IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN INTO MEAL AND FLOUR, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Smith, Millwright, of Tenter Lane,
Leeds, Thomas Wood, Miller, of Birstwith, both in the County of
York, and Thomas Don, Millwright, of Saint John's, Redhill, in
the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MANUFACTURING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN INTO MEAL AND FLOUR, AND
IN MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES FOR THAT PURPOSE."
Sealed the 9th October 1868, and dated the 14th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Smith'
Thomas Wood, and Thomas Don at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th April
1868.
5 We, THOMAS SMITH, Millwright, of Tenter Lane, Leeds, THOMAS
WOOD, Miller, of Birstwith, both in the County of York, and THOMAS
DON, Millwright, of Saint John's, Redhill, in the County of Surrey;

page_text: do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MANUFACTURING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN INTO MEAL AND FLOUR, AND IN
MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES FOR THAT PURPOSE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in simplifying and rendering more effective
and economical the operations of manufacturing wheat and other grain
into meal and flour, which we propose to effect by the use of novel
and improved machinery and appliances of the following construc-
ion::-
First. Machinery and appliances for cleaning, screening, and
decorticating wheat and other grain...
Secondly. Machinery and appliances to be adapted to millstones for
*collecting and discharging the stive in a more ready and effective
manner than heretofore, using blast or exhaust for that purpose, either
separately or in combination, as commonly practised.
We now proceed to describe the machinery above referred to under
the first head, which consists of two conical-shaped screen's mounted
in the same machine, and working in conical-shaped chambers, the
said screens 'being 'capable of adjustment either nearer to or farther from
the inner surface of their respective chambers whilst the machine is
in motion, instead of using one cylindrical-shaped screen working in
a cylinder as commonly practised. By the use of 'two conical-shaped
screens and chambers we dispense with the necessity for stopping the
machine when it is required to adjust the screen in the chamber in
which it works. To the axle or shaft of each screen we adapt a screw
arrangement for adjusting the screens in their respective chambers.
We propose to arrange the said screens one over the other, and either
supply the grain to each screen separately, or the chamber of the
upper screen may be made to communicate with the chamber of the
lower screen, so that after the grain has been operated upon by the
upper screen it shall pass to the lower screen and be again operated*
upon.
We now proceed to describe the machinery and appliances above
referred to under the second head, which consists in adapting a revolving
table within the case which encloses the millstones, the said table being
adjusted about midway between the surface of the upper stone and
the top of the case. The centre of the said table has a circular opening

page_text: formed therein rather larger in diameter than the blast chamber which
it surrounds, so as to leave an annular space around it. We also
partition off a portion of the space between the surface of the said
revolving table and the top of the case at that part thereof where the
exhaust pipe enters, and adjust a hinged flap to the said partition, so
that by raising or lowering the said flap, which can be done from the
outside of the case, we are enabled to regulate the exhaust from the
stones or entirely shut it off at will. We propose also to fix a scraper
across the surface of the revolving table at an obstuse angle, the said
scraper extending from the inner to the outer diameter of the said
table. The use of this scraper is to discharge the stive (as it is deposited
on the revolving table) through the aforesaid annular opening during
the working of the stones, and we discharge the stive from the case by
means of upright scrapers fixed to the under side of the revolving table,
an opening being made in the bottom of the case for that purpose.
The table has a circular toothed rack fixed to the under side thereof,
into which a toothed pinion takes for imparting rotatory motion to the
said table by suitable gearing at the outside of the case, or instead of
a revolving table a circular or semicircular fixed table may be employed,
but we prefer to use the revolving table above described.
We propose
also to employ a small spout leading from the meal or delivery spout
to the exhausting trunk to carry away any stive that may be blown

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Smith, Thomas Wood, and Thomas Don
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, TпомАS
SMITH, Millwright, of Tenter Lane, Leeds, THOMAS WOOD, Miller, of
Birstwith, both in the County of York, and THOMAS DON, Mill-
wright, of Saint John's, Redhill, in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourthteenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Smith, Thomas Wood,
and Thomas Don, Her special licence that we, the said Thomas
Smith, Thomas Wood, and Thomas Don, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Smith, Thomas
Wood, and Thomas Don, our executors, administators, 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 Islo
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING WHEAT AND
OTHER GRAIN INTO MEAL AND FLOUR, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES FOR
THAT PURPOSE," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Thomas Smith, Thomas Wood, and Thomas Don, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Thomas Smith, Thomas Wood,
and Thomas Don, 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, that is to

