Year: 1886

page_text: 114
I, JOSEPH REYNOLDS MERRIHEW of the City County and State of New York
United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 has for its object to provide certain improvements in coffee
hullers, and more particularly in the hulling mechanism therefor, whereby the
hulling operation is rendered more efficient and satisfactory and the durability of
the hulling devices is increased.
4. T
To these ends my invention consists in the improvements which I will now
proceed to describe.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1, represents an end elevation of a machine embodying my invention.
Figure 2 represents a vertical transverse section of the same.
Figure 3 represents a perspective view of one of the rubbers or strippers.
It will be understood that the feeding devices form no part of the present
invention, but are only herein illustrated and described, as showing a convenient
arrangement to be employed in connection with the present improvements.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in these figures.
A represents the supporting frame of a coffee huller having bearings. for the
arbor B, of the serrated hulling cylinder C, and for the driving shaft D, which
is geared with, and rotates, the said arbor and cylinder.
EE E, represent a series of rubbers or strippers which cooperate with the
cylinder in hulling the coffee berries, and have certain peculiarities of construction
hereinafter described.
f represents the hopper from which the berries are supplied to the cylinder and
strippers.
I provide in the lower portion of the hopper a feed roll I, which is connected by
a belt to a pulley on the arbor of the cylinder C, as shown in dotted lines in
Figure 2, and is rotated thereby. Over the feed roll I is located a horizontal
toothed plate or comb J having teeth separated by slots or spaces of sufficient
width to permit coffee berries to pass easily between the said teeth. The comb J,
is attached to a horizontal slide or bar K which is adapted to be reciprocated
longitudinally in line with the roll I, and which is moved first in one direction and

page_text: then in the reverse direction, by two cams L L', projecting from opposite sides of
a disc M, attached to the arbor of the roll I, the said cams acting alternately on
lugs or fingers N N, projecting from the bar K.
The acting surface or periphery of the cylinder C is composed of a series of
serrated plates 8 bolted to the body of the cylinder, each plate being detachable, so
that it can be readily renewed or repaired. The rubbers or strippers E are short
and narrow plates or arms arranged in several series or rows on rods or pivots t
which are secured to a concave or casing u and are substantially parallel with the
axis of the cylinder. A number of strippers are placed on each rod, each stripper
being adapted to oscillate on its rod independently of the others. Each stripper is
provided on its inner side with a serrated plate 2 of chilled steel having inde-
pendent pyramidal teeth, as shown in Figure 3. The said plate is fitted to a seat
or recess on the stripper arm, and is secured to the latter by a central screw 3
arranged so that the plate 2 can be removed, reversed, and again attached to the
arm E by the same screw, thus enabling the end of the serrated plate which is
nearest the pivot, to be placed nearest the outer end of the stripper arm in position
to cooperate with the cylinder in hulling, the part nearest the pivot being too far
from the cylinder to act with any force on the coffee berries, but simply serving to
guide the berries to the acting portion of the plate. Thus all portions of the
serrated surface of the plate can be utilized for hulling. Against the outer ends of
the stripper arms bear springs w which are preferably india-rubber blocks, although
they may be of spiral wire if preferred. The said springs are supported against
outward pressure by flanged metal plates or. holders a¹. The said holders extend
across the concave or casing u and are supported at their ends by screw bolts 61
passing through tapped sockets in the said concave, and having reduced surfaced
ends entering sockets in the holders. The said bolts enable the holders a¹ to be
moved toward or from the concave, so as to decrease or increase the pressure of the
springs won the strippers. The strippers are thus permitted to approach the
cylinder as nearly as may be desirable to enable them to act on the smallest berries,
but are prevented from actual contact with the cylinder, by screws 81 passing
through the concave and bearing against shorter arms or lugs at the rear ends of
the strippers, the said screws holding the longer arms of the strippers against the
springs. The springs w constitute yielding backings for the strippers and cause
them to exert a yielding pressure on the coffee berries passing between the cylinder,
and the strippers. This pressure is regulated by the holders a¹, and the above
described means for adjusting the said holders, and thus the strippers are adapted
to coffee berries requiring different degrees of pressure.
The concave u is pivotted at its lower end, to the frame A at d¹ and bears at its
upper end against the hopper for other fixed part of the frame. e¹ represents a
rod journalled at one end in a bearing f1 secured to the frame A, and having its
opposite end screw-threaded, and screwed into a socket g¹ which is pivotted to the
concave. The concave or casing and its strippers may be adjusted toward or from
the cylinder by rotating the rod e¹ which is provided with a hand-wheel h¹ for this
purpose. Thus a simultaneous adjustment of all the strippers may be effected.
The upper end of the concave is preferably provided with a lug ¹ in which works
a threaded bolt adapted to bear against the side of the hopper and constituting
an adjustable stop which limits the movements of the concave toward the cylinder.
It will be seen that the improved hulling mechanism is simple, durable, and
effective, and admits of a considerable variety of adjustment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
First. The combination, with a serrated cylinder C, and concave u, of a series of
serrated strippers pivotted in their middle portion in the concave adjusting screws
bearing upon the strippers on one side of the pivots, and adjusting screws carrying

page_text: a yielding connection bearing upon the strippers on the opposite sides of the pivots,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Second. The combination of the cylinder C, concave u, serrated strippers pivotted
in the concave, adjusting screws 8¹, bearing upon the upper ends of the strippers
and yielding adjusting screws 61, a¹, w, bearing upon the lower ends of the strippers,
as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Third. The combination, with the toothed cylinder, of the strippers pivotted in
tangential relation with the cylinder, comprising the arms E, and serrated plates 2,
detachably secured to the said arms and adapted to be reversed to bring different
portions of their surfaces into stripping action, as set forth.
Fourth. The combination of the toothed cylinder, the pivotted concave, the
strippers pivotted to the said concave, and the rod e¹, for adjusting the concave and
its strippers, as set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.