IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BREAD, BISCUITS, AND LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN THE MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH." PROAL SP
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Vicars, senior, Thomas Vicars, junior, and
Thomas Ashmore, of Liverpool, Engineers, and James Smith, of the
same Place, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Baker, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BREAD, BISCUITS,
AND LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN THE MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Vicars, Thomas
Vicars, Thomas Ashmore, and James Smith, at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th July 1857.
We, THOMAS VICARS, senior, THOMAS VICARS, junior, and THOMAS ASHIMORE,
of Liverpool, Engineers, and JAMES SMITH, of the same Place, in the County
Palatine of Lancaster, Baker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BREAD, BISCUITS, AND LIKE
ARTICLES, AND IN THE MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
Our said improvements consist, firstly, in making the crust or outer part of
bread, biscuits, and like articles of food, of a different dough to that forming
the inner or soft part; and, secondly, in certain machinery for mixing, rolling,
and shaping the dough or paste.
In preparing the dough for bread we make no change in the usual methods
of fermentation, but merely make the crust dough of such consistency as will
admit of its being rolled to the degree of smoothness required, and to secure
shortness in the crust the fermentation may be carried further than in the
dough forming the body of the loaf, or be further assisted by adding butter or
lard. In applying the first part of our said Invention to the manufacture of
biscuits or similar articles, the same may be performed without any change

page_text: being made in the machinery customarily used; a separate sheet of dough,
properly prepared, is made for the outer part, a layer of which is to be placed
on the body or inner dough, and then giving it one fold secures the external
part of the biscuit being covered by such dough.
Our improved machinery comprises a mixing machine, consisting of a por-
tion of a cylindrical vessel or trough, having a central shaft working within it,
on which are fastened a number of radial arms or knives. A shelf or table,
having a number of slots in it, projects into the drum or trough, the knives
revolving through the slots. The thoroughly mixed dough is deposited in a
moveable trough placed below, by turning the cylindrical trough on its
bearings, by means of a hand wheel, to such a position that a revolution
of the knives discharge the contents. There is a second hand wheel, with its
gearing, for the purpose of raising the slotted table or shelf to any desired
elevation.
To the ordinary break rollers used by biscuit bakers we attach an endless
web, which passes between the rollers, carrying the dough along with it,
its lower side being in contact with flour to dust it and prevent adhesion.
Our improved rolling and shaping machine is required after the dough has
been properly prepared by the break rollers. The bottom crust dough is
pressed between rollers separate from the rollers which press the top crust,
and the body or soft dough is placed in a hopper between them, and passes
between and along with the dough forming the crust on to an endless web
beneath, on which it is shaped as required by, dies attached to a cross-head,
which may be actuated by bell cranks on the spindle beneath, worked by an
eccentric. The rollers are moved by a suitable crank, acting also on the
levers and ratchets, keyed on the spindles of the rollers. The motion is
intermittant, that is, during one half the stroke of the crank; whilst the dies
are shaping and cutting the rollers are at rest, and vice versa.
Or the cutting
machinery may be in accordance with the improvements patented by us, and
bearing date the 9th day of December 1856.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Vicars, Thomas Vicars, Thomas Ashmore, and
James Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th December
1857.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Vicars, Thomas Vicars, Thomas Ashmore, and
James Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th December
1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wẹ, THOMAS 3
VICARS, senior, THOMAS VICARS, junior, and THOMAS ASUMORE, of Liverpool,

page_text: Engineers, and JAMES SMITH, of the same Place, in the County Palatine of
Lancaster, Baker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Vicars, s', Thomas Vicars, j', Thomas Ashmore, and James
Smith, Her special licence that we, the said Thomas Vicars, s', Thomas
Vicars, j', Thomas Ashmore, & James Smith, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Vicars, s', Thomas Vicars, j',
Thomas Ashmore, & James Smith, our 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BREAD, BISCUITS, AND LIKE ARTICLES,
AND IN THE MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Thomas Vicars, s', Thomas Vicars, j', Thomas
Ashmore, & James Smith, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, 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 we, the said Thomas Vicars, s, Thomas Vicars, j',
Thomas Ashmore, & James Smith, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our said improvements consist, firstly, in making the cust or outer part of
bread, biscuits, and like articles of food, of a different quality of dough to that
forming the inner or soft part; and, secondly, in the construction of certain
machinery for mixing, rolling, and shaping the dougli or paste.
And for the better understanding of our said Invention we will now procceil
to detail the particulars thereof; first, as regards the dough, in the preparation
of which for bread and other uses we make no change in the usual methods of
fermentation, but merely make the crust dough of such consistency as will
admit of its being rolled to the degree of smoothness required; and to secure
shortness in the crust the fermentation may be carried further than in the
dough employed for forming the body of the loaf, or be further assisted by

