IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING OR DECORTICATING COTTON SEED AND OTHER GRAINS OR SEEDS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathaniel Grew, of 8, New Broad Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
CLEANING OR DECORTICATING COTTON SEED AND OTHER GRAINS OR SEEDS."
Sealed the 22nd May 1868, and dated the 3rd December 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathaniel Grew at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd December 1867.
I, NATHANIEL GREW, of 8, New Broad Street, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CLEANING OR DECORTICATING COTTON SEED AND OTHER GRAINS OR
SEEDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for cleaning or
decorticating cotton seed and other grains or seeds. In order to clean grains'
and seeds, and especially to remove the husk from rice and barley, a machine
is now used consisting of a grindstone enclosed in a casing which also rotates;
the grain or seed is placed in the space between the grinding surface and the
case, and is kept there until the desired effect is obtained.

page_text: My Invention consists in improved methods of rendering such machines
self-acting, that is to say, of so arranging them that after the grains or seeds
have been the necessary time in the machine they may be discharged and a
fresh charge taken in. For this purpose I apply an eccentric to the revolving
case so as to give motion to a rocking lever; this lever carries two pawls to
work with ratchet wheels mounted on an axis which is thus driven, the two
pawls are brought into action alternately, and they rotate the axis in opposite
directions. The axis has right and left handed screws upon it which cause
two screw nuts to traverse alternately inwards towards the centre of the axis
and outwards towards its ends. Each screw nut carries a weighted lever
having a finger upon it; this lever as the nut traverses is supported by a guide
rail except when the nut comes near to the outer end of its course, and here
the weighted lever descends off the end of the guide rail on to a stop. below,
this brings the finger into such a position as to strike a projecting lug which
is formed in a sliding door in the periphery of the rotating case, and in this
way the sliding door is pushed open, and it is held open by a catch against
the resistance of a spring which tends constantly to close it. When the
door in the casing comes to the end of its traverse the projections upon
it bearing in the fingers overcome the weighted levers and again lift
them, and immediately bolts forming continuations of the guide rail are
projected forward by springs so as again to support them at the level of the
guide rail. These spring bolts were previously displaced by projections on
the levers striking lugs on the bolts and so room was made for the levers to
descend. The bolts are able to turn in their sockets as well as to move
longitudinally, so that as the levers are lifted the projections on them may not
be impeded by the projections on the bolts. When the sliding door in the
case has been opened during a sufficient time for the discharge of the material
it is released and the door closes; this may conveniently be done by another
nut on the same axis coming against the trigger of the locking catch. About
this time the direction in which the axis rotates is changed by throwing one
pawl out of action and bringing the other in. Thus the nuts are caused to
traverse inwards towards the centre of the screw until the rotation is again
reversed when the nuts return and the case is again opened as before. In
order to allow a new. charge to enter the casing immediately after the previous
charge has been emptied out the screw axis already mentioned is caused to drive
another axis by bevilled gear, this also has a nut upon it, and the nut carries
a pinion gearing with a fixed rack so that as the nut traverses the pinion
revolves. The pinion has a barrel fixed upon it which winds up a cord
connected with a sliding valve, which when open admits a charge into the

page_text: casing from a hopper above in which the charge has been previously placed.
When the pinion gets to the end of the rack it runs out of gear with it and
immediately a weight connected with the slide acts to open it. The same
weight also acts on the slide of a measuring hopper above. When the
motion is reversed the pinion returning along the rack again winds up the
cord and closes the slide, then a fresh charge is put in the hopper and this
when the pinion next runs off the rack is in turn passed into the case. An
instrument attached to one of the nuts may be used to reverse the pawls.
In place of using a rack pinion and cord as above set forth, the nut which
before carried the pinion may have horns upon it to act on a rocking lever
carrying a T head containing mercury; when the head is brought by the screw
past the horizontal position, the mercury flows from one end of the head to
the other and gives a sudden motion to the lever, this movement causes the
opening of the slide valve at the proper time.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nathaniel Grew in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd June 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NATHANIEL
GREW, of 8, New Broad Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto I,
the said Nathaniel Grew, Her special licence that I, the said Nathaniel Grew,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said
Nathaniel Grew, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING OR DECORTICATING COTTON SEED AND OTHER
GRAINS OR SEEDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Nathaniel Grew, my executors 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nathaniel Grew, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for cleaning or
decorticating cotton seeds and other grains or seeds. In order to clean grains
and seeds, and especially to remove the husk from rice and barley a machine
is now used consisting of a grindstone enclosed in a casing which also rotates;
the grain or seed is placed in the space between the grinding surface and the
case and is kept there until the desired effect is obtained.
My Invention consists in improved methods of rendering such machines
self-acting, that is to say, of so arranging them that after the grains or seeds
have been the necessary time in the machine they may be discharged and a
fresh charge taken in. For this purpose I arrange the apparatus in the
manner represented in the annexed Drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of the machine; Figure 2 is a front view,
and Figure 3 an end elevation of the same.
a is the frame of the machine; b, an axis carried thereby, and which by a
driving band, which is not shown, is caused rapidly to rotate; it has upon it a
grindstone which is enclosed in the casing c. The casing caround its
periphery is enclosed with wire gauze, and the casing is caused to revolve at a
slow speed in a direction opposite to that in which the stone travels; these
parts are arranged in the ordinary manner, so that no detailed description of
them is here necessary.
My improved mechanism to render the machine self-acting is as follows:-
I apply an eccentric d to the revolving case, so as to give motion to a
rocking lever e; this lever carries two pawls e¹, e, to work with ratchet wheels
and mounted on an axis f, which is thus driven; the two pawls are
brought into action alternately, and they rotate the axis in opposite directions.
The axis has right and left handed screws upon it as is shown, which cause
two screw nuts g and g to traverse alternately inwards towards the centre of
the axis and outwards towards its ends. Each screw nut g carries a weighted
lever g' having a finger upon it; this lever as the nut traverses is supported
by a guide rail h, except when the nut comes near to the outer end of its
course, and here the weighted lever descends off the end of the guide rail h
on to a stop at below; this brings the finger into such a position as to strike
a projecting lug c¹ which is formed in a sliding door c* in the periphery of

page_text: the rotating case c, and in this way the sliding door c* is pushed open, and it
is held open by a catch against the resistance of a spring which tends constantly
to close it.
Diagram views of these parts, in some cases slightly varied in form, are
also shown at Figures 4, 5, and 6; Figure 4 being a plan, Figure 5 a front
view, and Figure 6 a vertical section. The arrangement of the door c* in the
case c with its lugs c*, springs, and retaining catch is clearly shown in horizontal
and transverse section in Figures 7 & 8. When the door c* in the casing
c comes to the end of its traverse the projections cupón it bearing on the
fingers overcome the weighted levers g¹ and again lift them and immediately
bolts h¹ forming continuations of the guide rail are projected forward by
springs so as again to support them at the level of the guide rail. These
spring bolts h were previously displaced by projections g* on the levers g
striking lugs h* on the bolts and so room was made for the levers g¹ to
descend. The bolts h¹ are able to turn in their sockets as well as to move
longitudinally so that as the levers are lifted, the projections g* on them may
not be impeded by the projections h¹* on the bolts. When the sliding door
c* in the case c has been open during a sufficient time for the discharge of the
material it is released and the door closes; this may be conveniently done
by a finger f* on the same axis f coming against the trigger of the locking
catch as is clearly seen at Figures 7 & 8. About this time the direction in
which the axis frotates is changed by throwing one pawl el or out of action
and bringing the other in. Thus the nuts 9 are caused to traverse inwards
towards the centre of the screw axis f until the rotation is again reversed
when the nuts g return and the case is again opened as before. In order to
allow a new charge to enter the casing c immediately after the previous
charge has been emptied out the screw axis f already mentioned is caused to
drive another axis i by bevilled gear, this also has a nut k upon it, and the
nut carries a pinion k gearing with a fixed rack l, so that as the nut k traverses
the pinion k¹ revolves. The pinion has a barrel n upon its axis, which as the
pinion is advancing along the rack towards the front of the machine, winds up
a cord n¹ connected with a sliding valve o, which when open admits a charge
into the casing c from a hopper p above in which the charge has been previously
placed. When the pinion k gets to the end of the rack lit runs out of
with it and immediately a weight o' connected with the slide o acts to open
the bottom of the hopper by drawing back the slide. When the motion is
reversed the pinion k returning along the rack k does not again wind up the
cord as the axis then turns independently of the teeth of the ratchet wheel **
which is fixed on the axis of the pinion & passing a pall connected with the
gear

page_text: barrel n. When the motion is reversed the cord is wound up and closes the
slide, then a fresh charge is put in the hopper, and this when the pinion next
runs off the rack is in turn passed into the case. A rod 9 attached to the
nut may be used to reverse the pawis el, e; it has adjustable nuts upon
it which come against a projection on the pawls. In place of using a rack
pinion and cord as above set forth the arrangement which is shown in side
view in Figure 9, and in plan at Figure 10, may be resorted to. In these
Figures the nut k which before carried the pinion may have horns k** upon
it to act on a rocking lever r carrying a T head r containing mercury; when
the head is brought by the screw past the horizontal position, the mercury
flows from one end of the head to the other and gives a sudden motion to the
lever; this movement causes the opening of the slide valve at the proper
time, a toothed arc on the mercury lever gearing with a similar are on
the axis s, an arm s on which is connected with the slide o by the side
rods t.
What I claim is the application as above described of a finger or instrument
to open the case and discharge the material from it, such finger or instrument
being at the proper movement brought into a position to act by a screw, the
motion of which is reversed from time to time and actuates a nut with which
the finger is connected.
I also claim the giving motion to the slide or instrument which determines
the feed of the material into the case as above described from a nut which
traverses to and fro along a screw the motion of which is reversed from time
to time.
I also claim the general arrangement of the apparatus substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathaniel Grew, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
NAT. GREW. (L.S.)