IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES-AND-APPARATUS CON- NECTED THEREWITH, AND IN PRESSING -FATS, SEEDS, SHODDY.. COTTON WASTE, TOBACCO, AND PAPER
Year: 1864

page_text: }
Sealed the 28th October. 1864,' and dated' the 30th April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left by the said James Lee Norton, Francis
Gregory, and James - Salmon at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 30th April 1864..
"
We, JAMES LEE NORTON, of Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill, in the
City of London, FRANCIS GREGORY, and JAMES 'SALMON;- both of the Royal
Exchange, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES-AND-APPARATUS CON-
NECTED THEREWITH, AND IN PRESSING -FATS, SEEDS, SHODDY.. COTTON WASTE,
TOBACCO, AND PAPER," to be as follows:
This Invention has for its object improvements in -presses and. apparatus
connected therewith, and in pressing fats, seeds, shoddy, cotton waste, tobacco,
and paper.
In constructing presses according to our Invention a screw column is
employed and a nut with spur teeth on its: periphery;;, there is also. a spur
wheel' fixed to the cross head of the press, or held stationary in other con

page_text: venient manner. Around these wheels two pinions are carried, these pinions
are held together so that they cannot revolve independently, and their axis is
mounted on a bevilled wheel, or it may be on a frame, which is driven by
power or manual labour, so as to carry the pinions around their wheels. If
power be employed in driving the press it is convenient to use friction gearing
so arranged as to slip when sufficient pressure has been obtained. The pinion
which is carried around the stationary wheel is thereby rotated, and it gives
motion to the second pinion which gears with the teeth on the nut; and as
the speed of gear between the stationary wheel and the first pinion, and
between the teeth on the nut and the second pinion is slightly different the
screw is slowly rotated, and thus the pressure is given. When it is desired
to obtain a rapid motion for raising and lowering the platten of the press, and
where the work on the press is light, the two pinions which in pressing are
held or clutched together so that they cannot revolve independently may be
unclutched or freed the one from the other, and the pinion which gears with
the. teeth on the nut may be clutched tight on the bevilled wheel or frame
which carries it; when this arrangement is made the nut will make one
revolution for each rotation of the bevilled wheel or frame. The above
arrangement may be modified if desired by causing the screw column to rotate
whilst the nut is kept stationary. Also in some cases it is desirable to employ
two or more screws in the same press; the arrangement of the wheels may
also be varied so long as the system of gearing is in principle retained.
When the matters to be pressed require heating during the operation, as in
pressing fats, seeds, shoddy, greasy cotton waste, and similar substances, we
employ hollow metal plates or slabs perforated on one or both of the surfaces,
and capable of being supplied with steam by flexible or jointed pipes. When
the press is charged these plates or slabs divide the charge into separate layers
a few inches thick, then, before the heavy pressure comes on, steam is admitted
to the hollow plates or slabs, and issuing from the perforation permeates the
mass; as the pressure is gradually increased the flow of steam is soon stopped,
but the plates still remain heated by it, and the desired temperature is thus
kept up. The plates are usually arranged to remain permanently in the press
and move up and down in guides therein; they may however be removed
entirely in discharging the press. In some cases we provide the plates with
raised rims or flanges to prevent the spreading of the material when the
pressure comes upon it, and also to collect the liquid which is pressed out of
the material and lead it to a spout or channel.
In pressing fats, seeds, shoddy, and cotton waste, although we for the most
part prefer to employ perforated steam plates or slabs, still we do not confine

