Improvements in Coffee Hullers and Polishers, or Machines for Removing the Husk from Coffee-berries and Polishing them.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 1st Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coffee Hullers and Polishers, or Machines for
Removing the Husk from Coffee-berries and Polishing them.
I, WILLIAM ANTHONY DIESELDORFF, of Hollywood, 141 Sunderland Road, Forest
Hill, in the County of Surrey, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to improvements in coffee hullers or machines for removing
the husk from coffee-berries. Machines have heretofore been constructed for this
purpose in which the hulling chamber and the rotary cone or stirrer therein have
each been provided with ribs or projections forming parts of continuous screw
threads having a rapidly increasing pitch as they proceeded downward.
There are several objections to such machines. Amongst these the following may
be mentioned. They discharge the hulled berries at one side of the hulling chamber,
which consequently cannot be automatically or readily emptied of the whole of the
berries treated; considerable power is absorbed in causing the necessary movement
of the berries amongst themselves to effect the hulling operation, and the berries
become heated and sometimes broken or damaged.
Now the object of my invention is to obviate the foregoing disadvantages.
For this purpose, the hulling chamber and the rotary mixing cone or stirrer therein,
are each formed or provided with a series of short projections, those on the inner side
of the hulling chamber being arranged in horizontal circular rows as also are those on
the rotary cone or stirrer but these are inclined and spirally arranged in such a
manner as to form a series of interrupted screw threads the parts of which are at such
a distance apart, vertically as to permit of the free passage between them of the
projections fixed to the hulling chamber, without danger of crushing or damaging the
coffee-berries treated. The hulling chamber is provided at its bottom with a vertically
movable closure, that may advantageously be of conical form, and is carried by a
counterbalanced lever. The arrangement of the projections is such that during the
operation of the machine, the coffee-berries will be compressed and caused to move in
contact with one another with sufficient friction to effect the hulling in a rapid and
efficient manner.
The coffee-berries whilst being hulled are constantly pressed downward by the
spirally arranged projections on the cone or stirrer the hulled berries and husk there-
from pressing on the movable bottom or closure with sufficient force to open it and
allow of the continuous discharge of the berries with all the refuse and dust produced
during the hulling operation, through the bottom of the chamber onto a suitable shoot
or conveyor. The cone or stirrer may be rotated by any suitable means such for
example as bevel gearing.
The hulling chamber and rotary cone or stirrer may be of various forms. Good
results may be obtained with the bulling chamber and stirrer, each in the form of two
truncated cones placed base to base; or with a chamber in the form of a cylinder
provided with projections as before, the inner cone or stirrer being of corresponding
shape and arranged to ensure an equal distance all round between the two; or the
chamber may be in the form of a cylinder and hopper with conical base the cone or
stirrer being of corresponding form.
11
901
T
1000
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant

page_text: .
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coffee Hullers and Polishers, or Machines for
Removing the Husk from Coffee-berries and Polishing them.
I, WILLIAM ANTHONY DIESELDORFF, of Hollywood, 141 Sunderland Road, Forest
Hill, in the County of Surrey, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion 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 improvements in coffee hullers or machines for removing
the husk from coffee-berries. Machines have heretofore been constructed for this
purpose in which the hulling chamber and the rotary cone or stirrer therein have each
been provided with ribs forming continuous screw threads having a rapidly increasing
pitch as they proceeded downward.
There are several objections to such machines; amongst these the following may
be mentioned. They discharge the hulled berries at one side of the hulling chamber,
which consequently cannot be automatically or readily emptied of the whole of the
berries treated and the dust therefrom accumulates in the hulling chamber and
frequently causes the color or appearance of the coffee berries to be injuriously
affected; considerable power is absorbed in causing the necessary movement of the
berries amongst themselves to effect the hulling operation; and the berries are
subjected to unequal pressure at different parts of the hulling chamber and discharge
passage and are thereby heated and sometimes broken or damaged.
Now the object of my invention is to obviate the foregoing disadvantages. For
this purpose, the hulling chamber and the rotary mixing cone or stirrer therein, are
each forined or provided with a series of short projections, those on the inner side of
the hulling chamber being arranged in horizontal annular rows as also are those on
the rotary cone or stirrer but these are inclined and so arranged as to act after the
manner of a series of interrupted screw threads of equal pitch the parts of which are
at such a distance apart vertically as to pass freely between the projections fixed to the
hulling chamber, without danger of crushing or damaging the coffee-berries treated.
The hulling chamber is provided at its bottom with a vertically movable closure,
that may advantageously be of conical form, and is carried by a counterbalanced
lever.
The cone or stirrer may be rotated by any suitable means such for example as bevel
gearing.
The hulling chamber and rotary cone or stirrer may be of various forms. Good
results are obtained with the hulling chamber and stirrer each in the form of two
truncated cones placed base to base; and with a chamber in the form of a cylinder
provided with projections as before, the inner cone or stirrer being of corresponding
shape and arranged to ensure an equal distance all round between the two.
In the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 are elevations at right angles to each other of a coffee huller and
polisher according to this invention.
Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but with one half of the hulling chamber removed,
and the rotary stirrer in vertical section.
Figs. 4 and 5 are developed views of one half of the hulling chamber and stirrer
respectively.
Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional detail views of one of the projections on the hulling
chamber.
Fig. 8 is a vertical section illustrating a modified form of hulling chamber and
rotary stirrer.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, 1 is a bulling chamber having a discharge
opening 2 at its bottom, and a conical hopper 3 at its top. This hulling chamber
which in the arrangement shown is in the form of two hollow truncated cones placed
base to base, is with its hopper 3 made in two parts bolted together as shown and
supported by a frame 1ª, 4 is a rotary stirrer arranged centrally with the hulling

page_text: chamber with which it corresponds in shape. This stirrer is fixed upon a vertical
driving shaft 5 that works in bearings 6 and 7 and receives motion from a main
horizontal driving shaft 8 through bevel wheels 9 and 10 fixed upon the shafts 8 and 5
respectively. By constructing the hulling chamber in two parts as shown, access can
be readily gained to its interior and to the rotary stirrer without interference with
the driving mechanism. 4ª is a cap fitting tightly on the bush constituting
the bearing 6; it serves to prevent the entrance of dust to the bearing surfaces at
this part. The hulling chamber is provided on its inner side with a series of
projections 11 arranged in horizontal annular rows, as shown more clearly in the
developed view Fig. 4. These projections are each placed at right angles to the
inner surface of the hulling chamber and extend in a horizontal direction.
The rotary stirrer 4 is also provided with horizontal annular rows of projections 12
with each projection arranged at right angles to the surface of the stirrer, but these
projections are inclined or extend downward as shown, after the manner of parts of
screw threads.
These projections 12 are equally inclined or of equal pitch as shown so that when
the stirrer is rotated in the direction of the arrow Fig. 5 coffee berries within the
hulling chamber will be subjected to pressure that will be equal all around the stirrer
and hulling chamber.
The inclined projections 12 are as hereinbefore mentioned at such a distance apart
vertically as to permit of the free passage between them of the horizontal pro-
jections 11 without danger of crushing or damaging the coffee berries treated. 13 is a
vertically movable bottom or closure of conoidal form adapted to closo the circular
opening 2 at the bottom of the hulling chamber but which when opened as herein-
after described permits of the continuous discharge of hulled berries and husk all
around the bottom of the hulling chamber. This closure has connected thereto a
sleeve 14 that is capable of sliding upon the shaft 5 and guiding the closure vertically
when the same is moved. The sleeve has jointed thereto by a pin and slot connection
a lever 15 that is jointed at one end to a fixed support 16 and at the other end is
connected by a link 17 to one end of a bent lever 18 the other end of which carries
an adjustable weight 19. This weight so adjusted that the closure 13 will be raised
in an automatic manner into a position to close the bottom of the hulling chamber
when the machine is at rest with no coffee berries in such chamber but will permit the
closure to move downward, so as to open the bottom of the hulling chamber when
the machine is in operation, by the action on such closure of the berries which will
consequently be all subjected to an approximately equal pressure whilst within the
hulling chamber. By adjusting the position of the weight 19 the pressure to which
the berries are subjected can be varied as desired.
With the construction described and shown when the rotary stirrer is rotated in the
direction of the arrow Fig. 5 and coffee berries to be hulled are fed into the hulling
chamber, these berries will be compressed by the inclined projections 12 and will be
caused to move in contact with one another with sufficient friction to effect the hulling
and polishing of the berries in a rapid and efficient manner.
The horizontal pro-
jections 11 serve to prevent the berries being carried bodily around the hulllng
chamber by the projections 12.
The coffee-berries whilst being hulled are constantly pressed downward by the
inclined projections 12 on the cone or stirrer 4 the hulled berries and husk therefrom
pressing on the movable bottom or closure 13 with sufficient force to open it in an
automatic manner against the action of the weighted lever 18 and allow of the
continuous circumferential discharge of the berries with all the refuse and dust
produced during the hulling operation through the bottom of the hulling chamber onto
a suitable shoot or conveyor 20.
When the machine comes to rest the bottom or closure 13 will rise and prevent
further escape of berries from the hulling chamber.
The hulling chamber 1 and rotary stirrer 4 instead of being of conical form as
shown in Figs. 1 to 5 can each be of cylindrical form as shown in Fig. 8 which shows
in vertical section one half of such a chamber and stirrer.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A coffee huller and polisher constructed with a hulling chamber having annular
rows of projections and a rotary mixing cone or stirrer having annular rows of
inclined projections adapted to travel when the mixing cone or stirrer is rotated
between the projections of the hulling chamber as described.
2. In a coffee huller and polisher having a hulling chamber with a rotary cone or
stirrer therein, the construction of the hulling chamber with an exit opening at its
bottom furnished with a movable closure adapted to permit of the escape of hulled
berries and husk from the hulling chamber when the machine is in operation and to
prevent escape of berries and husk when the machine is not in operation as
described.
3. My improved coffee huller and polisher as described and shewn.
W. A DIESELDORFF.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.