Improvements in Apple, Wine, and other Presses.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification left 17th June, 1895-Accepted. 19th Oct.. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apple, Wine, and other Presses.
I CLAUDE JOSEPH OLLAGNIER, of 22 Rue Girandeau, à Tours, in the Republic
of France, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object a continuous press for grapes apples &c.
operating on small quantities at a time renewed constantly and regularly, the
changes and the pressures being always equal, and giving by reason of the number
of the operations, a daily output largely exceeding that of previous presses whilst
only requiring a very restricted floor space, the matter treated being much better
dealt with.
The apparatus comprises essentially a frame supporting a table forming at its
circumference a channel with discharge tubes, this table, provided with perforated
plates, acting as a pivot for a pan divided into compartments and actuated by a
rotating movement in such manner as to present successively each compartment
under a sliding or recoil press oscillating at equal intervals under the impulse of
cams, sectors, wheels and toothed pinions. A system of elevating plates raises the
compressed residue to the level of the edge of the pan, and a scraper with auto-
matic action removes the residue from the apparatus. A system of pressure
consisting of a box provided inside with so-called Belleville discs acts on a rolier
pressing on the toothed sector which controls the recoil press, this arrangement
combined with two rollers forming a brake which avoids all sudden shocks.
The cam and gearing action controlling the press may be replaced by suitably
arranged counterweights.
Dated this 19th day of September 1894.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Apple, Wine, and other Presses.
I CLAUDE JOSEPH OLLAGNIER, of 22 Rue Girandeau, à Tours, in the Republic
of France, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a continuous press for grapes, apples and the like
operating upon small quantities at a time which are constantly and regularly
renewed. By reason of the multiplicity of its operations, this press gives a daily
output largely exceeding that of the presses heretofore employed whilst requiring
only a very limited space.
In order that the arrangement and operation of my apparatus may be properly
understood I have represented this apparatus in the accompanying drawing, by
war of example

page_text: Fig. 2 is a plan of the pan C and its driving gear, the stamp I and sector J
which actuate it during the pressure, and lastly the scraper N.
Fig. 2b is a vertical section, in the direction of the length, of one of the com-
partments A of the pan C, this figure showing also the stamp I during the
pressure.
Figs. 3 and 3 are elevation and plan showing the means for actuating the pan C
and that for actuating the pressing stamp.
Fig. 4 is an elevation and front view of the scraper, a plan of which is shown
in Fig. 2.
Figs. 5 and 6 show an elevation and plan of an antagonistic spring device and
adjoining accessories having the effect of offering a momentary opposition, which
can be regulated at will, to the upward movement of the stamp. These two figures
are drawn to a larger scale than the preceding figures, and have not been represented
in Figs. 1 and 2 so as not to interfere with the clearness of the drawing.
Fig. 7 represents to a smaller scale, a plan of a crown adapted to replace that
shown in the preceding figures; by this arrangement of the crown combined with
an eccentric pinion a movement may be obtained which will be the slower the more
the material is compressed.
As shown in the accompanying drawings this press comprises a table resting
upon a frame F, a pan divided into four compartments and its driving gear, a stamp
with its actuating device and its mechanism for offering resistance, and lastly an
automatically operating scraper.
The table B, which forms an inclined plane and is of circular shape, has at its
periphery a channel B2 with discharge tubes V; its inclined plane is formed with
grooves radiating from the centre towards the channel for allowing the outflow of
the juices; the centre of the table presents a cylindrical projection B' which serves
as a pivot for a movable pan hereinafter described. The table which is fixed serves
moreover as a support for the various operating parts and also as a support for the
scraper N.
