IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SCREENING, SIFTING, OR RIDDLING CORN, GRAIN, AND SEED
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Beaven, of Dilton Farm, Westbury, in
the County of Wilts, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR SCREENING, SIFTING, OR RIDDLING CORN, GRAIN, AND SEED."
Sealed the 13th October 1865, and dated the 20th April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Beaven at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th April 1865.
I, WILLIAM BEAVEN, of Dilton Farm, Westbury, in the County of Wilts,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SCREENING, SIFTING, OR RIDDLING CORN, GRAIN, AND SEED," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for screening,
sifting, or riddling corn, grain, and seed. For these purposes the perforated
or reticulate surface of a screen, sieve," or riddle used in screening or separating
corn, grain, or seed is formed with alternate ridges and furrows which run in
a direction from one end to the other of such surface. The corn, grain, or
seed is fed or supplied at one end of the surface, and any grains or substances
which do not fall through the screen, sieve, or riddle are delivered at the
other end. A to-and-fro or shaking motion is communicated to the screen,
sieve, or riddle in a transverse direction to that in which the corn, grain, or
seed moves from end to end of the surface. On the under side of each of the
ridges a flap is suspended so as to hang downwards, in order that in the
to-and-fro motion given to the screen, sieve, or riddle, the flap in each ridge

page_text: may alternately strike first against one side and then against the other side of
the angular ridge below which it is suspended. By these means any grain,
seed, or substance which may have partly entered and not passed through a
hole or opening in the sifting, screening, or riddling surface will be driven
back, and by such means the holes or passages through the surface will be
kept free.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Beaven in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BEAVEN, of Dilton Farm, Westbury, in the County of Wilts, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Beaven, Her special license that I, the said William Beaven,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Beaven, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SCREENING, SIFTING, OR RIDDLING CORN, GRAIN, AND SEED," upon
the condition, amongst others, that I, the said William Beaven, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said William Beaven, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for screening,

page_text: sifting, or riddling corn, grain, and seed.
For these purposes the perforated
or reticulate surface of a screen, sieve, or riddle used in screening or sepa-
rating corn, grain, or seed is formed with alternate ridges and furrows which
run in a direction from one end to the other of such surface. The corn,
grain, or seed is fed or supplied at one end of the surface, and any grains or
substances which do not fall through the screen, sieve, or riddle are delivered
at the other end. A to-and-fro or shaking motion is communicated to the screen,
sieve, or riddle in a transverse direction to that in which the corn, grain, or
seed moves from end to end of the surface. On the under side of each of
the ridges a flap is suspended so as to hang downwards in order that in the
to-and-fro motion given to the screen, sieve, or riddle, the flap in each
ridge may alternately strike first against one side and then against the other
side of the angular ridge, below which it is suspended.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2 a longitudinal section on the line 1, 1, Figure 1,
and Figure 3, a cross section on the line 2, 2, Figure 1, of a screen or sieve
constructed according to my Invention; the screen or sieve shown is suitable
for being employed in a winnowing machine or riddle.
a, a, is a coarse screen or sieve on to which the corn, grain, or seed is fed ;
it is formed of a perforated or reticulate material, the holes or meshes of
which are of such a size as to allow of all the corn, grain, or seed passing
therethrough, and yet to keep back any stones or other coarse extraneous sub-
stances which may have become mixed with the corn, grain, or seed, such
stones or other substances passing away by the spout b. The corn, grain, or
seed after passing through the screen or sieve a falls on to a screen, sieve, or
riddle c, which may be constructed of any suitable perforated or reticulate
material; but according to my Invention I form the surface of such screen,
sieve,.or riddle with alternate ridges c¹ and furrows c³, as shown in the Drawing,
and to the under side of each of such ridges I hang or connect a flap d in such
manner that in the to-and-fro motion given to such screen, sieve, or riddle
the flaps & may strike alternately against one side and then against the other
side of the ridge below which it is suspended. By these means any grain,
seed, or substance which may have partly entered and not passed through
a hole or opening in the sifting, screening, or riddling surface will be driven
back, and by such means the holes or passages through the surface will be
kept free.
d

page_text: The screens, sieves, or riddles a and c are capable of removal from the shoe or
frame e in the usual manner, as shown in the Drawing, and such shoe or
frame e is suspended by suitable rods or chains connected to the hooks e¹, e;
it has also a to-and-fro motion in a transverse direction given to it from
suitable cranks, the connecting rods from which are connected to the eyes or
lugs es, e, whilst a to-and-fro motion is also given to it in a longitudinal
direction by a crank, the connecting rod from which is connected to the eye
or lug e³.
The mode of supporting the screen, sieve, or riddle, and the manner in
which the to-and-fro motions are imparted to it are well understood, and form
no part of my Invention. The corn, grain, or seed which has not passed
through the screen, sieve, or riddle c passes away by the lower end of the
screen on to a suitable conductor, whilst that which has passed through the
holes or meshes of the screen is delivered on to another conductor, or may be
received on to another screen to have another quality separated therefrom.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Beaven, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
WILLIAM BEAVEN. (L.S.)
Witness,
THOS. REEVES, Jr. -