AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING WHEAT OR OTHER GRAIN OR SEEDS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Pierre Josse, of Paris, France, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING WHEAT OR OTHER
GRAIN OR SEEDS."
Sealed the 3rd July 1868, and dated the 15th January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Pierre Josse
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th January 1863.
I, LOUIS PIERRE JOSSE, of Paris, France, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING
WHEAT OR OTHER GRAIN OR SEEDS," to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to an improved apparatus for cleansing wheat or
other grain or seeds, and separate therefrom the chaff or lighter particles and
the dust, and, if required, separate the grain or seeds in several qualities
according to their specific gravity.
The apparatus consists of a triangular box, by preference equilateral, with or
without a lid, and standing on feet of sheet metal or other material of sufficient
flexibility for allowing of imparting to the box a horizontal rectilinear to-and-
fro motion in a direction parallel to one of its sides, by the effect of which to-
and-fro motion, the grain or seeds being thrown back from one to the other
of the two remainder sides of the box, will cause the chaff or lighter particles

page_text: to rise at the top, whilst the grain, seeds, or heavier parts will advance towards
that angle or corner of the box situated perpendicularly opposite to the
direction of the:to-and-fro motion, and when arrived in that corner fall through
an aperture provided in the bottom of the box on perforated plate, strainer, or
sieve, and thereby become freed from any dust, whilst the cleaned grain. or
seeds are carried forward into a proper receiver. By the effect of the above-
mentioned to-and-fro motion imparted to the box the chaff or lighter particles
will rise on the top of the grain or seeds and be carried towards and fall over
a suitable depression in that side of the box situated parallel to the direction
of the motion. The box is fed with the wheat or other grain or seeds to be
cleansed by a hopper, shoot, or other suitable means, and in the inside of the
box is fixed one or more partitions for conducting the grain or seeds towards
the central part of the box. Several of these boxes may be connected
together lengthwise for allowing to separate the grain or seeds in several
qualities according to specific weight. Towards the centre each box may be
provided with one or more triangularly-shaped prisms for the better separation
of the chaff or lighter particles from the wheat or other grain or seeds.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Louis Pierre Josse in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th July 18683.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
PIERRE JOSSE, of Paris, France, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Louis Pierre Josse, Her special licence that I, the said
Louis Pierre Josse, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Louis Pierre Josse, 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 "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING WHEAT OR OTHER
GRAIN OR SEEDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Louis
Pierre Josse, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing

page_text: 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 Louis Pierre Josse, 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:-
The Invention relates to an improved apparatus for cleansing wheat, rye,
barley, oats, or other grain or seeds, and separate therefrom the chaff or
lighter particles, and the dust or other impurities, and, if required, sorting or
separating the grain or seeds in different qualities according to their specific
gravity.
The apparatus consists of a shallow flat box, by prèference of an equilateral
triangular shape, formed of a bottom provided all round with a narrow rim,
which box may, if required, be closed by a moveable lid, but which by pre-
ference is without such lid, so as to resemble a shallow equilateral triangular
drawer mounted either horizontally or in a slightly inclined or slanting position
with one of its corners pointing downward on three or more feet of sheet metal,.
thin wood, or other suitable material of suitable flexibility for allowing of
imparting to the said box a more or less rapid horizontal shaking, reciprocating,
or to-and-fro motion in a direction parallel to that side of the box situated
opposite the corner pointing downward, by the effect of which shaking or to-
and-fro motion the grain or seeds which from a hopper are allowed to fall into
the said box, will be continually projected and thrown back from one to the
other of the two remainder sides of the box, which will cause the chaff or
lighter particles to rise towards the side of the box situated opposite the
above mentioned corner, whereas the grain or seeds or other heavier parts
will be caused to advance towards this corner and fall through an aperture
provided in this part on one or more perforated plates, screens, strainers, or
sieves, partaking of the motion of the box in order to deprive the grain or
seeds of any dust or foreign matters with which the same are contaminated,
after which the cleansed grain or seeds fall into a proper. receiver, whereas
the chaff or lighter particles on the contrary rise on the top of the grain or
seeds and are caused to travel in opposite direction to these latter, and
take their exit from the box through a depression or aperture provided
in that side of this latter situated opposite the above-mentioned corner
pointing downward in case the box be situated in a slightly inclined or slanting