page_text: This Invention consists. in simplifying and rendering more effective
and economical the operations of manufacturing wheat and other grain
into meal and flour, which we propose to effect by the use of novel
and improved machinery and appliances of the following construction :—
First.. Machinery and appliances. for cleaning, screening, and
decorticating, wheat and other grain.
Secondly: Machinery-and appliances. to be adapted to millstones for
collecting and discharging tho stive in a more ready and effective
manner than heretofore, using blast or exhaust, either separately or
combined,, for that purpose as.commonly practised..
Thirdly: Macliinery to be-adapted to flour machines for separating
the flour from the bran and for separating and discharging the different
qualities of the products..
We now proceed to describe the machinery above referred to under the
first head, which consists of two conical-shaped screens mounted in the
same machine and working in conical-shaped chambers, the said screens
being capable of adjustment either nearer to or farther from the inner
surface of their respective chambers whilst the machine is in motion,
instead. of using one cylindrical-shaped screen working in a cylinder as
commonly practised. By the use of two conical-shaped screens and
chambers we dispense with the necessity for stopping. the machine when
it is required to adjust the screen in the chamber in which it works.
To the axle or shaft of each screen we adapt a screw. arrangement for
adjusting the screens in their respective chambers. We propose to
arrange the said screens one over the other,, and either to supply the
grain to cach screen separately, or the chamber of the upper screen may
be made to communicate with the chamber of the lower screen, so that
after the grain has been operated upon by the upper screen it shall
pass to the lower screen and be again operated upon.
We now proceed to describe the machinery and, appliances above
referred to. under the second head, which consists. in adapting, a revolving;
table within the case which encloses the millstones; the said table being.
adjusted about midway between the surface of the upper stone and the
top of the case.. The centre of the said table has. a circular opening
formed therein rather larger in diameter than the blast chamber which
it surrounds, so as to leave an annular space around it. We also
partition off a portion of the space between the surface of the said

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
At Sheet 1, Figure 1 represents a pair of millstones in section fitted
up with
our several improvements. A is the ripper or running
millstone; B is the bed stone; O, the stone spindle, on the top of which
is fixed the balance or universal rhind D carrying the running stone; E
is the eye box, the upper part of which is attached to the top of the
millstone case, and the lower part slides within the upper part and has
a circular valve at the under side thereof which lays on a ring fitted to
the eye of the running stone, thus causing the current of air when either
blown into or driven through the eye of the stone to pass between the
grinding surface of the millstones; F is the hopper receiving the grain
to be ground and delivering the same to the saucer fitted to top of stone
spindle which distributes it equally between the surface of the millstones
regulated by the lever G in the usual manner adapted for this purpose.
The feed hopper F is fitted to and slides in a circular opening on the
top plate of the eye box E. H is the blast pipe for conducting the air
blown into the eye of the millstone; I is the exhaust pipe to take off
the stive or damp air or plenum of air blown into the stone cases as
now universally used by millers working the system of grinding known
as Bovill's Patent; J is a revolving table borne upon three or more
rollers K fixed to the inside of the stone case. A circular rack wheel,
shewn at Figure 2, is fixed to the under side of this revolving table. A
pinion forming one of the above rollers works into this circular rack
wheel, which pinion being caused to revolve by bevil gearing 1, 2,
being set in motion by a strap 3 from the stone spindle driving
the pulley 4 on the spindle of which the bevil pinion is fixed, as
shewn. This circular or revolving table has an annular opening *
around the eye box E which allows the stive and moist air to
escape from the runner stone into the upper part of the stone case,
where the stive or fine flour is deposited on to the top of the
revolving table, and the moist air is drawn away by the exhaust
up the spout which stive is swept off the revolving table by the
sweeper L (see Figure 2), which sweeps the stive or fine flour down
the annular space on to the top of the runner stone, from whence it is
delivered down the meal spout with the meal or ground flour. M is a
baffling board hung to the under side of top of stone case, which may be
opened more or less as required by pulling the string, as shewn in
Drawing at Figure; 1 this is to check the too rapid current of the air