page_text: adding butter or lard. In applying this first part of our said Invention to the
manufacture of biscuits, or similar articles, the same may be performed without
any change being made in the machinery customarily used.
A separate sheet
of dough, properly prepared, is made for the outward part, a layer of which is
to be placed on the body or inner dough, and then giving it one fold secures
the external part of the biscuit being covered by such dough.
And, secondly, as respects our improved machinery, the arrangements thereof
will be found fully set forth in the Drawings hereunto annexed, in which the
same letters refer to corresponding parts throughout.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet 1, Figure 1, is a side elevation of our improved mixing machine, and
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
A
A, A, is the general framework; B, B, a portion of a cylindrical vessel, of
which B' is the interior, having a central shaft C working within it for the
purpose of mixing the dough by means of a number of radial arms or knives
D, D, attached to it, and operated by the spur gear II, I, or like means.
shelf or table E, E, projecting into the drum, has a number of slots a, a,
through which the knives D revolve, and are thereby cleared from adhering
dough. The mixed dough is emptied into a moveable trough by turning the
drum on its bearings by a wheel F and its gearing; and the hand wheel G,
with its gearing, is used for raising the slotted table E, when required.
Sheet 2, Figure 3, is a side elevation of our improved rolling and shaping
machine, and Figure 4 is a plan of the same.
A', A', is the general framework of the machine of our Invention for rolling
and shaping dough after it has first been properly prepared at the break rollers;
it allows the crust dough laid on the sloping tables b, b, to be pressed between
its rollers in the direction shown by the arrows,, the bottom crust between
the rollers J, the top crust between the rollers K; the body or soft dough is
placed in the hopper L, and passes between and along with the dough forming
the crust on to the endless web-M, M, stretched by the rollers M', M'; on
this web the dough is shaped as desired by means of dies attached to the
cross-head N, actuated by bell cranks on the spindle beneath, worked by an
eccentric keyed on the shaft O. Motion is communicated to the rollers by the
crank P, acting on two parallel horizontal levers at Q, Q, connected by two
separate rods, one behind the other, at Q', and thereby acting on the several
connected levers and ratchets keyed on the roller spindles; the motion is
intermittent, that is, during half the stroke of the crank. Whilst the dies are
shaping and cutting the rollers are at rest, and vice versa; or the cutting

page_text: machine may be of the same construction as that for which Letters Patent
were granted to us, bearing date the Ninth day of December 1856, or be
slightly modified as circumstances may render necessary.
Our improvement in the break rollers in common use consists in adding,
for the purpose of enabling the workmen to roll dough, which is softer than
biscuit dough, a flour tray or shallow box placed beneath and very near the
lower roller, in a horizontal position, made of the same width, and extended
forward and backward as much as may be required; within each end of this
flour box, and parallel with the break rollers, are introduced two lesser rollers for
distending an endless web, which passing between the break rollers carries the
dough along with it, its lower side being in contact and dusted with the flour
to prevent adhesion.
Having thus fully described our said improvements, we wish it to be under-
stood, in respect to our improved machinery, that we do not limit ourselves
to dimensions, materials, or the precise form or number of the several parts
thereof, so long as the result of any modification therein is substantially the
same in effect with our said Invention; and we do declare that what we claim
as our improvements are, namely:-
First, the peculiar method of applying two qualities of paste or dough in the
manufacture of bread, biscuits, and other like articles.
Second, the novel construction of mixing machines for preparing paste or
dough.
Third, the novel construction of rolling and shaping machines.
And, fourth, the application of a flour tray or box and endless web to
ordinary break rollers, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Vicars, junior, on behalf of
myself and the said Thomas Vicars, senior, Thomas Ashmore, and
James Smith, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord 1857.
HOMAS VICARS
THOMAS VICARS, Jonton. (L.D.)