A MACHINE FOR SEPARATING OATS FROM THEIR HUSKS OR CHAFF
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 58, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention of "A
MACHINE FOR SEPARATING OATS FROM THEIR HUSKS OR CHAFF."-A com-
munication from abroad by Léon Jean Emile Dupont, of Paris.
Sealed the 8th September 1859, and dated the 24th March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the suid William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th March 1859.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "A MACHINE FOR SEPARATING OATS FROM THEIR HUSKS OR CHAFF," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a new machine for separating oats from their
husks. This machine performs two different operations; the first consists in
throwing the grain on inclined planes for the separation desired; the second
operation consists in cleaning the inclined planes and removing the husks by
a current of air produced by a fan or ventilator.
This apparatus is represented in the annexed Drawing, where Fig. 1 shows
a central longitudinal section, & Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal elevation of the
hopper, in which the oats are put. a, hopper or box, in which the oats are

page_text: put, each hopper has at its lower part a small pipe a', by which the grain escapes;
b, bent lever oscillating on a pivot c, and carries on one side a pallet d, which
closes the opening of the pipe a¹; e, cam, mounted on shaft e', which in its
movement comes in contact with lever b, which oscillates and uncovers the
opening of the tube a', and permits of the grain falling; f, india-rubber or
other spring, serving to return the lever to its original position after the action
of the cam; g, inclined planes, on which the grain falls; they differ in their
inclination, the lower inclined plane being less inclined than the one above,
and so on in succession; h, blast tubes, the openings of which are on a level
with the lower part of each incline; they are connected with a central tube
of larger diameter, which communicates directly with the fan or ventilator i,
generating the current of air; j, receptacle in which the husks or chaff of the
oats fall; an archimedian screw placed in the receptacle removes the matters
as may be required.
The apparatus is worked as follows:-The shaft e' being put in motion,. the
arms e mounted on this shaft come in contact with the bent levers 6, and open
the tubes to permit the grain to fall on the inclined planes g, the latter in
falling on the planes separate from their husks or envelopes, and fall. The
husks or envelopes which remain on the inclined planes are carried upwards
by the blowing tubes h discharged into j:
SPECIFICATION in .pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, . WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer.. and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the. said William Clark, Her special licence that I; the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns; or such others as I,
the said William Clark, 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

page_text: make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"A MACHINE FOR SEPARATING. OATS FROM THEIR HUSKS OR CHAFF," a communi-
cation from abroad by Léon Jean Emile Dupont, of Paris, upon the condition
(amongst others) that. I, the said William Clark, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Iuvention relates to a new machine for separating oats from their
husks. This machine performs two different operations, the first consists in
throwing the grain on an inclined plane or planes for effecting the separation
desired. The second. operation consists in cleaning the-inclined planes, and
removing the husks by a current of air produced by a fan or blowing machine,
or other suitablo means.
This apparatus is represented in the annexed Drawing, in which Fig. 1
shows a central longitudinal section. a, hopper or box, in which the oats
are placed, each hopper has at its lower part a small pipe a', by which the
grain escapes; b, bent lever, oscillating on a pivot c; it carries on one side a
pallet or valve d, which closes the opening of the pipe a¹; e, cam, mounted
on shaft, which cam in its movement comes in contact with lever b, causing
it to oscillate so as to uncover the opening of the tube a', and -permit
the grain to fall; f, india-rubber or other spring, serving to return the lever
to its original position after the action of the cam; 9, inclined planes, on
which the grain falls; they differ in their inclination, the lower inclined plane
being less inclined than the one above, and so on in succession; h, blast tubes,
the openings of which are on a level with the lower part of each inclined
plane; they are connected with a central tube of larger diameter, which
communicates directly with the fan or ventilator; j, receptacle in which the
oats fall, an archimedian screw placed in the receptacle removes the matters
as may be required.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The shaft e being put in motion

page_text: the cams e, mounted on this shaft come in contact with the bent levers b, and
open the tubes a' to permit the grain to fall on the inclined planės g, the
grains falling on these inclined planes separate from their.husks or envelopes;
and fall in the receptacle j. The husks or envelopes which remain on the
inclined planes are carried away by the blast from the tubes h. I can also
employ a modification of this apparatus capable of effecting the object
proposed and described; it is represented at Figs. 2 and 3. The same
letters represent the same parts in the two Figures. k, hopper, in which the
oats are placed; it is furnished at its lower part with small tubes 7, by which
the grain escapes; these tubes are closed by lids furnished with india-rubber
springs; m, pentagonal prism, the faces of which are covered with varnished
sheet iron on which the oats fall; it is keyed to the principle shaft n;.o, ratchet
wheel, with five teeth fixed by a bolt to another wheel p, of smaller diameter,
and pierced with a number of holes, and in connection with those of the
ratchet wheel; this last wheel p is keyed to the shaft. This arrangement bas
for object to incline the faces of the pentagon according to the quality of the
oats to be operated upon. On the shaft of the cylinder is keyed a wheel of about
seven inches in diameter; on its circumference are placed two brakes, which
effectually regulate the action of the prism. 9, wheel keyed on the shaft of
the prism; it carries five teeth or projections, which abut on the lever r; this
last operates on the valve, and permits the oats to fall. Movement is given to
the principle shaft of the apparatus by a connecting rod actuated by a crank.
During a revolution of the shaft of the apparatus the ratchet wheel turns a
fifth part of its circumference on one tooth, drawing with it the pentagonal
prism, which presents successively its five surfaces to the oats which fall from
the hopper, that is to say, a face at each revolution of the main shaft.
The cleaning of the surfaces of the prism is performed in the following
manner: The oats in falling on the pentagonal prism separate from their
busks, and are thrown into a hopper, which conducts them to a bag, the
prism turning in a contrary direction to that of the falling of the grain; the
busks stop in the surfaces of the prism, and are carried round on the opposito
side, when arriving at the lower part its sides are struck by small hammers
pivotted in the interior of the prism; the husks are thus thrown off into a
hopper, and from thence into a bag. The inclined plane on which the oats
fall, before arriving on the surfaces of the prism, is divided into an infinite
number of small compartments by little projecting blades, so as to distribute
the oats equally. This apparatus is mounted in a box, and can be carried
about if necessary.

page_text: Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is the arrangement of.
parts constituting the apparatus as and for the purposes herein-before
described.
In witness whereof I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
W. CLARK. (LS.)