IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FILTERING OR DRYING SUGAR, YEAST, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Roper, of New Goulson Street, in the City of
London, Sugar Refiner, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR FILTERING OR DRYING SUGAR, YEAST, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Roper at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th October 1881.
JOHN ROPER, of New Goulson Street, in the City of London, Sugar Refiner.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FILTERING OR DRYING SUGAR, YEAST, AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES."
The object of this Invention is for the more effectually drying yeast, sugar, and
other substances. The improvements consist in an arrangement of valves connected
to the tight and slack pulley so that the machine may be made to turn at intervals
according to the thickness of cake required.
In order to accomplish this end I arrange a box of shallow depth, which is held
horizontally between two standards of suitable construction, so that the open side
is downwards; a bottom box is then placed between the same two standards and
having its open
side towards the top box; the bottom box is pressed up by cranks
or cams to the top box, the sides of the boxes touch around their edges or faces. I
secure by any convenient means india rubber around the edges, so that a filter or
other cloth or fabric placed between them can be held firmly, and a joint is made
around the cloth, which is quite air tight.
The sugar, yeast, or other liquors to be filtered or dried, are forced by means of
a pump driven by the machine through the automatic valve into the shallow top
box until it is completely full with the solid matters, the filtered liquors passing
through the cloth into the bottom chamber or box.
The sugar, yeast, or other liquors being forced into a valve which revolves on
the top face of the upper box. This valve has a hole in the flat face and
corresponding to one on the top box, so that in its revolution the two holes coming
over one another a certain amount of sugar, yeast, or other liquors are forced into
the top box. To make the machine revolve when a sufficient quantity of yeast,

page_text: sugar, or other liquors has been dried, I place a cylinder having connection
with the inlet pipe of the yeast, sugar, or other substances, and inside of
which I place a piston, the rod of which works through a stuffing box at the other
end, and at the back of this piston I place a spring that may be adjusted to the
thickness of the material to be dried or filtered, and as the density of the sugar,
yeast, or other substances increases on the top of the filter cloth, it presses the
piston back against the spring and the piston rod forces over a counter balance,
which in turn acts on the strap fork and throws the strap from the loose to the tight-
pulley, which causes the machine to revolve, the counter balance is then thrown
back by means of a cam secured to the main shaft, and on pressure in the pipe
becoming less the piston is brought back to its original position, and the same
process is repeated at each revolution of the machine. The point of great import-
ance in this Invention is the production of an automatic valve, which will move
at the point of pressure at which the material is be dried or filtered in the
machine.
This arrangement is also useful as an extractor of sugar by using vacuuin
instead of pressure.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Roper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th April
1882.
JOHN ROPER, of New Goulston Street, Whitechapel, Sugar Refiner. " MACHINES
FOR FILTERING OR DRYING SUGAR, YEAST, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
The object of this Invention is for the more effectually drying or filtering yeast,
sugar, and other substances. The improvements consist in an arrangement of valves
connected to the tight and slack pulley, so that the machine may be made to turn
at intervals according to the thickness of cake required.
In order to accomplish this end I arrange a box of shallow depth, which is held
horizontally between two standards of suitable construction, so that the open side
is downwards between the same two standards and having its open side towards
the top box, so that the bottom box is pressed up by means of cranks or cams to
the top box. The sides of the boxes touch around their edges or faces; I secure by
any convenient means india rubber, so that a filter or other cloth or fabric placed
between them can be held firmly, and a joint made around the cloth, which is
quite air tight.
The sugar, yeast, or other liquors to be filtered or dryed, are forced by means of
a pump (driven by the machine) through the automatic valve (to be hereinafter
described) into the shallow top box until it is completely full with the solid
matters, the filtered liquors passing through the cloth into the bottom chamber or
box, the solid yeast, sugar, or other substances remaining on the top of the filter
cloth.
In order to make the machine automatic the sugar, yeast, or other liquors are
forced into a rotary valve by pumps, or which revolves on the top face of the upper
box. This valve has a hole in the flat face and corresponding to one on the top
box, so that in its revolution the two holes coming over one another a certain
amount of sugar, yeast, or other liquors are forced into the top box. To make the
machine revolve when a sufficient quantity of yeast, sugar, or other liquors has
been dried, I place a cylinder having connection with the inlet pipe of the yeast,
sugar, or other liquors, and inside of which I place a piston, the rod of which works
through a stuffing box at the other end, and at the back of this piston I place a spring
that may be adjusted to the thickness of the material to be dried or filtered, and
as the density of the sugar, yeast, or other substances increases on the top of the
filter cloth, it presses the piston back against the spring, and the piston rod forces
over a counter balance, which in turn acts on a strap fork which throws the strap
from the loose to the tight pulley, causing the machine to revolve; a counter
balance is then thrown back by means of a cam secured to the main shaft, and on
pressure in the pipe becoming less, the piston is brought back to its original
position, and the same process is repeated at each revolution of the machine. The
point of great importance in this Invention is the production of an automatic valve,
which will move at the point of pressure at which the material is dryed or filtered
in the machine.
This arrangement is also useful as an extractor of sugar by using vacuum instead
of pressure.
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe, and for that purpose shall refer to the Figures on the
explanatory sheet of Drawings hereto annexed, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts of the machine in both the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a sectional elevation of a filter constructed in
accordance with this Invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

page_text: A is the top or shallow box, bolted or secured to the two side frames; B, C, is
the bottom box or chamber, caused to rise and fall by the cam F working against
the roller G; D is a frame for carrying the filter cloth, but the filter cloth may be
drawn between the boxes and through the machine by means of rollers placed in
any convenient position around the machine; H is the pump for forcing the yeast
and other substances into the valve M; I is the suction pipe for supplying the
pump
H;
J is the lever for actuating the pump H, or the pump may be driven by
cranks, cams, or other convenient means by the steam or other power driving the
machine; K is the pinion shaft driving the spur wheel L keyed on the main shaft F;
M is a valve communicating with the pump H; N is the piston and spring;
O, the piston and levers in connection with the strap fork shewn in the plan
view.
Figure 2 represents the levers for throwing over the strap fork.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I
declare that I claim,-
The machinery or apparatus for drying yeast, sugar, or other substances, in so
far as regards the arrangement, combination of parts, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Roper, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
JOHN ROPER. (LS.)