Around the pivot B¹ is arranged a movable pan C divided into four compart-
ments A. Figs. 1, 2 and 21s, three plates and the bottom of these compartments
being pierced with holes; the two lateral plates M and the bottom are fixed to the
pan, and the rear plate M' (with regard to the direction of the movement,
which is indicated by an arrow Fig. 2 and Fig. 2bs) is movable being hinged to one
of the partitions D, D', D2, D3, which corresponds to it, and which separates one
compartment from the following. The perforated plate M₁ carries at its top and
at each extremity a vertical hook r, the object of which will hereinafter be set
forth,
The pan C forms exteriorly and near its bottom a toothed crown E which during
the movement of the apparatus is actuated by a pinion Z keyed upon a vertical
shaft Q which is operated by a horizontal shaft with pulleys O'O' and with a
bevel pinion u through the intervention of a bevel wheel U.
The table B and its central pivot B₁ serve as a support for a frame H in which
the shafts i J' are held. Upon the shaft i is arranged a stamp I which during a
complete turn of the pan C oscillates four times (this number corresponding to the
compartments of the pan C). The said stamp which is shown in the vertical
position in Figs. 1, 2, 24, 5 and 6, will occupy the horizontal position when in its
circular movement, the pan C causes it to oscillate by one of its partitions which
raises the same. The upper part of this stamp is made in the form of a sector 1';
this sector which is toothed engages with a sector J having an eccentric and held
on the frame H by a shaft J1; the object of the eccentric of this sector and of
the depression g, as hereinafter explained, being to offer a certain resistance to the
upward movement of the stamp 1 by means of a spring X whose power may be
regulated (see Figs. 5 and 6).
A hopper T is arranged above the stamp and receives the material to be treated
(such as grapes, apples or the like), which is regularly distributed upon the inclined
plane T by any kind of conveyor; by way of example I have shown a cylinder R,

page_text: but this cylinder may be furnished with longitudinal strips or with perpendicular
bars. This distributing device may also be employed with an endless apron. From
the inclined plane T' the material falls into the compartments A which will be
successively charged.
The transporting cylinder R is actuated by toothed bevel wheels t, one of whose
pinion is fixed to the extremity of the shaft Q already described. With the
before-described parts I effect, by the shafts QQ and their toothed wheels, a
rotary movement of the pan C, the upward movement of the stamp I and the
transport of the material into the compartments A; accordingly it remains for me
to explain the downward movement of the stamp and the system employed for
obtaining a perfect compression of the material, this movement being repeated four
times during a turn of the pan C, or once for each compartment; then the
mechanism which frees the movable plate M' from the compressed residue.
As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 3bis, the bevel wheel U carries at its upper face a
toothed sector a gearing in each turn with a pinion b keyed upon a vertical shaft c
whose upper extremity carries a sector d engaging at regular intervals with another
sector e keyed upon the before-mentioned shaft J¹.
Of course, the diameters and number of teeth of the crown E and of the toothed
wheels and sectors depending thereon are calculated mathematically for obtaining
the downward movement of the stamp in the compartment which presents itself
below the same.
The stamp I having been brought from the horizontal to the vertical position by
the sectors a de has already exerted a slight pressure upon the material, and as at
this moment the sectors are disengaged from each other, if there were no special
device for resisting or opposing its upward movement, which takes place by the
partitions D, I should obtain an insufficient compression for extracting all the juice,
for which reason I have placed against the sector J an eccentric with a depression g
(Figs. 2, 5 and 6).
Upon the eccentric bears a roller K held in the fork L' at the extremity of a
rod L which is constantly pushed towards the eccentric by a spring X of great
power; I have preferably chosen a spring formed of cupped and juxtaposed steel
discs (such so-called Belleville discs being usually employed in buffers of railway
vehicles). The spring X is placed in a box Y, and its power is regulated by a
screw-threaded plug which compresses it more or less.
The stamp which has been lowered by the before-mentioned sectors to the
vertical position, or has even passed beyond this position, is abandoned by them
and raised by the continuous rotary movement of the pan C; at the commencement
of this oscillating movement the roller K (Fig. 5) is placed against the first tooth
of the sector and consequently at the lower part of the depression g on which
the roller K is obliged to move upwards under the strong pressure of the
spring X.
