Improvements in Apparatus for Rolling Tea Leaf and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Rolling Tea Leaf and the like.
1 WILLIAM JACKSON of Thorngrove Mannofield Aberdeen North Britain
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
:-
My invention has for its object to provide apparatus for rolling tea leaf and the
like which apparatus is very efficient and convenient in use. The apparatus is of
the kind wherein the leaf is contained within a case or jacket provided with an
upper surface or plate or weight (which weight may consist of the tea leaf itself if
the case or jacket be made of sufficient depth) and a lower surface, the rolling of
the leaf being effected between this and the said upper surface, plate, or weight.
According to my invention I mount the said case, or jacket in a carrier or
frame, so that it can turn therein and I impart a movement of rotation or partial
rotation to the said case or jacket, which may be effected by any suitable means,
for instance, the case or jacket may be provided with a circular series of teeth or
projections with which, on machines wherein the case or jacket is moved by cranks
or their equivalents, can be geared a pinion carried by one of the crank pins, or
driven therefrom, or the stationary part of the apparatus or some part which moves
in opposition to the case or jacket, can be provided with projections which come
into contact with the circular series of teeth and so give the rotary or partial
rotary movement to the said case or jacket. The frame or carrier on which the
case or jacket rotates or partially rotates may be provided with a lip inward of
the part on which the case or jacket has its bearing (which may be plain or ball
bearings) so as to protect the bearing from leaf and the leaf from lubricant.
The case or jacket may be formed of funnel or hopper shape at its upper part,
to enable the hopper to be fed with leaf past the upper surface plate or weight
and there may be a stationary hopper to conduct the leaf into the said case or
jacket. The upper surface, or plate, when used, can be carried by a rod which
does not rotate but can move up and down in its bearing by a groove and feather
arrangement or the like, the bearing being secured to a cross bar affixed to
standards, from the jacket carrier or frame for example, and a chain or rope being
connected to the said upper surface or plate and passed over and under pulleys
and connected with an operating wheel so that by rotating the said wheel in one
or the other direction the upper surface or plate can be raised and lowered and
retained in any position by a click or pawl. Or the upper surface, or plate, may
be raised and lowered by forming teeth upon the said rod with which a pinion
engages rotated by the chain or rope. Any desired pressure can be put on the
leaf by attaching a weight to the said wheel or chain or rope in such a position
that it exerts a downward pressure on the said surface or plate.
The invention can be applied to rolling machines in which movement is given
to the upper surface or weight or to the lower surface or to both.
Dated this 13th day of December 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Rolling Tea Leaf and the like.
I, WILLIAM JACKSON, of Thorngrove, Mannofield, Aberdeen, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in, and by,
the following statement :-
My invention has for its object to provide apparatus for rolling tea leaf and
the like which apparatus is very efficient and convenient in use. The apparatus is
of the kind wherein the leaf is contained within a case, or jacket, provided with
an upper surface, or plate, or weight, (which weight may consist of the tea leaf
itself, if the case, or jacket, be made of sufficient depth) and a lower surface, the
rolling of the leaf being effected between this and the said upper surface, plate,
or weight, and the case, or jacket, (with its upper plate, surface, or weight,) or
both it and the lower surface having an eccentric movement imparted thereto.
According to my invention I mount the said case, or jacket, in an eccentrically
moveable carrier or frame, so that it can turn therein, and I impart a movement of
rotation, or partial rotation, to the said case, or jacket, which may be effected by
any suitable means, for instance, the case, or jacket, may be provided with a
circular series of teeth, or projections, with which on machines, wherein the case,
or jacket, is moved eccentrically by cranks, or their equivalents, can be geared
a pinion carried by one of the crank pins, or driven therefrom, or the stationary
part of the apparatus, or some part which moves in opposition to the case, or jacket,
can be provided with projections which come into contact with the circular series
of teeth and so gives the rotary, or partial rotary, movement to the said case, or
jacket. The frame, or carrier, on which the case, or jacket, rotates, or partially
rotates, may be provided with a lip inward of the part on which the case, or jacket,
has its bearing (which may be a plain, or a ball bearing) so as to protect the bearing
from dust or leaf, and the leaf from lubricant.