page_text: position. The inside of the box is provided with one or more partitions and
• prismatic or other obstacles for conducting the grain or seeds and for the
better separation of the chaff or lighter particles from the same, whereas the
dust or the heavy impurities, such for instance as small stones, are separated
therefrom by the already mentioned strainers, sieves, screens, or perforated plates.
In the annexed Drawings Fig. 1 represents a side, Fig. 2 a front elevation,
and Fig. 3 a top view of the apparatus; whilst Fig. 4 represents a separate
sectional view of the triangular drawer-shaped box and screens connected
thereto. The remainder of the Figures show plan views of various modifi-
cations of the said box. In all these Figures the same letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts.
The apparatus consists of a shallow box A, formed of a bottom a, b, c, by
preference of wood or sheet iron, and of an equilateral triangular shape, in the
manner as represented in Fig. 3, but which shape may be modified more or
less according to the effects which are wished to be obtained. This bottom
a, b, c, is provided round its three sides a, b, a, c, and b, c, with a narrow rim d
of only a few inches in height, so as to make the entire form a shallow open
box or drawer mounted either horizontally or in a slightly inclined or slanting
position on three or more uprights B, so as to have the corner c situated a
little below the side a, b. The lower end of the uprights B is fixed to the
floor or to a strong foot B'. The uprights or standards B are made of strong
sheet metal, wood, or any other suitable material offering sufficient flexibility
for allowing a more or less quick horizontal shaking, reciprocating, or to-and-
fro motion to be imparted to the box A and sieves or screens H, H', viz., in
the direction indicated by the arrows 1 and 2 of Figs. 2 and 3, so as to cause
the grain or seeds to be projected to and fro from one to the other of the
sides a, c, and b, c, of the box, by the effect of which the chaff or lighter
particles will rise to the top of the grain or seed, and travel towards an opening
or depression f provided in the side a, b, of the box, whilst the grain, seeds, or
heavy particles advance towards the corner c of the said box. The wheat or
other grain or seeds to be cleansed are thrown in a hopper D resting on
standards D' fixed to the foot B₁, and they are delivered from this hopper D
to the box A, the delivery of the grain or seeds being regulated by a sliding
door E worked by a screw E¹ or other suitable means. Thus, for instance,
in order to prevent the choking up of the passage for the delivery of the grain
or seeds to the box A, an agitator or shaker J, turning on a pin i, might be
caused to move to and fro at each motion of the box A by the effect of two
stops acting alternately on the free end of the agitator J. A partition G
conducts the grain or seeds towards the central part of the box, whilst by the