Accordingly by this eccentric or this depression g the sectors J I' and therefore
the stamp I encounter a resistance having the effect of suitably pressing the
material against the movable plate M' hinged, as before stated, to one of the
partitions D whose continuous movement compels the stamp I to occupy again
the horizontal position and recommence the movement already described in the
following compartment.
In order to avoid too abrupt a fall of the roller Kat the lower part of the
depression g when the stamp returns to its vertical position, I have arranged upon
the rod L a vertical fork L² connected to a lever j' by a link k. The lever j
having its pivot at j' carries at its free extremity a roller i¹ which moves upon the
circumference of another roller having a projecting part ; this roller is secured
upon the driving shaft Q already described and shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 6; at the
moment when the roller K moves down the depression g the roller encounters the
projecting part upon which it passes, retarding the downward movement of
the roller K.
The stamp having left a compartment and this compartment continuing its

page_text: circular movement causes the hooks r on its movable plate M¹ to press against two
fixed tappets, one being fixed to the table B, and the other to the foot of the
frame H which bears upon the pivot B', which has the effect of causing the plate M¹
to occupy the horizontal position; the said plate raising with it the compressed
residue.
During the short space of time which the movable plate remains in this
horizontal position the residue is automatically removed by means of a scraper N
(Figs. 2 and 4). For this purpose I fix to the pan C, and at a suitable distance
from each partition D, four tappets which in their circular movement encounter
the arm N³ of a scraper N and cause it to oscillate. The scraper N has a pivot v
and a support v fixed to the table 13; it is moved by a lower projection n which at
a given moment escapes from the tappet which has actuated it; it is caused to
return automatically to its original position, as shown in Fig. 2, by a lever n¹
provided with a counterweight and whose extremity in contact with the arm N¹ is
furnished with a roller O.
The material to be treated being fed into the hopper T and conveyed by the
cylinder R, is conducted by the inclined plane T¹ into the compartments A which
are successively presented at its lower part.
The pan C, receiving a continuous circular movement in the direction indicated
by the arrow (Figs. 2 and 2¹¹³), and at a speed of about 2 turns a minute, presents
in their turn the compartments A into which descends the stamp 1 which moved
to the rear crushes and finally compresses the residue against the movable rear
plate M¹; the juices are distributed over the table B in order to fall into the
channel B2 and to be finally collected at the outlet tubes V. The pan continuing
to turn raises the stamp I by one of its partitions, the plate M₁ raises the com-
pressed residue which is transported by the scraper N, the following compartment
is presented at the stamp I and the same movements are repeated.
As shown in Fig. 7, and in order to obtain a circular movement which becomes
slower as the material is compressed, I may employ, in lieu of a toothed crown of
circular form, such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a crown B³ of the form shown in
Fig. 7, whose 8 curves correspond to the 4 compartments A; it is of course
understood that the number of compartments (4) is given only by way of example,
and may be diminished or increased. In case I should use this crown, the pinion Z
which actuates it would be made eccentric as in the drawing which represents
these parts at the moment when the movement would be slowest.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A continuous press for grapes, apples, and the like, characterized by:
1st. A frame supporting a table forming upon its circumference a channel with
outlet tubes, this table whose plane is inclined and grooved, serving as a pivot for
a pan divided into 4 compartments forming perforated plates and receiving a
rotary movement so as to successively present each compartment below a stamp
oscillating at equal intervals under the action of cams, sectors, toothed wheels and
pinions, substantially as described.
2nd. A system of raising plates, conveying the compressed residue to the level
of the edge of the pan substantially as described.
3rd. A scraper receiving an automatic movement conveying the residue to the
outside of the apparatus substantially as described.
4th. A pressure system consisting of a box provided interiorly with spring
discs, acting upon a roller producing pressure upon the toothed sector which
actuates the stamp, this device combined with two rollers forming a brake to
avoid abrupt shocks, substantially as described.

page_text: 5th. The arrangement and construction of apple, wine and other presses sub-
stantially as described with reference to the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 15th day of June 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.