The case, or jacket, may be formed of funnel, or hopper, shape at its upper part,
to enable the hopper to be fed with leaf past the upper surface, plate, or weight,
and there may be a stationary hopper to conduct the leaf into the said case, or
jacket. The upper surface, or plate, when used, can be carried by a rod which
does not rotate but can move up and down in its bearing by a groove and feather
arrangement, or the like, the bearing being secured to a cross-bar affixed to
standards from the jacket carrier, or frame, for example, and a chain, or rope,
being connected to the said upper surface, or plate, and passed over, and under,
pulleys, and connected with an operating wheel, so that by rotating the said wheel,
in one, or the other, direction, the upper surface, or plate, can be raised and
Jowered, and retained in any position by a click, or pawl. Or the upper surface,
or plate, may be raised and lowered by forming teeth upon the said rod with which
a pinion engages rotated by the chain, or rope. Any desired pressure can be put
on the leaf by attaching a weight to the said wheel, or chain, or rope, in such a
position that it exerts a downward pressure on the said surface, or plate.
The invention can be applied to rolling machines in which eccentric movement
is given to the upper surface, or weight, or to both it and the lower surface.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed sheets of drawings, the saine letters of reference.
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
I will describe with reference to the accompanying drawings an apparatus
constructed in accordance with my invention premising however that I do not
limit myself to the precise details illustrated in the said drawings.
Figure 1 represents the apparatus in elevation.

page_text: Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken at right angles to Figure 1, and Figure 3
is a plan.
Figure 4 represents in elevation, Figure 5 in vertical section, and Figure 6 in
plan, an arrangement for adjusting the weight, or pressure, on the charge, and
Figures 7 and 8 represent in vertical section, and plan respectively, an
arrangement of gearing for rotating the case, or jacket.
The charge to be rolled, is fed into the case, or jacket, A onto the lower
surface B, between the said lower surface and an upper surface block, or weight, C,
which may be made wholly, or partially, of wood, stone, metal, or other suitable
material. This upper surface, block, or weight, is attached to the lower end of a
rod, or spindle, D, fitted to slide vertically in a bush, or bearing, E, in a
crosshead F secured to pillars, or pedestals, Ġ, fast on the frame H carrying the
case, or jacket, A. The spindle D may be square, or of other section, the bush,
or bearing, E, in which it slides, being of corresponding shape to prevent the said
spindle and the upper surface, block, or weight, C, from turning axially in the said
bush, or bearing. Or the spindle may be cylindrical and be provided with a
longitudinal slot, or key-way, for the reception of a key, or projection, in the bush,
or bearing, to prevent the said spindle from rotating. The block, or weight, C, is
connected, near its centre, to one end of a cord, or chain, I, the said cord, or chain,
passing over pulleys K, and L, on the bushing E, and crosshead F respectively,
then down and round a pulley M, mounted on a stud projecting from the main
frame N, of the apparatus, thence upward, and over a pulley O, on the crosshead F,
and under a pulley P, on the bushing E, the end of the cord, or chain, being
attached, at i, to the top of the spindle D. It will be seen that by this arrange-
ment the weight of the block C, and its spindle D, always maintains the cord, or
chain, I, tant. The pulley M, round which the cord, or chain, passes is formed in
one with, or is connected with, a hand spoke-wheel Q by means of which the block,
or weight, C, can be raised and lowered. The boss, or hub, of the wheel Q, is
provided with ratchet teeth, or slots, with which a pawl can be engaged to
retain the block, or weight, C, at any desired height in the uase or jacket, or, when
desired, above the casing, or jacket, to facilitate the feeding of the charge into the
said case, or jacket. When the case, or jacket, A, is charged, the block, or weight,
is lowered onto the charge and, if additional pressure be required on the charge,
this may be obtained by hanging onto one of the spokes, or handles, of the wheel Q
a weight S as shewn in Figures 1 and 2 and as no mechanical motion is given to
the weight S, no additional power is required to work the apparatus. The weight
may however be hung on the chain I if desired.
Instead of the arrangement of pulleys herein before described by which the block,
or weight, C, is raised, and lowered, the rod, or spindle, D, may be provided with
a toothed rack d, as shewn in Figure 4, with which rack gears a pinion e, carried
on a shaft, or spindle, T, mounted in bearings f, on the cross-head F. The shaft,
or spindle, T, also carries a pulley L, round which passes an endless chain from
the pulley M, herein before described, so that by turning the pulley M, by means
of the hand spoke-wheel Q, rotation will be imparted by the endless chain and
pulley L, to the shaft, or spindle, T, and, through the pinion e, and rack teeth d,
raise, or lower, the rod, or spindle D, und weight, or block, C. Pressure of the
block C, on the charge can be maintained by the weight S, on the spoke of the
wheel Q, as before described. The frame H, carrying the case, or jacket, A, is
connected to three-double cranks U, V, and W, the upper crank-pins thereof
operating and controlling the frame H, and case, or jacket, A, and the lower crank
of each operating the lower surface B. The frame H is provided with a ring,
or annular bearing surface a, on which bears and turns a corresponding bearing
surface, or ring, b, surrounding, and fixed to, the casing, or jacket, A.