page_text: intensity and quickness of the horizontal to-and-fro motion imparted to the
apparatus a separation will take place in the box A between the chaff or
lighter particles and the grain or seeds, which latter will advance towards the
corner c, as shown by the arrow 3, and through an opening C, provided in that
part in the bottom of the box, fall on a sieve, screen, or perforated plate H,
and, if required, from this on another H', and so on till the grain or seeds are
sufficiently cleansed, the perforations, mashes, or openings of these screens
H, H, depending of course of the nature of the grain or seeds to be acted
upon, it being consequently required that the said screens, perforated plates,
or sieves H, H' be arranged and connected in such manner to the box A as
to allow of easily replacing them by others, whilst in order to get rid of the
dust or earth adhering to the grain or seeds, the bottom a, b, c, of the box A
may be provided with proper perforations for the dust or earth to fall through.
During the to-and-fro motion imparted to the box A, the chaff and other
particles lighter than the grain or seeds will by this motion be caused to rise
at the top of these latter, and advance or travel in an opposite direction to that
of this grain or seeds, that is to say, this chaff or lighter particles will advance
towards an opening or depression of provided in the rim of the side a, b, of the
box A, and from thence fall into a proper receiver for these impurities.
This travelling or advancing in an opposite direction to each other of the
grain or seeds and the chaff or lighter particles forms the conspicuous part or
principle of my Invention. As for the above-mentioned horizontal shaking
or to-and-fro motion, the same may be imparted to the apparatus either by
hand or by any suitable prime mover and suitable connecting machinery.
The intensity and quickness must be such as to cause the grain or seeds to be
cleansed to be projected to-and-fro from one to the other of the two sides a, c,
and b, c, of the box A, and obtain the due separation of the lighter from the
heavier parts so as to cause the one to travel in one and the others in the
opposite direction in the said box. This horizontal reciprocating or to-and-
fro motion to be imparted to the box A may, however, instead of a continuous
be an intermittent one.
The Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, show various modifications in the
arrangement of the separating box A. In Fig. 5 the grain or seeds enter the
box at g, and are conducted towards the rims of the sides a, c, and b, c, by
the partitions G and G and the indented prisms or obstacles k, which partitions
and obstacles are securely fixed to the bottom a, b, c, of the box, and are of
the same height as the rim of this latter. The exit of the grain or seeds is
shown by the arrow y, and that of the chaff or lighter particles by the arrows, ¹,
they leaving the box by the openings or depressions f. f. Fig. 6 shows a box

page_text: provided with another form of obstacle k. In the Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10, the
sides a, c,and b, c, are provided with angular indentations m and n, the said
indentations corresponding together in the Figs. 7 & 8, whilst in the Figs. 9 & 10
the angle of each indentation m of the side a, c, is situated opposite one of the
sides of the corresponding angles of the indentation n of the opposite side b, c,
of the box. In Fig. 9 the box is divided into a series of smaller boxes A',
As, As, and more if required, by which means the greater part of the
chaff or lighter particles of the grain or seeds in the first box A¹ take their exit
at f, whilst tho grain or seeds or heavier particles enter the second box A';
again, the lighter part of the grain or seeds in this second box A' will be
separated from the heavier ones and take their exit by f, whilst the heavier
ones arrive in the box A³, where again a separation between the lighter and
the heavier grain, seeds, or other parts takes place, and so on till the last box,
from where the heaviest grain, seeds, or other parts will fall on the screens or
sieves, whilst the lighter parts leave at fa; by this apparatus a sorting or
separating of the grain or seeds according to their difference in specific
gravity will consequently take place, and the various qualities be gathered at
the openings f, ff, and at the sieves or screens. In Fig. 8 two entirely
separate boxes, A4 and A5, are combined in one apparatus, and in Fig. 11 the
obstacle k contains the screens H.
From what has been just explained it will be obvious that many more
modifications in the arrangement or shape of the separating box or boxes may
be devised without interfering with the general arrangement of the apparatus
or departing from its principle or main feature of working, viz., obtaining the
separation of the good grain, seeds, or heavy parts from the chaff or lighter
parts by causing these latter to travel in an opposite direction to the first one
by the effect of a horizontal reciprocating motion transmitted to the
box A.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of my Inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is or may be put into effect, I wish it
to be understood that I do not intend to restrain or restrict myself to the
exact details of the apparatus hereabove described and illustrated in the
Drawings as long as the main features or working principle of the Invention
be retained, but what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim
as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the general arrangement of the above described apparatus for
cleansing wheat or other grain or seeds from chaff, dust, or other impurities or
extraneous matters mixed therewith, in which apparatus the separation of the
chaff or of the lighter particles from the grain, seeds, or heavier parts is

page_text: principally effectuated in a triangularly-shaped box or boxes by the effect of a
suitable horizontal shaking, or reciprocating, or to-and-fro motion imparted to
the said box or boxes, the said chaff or lighter particles being by this motion
caused to rise to the top, travel, and take their exit from the said box or boxes
in an opposite direction to that of the grain, seeds, or heavier parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Pierre Josse, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
my
Witness,
DREYFOUS,
Eng. Civil.
L. P. JOSSE. (L.S.)