IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR CLEANING OR KEEPING OPEN THE SCREENS." PERFORATIONS OF REVOLVING PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Price, of Wrexham, in the County of
Denbigh, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE
FOR CLEANING OR KEEPING OPEN THE
SCREENS."
PERFORATIONS OF REVOLVING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Price at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th May 1881.
WILLIAM HENRY PRICE, of Wrexham, in the County of Denbigh.
" IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR CLEANING OR KEEPING OPEN THE
PERFORATIONS OF REVOLVING SCREENS."
This Invention has for its object the keeping open of the meshes or perforations
in grain cleaning and other screens. Hitherto various modes have been adopted,
more especially brushes, and of late rollers pressing against the screen and extending
the whole length of the same. These latter however have such an extended
bearing that they frequently fail to clean points on the cylinder where from any
cause their pressure is not so direct, and at the same time require great weight.
Now my Invention consists in using one or more small travelling rollers, that is,
short rollers pressing against the screen and travelling slowly along it in a direction
oblique or parallel to its axis. By this means with much less weight on the roller
and consequently much less friction on the total machinery, a strong sudden
pressure is brought to bear successively on each individual part of the outer surface
of the screen. There are a great many ways that can be used for causing a roller
to travel in this way. The one in my experimental machine is as follows:-A
spindle arranged with two rollers running loose thereon is pivotted in the centre,
and free to take a slight angle with the axes of the screen as the screen revolves
with the two rollers, one on each side of the pivot pressing against it, and the axes
of the spindle and of the screen being at a slight angle, both rollers slowly travel
along the spindle in one direction. When one reaches near the pivot a pin thereon
comes in contact with a projecting part on the pivot, causing the spindle to reverse
its angle and the two rollers travel back, and so on continuously.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Henry Price in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
November 1881.
"
WILLIAM HENRY PRICE, of Wrexham, in the County of Denbigh. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR CLEANING OR KEEPING OPEN THE
PERFORATIONS OF REVOLVING SCREENS."
This Invention has for its object the keeping open of the meshes or perforations
in grain cleaning and other screens. Hitherto various modes have been adopted,
more especially brushes, and of late rollers pressing against the screen and extending
the whole length of the same. These latter however have such an extended
bearing that they frequently fail to clean points on the cylinder where from any
cause their pressure is not so direct, and at the same time they require great
weight.
Now my Invention consists in using one or more small travelling rollers, that is,
short rollers pressing against the screen, and travelling slowly along it in a
direction oblique or parallel to its axis. By this means with much less weight on
the roller and consequently much less friction on the total machinery, a strong
sudden pressure is brought to bear successively on each individual part of the
outer surface of the screen. There are a great many ways that can be used for
causing a roller to travel in this way. The one on my experimental machine, and
which I still after six months experiment find the most convenient arrangement is
shown in the Drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 2, a transverse section; and Fig. 3, a plan
view of apparatus affixed to a revolving screen. The screen is shown in outline
only, but of course is a perforated cylinder. Fig. 4, detail section showing rollers
and support; Fig. 5, side view of same; Fig. 6, sectional plan of same; Fig. 7,
side view of end of movable axis showing same fixed by a piece of spring steel or
flexible material, but free to turn through a limited arc; Fig. 8, plan of same;
Figs. 9 and 10, similar views of an alternative arrangement, in which the movable
axis is free to oscillate between two points. In these A is a spindle arranged with
two rollers B, B, running loose thereon, pivoted in the centre C, more clearly seen
in Figs. 4 and 6, and free to take a slight angle with the axis of the screen D as
the screen D revolves with the two rollers B, one on each side of the pivot C and
one pressing against it, while the other is at the other extremity of its travel, and
the axes of the spindle A and of the screen D being at a slight angle both rollers
slowly travel along the spindle in one direction. When one of the rollers arrives
at the central pivot a slightly rounded pin S on the roller B strikes on another
slightly rounded projection, and thus forces the spindle A back from its position,
shown in Figs. 8 and 10 in full lines, to that shown in dots, or vice versa.
spindle A having changed its position the roller is again askew to the cylinder, and
travelling on the surface of the cylinder in a slightly inclined path it is gradually
slid along the spindle A till the other roller comes to the central pivot and changes
the position of the spindle A as before. The movement of the spindle A is bound
by the stops shown at L, L, in Fig. 10, or the flexible blade or band M in Fig. 8,
or other suitable stop mechanism.
The
This apparatus, while most applicable to rotary sieves, can be applied to flat
sieves also. Fig. 11 shows a plan with the sieve removed, but shown in dotted
lines; Fig. a 12, section; and Fig. 13 an elevation of the apparatus.
In these A, A, is the sieve; B, B, a screw with a right and left handed screw
slot turned thereon; C, a bracket travelling loosely on same with a pin and shuttle
fixed thereto, not shown in the Drawing, but of the usual form travelling in the

page_text: screw slot; D, smooth shaft below; E, guards on the bracket to prevent the shaft F
taking too great an angle; F, shaft carrying rollers for cleaning the sieve pivoted
on a vertical pin in brackets C; G, G, yokes keyed on shaft D, susceptible of short
oscillations thereon; H, H', inclines on said yokes; I, I', pins on said yokes, so
dimensioned that if one is raised high enough to come in contact with shaft F the
other must necessarily be depressed.
The mode of action is as follows:-The screw B being set in action the bracket C
carrying shaft F is propelled from end to end of shaft B; as it arrives at either end
it strikes one of the pins I or I¹ on the yoke G, the two pins on one side, namely
either I and I or l' and I', say I, I, being raised and the other depressed. The
pin reverses the angle of shaft F, and thus the rollers continue advancing towards
the side on which I', I', are situated. At length one roller reaches the bracket C,
and at the end of its travel mounts, and in so doing depresses the incline H. This
reverses the position of the pins; the pins I, I¹, now coming into play and reversing
each time the angularity of shaft F till the rollers having travelled their tether on F,
the other incline H₁ is depressed, and the lateral travel of the rollers is again
changed through the pin I, I, being employed to reverse the angularity of F.
I claim as my Invention under the Letters Patent,-
First. The apparatus for cleaning or keeping open the perforations of screens,
substantially as herein set forth, and shown in Figures 1 to 10.
Second. The application of a roller or rollers having a to-and-fro travel approx-
imately in a direction parallel to the axis of the screen pressing against and running.
on the outer or under surface of the screen as they travel from one end or side
towards the other (thus constantly travelling over fresh parts of the surface till
the whole or nearly the whole surface has been traversed by one or other of the
roller or rollers), and then returning to the point of starting to again renew the
journey, for the purposes described.
Third. The apparatus or mechanism for automatically changing the direction of
the spindle A, and for adjusting its play, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Price, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
WILLIAM H. PRICE. (L.S.)