
to the size and shape of the loaf, which for 2 lb. loaves I have found to be one
inch and a half, as best adapted to the purpose, and will in a great measure
depend upon the quality and stiffness of the dough.
Having fully and sufficiently described the nature of my said improvements,
and the manner in which the operation is performed, I conclude by stating the
principal features of novelty to which I rest my claim of patent right.
First, I claim the mixing or making the sponge and dough for bread or
biscuits by means of an inclined trough at whatever angle it may be placed,
having a cylinder or flour dredger, or other suitable apparatus, placed above it,
so that the flour shall be sprinkled or distributed into the trough in an equal
and regular manner during the descent of the liquor in the inclined trough,
which flour and liquor, while descending, is there mixed and combined by the
action of a rack or other suitable apparatus; and by its own weight, when so