Improvements in Mixing Apparatus for Tea and other Materials.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mixing Apparatus for Tea and other Materials.
I, WILLIAM PARNALL of 108 Victoria Street, Bristol, in the County of
Gloucester, Grocers' Outfitter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for mixing materials particularly tea and I
will therefore describe it as a tea mixer.
Upon a suitable framework or standards is journalled a rotating drum which may
be revolved by hand or power; the drum may be made of sheet iron or other
suitable material in the form of a cylinder, the proportions being adapted to the
requirements of the case. The drum is provided with a suitable number con-
veniently three peripheral openings closed by doors having side shields to enclose
the tea when filling or emptying; the doors may be closed tight in any convenient
manner. These doors may be used for either filling or emptying, or one or more
for filling, and one or more for emptying, and may be hinged or pivotted upon the
same or opposite sides or ends. Doors are also provided in the ends of the drum
conveniently diametrically opposite each other and pivotted preferably one at the
periphery and the other towards the centre of the drum so as to open in opposite
directions although this arrangement may be varied if desired. These doors may
be placed at both ends of the drum by which means the mixer can be very quickly
discharged as men may be employed at both ends as well as at the periphery, and
an important saving of time thus effected.
When pivotted as above described they may be used respectively for filling and
emptying the drum.
any
To assist in the mixing of the materials! place in the drum
desired number,
conveniently three, mixing plates each of which may be about 3rd of the total
length of the drum and having one end secured by its turned-over edge or other
suitable means to the periphery of the drum inside and the other by suitable bars
or legs so as to leave an open space between the end of the plate and the inside of
the periphery of the drum. These legs may be made of flat bars rivetted on to
the plate and turned over at their ends to fit against the drum and preferably
twisted so as to present their thin edges to the tea and prevent lodgment. Con-
veniently two of these plates may be fixed in one plane and the third between
these plates and in a plane perpendicular to the other two. Besides serving as
mixers these plates also tend to strengthen the drum. As a drum such as
described may contain a very heavy weight say for example a thousand pounds of
tea, the desirability of tying or strengthening the drum will be apparent.
Upon the frame-work I may fix a filling platform and a stand for the material or
the like, but owing to the particular construction described I am able to fill the
drum from a much lower level than usual, the doors opening so as to allow of this,
say as low as the centre of revolution of the drum, and with this arrangement it
is not always necessary to employ any special filling platform as the attendant can
easily fill it from the ordinary floor or ground level.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1891
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Mixing Apparatus for Tea and other Materials.
I, WILLIAM PARNALL of 108 Victoria Street, Bristol, in the County of
Gloucester, Grocers' Outfitter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus for mixing materials, particularly tea; I will
therefore describe it as a tea mixer.
In the accompanying drawings:
:-
Figure 1 is an end view of a tea mixer constructed according to this invention,
Figure 2 being a side view of the same, and
Figure 3 showing a portion of the interior.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
Upon a suitable framework or standards A is journalled a rotating drum B which
may be revolved by hand or power; the drum may be made of sheet iron or other
suitable material in the form of a cylinder, the proportions being adapted to the
requirements of the case. The drum is provided with a suitable number, conveniently
three, of peripheral openings C (two only being shown in the drawings) closed by
doors D having side shields E to enclose the tea when filling or emptying; the
doors can be closed tight in any convenient manner. These doors may be used
for either filling or emptying, or one or more for filling and one or more for
emptying, and may be hinged or pivotted upon the same or opposite sides or ends of
the drum. Doors F and G are also provided in the ends of the drum conveniently
diametrically opposite each other as shown in the drawings and pivotted preferably
one, say F, at the periphery of the drum as at F1, Figure 1' and the other G
towards the centre of the drum as at G¹ so as to open in opposite directions
although this arrangement may be varied if desired. These doors may be placed
at both ends of the drum as shown in Figure 2 by which means the mixer can be
very quickly discharged as men may be employed at both ends as well as at the
periphery, and an important saving of time may be thus effected. When pivotted
as above described they may be used respectively for filling and emptying the
drum, those pivotted at the periphery being most suitable for discharging or
emptying the drum and those pivotted towards the centre of the drum being most
suitable for filling purposes.
In the drawings I bave shown the door G as a simple flap or pivotted plate as
this is sufficient for filling purposes, but it will be understood that I may alter the
shape of this door and provide it with shields somewhat similar to those of the
other doors.
To assist in the mixing of the materials I place in the drum any desired number,
conveniently three, of mixing plates II, Figure 3, each of which may bear its proper
proportion (where three plates are employed this would be about one-third) of the
total length of the drum, so that the collective width of the three plates approxi-
mately equals the internal length of the drum. One end of each plate may be
secured by its turned-over edge H¹ or by other suitable means to the periphery of
the drum inside and the other end by suitable bars or legs H2 so as to leave an open
space I between the end of the plate and the inside of the periphery of the drum
to allow of the passage through of the tea as the drum revolves. These legs may
be made of flat bars rivetted on to the plate and turned-over at their ends to fit
against the drum and preferably twisted so as to present their thin edges to the tea
and prevent lodgment thereof-all this is clearly shown in Figure 3. The plates H
may be fixed to the shaft J of the drum by setting back a portion of the pate H³
so as to fit partly round the shaft and placing straps H' round the other side of the
shaft and rivetting or bolting these to the plates. Conveniently two of these

page_text: plates H may be fixed in one plane and the third between these plates and in a
plane perpendicular to the other two-this also is shown in Figure 3.
Besides serving as mixers these plates also tend to strengthen the drum and as
a drum such as described may contain a heavy weight say for example 1,000 lbs. of
tea or other material, the desirability of tying or strengthening the drum will be
apparent.
These mixers may be made in any desired sizes and shapes.
Upon the frame-work I may fix the filling platform and a stand or the like for the
material, but owing to the particular construction described I am able to fill the
drum from a much lower level than usual, the doors opening so as to allow of this,
say as low as the centre of revolution of the drum and with this arrangement it is
not always necessary to employ any special filling platform as the attendant can
easily fill it from the ordinary floor or ground level.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a mixing apparatus of the nature described a drum such as B having doors
such as E F and G substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a
mixing apparatus of the nature described the combination with the
mixing drum of doors such as F and G pivotted respectively at and away from
the periphery of the drum substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
3. In a mixing apparatus of the nature described a mixing drum provided with
doors in the periphery and at both ends substantially as described.
4. In a mixing apparatus of the nature described the combination with the
mixing drum of mixing plates placed across the drum in different planes substantially
as described.
5. In a mixing apparatus of the nature described the combination with the
mixing drum of a series of plates such as H placed in different planes substantially
as described.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete
mixing apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1894
WILLIAM PARNALL
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.