An Improved Machine for Mixing or Blending, Cutting, and Sifting Tea.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd July, 1893-Accepted, 9th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Mixing or Blending, Cutting, and
Sifting Tea.
I WILLIAM GILBERT, of " Garfield" Hunter Street, Brunswick, Melbourne
Victoria, Australia, Tea Expert & Specialist do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
An upright machine having hoppers valves, and cylinders for the incorporation
of the tea, and riddles for, sifting and separating the various grades, and cutters
for adjusting the larger grades, and the combination of these several parts as one
machine or their independent action when required, constructed of wood & iron,
and made in large or small sizes.
The hoppers are at top of the machine and each one is fitted at bottom outlet
with a fish head valve which can be adjusted to allow the proportions of tea to
pass from each hopper, it then passes into a cylinder where it is incorporated and
mixed. The riddels or sifters are on similar principle to a winnowing machine..
But, the cutters are a set of three plates, the middle one about, inch thick and on
top of this there is another plate about 1 inch thick and another on the lower side
about 1 inch thick. Each plate is perforated with corresponding holes, about
inch diameter and the middle one is stationery, the top and bottom are acted on
by a differential intermittent cogg motion, causing them to move to and fro, the tea
falling into the holes between is stopped by the lower plate and is cut by the, top
plate. By inserting a pin in the boss of each driving wheel to the part of the
different combined machines the whole can be run together or when pin is
taken out, being loose on the shaft they turn round & the machinery remains
motionless.
101
WILLIAM GILBERT.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Mixing or Blending, Cutting, and
Sifting Tea.
I WILLIAM GILBERT of 2 & 4 Mount Pleasant, Elm Street, Grays Inn Road
London formerly of Garfield"
Melbourne Victoria Australia Tea Expert
& Specialist 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 :-
Consists of a machine as described in drawing Fig. 1. A frame of wood No. 1
on the top of which is a tray No. 2 to which are attatched by slings hoppers No. 3
at the bottom of which there is a cut off No. 4 consisting of two top and bottom
plates fixed and a centre movable plate, underneath these hoppers are a fish head
valve No. 5 for the regulation of the quantities from each hopper, and disks No. 6
rotating on the centre upright shaft, also funnels at No. 7. The tea is put into
the hoppers No. 3 and passes through by gravitation shaken from the ossilating
hoppers No. 3 it is regulated by the valves No. 5 to fall on the disks No. 6 where
it is scattered by centrifugal force against the funnells No. 7 and falls into the
box No. 8. The sifter is represented by the hopper No. 9 and sieve No. 11 which
ossilates by the excentric No. 14 separating the fine tea into box No. 13 & the
coarse passes to the cutter rollers No. 15 these are honeycombed and rotate
against a fixed knife, the tea falls into a box No. 16. The whole is combined and

page_text: driven off one handle or pulley at No. 17 to the excentric axle No. 14 of which
No. 14 is a side section of the excentric ring to cut off & sifter and another belt
to No. 15.
The former part of this description refers only to Figure 1 which is a side view
of the machine showing the connection of its several parts.
Figure 2 is a section of the cutt off, at bottom of hoppers, Fig. 1, No. 4, this
cutt off consists of three plates, the top and bottom ones bolted together of which
Fig. 3 is a cross horizontal section with openings a, a, a, a, at bottom of the hoppers,
supported by the slings b, b.
Figure, 4, is a cross section, of the central plate operated by the handle f, this
plate slides between the upper & the lower plate which handle is placed at the
cutt off at No. 4 Fig. 1 the wings c, c, c, c of this plate closing the openings in the
other plates at a, a, a, a this also completely closes the hoppers, & while tea
may be in them none can pass through the fish head valves underneath, thereby
giving time to the operator to fill the hoppers this also constitutes it a machine
which can be run from morning to, night without stopping to fill or empty, & the
tea passes through of its own specific gravity & the attraction of gravitation & a
large bulk need not be in the machine, this saves crushing, the great quantity it
will mix 3000 lbs. in an hour & is so light a boy can turn it.
Fig. 5 is a side section of the fish head valves, partially open these are attatched
to the lower plate of Fig. 2, at d, d, the jaws of this fish head valve are also
hinged at dd, d d, & it is secured by a winged nutt, as represented in its centre
at e, having put different qualities of tea in the different hoppers, these valves can
be set to regulate the proportion of each quality, thereby the mixing is performed,
that is to say set one valve to th of an inch and another to an inch, opening they
would each discharge in these relative proportions.
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
1st. The fish head valves and hoppers, the cut off for opening these wrought by
an excentric motion the disks and rotary motion wrought by an upright shaft as
applied to tea blending.
2nd. The combination of sifter mill and mixer in one machine as applied to tea
blending, & tea manipulation.
3rd. The form and construction of machine as a combination machine and the
adjustment of its several parts as an improved machine for mixing sifting and
cutting tea as applied to tea blending and the manipulation of tea generally.
Dated this 21st day of July 1893.
WILLIAM GILBERT.