IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHELLING COFFEE AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Duvall, Merchant, of Caracas, Venezuela, at
present residing at 45, Linden Gardens, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHELLING COFFEE
AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS."
Sealed the 12th September 1879, and dated the 22nd March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Duvall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd March 1879.
ALEXANDER DUVALL, Merchant, of Caracas, Venezuela, at present residing at
45, Linden Gardens, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SHELLING COFFEE AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS."
This Invention has reference to that class of machines for shelling coffee and
other similar products in which the shelling action is performed by means of
tumblers, hammers, rubbers, or other equivalent appliances working between side
plates in combination with a moving or travelling surface, whether it be a surface
composed of serrated plates in the form of an endless chain, or of a rotating drum
with serrations on its exterior, which is the form I prefer.
The first part of my Invention consists in forming the tumbler, hammer, or rubber
of an improved shape.
The improvement consists in forming each of the tumblers, hammers, or rubbers
with an arm preferably at about a right angle with its serrated face, the arm being
of such a length that it projects beyond the side plates of the machine. The end
of this arm is provided on its upper side with a nipple to receive one end of a
pressure spring, and on its lower side with an ample flat bearing surface to take
upon the flat surface of a bar running across the side plates of the machine and
forming a "stop" for the tumbler.
The pin upon which the tumblers are centred in the side plates carries a kind of
bridge piece which is passed between the side plates carrying the tumblers, and is
provided with nipples to receive the other ends of the tumbler pressure springs.
This arrangement of extending the arms of the tumblers, hammers, or rubbers
beyond the side plates and of carrying the pressure springs between the nipples on
the bridge piece and the nipple on the arm of each lever enables any one spring to

page_text: be removed with facility and without disturbing the neighbouring springs, and to
be replaced if necessary without stopping the machine.
One of the most important advantages of this arrangement is that it leaves the
inside part of the machine perfectly clear, the dust of coffee or other grain having
a free escape, and the springs being placed outside of the machine are not in danger
of being stopped in their working by the dust which must necessarily obstruct them
entirely or in part when placed inside the machine.
The axle pin of each set of tumblers carries one of the above described bridge
pieces.
According to the second part of my Invention the whole of such bridge pieces
are jointed to a segmental bar which is controlled by an adjusting screw pin carried
in a bracket suitably attached to the machine. By this arrangement the pressure
of the whole of the tumblers upon the coffee or other substance being acted upon
can be uniformly and simultaneously regulated according to the size and quality
of the coffee or other substance, an index scale being arranged to indicate the
pressure.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Duvall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
September 1879.
66
ALEXANDER DUVALL, Merchant, of Caracas, Venezuela, at present residing at
45, Linden Gardens, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SHELLING COFFEE AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS."
This Invention has reference to that class of machines for shelling coffee and other
similar products in which the shelling action is performed by means of tumblers,
hammers, rubbers, or other equivalent appliances working between side plates in
combination with a moving or travelling surface, whether it be a surface composed
of serrated plates in the form of an endless chain, or of a rotating drum with
serrations on its exterior, which latter is the form I prefer, and have shown in my
Drawings.
The first part of my Invention consists in forming the tumbler, hammer, or rubber
of an improved shape.
The improvement consists in forming each of the tumblers, hammers, or rubbers,
as seen in Figures 1 and 2, with an arm a, preferably at about a right angle, with
its serrated face b, the arm being of such a length that it projects beyond the side
plates c, c, of the machine, as seen in Figure 3, which represents a side view of that
portion of a coffee shelling machine which shows my improvements, whilst Figure 4
is a front view of the same.
The end of this arm a is provided on its upper side with a nipple d to receive
one end of a pressure spring e, and on its lower side with an ample flat bearing
surface to take upon the flat surface of a bar g running across the side plates
of the machine and forming a "stop" for the tumbler.
.The pin h upon which the tumblers are centred in the side plates c, c, carries a
kind of bridge piece i (shown in Figure 5) which is passed between the side plates
carrying the tumblers, and is provided with nipples k, k, to receive the other ends
of the tumbler pressure springs.
This arrangement of extending the arms of the tumblers, hammers, or rubbers
beyond the side plates, and of carrying the pressure springs between the nipples on
the bridge piece, and the nipple on the arm of each lever, enables any one spring
to be removed with facility and without disturbing the neighbouring springs, and
to be replaced if necessary without stopping the machine. One of the most
important advantages of this arrangement is that it leaves the inside part of the
machine perfectly clear, the dust of coffee or other grain having a free escape, and
the springs being placed outside of the machine are not in danger of being stopped
in their working by the dust which must necessarily obstruct them entirely or in
part when placed inside the machine.
The axle pin of each set of tumblers carries one of the above described bridge
pieces.
According to the second part of my Invention the whole of such bridge pieces
are jointed by means of their respective joint pins v to a segmental bar / which is
controlled by an adjusting screw pin m carried in a bracket n suitably attached to
the machine.
This screw pin is attached to the segmental bar by the pin o of the socket p, the
lower end of the screw pin taking into and being held by the nut r which bears
against the projecting lug s on the bracket n, the latter serving in conjunction with
the top brackets t to carry the side plates which enclose the hammers.
In this arrangement by turning the screw-pin m the springs e can be extended
or compressed, and the pressure of the whole of the tumblers upon the coffee or
other substance being acted upon by them in conjunction with the serrated drumu
can be uniformly and simultaneously regulated according to the size and quality
of the coffee or other substance, an index scale being arranged to indicate the
pressure.

page_text: The serrated portion 6 of the tumbler may be removeable, as shown in
Figure 2.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. The employment in apparatus for shelling coffee and other similar products
of hammers or tumblers of the form hereinbefore described and shewn in the
Drawings, whether the serrated working portions of such hammers or tumblers be
formed in one piece with the hammer or tumbler, or be removable therefrom.
Secondly. The method of adjusting the pressure of the said hammers or tumblers
upon the coffee or other substance being operated upon, as hereinbefore described,
and substantially as shown in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Duvall, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Sixth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and seventy
nine.