A NEW AND IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HULLING GRAIN
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
March 1864. A communication from abroad by James Henry Thompson,.
of Hoboken, and John Hedges Lidgerwood, of Morris Town, both in the
State of New Jersey, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "A NEW AND IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HULLING
GRAIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the employment or use of a rotary buller,
composed of one or more frustums of cones, placed or arranged within
conical shell, and corrugated or fluted, and otherwise constructed as herein
set forth, whereby the hull or cuticle may be removed from grain very expe-
ditiously, and without breaking or crushing the same. The attrition produced
by the rubbing of the grains, in contact with each other is depended upon for
performing the work, and not the direct contact of moving surfaces with the
grain, such as corrugated plates and the like, hitherto employed.
The Invention is applicable to the hulling of various kinds of grain, such
as coffee, rice, wheat, and other berries or cereals. The case to receive the
conical huller is made of cast iron, and is of conical form and placed in an
inverted position in the framing. A shaft passes vertically and centrally
through the case, and is supported at its lower end in a step. The upper part
of the shaft has its bearing in a cross bar, which extends centrally across the

page_text: upper end of the case. On this shaft there are placed one or more frustums
of cones varying in size, the upper one being the largest, the next one below
somewhat smaller, and the lowest one still smaller. The lower edge of each
frustum corresponds nearly to the inner surface of the case, a space being
allowed between of sufficient width to admit of the passage of a single grain
all around the lower end of each part or frustum. At the upper end of each
frustum there is a much wider space to admit of several grains being side by
side. The lower end of each frustum is circular and concentric with the case,
but their upper parts do not form a perfect circle; each has three prominences
or projections at its upper end, and these prominences "gradually lose them-
selves as they proceed downward, and are entirely lost at the bottom of each
frustum, which is fluted spirally or longitudinally, and to the upper surface of
the upper frustum there is attached a circular plate, which fits snugly in the
upper part of the case, but is allowed to rotate within. The three frustums
form a huller, which is driven by suitable gear. As the huller is rotated it
performs two functions, to wit: it feeds downward by means of the fluted
projections, and it also serves to move the kernels or grains one past the other,
keeping the same in motion, and removing the hulls therefrom by the attrition
caused by the contact of one grain with another. The kernels or grains
as they pass down are gradually restricted in space at the bottom of each
frustum, and they are thus subjected to a consecutive number of operations
corresponding to the number of frustums. The hulled grain is discharged
through spouts or openings at the bottom of the case, and these openings may
be provided with gates to regulate the discharge, and thereby subject the grain
to the action of the huller for a greater or less period of time as circumstances
may require.