IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO HYDRAULIC PRESSES USED FOR SEED CRUSHING, OIL EXPRESSING, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: 66
LETTERS PATENT to James Downs, of Kingston-upon-Hull, in the
County of York, Engincer, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND APPLICABLE TO HYDRAULIC PRESSES USED FOR SEED CRUSHING, OIL
EXPRESSING, AND OTHER SIMILAR
PURPOSES.
Scaled the 9th October 1874, and dated the 13th April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Downs at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th April 1874.
I, JAMES DOWNS, of Kingston-upon-Hull, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO HYDRAULIC PRESSES USED FOR SEED CRUSHING,
OIL EXPRESSING, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
I so construct the bottom or stand for the whole press to rest upon
that the press may be erected or taken to pieces without disturbing the
bottom or lifting the press lead and other parts of the press clear of the
bottom. The cylinder passes through an outer casing, and has a flange
cast so as to rest on it. Into this outer casing the columns are fitted

page_text: (and are of the usual construction). Should a cylinder give way no
portion of the press will be disturbed except the cylinder.
The ram and head I make in the usual way, the under side of the
head being planed true and having a plate fastened to it made of zinc,
copper, or any suitable metal or alloy, cast, cut, or engraved with any
pattern or device that may be required to be impressed on the cake. A
strong casting or ram plate is placed on the top of the ram and raised
by it, being so constructed that all the oil from the sced under pressure
shall flow into such ram plate, being planed true on the top and having
a plate fastened to it the same way in every respect as the one already
described for the under side of the press head. And instead of using
strong cast-iron or steel press boxes, as hitherto, I use a scries of wrought-
iron plates, which will allow of a much greater number of cakes being
put into such press than has heretofore been practicable, and such plates
may either be of a plain, corrugated, or other suitable form, and when
desirable a cut or engraved plate may be affixed to one or both sides of
each plain plate, as herein-before described with reference to the ram
plate and head, so that the pattern or device so cut or engraved may be
transferred to the cakes under pressure. These plates are kept a suitable
distance apart by means of a cast stepped rack, and in their proper
position in the press longitudinally by a square bar or bars fastened to
the racks at the bottom and let into the head at the top. When this
bar is removed the whole or any number of cake plates can be taken
out with facility.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
L
filed by the said James Downs in the Great Seal Patent Office on
с the 13th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
Downs, of Kingston-upon-Hull, in the County of York, Engineer, send
greeting..
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and

page_text: successors, give and grant unto I, the said James Downs, Her
special licence that I, the said James Downs, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Downs, my.
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 "Iм-.
PROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO HYDRAULIC PRESSES USED FOR SEED CRUSHING,
OIL EXPRESSING, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Downs, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describo 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
next and immediately after the date of the said Lettera
mantha
re
successors, give and grant unto I, the said James Downs, Her
special licence that I, the said James Downs, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Downs, my.
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 "Iм-.
PROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO HYDRAULIC PRESSES USED FOR SEED CRUshing,
OIL EXPRESSING, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Downs, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 I, the said James Downs, do hereby declare.
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
I so construct the bottom or stand for the whole press to rest upon
that the press may be erected or taken to pieces without disturbing the.
bottom or lifting the press head and other parts of the press clear of the
bottom. The cylinder passes through an outer casing, and has a flange
cast so as to rest on it. Into this outer casing the columns are fitted
(and are of the usual construction). Should a cylinder give way no
portion of the press will be disturbed except the cylinder.
The ram and head I make in the usual way, the under side of the
head being planed true and having a plate fastened to it made of zinc,
copper, or any suitable metal or alloy, cast, cut, or engraved with any
pattern or device that may be required to be impressed on the cake. A
strong casting or ram plate is placed on the top of the ram and raised
by it, being so constructed that all the oil from the seed under pressure
shall flow into it, such ram plate being planed true on the top and
having a plate fastened to it the same way in every respect as the one
already described for the under side of the press head. And instead of

page_text: the press head E. J, J, J, are the plates which I substitute for the cast-
iron or steel press boxes formerly used, and by the adoption of which. I
am enabled amongst other advantages to put a much greater number of
cakes into a press than has been practicable by the old method.
"
These plates may be of a plain or corrugated form, or (as shown on
the Drawing and as herein-before described in reference to the ram plate
and press head), each plain plate may have another plate K bearing a
corrugated or other pattern attached to each side of it. When adopting
this latter plan I insert a piece of millboard or other non-conducting
substance L between such plain plate J and the corrugated plates K, K,
The plates J, J, are kept a proper distance apart in the press when the
ram is down by means of two cast stepped racks, one of which is seen
at M (the other rack being on the opposite side of the press), and for
this purpose each of the plates Jis provided with two projecting pieces N
(see Figs. 4 and 5) of a length between the extremities n, n, corre-
sponding to the space between the steps on the rack where it is intended
such plate shall rest. And in order to keep such plates in their position
longitudinally I further provide two vertical guide bars, one of which is
seen at O (Fig. 1), cast-in one piece with the rack, or it may be attached
to the rack at the bottom and let into the head at the top, or supported
in any other convenient manner. These guide bars tako into notches or
recesses P, P, formed midway between the extremities (n, n,) of the
projecting picces N, and so guide the plates as they are alternately raised
or lowered by the ram, and ensure such plates returning to their
respective positions in the racks.
By taking out the set screws (n', n',) by which the projecting picces N
are fastened to the plates J, any one or of all such plates may be with-
drawn from the press.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, together with the best methods with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details, relative
proportions, or dimensions of the various parts shown on the accom-
panying Drawing, as the same may be considerably varied without
departing from the Invention, but what I consider to be new, and there-
forc claim is,―
1st. The use and annlication of the plates L. substantially as and for

page_text: the purposes described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing, or
any mere modification thereof.
2nd. The use and application of the racks M and guide bars O, as and
for the purposes described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing,
or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whercof, I, the said James Downs, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
JOHN WARDEN,
Clerk,
Old Foundry,
Hull.
JAMES DOWNS. (L.S.)