IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREENS AND SIEVES, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Hill, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk,
Wire Worker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREENS AND SIEVES,
AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 24th March 1865, and dated the 27th September 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Hill at the Office
of the Commissioners of. Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th September
1864.
I, JOSEPH HILL, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Wire Worker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SCREENS AND SIEVES, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as
follows:-
According to my improvements I make the screening surfaces of screens
and sieves of a series of parallel wires or bars arranged and combined
together in such manner that the parallel bars shall be presented on the
surface, while the tyeing or cross connecting parts are considerably below the
screen surface, and so that comb teeth inserted and passed through such
surface may be drawn from end to end of the parallel wires without interrup-
tion for the purpose of clearing obstructions from the screening surface. In
making wire screens, at the intervals where cross ties are necessary I bend
and carry the longitudinal or parallel wires down below the surface and round
a cross wire disposed, say, an inch (more or less) below the surface, being
secured to such cross tie; the longitudinal wire is carried up to the surface'

page_text: again and bent at right angles, the knees or bends of the wire being brought
close together and in line with each other, so that a continuation of the wire
in a right line is presented on the surface. By this means there are no cross
binding wires on the surface, which wear away very rapidly in ordinary
screens and sieves, and no obstacle is presented to the traverse of a comb to
clear the screen as described. The clearing comb I make of an extent to
embrace the width of the screen, and with teeth to penetrate and pass through
each and every mesh or space in the breadth of its surface; this comb I
mount in guides in each side of the screen, and the workman. may traverse it
from end to end by hand when required to clear the surface; or the screen
may be provided with chain gear or racks and pinions and driving shafts to
produce the necessary traverse of the comb by a winch handle. This comb
may act in both ways, that is to say, with a double set of teeth set at the
proper angle to act either when moved from top to bottom of the screen or
vice versa. I combine and dispose the wires of sieves in-like-manner, that is
to say, without cross binding wires on the surface, but clearing combs are
not required for the same.
Instead of wires for the screen and sieve surfaces, I sometimes use parallel
bars of iron, steel, or other suitable metal, with projections on the back parts
to unite them by cross ties, which shall be considerably below the surface, as
and for the purpose before described.
In separating and spacing the wires to produce the necessary meshes in
the screens and sieves, I place washers or collars between the loops of the
wires that encircle the cross ties, all of which I tin at the points of contact, so
that the whole may be soldered together firmly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Hill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
HILL, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Wire Worker, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant-unto-me;
the said Joseph Hill, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Hill, my:
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph.

page_text: Hill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter. during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,' the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SCREENS AND SIEVES, AND IN APRARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Hill, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
: NOW. KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Hill, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
According to my improvements I make the screening surfaces of screens
and sieves of a series of parallel wires or bars arranged and combined together
in such manner that the parallel bars alone shall be presented on the surface,
while the tyeing or cross connecting parts are considerably below the screen
surface, and so that comb teeth inserted and passed through such surface may
be drawn from end to end of the parallel wires without interruption, for the
purpose of clearing obstructions from the screening surface. For wire
screens, at the intervals where cross bars are necessary I bend and carry the
longitudinal or parallel wires down below the surface and round a cross wire
disposed, say, an inch more or less below the surface, being secured to such
cross tie; the longitudinal wire is carried up to the surface again and bent
at right angles, the two knees or angles of the wire being brought close
together and in. line with each other, so that a comtiuation of the wire in á
right line is presented on the surface. By these means there are no cross
binding wires on the surface, which wear away very rapidly in ordinary
screens and sieves, and no obstacles are presented to the traverse of a comb
to clean the screen as desired. The clearing comb I make of an extent to
embrace the width of the screen, and with teeth to penetrate and pass
through each and every mesh or space in the breadth of its surface; this
comb I mount in guides in each side of the screen, and the workman may
traverse it from end to end by hand when required to clear the surface; or