page_text: and stive up the exhaust spout I and cause thereby the depositing of tho
stive or fine flour on the top of the revolving table. N,N, (Figure 3)
are two or more perpendicular bars of iron fixed to under side of
revolving table and revolving with it. To the lower end of these bars is
fixed a leather strap a having angle iron plates 6 fixed to the side of
the strap next to the bed stone and leather projections or sweepers c
fitted to the side next to the inside of the case, thus when the revolving
table is set in motion it scrapes all the meal deposited in the space
between the bed stone and stone case, delivering the same to the meal
spout, thus assisting to keep the stones cool and preventing the
accumulation and waste of meal in the stone case.
Figure 2 shews the foregoing description in plan, the same letters.
and figures denoting the same parts; Figure 3. is also a plan view.
of the same, showing more plainly the strap with its projection working
between the bed stone and the stone case; Figure 4, clevation, is
intended to show the method adopted of using a fixed table for catching.
and depositing. the stive on a fixed table instead of a revolving table;.
and Figure 5 is a plan view of the same. The table may be made in a
semicircular or segmental form. The baffling, board is used as previously
explained.
Another form of baffling is shown where no table is used, which is:
hinged and suspended from the under side of stone case under the exhaust
spout, as shewn in Figures 4 and 5. Figure 6 shows further means of
baffling or causing the stive to be deposited, which we fix in the inside
of the horizontal spout leading from the exhaust spout to the exhaust
fan used to draw the stive, moist air, and fine flour from the stone
casc. O, O, are two pullies set in motion in the horizontal trunk, round
the peripheries of which the strap and cross bars P, P, are placed,
which when the pullies are set in motion the cross piece or bars.
Sweep
the bottom of the horizontal exhaust spout delivering the stive down
the trunk Q, and which lays in the balance valve R until by the
weight of the deposited stive or fine flour overcoming the pressure of
the air drawn in upwards by the exhaust fan the valve opens and
lots the stive or fine flour be delivered into the meal trough with the
meal coming from the millstones.
We now proceed to describe the mechanism represented at Sheet 2
as follows:-Figure 1 represents a transverso upright section of our
apparatus or machine for cleaning and preparing grain; Figure 2, a

page_text: longitudinal perpendicular section of the same. The same figures and
numbers shew the same parts in each Figure. A, A, A, A, shew a
casting containing two conical cylinders A' interposed and caused to
revolve in the interior of two larger conical cylinders covered with
wire cloth B, B, B, B. These outer cylinders are also made to revolve
in the same direction as the inner cylinders but at a considerably less
speed than the inner cylinders, which inner cylinders revolve at about
400 revolutions per minute, whilst the outer cylinders revolve two
revolutions per minute. The inner cylinders are covered with strong screen
wire cloth, or may have arms or beaters as usually applied for the purpose
of cleaning grain. C, C, are the spindles of the inner cylinders driven
by the pullies D, D, as shewn, on which are fixed the spur gearing, as
shewn in the Drawing, reference being had thereto. E, E, are adjusting
screws for seting up the inner cylinders to the interior of the outer
cylinders as required, so as to regulate the space between the inner
and outer cylinders according to the quality of wheat required. The
grain is fed into the smaller end of the upper cylinder by the feed spout F,
which grain after traversing the length of the upper cylinder and being
partially cleaned falls down the feed pipe G into the smaller end of the
lower cylinder which it also traverses, being further scrubbed and cleaned
is delivered into the dicky or reciprocating sieve G' which separates the
small seeds or grains from the bulk of grain passing over it. The grain
then falls into the exhaust spout H which is attached to the eye of the
exhaust fan I, as at Figure 1, which draws up and thus separates all the
light particles and light grain from the good grain before it is delivered
into the mill for use. The heavier dust that is scrubbed off the grain
is deposited or falls into the lower part of the casing containing the
scrubbing cylinders, and is removed thence by the screw or creeper
conducting it to the spout K to be received into sacks. The light
dust is also drawn out of the inside of the casing by the exhaust
spouts L, L, which are led into the eye of the exhaust fan I, as shewn,
which dust is blown into a dust room made to receive it.
J
Figure 3 shews a longitudinal section, and Figure 4 a transverse section
of a bran stripper or separator which may be applied either at the end
of a flour-dressing silk machine to clean the bran from the flour
adhering to it more perfectly than hitherto done, or the ground meal
may be passed through it so as to separate the bran and coarse pollard
before going into the silk flour-dressing machine. The inner and outer
conical cylinder both revolve, the inner one considerably faster than'

page_text: the outer, as mentioned previously. A is the outer cylinder; B, the
inner cylinder; O is the adjusting screw to regulate the distance of the
inner cylinder from inside of the outer cylinder. The inner cylinder is
provided with brushes or beaters as required; the outer cylinder is
covered with wire cloth.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature of our said
Invention for "Improvements in Manufacturing Wheat and other Grain
into Meal and Flour, and in Machinery and Appliances for that Purpose,"
and having explained the manner of carrying the same into practical
effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent we claim, the construction and arrangement of apparatus
as described and set forth with reference to the accompanying Sheets
of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Smith, one of the parties
hereto, have hereunto set my hand and scal, this Tenth day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight.