IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING FLOUR, PURIFYING MIDDLINGS, AND CLEANING AND SEPARATING GRAIN
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert William Thompson, of Wolverhampton, in the
County of Stafford, Miller, and Charles Lampitt, of Warwick, Millwright, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING
FLOUR, PURIFYING MIDDLINGS, AND CLEANING AND SEPARATING GRAIN."
Sealed the 29th December 1876, and dated the 11th July 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert William Thompson
and Charles Lampitt at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th
July 1876.
ROBERT WILLIAM THOMPSON, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
Miller, and CHARLES LAMPITT, of Warwick, Millwright. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING FLOUR, PURIFYING MIDDLINGS, AND
CLEANING AND SEPARATING GRAIN."
Our Invention consists, first, in making the framing of the dressing reel of the
said machinery or apparatus, that is, the framing on which the silk is stretched,
in the following manner:-
Instead of making the said framing of bars of solid wood, arranged parallel to
and equi-distant from one another, so as to form a skeleton cylinder on which the
silk is stretched, we make the said framing of ribs, each of which consists of the
following parts:-Two parallel strips or bars of wood are supported at a short
distance apart, the inner or opposed faces of the strips being inclined, the inner
face of one strip is inclined both from top and bottom towards the middle, where
the two inclined parts meet, and form a very obtuse angle with one another. The
inner face of the other strip inclines inwards from top to bottom so that the base
of this strip is broader than its top. Between the two strips inclined plates of
sheet metal are fixed, each of the said inclined plates extending from the top to the
bottom of the space between the strips. The action of a reel made with ribs
of the kind described is as follows:-On the rotation of the reel the flour raised
falls over the top edge of the first-described strip and by the upper and inner
inclined side of the said strip it is directed on to the inclined metallic plates
between the strips. Falling down these it is advanced longitudinally, that is, in
the direction of the axis of the reel. Passing from the said metallic plates it falls
upon the inclined inner face of the second strip by which it is directed against the
silk at the side of the reel instead of falling to the lowest part of the reel, in this
[Price 6d.]

page_text: way the flour is both advanced slowly along the reel and at the same time made to
fall on the most favourable part of the reel.
Our Invention consists, secondly, of a feeder constructed so as to deliver the flour
to be dressed into any desired part of the reel. The said feeder consists of an
inclined tube down which the flour to be dressed passes, the said tube being
supported within the reel. The said tube is capable of being turned on its axis.
At three or other equi-distant points on the tube three or other number of large
holes are made, the said holes not being in the same line but arranged helically
around the tube. By turning the tube either one of the holes can be brought to
its lowest position, when the flour will pass through that hole into the reel, thus
supposing the inclined tube to have three holes, arranged in the manner described,
if the tube be turned on its axis so as to bring the first hole into its lowest position
the flour passing down the tube will on arriving at that hole fall through it and
be received near the entrance of the reel. If the tube be turned so as to raise the
first hole out of its lowest position and to bring the second hole into its lowest
position the flour will pass down the tube until it reaches the second hole, through
which it will fall into a part of the reel further removed from the entrance. By
still further turning the tube the flour may be made to fall through the third hole
into the reel at a point still further advanced.
Our Invention is especially applicable to machinery or apparatus of the kind
represented and described by us in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
us bearing date the 25th day of August 1875, No. 2933, but is also applicable
to reels of other constructions.
Although we have only described our Invention in connection with the dressing
of flour, yet our said Invention is also applicable to the purifying of middlings and
cleaning and separating grain.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert William Thompson and Charles Lampitt in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 6th January 1877.
ROBERT WILLIAM THOMPSON, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
Miller, and CHARLES LAMPITT, of Warwick, Millwright. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING FLOUR, PURIFYING MIDDLINGS, AND
CLEANING AND SEPARATING GRAIN."
Our Invention consists in making the framing of the dressing reel of the said
machinery or apparatus, that is, the framing on which the silk is stretched, in the
following manner :—
Instead of making the said framing of bars of solid wood, arranged parallel to
and equi-distant from one another so as to form a skeleton cylinder on which the
silk is stretched, we make the said framing of ribs, each of which consists of the
following parts -Two parallel strips or bars of wood or metal are supported at a
short distance apart, the inner or opposed faces of the strips being inclined,
the inner face of one strip is inclined both from top and bottom towards the middle,
where the two inclined parts meet and form a very obtuse angle with one another.
The inner face of the other strip inclines inwards from top to bottom so that the
base of this strip is broader than its top. Between the two strips inclined plates
of sheet metal are fixed, each of the said inclined plates extending from the top to
the bottom of the space between the strips. The action of the reel made with
ribs of the kind described is as follows:-On the rotation of the reel the flour
raised falls over the top edge of the first-described strip and by the upper and
inner inclined side of the said strip it is directed on to the inclined metallic
plates between the strips. Falling down these it is advanced longitudinally, that
is, in the direction of the axis of the reel. Passing from the said metallic plates it
falls upon the inclined inner face of the second strip, by which it is directed against