page_text: the screen may be provided with chain gear or racks and pinions and
ordinary shafts, & produce the necessary traverse of the comb. by means of a
winch handle. This comb may act in both ways, that is to say, with a double
set of teeth at the proper angles to act either when moved from top to
bottom of the screen or vice versa. I combine and dispose wires of sieves in
like manner, that is to say, without cross binding wires on the surface, but
clearing combs are not required for the same.
Instead of wires for the screen surfaces, I sometimes use parallel bars of
iron or steel, with projections on the back parts to unite them by cross-ties,
which shall be considerably below-the surface, as and for the purpose before
described.
.
In separating and spacing the wires to produce the necessary meshes on the
screens and sieves, I place washers or collars between the loops of the wires
that encircle the cross tie, all of which I tin at the points of contact; so that
the whole may be soldered firmly together.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a front view of a screen and clearing comb constructed
according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is a lateral vertical section of the same;
Fig. 3 represents a part plan of the wire or screening surface on an enlarged
scale; Fig. 4,.a side view of the same, and transverse section of the tying
wires or rods; Fig. 5 represents an edge view, Fig. 6, a plan, and Fig. 7, an
end view of the clearing comb, which I use in combination with my improved
screen.
i
I may fix my improved screening surface in a frame a, a, much in the
ordinary manner, but by preference with the cross wires. or ties alone being
placed in the framework, the longitudinal ones being free at the ends, so that
the comb may be drawn off at the end; the wires b, b, are bent to the form
shown at Figs. 3 and 4, and the double or loop of each tinned, and a strong
cross wire c passed through them at intervals of from six to twelve inches
apart; between each, two wires, b, b, there is a collar d, shown separately at
Figs. 8 and 9, (the one is simply a bent wire, the other a collar,) either of
which may be used. The collar; d, wires b and c, being tinned when combined
as shown, are all soldered together by dipping in melted tin. The tinning
and soldering may all be performed at one operation, when the whole of the
screen surface is combined, as described, and represented.,
:
Instead of the screening surface being of wire, it may be bars or strips of
metal cut of the form shown in side and edge views at Fig. 10. I dispose in the
screen two longitudinal bars e, e, level with and forming part of the screening

page_text: surface; these are dovetailed or otherwise formed to receive the guide grooves
ff, fixed to the comb. In this example the bars e are round, and the
guiding sockets f formed to partially encircle them, which prevents the comb
from rising from the screening surface during its traverse. The bars e are
worked into the screening. surface, and attached to the cross wires or bars c
by through holes in projections at the back, as in the case of the bars shown
at Fig. 10; or they may be tubes fixed upon two of the longitudinal wires b
placed at a lower level. The comb consists of a backing of metal g, g, or
other suitable material, to which comb teeth h are fixed; these teeth may be
bent wires, as shown at Fig. 11, or pieces of metal, as seen in edge and side
views at Fig. 12. It will be observed that they are pointed in both directions
when in position on the screen surface. When this comb is moved on the
surface of the screen, the inclined portions of the comb teeth retain a position
such that the lower part of the incline is partially below the screen surface;
while the higher part of the same is above, consequently anything retained in
the screen surface is forced up and out by the traverse of the comb from
end to end. Two handles h', h¹, are fixed on the back of the comb, by which
it may be traversed directly by hand; but I prefer to communicate motion to
the comb by means of two shafts i, i, with chain wheels and endless chains l,
which are attached to the comb frame, the parts i, k, and l being shown in
dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. Motion is given to the upper shaft by a winch
handle m direct on the upper shaft i, or it may be through a wheel and
pinion, to multiply the power. Instead of a comb, a whalebone or other
suitable brush may be used, & the screen cleared therewith by hand.
Instead of the comb moving on two bars in the surface of the screen, it
may be fitted and move in guides formed in the sides of the screen frame.
I also apply my improvements to sieves or band screens shown in plan,
Fig. 13, and section at Fig. 14. The wires are arranged and combined as
before described with reference to the screen shown in Figs. 1 & 2, and need
not be repeated. In this case no comb is required. I form the rim P of
the hand screen of iron or tin plate, and secure the wires b, b, therein through
holes and round an outside wire r, encircling the part p. The cross wires c
I fix in the wood rim or body t, surrounding the inner lining p. The metal
tinning prevents wear on the inside of the body. I make screens in like
manner for screening various materials in the various forms required for the
several materials, such as grain and minerals. Fig. 15 represents a screen
with a hopper u to receive the grain w, being a sluice for regulating the flow
of the grain over the surface. The comb is represented at the bottom in this
Figure, from whence it may be traversed upwards to clear the surface.

page_text: Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be pro-
tected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the forming of
screening surfaces, of a series of parellel bars or wires, between which there
is free passage from end to end and to a considerable depth below the surface,
as and for the purposes herein-before described; and I also claim the application
of a comb or clearer to screen surfaces in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Hill, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
-il.
JOSEPH HILL.
L.S.)