IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND DECORTICATING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS AND SEEDS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Wace Gray, of 19, St. Dunstan's Hill, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CLEANING AND DECORTICATING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS AND SEEDS."
Sealed the 22nd December 1865, and dated the 5th July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Wace Gray at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th July 1865.
I, JOSEPH WACE GRAY, of 19, St. Dunstan's Hill, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND DECORTICATING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS AND SEEDS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cleaning
and decorticating rice and other grains and seeds. For this purpose I employ
a horizontal shaft with pulleys upon it for driving it faster or slower, as may
be required. On the shaft is mounted a stone, by preference of a conical
form, and of a length about equal to twice its largest diameter; this cone, in
place of being stone may be made of a stone-like composition. Surrounding
the stone is a cage of wirework of corresponding form, and geared with the
shaft in such a manner that it also can be driven at any desired speed. The
mesh of the wirework is of such a size that the grain or seed under treatment
is unable to escape through it, and the space between the cone and the casing

page_text: all round can be adjusted by traversing the cone a short distance horizontally.
The grain or seed is fed into the casing at one end, a worm on the shaft
carrying it in at a regular speed; it comes first on the larger diameter of the
cone, and as the cone and case revolve it gradually proceeds towards the other
end, being rubbed by the stone or stone-like surface all the while. The
smaller end of the casing is closed by a stationary disc with a hole in it at
one side for the escape of the grain or seed from the casing when completely
cleaned or decorticated; and this disc can be set so that the discharge passage
may be either at the bottom of the casing or at the top, or at any desired
elevation; and by regulating the position of this passage the action of the
machine on the grain or seed may be adjusted to any desired degree of
severity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Wace Gray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WACE GRAY, of 19, St. Dunstan's Hill, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Wace Gray, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Wace
Gray, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Wace Gray, 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
MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND DECORTICATING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS AND SEEDS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Wace Gray, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Wace Gray, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 machinery for cleaning
and decorticating rice and other grains and seeds. For this purpose I employ
Ie
a horizontal shaft with pulleys upon it for driving it faster or slower, as may
be required. On the shaft is mounted a stone, by preference of a conical
form, and of a length about equal to twice its largest diameter; this cone, in
place of being stone may be made of a stone-like composition. Surrounding
the stone is a cage of wirework of corresponding form, and geared with the
shaft in such a manner that it also can be driven at any desired speed. The
mesh of the wirework is of such a size that the grain or seed under treatment
is unable to escape through it, and the space between the cone and the
casing all round can be adjusted by traversing the cone a short distance
horizontally. The grain or seed is fed into the casing at one end, a worm on
the shaft carrying it in at a regular speed; it by preference comes first on the
larger diameter of the cone, and as the cone and case revolve it gradually
proceeds towards the other end, being rubbed by the stone or stone-like surface
all the while. The smaller end of the casing is closed by a stationary disc
with a hole in it at one side for the escape of the grain or seed from the casing
when completely cleaned or decorticated; and this disc can be set so that
the discharge passage may be either at the bottom of the casing or at the top,
or at any desired elevation; and by regulating the position of this passage
action of the machine on the grain or seed may be adjusted to any desired
degree of severity.
the
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceeil to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan, in section, of the
apparatus employed in carrying out the Invention. a is a horizontal shaft or
axis, on which is fixed a stone, either natural or artificial. The class of stone
I prefer is peak. This stone is preferred to be of a conical form, and it is
caused to revolve by means of an endless strap or band acting on one or other
of the drums or pulleys b, b, on the shaft or axis a. The shaft turns in
suitable bearings, as is shown by the Drawings. Exterior of the conical
stone is a conical frame c, covered with wire gauze, the meshes of which will
vary, depending on the size of the grains of seeds which are being acted on,

page_text: but in all cases they are to be of a size not to allow the grains of rice or other
seed passing through them. On the frame c is a toothed ring or wheel d,
which gears with a pinion e on the shaft f, which receives motion from the
shaft or axis a by means of the cogged wheels g, h; by varying the relative
diameters of these wheels the relative speed of the stone and of the frame of
wire gauze may be altered. In the arrangement shown in the Drawing the
frame is caused to rotate slowly in the same direction as that in which the
stone is driven, but by the application of an intermediate wheel between the
wheels 9 and h, or by other suitable arrangements the frame may be caused
to revolve in the opposite direction to the stone. The frame of wire gauze is
supported by and turns in suitable bearings, as is shown in the Drawings.
The larger end of the frame c is enclosed by a cover c', having an opening in
the centre, into which is fitted a cylinder i; the rice or seed is fed into this
cylinder from a hopper, and the rice or seed is progressively moved into the
larger end of the frame c by the screw thread a' on the shaft a. The smaller
end of the frame c is partly closed by the cylindrical cover or end c³, the
exterior of which is supported and turns in one of the fixed bearings. The
smaller end of the frame c is further closed by a disc c³, in which there is a
hole, through which the rice or seeds escape; and this disc may be turned
and set so as to bring the discharging passage in any desired position, in order
to regulate the passage of the grains out of the frame c. The position of the
stone may be also adjusted by means of the screws and nuts on the shaft
or axis a, so as to regulate the space between the stone and the casing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is the
combining mechanism for cleaning and decorticating rice and other grains and
seeds in the manner herein described.
. In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Wace Gray, have. hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JOSEPH WACE GRAY. (L.s.)