The frame H, has a circular lip a' inwards of the bearing a and b for the purpose
of retaining surplus lubricant, and preventing it from reaching the lower
surface B. It also protects the bearing from dust, or stray portions of the
charge.

page_text: On the ring bare formed teeth c, constituting a spur wheel with which gears a
wheel 9, fast on the crank pin of the double crank U.
The shaft carrying the double crank U is driven by bevel gear Y, from a
shaft Z, carrying fast and loose pulleys z. When the apparatus is at work not
only is an eccentric motion given through the cranks U, V, and W, to the lower
surface B, and the frame H, and the parts carried thereby, but a motion of
rotation is also given through the wheels g, and c, to the case, or jacket, A.
The case, or jacket, A, may be caused to rotate either in the reverse direction
to that of the eccentric motion, as shewn, or in the same direction as the eccentric
motion, which latter may be effected by providing an intermediate wheel, between
the wheels g and c as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the wheel g on the crank pin being
of less diameter than that shewn in Figures 1, 2 and 3, to admit of the introduction
of the intermediate wheel g². Figure 7 also illustrates a modification of the bearing
surfaces a and b to admit of the use of antifriction balls h between the surfaces as
shewn. The case, or jacket, A, is preferably made with a flaring, or trumpet
shaped, mouth, to facilitate the introduction of the charge which may be fed there-
into through a shute, or spout, X, carried by the frame H, the lower end, or lip,
of the said shute, or spout, being arranged to overlap the edge of the mouth of
the case, or jacket, A. The acting surface of the block, or weight, C, is ribbed
annularly, whilst the lower surface B, is preferably provided with radial blocks or
projections, ¹, on the sloping sides of a recess, and other blocks, or projections, b²,
on the bottom, or door, of the said recess, which door is connected to the frame by
a hinge k, so as to open downwards to discharge the charge when sufficiently
rolled, a bolt l, being provided to secure the door in its closed position when the
apparatus is in operation. By the compound rotary and eccentric motions given
to the case, or jacket, and the eccentric motion given to the lower surface B the
charge is rolled in a rapid and efficient manner.
Instead of imparting an eccentric motion to the lower surface B, as described,
the said eccentric motion may be given to the upper surface block, or weight, C,
or if desired eccentric motion may be given to both the upper and lower surfaces
in the same, or in opposite directions.
If the case, or jacket, A, be made sufficiently deep to contain sufficient charge to
provide the necessary weight the block, or weight, C, may be dispensed with. I do
not limit myself to the use of three cranks, nor to the particular mode shewn of
giving the eccentric motion to the rolling surfaces, as any suitable equivalent
therefor can be used.
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. In machines for rolling tea leaf, or the like, mounting the case, or jacket,
which contains the charge, and providing it with operating mechanism, so that a
combined eccentric motion, and motion of rotation, or of partial rotation, can he
imparted to it; substantially as herein before described.
2. In machines for rolling tea leaf, or the like, wherein there are a moveable,
or stationary, lower surface, and an upper rolling surface, or weight, and a crank
imparting motion to a case, or jacket; surrounding the said upper rolling surface,
or weight, the combination with the said crank, and the said case, or jacket, of gear
which imparts also a rotary movement to the said case, or jacket; substantially as
hereinbefore described.
3. In machines for rolling tea leaf, or the like, wherein the rolling is effected
between a lower surface and an upper surface within a case, or jacket, the arrange-
ment of chain and chain wheels, or their equivalent, as described, and a hand-wheel
and gearing for raising, lowering, and applying pressure to, the upper surface;
substantially as herein before described.
4. In machines for rolling tea leaf, or the like, wherein the case, or jacket,
containing the leaf has a movement of rotation, or partial rotation, imparted to it.

page_text: in a carrier, the provision, in the carrier, of an inward flange, or lip, such as a³, to
protect the bearing from the charge, and the charge from lubricant; substantially
as hereinbefore described.
5. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting a machine for rolling
tea leaf, or the like; substantially as herein before described, and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of January 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincolns Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.