Improved Means for Washing or Cleaning Potatoes, Carrots, or other Roots, and for like Operations.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 11th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 17th Nov.,
1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Washing or Cleaning Potatoes, Carrots, or
other Roots, and for like Operations.
I CHARLES HENRY FIRTH of 67 Devonshire Street West, Keighley in the
County of York, Commission Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
Heretofore considerable difficulty has been experienced in the washing or
cleaning of potatoes, carrots, or other roots or the like, in such quantities and
places as would meet the requirements of the growers or dealers in such produce,
however by the employment of my invention, apparatus or means are produced
which obviate this difficulty.
In accordance with my invention I employ a sieve or screen of suitable and
convenient shape, which I suspend upon hinged connecting rods supported by
appropriate framework. This sieve is coupled by connecting rods, levers or other
parts to a crank or cam which by its rotations imparts reciprocatory motion to the
sieve, the relative positions of these several parts being such as to cause the motion
of the sieve to be quickly arrested and reversed at each extremity of its path of
motion in order that the contents may be agitated or quickly moved.
Above the reciprocatory sieve I fix a tank or receptacle for water, its bottom
being perforated and otherwise prepared so that it will allow a sprinkling of water
to fall upon the sieve and its contents during their operations.
Beneath the sieve and preferably attached to it, I fix a trough or discharge box
so that the dirt, water and refuse escaping through the sieve, enters this trough or
box from which it is conducted by suitable pipe connections clear of the machine
thus preventing the ground immediately around the machine from being wet.
The gearing or driving mechanism is arranged so that the machine may be
operated by a driving belt from any suitable motive power, or by a winch or handle
and fly wheel the machine may be manually operated.
When the machine has to be used under such conditions that the water which
has to run into the water tank is on a lower level than such tank, a pump or other
suitable water elevator is fixed on the machine and coupled to one or another of its
motor parts so that on the machine being put into operation so also will the pump
and in this manner the water may be supplied as desired for the requirements of
the machine.
To enable the filling of the sieve with potatoes, roots and the like, a suitable
shoot or hopper is mounted on the framework of the machine, while for the purpose
of facilitating the discharging of same from the sieve, a door or other part or wall
of the sieve may be made detachable or hinged.
Dated this 10th dox of January 1894.

page_text: Improved Means for Washing or Cleaning Potatoes, Carrots, or
other Roots, and for like Operations.
I, CHARLES HENRY FIRTH of 67 Devonshire Street West, Keighley in the
County of York, Commission Agent, 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:—
Heretofore considerable difficulty has been experienced in the washing or cleaning
of potatoes, carrots or other roots or the like, in such quantities and places as
would meet the requirements of the growers or dealers in such produce however in
accordance with my invention apparatus or means is or are produced which obviate
this difficulty.
The accompanying sheets of drawings are illustrative of my invention;—
Figs. 1 and 2 being sectional side elevation and end views respectively, while
Fig. 3 is a side elevation reduced scale, of a form of machine hereinafter described.
In each case the framework is omitted for the sake of clearness.
Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views to Figs. 1 and 2 but illustrate another arrangement
of my improved apparatus.
In accordance with my invention I employ a sieve or screen a and mount it
within a box 6 of suitable and convenient shape, this box b being carried by the
hinged rods d d fixed on shafts ee and supported by suitable framework, or it may
be carried by a cross shaft f (see Figs. 3 and 4) formed and arranged as hereinafter
described, in which case it is carried by the framework 9 g¹. This box b, having
its sieve or grated bottom part a, is coupled by its supporting rods d d'and the
arm to the crank wheel k operated through the medium of the wheel m by a
winch or handle fixed upon the shaft n when for manual operation, or if the
machine has to be operated by steam or other motor power then pulleys, driving
wheels or like mechanism may be fixed on this shaft n so as to cause same to rotate
as will readily be seen.
The rotations of the crank wheel k impart reciprocatory motion to the box 6 while
by the peculiar relative positions of this said wheel k, its arm b rods d d¹ and the
box being as shown, said box b is quickly arrested and its direction of motion
reversed at each extremity of its path of motion by which means the contents of
the box b are agitated or quickly moved.
Above the box I fix a tank p for the reception of water, this said tank having
its bottom pl perforated or otherwise prepared so that it will allow a sprinkling of
water to fall upon the box b and its contents during their operations, thus by said
contents being moistened with water and by the friction of the several pieces
together forming said contents, all dirt soil or the like is loosened and quickly
washed away flowing therefrom through the sieve a.
Beneath the sieve a and preferably formed integrally with the box b I fix a
trough or discharge chamber so that the dirt, water and refuse escaping through
the sieve a enters this trough or chamber from which it is conducted by suitable
pipe connections as those at, clear of the machine thus preventing the ground
immediately around the machine from being wet.
To facilitate the filling of the box with potatoes or the like a suitable shoot
may be mounted on the framework of the machine, while for the purpose of
discharging the said contents of the box b, the sieve a is hinged at a so that it may
be lowered into the position shown by broken lines Fig. 1 on which the said
contents will pass out at the opening b³.
Or provided the machine has to be used for washing very large quantities the
box b may be supported by chains t t as shown by Fig. 3 said chains being
arranged to pass over pulleys u u' to be wound upon the drum by any well known
-

page_text: mechanism so that said box 6 may be lowered to the ground for the potatoes or the
like to be shot or tipped into same out of a cart or other vehicle, while on said box
being filled it may then be raised into the position shown, the operations of washing
commenced and after the completion of these operations said box b may be still
further raised in order that said cart or other vehicle may be placed under it, to
receive the cleaned contents as they are discharged therefrom by the bottom 6³ of
said box b, as also the sieve within said box, being hinged to open and allow same to
fall directly beneath. In this case the arm 2 is operated by the crank k³ mounted
on the shaft rotated through the medium of any suitable mechanism by any prime
motor as a steam or other engine or the like.
For the production of a lighter class of machine I mount the box b¹ upon the
cross shaft herein before referred to, in which case said box b oscillates about said
axial shaft instead of reciprocating as under the other conditions. And this
shaft is preferably made hollow so that the water, dirt and other refuse passing
through the sieve al may be thereby and by the pipe s' conducted away.
In attaching or coupling the arm h¹ to the box 6 care must be taken to do so in
such a position as will enable the crank wheel k¹ to oscillate or move said box & as
much to one side of the centre of said shaft f as to the other side thereof in order
to keep the box 6' as evenly loaded on one side as the other.
The discharging of the contents of this box is facilitated by the end 6* being
hinged at y to open and allow said contents to pass or fall as will be seen.
When the machine has to be used under such conditions that the water which
has to run into the tank p is on a lower level than such tank, a pump or other
water elevator is fixed on the machine and coupled to one or other of its motor
parts as to the arm w (shown in broken lines Fig. 1) so that on the machine being
put into operation so also will the pump and in this manner the water may be
supplied as desired for the requirements of the machine.
Although the tank p is only shown in Figs. 1 and 2 I wish it to be understood
that I can and preferably do, apply it to the other forms of machines herein
described.
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 ;-
1. In means for washing potatoes and the like the combination of a box, having
a sieve, with means for applying water to said box substantially as and for the
purposes specified.
2. The combination of a box having a sieve, a water tank, and means for
operating said box beneath said water tank substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
3. The combination of a box mounted to operate as described, a sieve within said
box, means for reciprocating or otherwise moving said box and means for supplying
a stream of water thereto substantially as herein specified.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the mechanism or apparatus
herein described substantially as specified.
Dated this 10th day of October 1894
C. H. FIRTH,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.