page_text: ourselves thereto, as unperforated steam plates or slabs may advantageously
be employed for these purposes in a similar manner; and such plates are also
particularly applicable when pressing tobacco and paper. In pressing yeast
and other substances to separate liquid therefrom we sometimes employ a box
or case with a cover or plunger capable of entering down into it; the bottom
and top of this box or case are covered with filtering pads consisting of horse-
hair or other similar non-absorbent fibre enclosed in a case of woven or other
fabric. The material to be pressed is placed between these pads, and the
liquid squeezed out readily gets away amongst the fibres of the pad and is
drawn off by suitable openings in the box or case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Lee Norton, Francis Gregory, and James Salmon, in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
LEE NORTON, of Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill, in the City of London,
FRANCIS GREGORY, and JAMES SALMON, both of the Royal Exchange, Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
of
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said James Lee Norton, Francis Gregory, and James Salmon, Her special
licence that we, the said James Lee Norton, Francis Gregory, and James
Salmon, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the.
said James Lee Norton, Francis Gregory, and James Salmon, our 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 PRESSES AND APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH, AND IN PRESSING FATS, SEEDS, SHODDY, COTTON WASTE, TOBACCO, AND
PAPER," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Lee
Norton, Francis Gregory, and James Salmon, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and scal of one of us, or them, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
'

page_text: 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 James Lee Norton, on behalf of myself
and the said Francis Gregory and James Salmon, 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 presses, and apparatus
connected therewith, and in pressing fats, seeds, shoddy, cotton waste, tobacco,
and paper.
In constructing presses according to our Invention, a screw column is
employed and a nut with spur teeth on its periphery; there is also a spur
wheel fixed to the cross head of the press, or held stationary in other con-
venient manner. Around these wheels two pinions are carried, these pinions
are held together so that they cannot revolve independently, and their axis is
mounted on a bevilled wheel, or it may be on a frame which is driven by
power or manual labour so as to carry the pinions around their wheels. lf
power be employed in driving the press it is convenient to use friction gearing
so arranged as to slip when sufficient pressure has been obtained. The pinion
which is carried around the stationary wheel is thereby rotated, and it gives
motion to the second pinion, which gears with the teeth on the nut, and as the
speed of gear between the stationary wheel and the first pinion, and between
the teeth on the nut and the second pinion is slightly different, the screw is
slowly rotated, and thus the pressure is given. When it is desired to obtain a
rapid motion for raising and lowering the platten of the press, and where the
work on the press is light, the two pinions which in pressing are held or
clutched together so that they cannot revolve independently, may be un-
clutched or freed, the one from the other, and the pinion which gears with
the teeth on the nut may be clutched tight on the bevilled wheel or frame
which carries it; when this arrangement is made the nut will make one
revolution for each rotation of the bevilled wheel or frame.
Figure 1 is an end view of the improved press; Figure 2 a front view of
same; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section; Figure 4 is a view of the top part
of press with pillars removed; Figure 5 shows the bevil wheel with bracket
cast on it; Figure 6 is a plan of same.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, a is the base; b, the cross head; c, the screw
attached firmly to follower o. The wheel d communicates with the bevil
pinion g, both of which are secured to the shaft f by means of keys. The

page_text: bevil pinion gives motion to bevil wheel h which revolves loose on the boss
of spur wheel k, and the spur wheel is securely fixed to the cross head b
by means of bolts passing through. To the bevil wheel h is cast a bracket i
(see Figures 5 and 6) in which are placed two pinions i, . upon a fixed
stud passing through them, which is necked down so as to keep the pinion
always fully in gear with wheel k. The bottom pinion j¹ is so that it can be
worked up and down the stud at pleasure by the clutch lever n, Figures 2, 4,
5 and 6 in which is fixed a stud working in groove m of pinion j'; pinion j¹
is cast with a clutch p' at the top, and one p at the bottom, so that when the
pinion is lifted up it will enter a similar clutch or pinion j prepared to receive
it, and when pressed down it will enter a clutch recessed in bracket i, also
prepared for it, as shown by section in Figure 3 at p2, and in Figures 4
and 6.
The object of this arrangement is to give the follower a slow or a fast
motion up or down, and thereby giving the man at the witch e the option of
using a greater or less power in the following manner:-When the material
is ready for pressing upon, the wheel d being turned round it gives motion to
the bevil wheel as above-mentioned, at which time the pinion should be
put down so that the bottom clutch p² enters the recessed clutch p in bracket i.
This will cause the pinion to become locked, which being half in gear with
spur wheel, will carry wheel l round at the same speed as bevil wheel h, by
which means the nut which surrounds screw c, and which is cast with the
wheel is carried round, forcing the follower o downwards. Meanwhile the
pinion will revolve, being loose on the stud, and carried round the fixed
wheel. This is continued until the resistance becomes too great, when to
obtain more power the pinion j' is lifted up until it is released from the
bracket and enters the clutch of top pinion when both pinions will revolve
as one. Now the spur wheel has one tooth more than wheel k, it will there-
fore be readily seen that at each revolution of the bracket and pinions round
the fixed wheel the revolving pinions will cause the wheel to gain one
tooth; this will communicate a corresponding motion to the nut 12, where-
as before the position of the clutch lever n was altered, the wheel, and
consequently the nut made a revolution to each revolution of bevil wheel k.
The above arrangement may be modified if desired by causing the screw
column to rotate whilst the nut is kept stationary. Also in some cases it is
desirable to employ two or more screws in the same press, the arrange-
ment of the wheels may also be varied, so long as the system of gearing is
in principle retained.

