IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HULLING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR HULLING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS."-A communication
from abroad by Simon Gardner Cheever, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
Sealed the 4th October 1867, and dated the 29th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th July 1867.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Con-
sulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HULLING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS," a com
munication, to be as follows:-
arrangement of
The said Invention relates to the construction and
mechanism for hulling rice and other grains or seeds, and consists in com-
bining with a stationary grooved or ribbed plate or plates an endless movable
apron made up of a series of ribbed or corrugated plates. The frame is
provided at its opposite ends with sultable bearings for shafts carrying sprochet

page_text: wheels, whose teeth take into the links of two endless chains. Over the
upper part of the said frame are two cross bars, from which is hung a
stationary plate, on whose under surface are diagonal ribs or projections.
Just beneath this plate the upper surface of an endless belt runs, there being
a hopper at one end of the said plate, which hopper discharges the grain
directly on the surface of the apron. The upper surface of this apron runs
parallel to the under surface of the grooved plate, and near enough to the
same to create abrasion or contact of both surfaces with the grain passing
between them, and the said plate is so hung as to be capable of yielding
slightly in an upward direction, this being effected by placing springs between
the plate and each cross bar, the plate being hung from the bar by screw pins
projecting from the said plate and nuts. The upper surface of the apron is
sustained at the proper distance from the teeth on the stationary plate while
moving past the same by guide rails over which the lower surface of the said
apron rides. This apron is composed of a series of transverse plates jointed to
the links of the endless chains, or having projections which form parts of the
chains, and each section or plate has longitudinal grooves in its upper surface
which form teeth or serrations. These teeth act in connection with the
adjacent teeth on the stationary plate to rotate the grains as they pass
between the apron and plate, and to strip therefrom their hulls or coverings.
The apron hay operate either in connection with the stationary grooved or
toothed plates, or in connection with card teeth or wires, as may be desirable,
or in accordance with the kind of grain to be hulled, the toothed plate being
preferable for hulling coffee berries, and the card teeth for rice, but whether
the stationary friction surface is composed of card teeth or wires, or of toothed
plates, the movable friction and conveying surface is to be made of grooved
plates as described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of our

page_text: 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 me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence, that I, the said
William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Robert Lake, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HULLING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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 Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings forming a part of this Specification :-
The said Invention relates to the construction and arrangement of
mechanism for hulling rice and other grains or seeds, and consists in com-
bining with a stationary grooved or ribbed plate or plates an endless movable
apron made up of a series of ribbed or corrugated plates.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
A shows a machine constructed according to my improvements, partly in
side elevation and partly in section; B is a vertical cross section of the same,
and C a similar section showing a stationary series of card teeth. The
frame a is provided at its opposite ends with suitable bearings for the shafts 6
carrying sprochet wheels c, the teeth of which mesh into the links of two
endless chains d. Over the upper part of the said frame are two cross bars e,
from which is hung a stationary plate f, on whose under surface are diagonal
ribs or projections g. Just beneath this plate the upper surface of the endless
belt or apron h runs, there being a hopper a¹ at one end of the plate which
discharges the grain directly on to the surface of the apron, this hopper being
arranged, as shown at A. The upper surface of the apron runs parallel to

page_text: the under surface of the grooved plate, and near enough to the same to create
abrasion or contact of both surfaces with the grain passing between them.
The said plate is so hung as to be capable of yielding slightly in an upward
direction, this object being effected by placing springs i between the plate and
each cross bar e, the plate being hung from the bar by screw pins k projecting
from the said plate and nuts l. The upper surface of the apron is sustained
at the proper distance from the teeth on the stationary plate while moving
past the same by guide rails m, over which the lower surface of the said apron
rides; this apron is composed of a series of transverse plates n jointed to the
links of the endless chains or having projections o which formn parts of the
chains, and each section or plate has longitudinal grooves in its upper surface
which form teeth or serrations. These teeth act in connection with the
adjacent teeth on the stationary plate to rotate the grains as they pass between
the apron and plate, and to strip therefrom their bulls or coverings. The
apron plates are kept from lateral deflection by lips or flanges p projecting
down from the stationary plate f. Now as there is in the movable plates no
spring or capability of springing towards or from each other it will be obvious
that any large stones or other foreign substances which might impair the
action of the teeth if lodged between them will be dislodged whenever the
plates pass around the sprochet wheels, and hence no injury occurs to the
apron or to the movable card teeth before alluded to.
The apron may
operate either in connection wi
stationary grooved or toothed plates or
in connection with card tee". wires, as may be desirable, or in accordance
with the kind of grain to be hulled. The toothed plate is preferable for
hulling coffee berries and the card teeth for rice, but whether the stationary
friction surface is composed of card teeth or wires, or of toothed plates, the
movable friction and conveying surface is to be made of grooved plates, as
shown and described. Where the card teeth are stationary, as shown at C,
the card clothing r is protected by or supported against a rigid metal
backing 8, and is kept in place by metal strips t secured to the backing s by
screws u.
A machine made according to my improvements is very strong, efficient,
and enduring, there being no strain upon any section of the endless apron
which can materially injure it, and no possibility of lodgement of any
deleterious extraneous matters between the stationary card wires or teeth
when they are used.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and shown how the same may be conveniently and
advantageously carried into practice, I claim the combination with the

page_text: stationary plate provided with friction grooves or card wires of the endless
apron of grooved or toothed plates, arranged to operate substantially as set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.8.)
Witness,
THOS. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings, W.C.