Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting and Grading Potatoes, Onions, and the like..
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting and Grading Potatoes,
Onions, and the like..
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON SNYDER of Orangeville, County of Trumbull,,Ohio, U.S.A.,
Master Mechanic, 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 relates to an apparatus for separating and grading potatoes, onions,
and other vegetables, whereby the articles: to be graded will, by means of a series of,
inclinod vibrating screens be first separated from dirt and then graded, according to
their size.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of this invention..
Fig. 2a horizontal section on line of Fig. 1
Fig. 3, a central vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus..
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 enlarged views of details.
1 is the supporting fraine on the top of which near one end; is, attached a hopper. 2.
to receive the articles to be graded:
3. is an inclined screen located in the frame 1 and having its upper end-just below
the hopper 2, this end being, as shewn in, Fig. 1, preferably, slightly, bent down into,
nearly a horizontal plane. Saiduscreen is provided at its lower end with a transverse
hood 4 open at bottom but curving over to prevent the articles from being discharged,
over the top. The screen 3is pivotally supported in the frame at a point between
the middle and upper end thereof by means of, a bracket 5 projecting downwardly
from its under side and apertured to receive. a pin 6 projecting upwardly from the
cross beam 7 of the frame 1. At its lower end, the screen is supported by hangers 8
engaging with eyes 9 on the sides of the screen and formed into hooks 10 at their
upper ends to engage with and hang from hooks.11.in. the frame. The hangers are
also provided with supplemental hooks: 12; for engaging with hooks, 11. when it is
desired-to decrease the inclination of the screen..
13 is another screen placed beneath. screen.3 but inclined in the opposite direction
and pivotted, upon the cross beam 14.by means of the bracket, 15, and pin, 16, in a
manner. similar to the screen:3.. At its lower end the hangers 17 hooked to the frame
and formed with additional hooks like the hangers 8; afford the, necessary, support, and
a hood. 18 similar to. hood.4 and for a like purpose, is provided..
19 is a board hinged to the frame and supported by side straps 20 slotted to engage
with pins 21 on the frame. This eboards is for the purpose of supporting a suitable
receptacle for the articles as they pass off the end of screen 3.
22.is.a.transverse.chute located beneath the upper end of screen 3 and inclining to
one side.
The screens are oblong in general dimensions and, made, wholly of metal. They
have an upwardly projecting rim on the two sides and at one end; and a downwardly
.projecting flange. The wires forming the screening surface extend longitudinally the
entire length of the screen, are parallel to each other, in the parallel part, and at the
diverging end, diverge uniformly. When the screens are oscillated laterally, at their
lower ends, the movement.at the pivotted point is slight and increases, thence, to, the
upper end. This causes the dirt and impurities to be separated at the:: parallel; wires
and the articles to move, slowly along to. the diverging, wire, section. The wires in
screen 3 are farther apart than those of screen, 13.
:

page_text: The screens
are agitated by the following means:-Attached to the vertical
beam 25 of the frame is a bracket 26 supporting therein a shaft 27 carrying on its
inner end a toothed wheel 28 and on its outer end a crank handle 29. or instead of
this latter a pulley may be provided to be driven from a motor through a belt.
Engaging with the wheel 28 is a pinion 30 mounted on a shaft 31 also supported in
the bracket 26 and carrying at its inner end a disc 32 excentrically connected to the
rod 33. The rod passes longitudinally along the frame and is connected at its other
end with the bell crank lever 34 mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft 35
carried by suitable brackets 36 on the vertical beam 37 of the frame. The sbaft 35
carries the arm 38 connected by means of the rod 39 with the bell crank lever 40 also
supported by the bracket 26. The free ends of the bell crank levers 34 and 40 are
connected by rods 41, 42, with the plates 43, 44, attached to the sides of the
screens 3, 13, respectively. These plates are provided with a series of holes for
receiving the hooked ends of rods 41, 42, whereby provision may be made for the
variation in the distance between the screens and the bell crank levers due to the
former being raised or lowered by their hangers 8, 17.
"1
In use, the potatoes or other vegetables to be graded and sorted are. charged into
the hopper 2 passing thence on to the nearly horizontal portion of the screen 3, a
vibrating motion being imparted to the latter and to the screen 13 through the
mechanism above described. Before the articles can pass on to the more inclined
portion of the screen 3 any dirt with which they may be mixed will pass through the
screen on to the chute 22 whence it will be discharged into a suitable receptacle at
one side of the frame. The articles will now pass slowly down the wires of the
screen 3, the smaller ones dropping throngh on to Ecreen 13, whilst the larger ones
will pass off at the end of the screen 3 into a receptacle placed upon the board 19.
The articles dropping on to screen 13 will again be subdivided, the smaller ones
dropping through into a suitable receptacle, whilst the larger ones will pass down the
screen and off its end into another receptacle. Thus the articles are divided into
three different grades according to size.
By gradually widening the screening wires a constant screening takes place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
* 1. The combination, in a screen for vegetable graders, of a screening surface formed
with wires of the same diameter throughout its length, placed parallel to each other in
a section formed at one end, thence to its opposite end said wires and the sides of said
screen diverging uniformly from each other, said screen provided with an upwardly
projecting rim at each of its sides and at its narrow end, a downwardly projecting
Hange at each side and at its broad end which has secured to it a hood extending
across its top and turned down over the end, said screen provided with a bracket on
its under side at the point of divergence of said wires for pivotally supporting one end
of the screen, means for attaching hangers to the broad end of the same and means
for connecting said end with oscillating mechanism, substantially as described and
shewn.
2. A vegetable grader consisting of a supporting frame and hopper and having a
series of inversely inclined screens one above another and each having a section of its
upper end formed of wires placed parallel, the wires diverging uniformly from said
section to the lower end of the screen, the screens pivotally supported at the junction
of the two sections thereof and supported at the lower ends by hangers and having
means in connection with the same for their oscillation whereby a lateral rubbing and
retarded movement is imparted to the vegetables in the upper ends of said screens to
remove the dirt therefrom before entering the diverging portion of the screens
substantially as described and shewn.
3. In a vegetable grader, the combination of a series of inversely inclined screens
one above another, supported at their lower ends by bangers and resting on pivota
supports at an intermediate point from the middle of the screen and the upper end

page_text: thereof, the screens from their upper ends to the point where pivotally supported
having their wires placed parallel to each other, thence to the lower end diverging
uniformly and means for oscillating the lower ends laterally, substantially as described
and shewn.
4. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the vegetable
grader and the means for operating the same, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1897.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.