page_text: When the matters to be pressed require heating during the operation, as in
pressing fats, seeds, shoddy, greasy cotton waste, and similar substances, we
employ hollow metal plates or slabs perforated on one or both of the surfaces,
and capable of being supplied with steam by flexible or jointed pipes. When
the press is charged, these plates or slabs divide the charge into separate layers.
a few inches thick, then before the heavy pressure comes on steam is admitted
to the hollow plates or slabs, and issuing from the perforation permeates the
As the pressure is gradually increased, the flow of steam is soon
stopped, but the plates still remain heated by it, and the desired temperature
is thus kept up. The plates are usually arranged to remain permanently in
the press, and move up and down in guides therein, they may however be
removed entirely in discharging the press. Figure 7 is an end view, and
Figure 8 is a front view of press with plates applied thereto, and in their
working position.
⚫ mass.
a is the main steam pipe; from this it is distributed by the jointed.
pipes b, b, to the several plates c, c. The jointed pipes allow the free move-
ment of the plates up and down the press. The main pipe d is to receive
the steam after it has heated the plates. In order to raise the plates as
may be necessary without the aid of the press the hook-ended bar e is em-
ployed one at each end. The bar is passed under the handles c¹, c¹, and
being attached to the chain of the plate or plates can be raised at both ends
simultaneously, one chain being passed over and the other under the pulley h.
The pulley is fast on the shaft i, and communicates with the hand wheel i by
means of the wheels represented by the blue circles in Figure 8; k, k, are
grooves, in which are bars I, which support the plates under the handles c¹, c¹.
These grooves are cast on angle plates, which are firmly secured to pillars
m, m, and in these grooves the bars are raised by the plates in ascending, and
when the follower descends they fall to the bottom of their respective grooves,
and support the plates at their lowest positions. Figure 9 shows one of the
plates c separately, it is cast with a number of parallel transverse passages c³, c²,
which all communicate with the longitudinal passages c³, c, these passages are
all plugged at their ends excepting two of the passages c³, which are connected
with the pipes b, b. We do not however in all cases use perforated plates,
and then in place of steam hot water or other fluid may be employed, and
when it is required to cool the plates, the steam or other fluid is shut off from
the pipe a, and cold water is allowed to flow in, and thence through the pipes b, b,
into the plates c, c.
In some cases we provide the plates with raised rims or
flanges to prevent the spreading of the material when the pressure comes

page_text: upon it. Figures 10 show a steam plate thus arranged, it is made as is
common by casting a slab on a zig-zag of steam pipe, and the flanges are
cast on this slab...
In pressing fats, seeds, shoddy, and cotton waste, to extract fats therefrom,
although we for the most part prefer to employ perforated steam plates or
slabs, still we do not confine ourselves thereto, as unperforated steam plates or
slabs may advantageously be employed for these purposes in a similar manner,
and such plates are also particularly applicable when pressing tobacco to
prepare in cakes for the market, and paper to give to it a polished face as in
hot pressing in the usual manner.
The pressing of the above-mentioned substances between steam plates is an
important part of our Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lee Norton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JAMES LEE NORTON. (L.S.)