page_text: In
the silk at the side of the reel instead of falling to the lowest part of the reel.
this way the flour is both advanced slowly along the reel and at the same time
made to fall on the most favorable part of the reel.
Our Invention is especially applicable to machinery or apparatus of the kind
represented and described by us in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
us bearing date the 20th day of August 1875, No. 2933, but is also applicable to
recls of other constructions.
Although we have only described our Invention in connection with the dressing
of flour, yet our said Invention is also applicable to the purifying of middlings and
cleaning and separating grain.
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe, with
reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same is to be
performed.
Figure 1 represents in end elevation and Figure 2 in side elevation a portion
of a dressing reel of machinery or apparatus for dressing flour, the ribs of the
framing of the said reel being constructed according to our Invention; Figure 3
represents in side elevation and Figure 4 in cross section a portion of one of the
ribs of the said reel drawn of the full size. The same letters of reference indicate
the same parts in the several Figures of the Drawing.
Each of the said ribs of the framing of the reel consists of two parallel strips or bars
of wood or of metal marked respectively a, b, supported at a short distance apart
by the inclined metallic strips or plates c, c, the said inclined strips or plates dividing
the space between the hollow rib into a series of compartments. The two strips or
bars a, b, of the rib are connected together by means of screws at a passing through the
strip a, and taking into screw sockets on some of the inclined plates c, c. Those of
the inclined plates c, c, having screw sockets for receiving the fixing screws arc
made of iron, the other inclined plates are made by preference of tin plate. The
extreme ends of the ribs composed of the bars a, b, and plates c, which are connected
with the end rings of the reel, are closed with filling blocks so as to make the said
ends practically solid. The sectional figures of the two bars a, b, are best seen in
the cross section Figure 4. The inner face a of the strip a is inclined both from
top and bottom towards the middle, where the two inclined parts meet and form a
very obtuse angle with one another. The inner face b of the other strip b inclines
inwards from top to bottom so that the base 6 of the strip is broader than its top.
The manner in which the hollow ribs a, b, constructed as described, are arranged in
the dressing recl so as to constitute the longitudinal framing thereof, is seen in
Figures 1 and 2.
The metal end rings e, e, of the reel are provided with recesses
at f, into which the closed or solid ends of the hollow ribs a, b, c, are fixed by the
screw pins g. The convex sides of the strips a of the hollow ribs are situated
outwards, and the silk indicated by the line is stretched over the said convex
sides of the several hollow ribs, as illustrated in Figure 1. As the reel rotates the
ineal or flour within the reel is carried up on the ascending side of the reel, and
falling through the hollow ribs a, b, c, is advanced slowly along the reel by the
inclined plates c, and is afterwards made to fall upon the silk situated near the said
ribs. Generally about two only of the ribs a, b, c, on the ascending side of the
reel are simultaneously operating upon the meal, but when the reel is provided
with a full charge more than two of the said ribs are simultaneously operating
upon the meal.
The action of the reel made with ribs of the construction described
is as follows:-By the rotation of the reel in the direction indicated by the arrow
in Figure 1 the meal at the bottom of the reel is raised on the said ribs and falls
through the open tops of the ribs, and by the inner inclined side a of the strip a
the meal is directed on the inclined metallic plates c, c, between the strips or bars
b. Falling down the said inclined plates c, c, the meal is advanced longitudinally,
or in the direction of the axis of the reel. It then passes from off the inclined
plates c, c, and falling upon the inclined inner face b of the strip b it is directed
against the silk at the side of the reel, as will be understood by an examination
of Figures 1 and 4. Ribs of the construction described and illustrated may be
(4,

page_text: applied to reels generally for dressing flour and purifying middlings, and to screens
for cleaning and separating grain.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves
to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention
the improvements in machinery or apparatus for dressing flour, purifying middlings,
and cleaning and separating grain herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the framing of the dressing reels or
screens of the said machinery or apparatus of hollow ribs, each of which said ribs
consists of two parallel strips or bars of wood or metal, supported at a short
distance apart, the space between the said strips or bars being divided at short
intervals by inclined plates fixed between the said strips or bars, the said ribs
being constructed combined in the recl or screen and acting substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert William Thompson and Charles
Lampitt, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
ROBERT WILLIAM THOMPSON. (L.S.)
CHARLES LAMPITT.
(L.S.)