A MACHINE ON AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION FOR THE PURPOSE OF SEPARATING CORN, GRAIN, AND SEEDS
Year: 1813

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
TODD, of the City of Bristol, Organ Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of
June, in the fifty-third year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Todd, my exors, adñors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Todd, my exors, admors,
and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of years therein men-
tioned, make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A MACHINE ON AN IMPROVED
CONSTRUCTION FOR THE PURPOSE OF SEPARATING CORN, GRAIN, AND SEEDS;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said
Thomas Todd, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that

page_text: then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever
thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and
by the same (relation being thereto had) may 'more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Todd, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
references thereto and description thereof, that is to say :-
."
To specify. the machine for dividing corn, grain, or other seeds from the
straw. This is done by friction or rubbing between two surfaces, which are
made rough by grooves crossing each other in proportion to the size of the
grain or seeds. These surfaces may be made of any kind of materials, of
any given size or shape, either flat or covical, and fixt in any way so that
they approach near enough each other as to separate the grain from the straw.
To perfect this, I make a machine as follows:-The frame is about five feet
long, three feet wide, and four feet six inches high, three cross rails in each
end and two on each side. In the centre is a round cylinder, about two feet
diameter and four feet six inches long, with a tooth wheel nearly the same
diameter on the center spindle; which works into a small bevel pinnion of four
inches diameter. On the shaft of the small wheel is a crank, three inches
long; on the center spindle is a handle to turn it by; then over the cylinder
there is a concave cover, which is the same length as the cylinder and one
foot six inches wide. This cover or rubber is fixed in a frame that have room
to slide three inches, to suit the crank on the upright pinnion shaft, and is
joined by a joint rod, so when the cylinder is turned round the rubber moves
horizontally upon the cylinder; and there is a small flat hoop or projection on
each end of the cylinder and screwing slip to regulate the rubber to a proper
height to admit the grain between the rubber and cylinder. The machine is
fed by two rollers, on one side of the rubber, one of the rollers having a small
wheel that works into the wheel on the cylinder shaft, which brings round the
roller; then there is a frame, with a roller about four feet distance, with a
cloth coming round the under roller, and sewed together like a round towel,
so when the cylinder is turned the cloth comes round the roller; and the straw
or grain being placed upon the cloth, it goes between the two fluted rollers
and under the rubber, so passes over a riddle that divides the grain from the
straw. The cylinder is covered with cast-iron plates that is grooved across,
about three eighths of an inch distance from each other and one eighth of an
inch deep; the rubber the same.
:1
: $1,5

page_text: A description being given of the machine, it may be necessary to add that
various sizes must be made of. the above machine; and as there are various
sizes of grain, it will be necessary to add that the rubbing part' may vary
in size and shape, only that is all done by rubbing between surfaces; either
purfelated or otherwise, so that the surfaces are made rough enough-to
separate the corn from the ears. This I describe as being the essential part, as a
friction may be made between two pieces of board grooved in the same manner
described and used by hand. N.B.-All the rubbers act by contrary motions.
To preserve the straw for thatching, I make a machine nearly the same
as before; only the cylinder smooth, fixed in the same way; and instead of:a
rubber over I have a six or eight winged fly on each arm or wing, a row of
pins that draws out the small straw as the comb passes over the cylinder,
and a feeding cloth the same as before, only passes round the cylinder to carry
the straw, which go longways over the cylinder, the heads or grain being on the
outside of the hackle upon the cylinder; and a round knife or cutter running
close to the hackle cuts off all the heads, then the long straw comes over the
cylinder, the short straw at one end and the heads at the other.
Heckleing Machine. a, a, the frame of the heckel; B, the wheel heckel;
c, c, the teeth of the heckel; D, the handle; E, the barrel, with a round heckel
that holds the ears of the corn; F, a round cutter,. that cuts off the ears;
9, 9, the wheels that drive the cutter; K, a small wheel, that presses the straw
into the heckel; I, a spindle that has two bevel wheels, which drives from the
handle wheel to the center of the barrel; K, the spindle wheel, goes all
through from the hand motion to that of the cutter; L, the feeding board,
that has a round cloth that brings forward the corn; M, the fly wheel.
The Rubbing Machine.-a, a, the frame of the rubbing machine; B, the
barrel, covered with iron plate; C, the conical rubber over the barrel; D, the
handle; E, the wheel, which is toothed upon the side and edge. The side
drives the crank of the rubber, and the edge drives the feeding rollers at the
front of the feeding board I. 9, g, the regulating screws, that raises the
rubber to set the grain; H, the joint rod that is fix'd. between the crank F
and the rubbing board C; K, K, guides of the rubber that I regulate by
screws at each end of the frame; L, L, are two plates upon the rubber to
prevent its giving way.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Todd, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirteen.
THOS TODD. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1813, the aforesaid Thomas Todd came became before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of December. in the year of our Lord
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of December. in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirteen.