IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE SKIN OR PEEL FROM OTHEROOTS, AND REMOVING PEAS AND OTHER SEEDS FROM THEIR SHELLS OR PODS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lamb Hancock, of Ley Hill, Sutton
Coldfield, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE SKIN OR PEEL FROM
LETTERS PATENT to James Lamb Hancock, of Ley Hill, Sutton
Coldfield, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE SKIN OR PEEL FROM
POTATOES AND OTHER ROOTS, AND FOR REMOVING PEAS AND OTHER SEEDS FROM
THEIR SHELLS OR PODS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lamb Hancock
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th December 1870.
I, JAMES LAMB HANCOCK, of Ley Hill, Sutton Coldfield, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE SKIN OR PEEL
FROM POTATOES AND OTHER ROOTS, AND POR REMOVING PEAS AND OTHER SEEDS
FROM THEIR SHELLS OR PODS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to apparatus for removing the skin or peel from
potatoes and other roots, and peas and seeds from their shells or pods,
and consists of a tube or other vessel in which a perforated or false

page_text: bottom or grating is arranged for supporting the potatoes or other roots, or
seeds to be acted upon. The upper part of the vessel has a strap or cross
bar or a cover, through which a spindle passes for carrying a circular
or segmental brush; this spindle has a spring or screw arrangement
on it so that the pressure of the brush upon the roots or seed pods can
be adjusted and determined. This spindle can be rotated in any con-
venient manner, but I prefer to place a pinion (bevil) on it, and gear it
with another pinion on a horizontal shaft or spindle so that it can be
turned by a crank handle from the side. I propose to fit a door or a
pocket in or to the side of the vessel through which the roots can be
inserted or removed. The lower part of the vessel is supplied with
water, and as the brush or brushes is or are rotated their pressure is
sufficient to peel off or remove the outer skin which falls through the
perforated or grated bottom. If segmental brushes are used a space or
opening can be left in the back plate, through which the roots to be
peeled can be inserted. The brushes can be made of wire, bass, stiff grass,
bristles, or other suitable material, either alone or in combination, or
the brushes may be of india-rubber alone or in combination with some of
the above materials, in which case the same apparatus would be available
for removing peas or other seeds from these pods or shells. For this
purpose no water would be required, and instead of the outer covering
or shell passing through the perforations the peas or seeds would pass.
Other brushes may be arranged on the bottom or on the false bottom
if necessary.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Lamb Hancock in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LAMB HANCOCK, of Ley Hill, Sutton Coldfield, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Lamb Hancock, Her
special licence that I, the said James Lamb Hancock, my executors,

page_text: administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Lamb
Hancock, 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 APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE SKIN OR PEEL
FROM POTATOES AND OTHER ROOTS, AND FOR REMOVING PEAS AND OTHER SEEDS
FROM THEIR SHELLS OR PODS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said James Lamb Hancock, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 calender
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Lamb Hancock, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to apparatus for removing the skin or peel
from potatoes and other roots, and peas and seeds from their shells or
pods, and consists of a tub or other vessel in which a perforated or false
bottom or grating is arranged for supporting the potatoes or other roots
or seeds to be acted upon. The upper part of the vessel has a strap
or cross bar or a cover, through which a spindle passes for carrying a
circular or segmental brush; this spindle has a spring or screw arrange-
ment on it so that the pressure of the brush upon the roots or seed
pods can be adjusted and determined. This spindle can be rotated in
any convenient manner, but I prefer to place a pinion (bevil) on it, and
gear it with another pinion on a horizontal shaft or spindle, so that it
can be turned by a crank handle from the side. I propose to fit a door
or a pocket in or to the side of the vessel, through which the roots
can be inserted or removed. The lower part of the vessel is supplied
with water, and as the brush or brushes is or are rotated their pressure
is sufficient to peel off or remove the outer skin, which falls through the
perforated or grated bottom. If segmental brushes are used a space
or opening can be left in the back plate, through which the roots to

page_text: be peeled can be inserted.
The brushes can be made of wire, bass,
stiff grass, bristles, or other suitable materials either alone or in com-
bination, or the brushes may be of india-rubber alone or in combination
with some of the above materials, in some cases the same apparatus
would be available for removing peas or other seeds from their pods or
shells. For this purpose no water would be required, and instead of the
outer coverings or shells passing through the perforations, the peas or
seeds would pass, other brushes may be arranged on the bottom or on
the false bottom if necessary.
The manner of carrying my Invention into effect is represented in
the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation and
Figure 2 a plan of an apparatus for removing the skin from potatoes or
other roots of a similar nature. It is composed chiefly of a tub or
vessel a provided with a fixed bottom 6 and also with a partition or
false bottom c upon which the potatoes or other roots are placed. The
false bottom has rows or bunches of bristles, which may be of wire,
bass, stiff grass, or other material, or a combination of materials arranged
in any suitable manner for peeling, hulling, or podding the articles.
The false bottom c is perforated or formed with slits to allow the refuse
removed from the roots to fall through into the space between it and
the bottom proper as will be understood by referring to Figures 3 and 4
which are respectively a sectional clevation, and a sectional plan of
the same tub a. Above the tub is a brace or metal strap d for
supporting a central spindle e on which is free to slide a bevil pinion f
which receives motion from another pinion g on a horizontal shaft h
turned by a winch handle i on the outside. The central spindle e is
cupped at its upper end for a pressure screw j to take into when a
pressure has to be put upon the upper brush k after the articles are
placed inside. In the Figures I have shown a flap with a metal band
upon it, one end of which takes under the lip m while the other end is
holed to pass over the threaded end of a bolt n so that it can be secured
in place by a thumbscrew or nut o. The opening covered by this flap
serves for the admission and the withdrawal of the articles. It will be
seen that the central spindle e is square at a part of its length to permit
it to slide up and down to suit the height or quantity of the articles
which may be placed in the inside of the tub and upon which the upper
brush bears. The middle of the false bottom has a circular plate p
standing up, and this acts as a guide to the upper brush through the

page_text: block q which works in it, thus the vertical motion of the upper
brush is preserved. I make a plug hole r at the side of the tub near
the bottom for drawing off the water and the refuse when required,
and I close this hole by a plug or stopper & to retain the water in the
tub during the cleansing of the articles. A pipe or gutter t may be
connected to the tub to lead the water and refuse in any direction. The
legs of the strap are firmly attached to the tub by bolts or other fasteners,
the heads of which pass through the tub as shown. I do not in all
cases make the strap a fixture to the tub, as for some kinds of articles
and for facilities of empting or other purpose I hinge it to the legs
as shown in Figure 5, by this means the whole of the upper part with
the upper brush and the gearing can be thrown over to permit of the
whole of the interior being got at with freedom. In this case I pass a
pin u through the eye of the cross bar to hold the strap firm when
it is brought over and above the tub. Figure 6 represents a modi-
fication of the above described apparatus. Here the pressure of the upper
brush upon the articles is obtained through a lever w connected by a
link x to the central spindle e, the lower end of the link being swivelled.
to the spindle so that the latter can turn therein. In this Figure I
have dispensed with the hole in the upper brush for the insertion of
the articles, and in lieu thereof I form a kind of hopper z at one side of
the tub to lead the articles into the space where the brushes are situated,
and I also fit a door at the opposite side so that the articles can be
withdrawn through its opening when desired. The rows or bunches
of bristles or the brushes may be arranged in concentric rings in
alternate layers so that the bunches of the upper brush will pass between
the rings of the lower one, as will be understood by reference to
Figure 7, which represents a shallow tub or case such as could be used
for hulling rice, or other seed or grain, whether the apparatus is used
with or without water. In this Figure I have shown the central
spindle as being turned by a winch handle at its upper end, but
it can have the bevil gearing if desired, and this may be driven by
the crank handle or by a strap running over the pulley, as seen in
Figure 6.

page_text: In some cases the false bottom may be made to revolve either by itself
or in combination with the upper brush, and it may work in a contrary
direction if found suitable.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
Firstly. The general construction and arrangement of apparatus for
removing the skin or peel from potatoes and other roots and for removing
peas and other seeds from their shells or pods, substantially as described
and shown.
Secondly. I claim the modifications of apparatus when used in the
manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lamb Hancock, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
JAMES LAMB HANCOCK. (L.S.)