Improvements in and relating to the Production of an Alimentary Product from Indian Corn or Maize.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Production of an Alimentary
Product from Indian Corn or Maize.
I, HERVEY BATES, Jr., a citizen of the United States of America, residing in
898 North Illinois Street, in the City of Indianapolis, County of Marion and State of
Indiana, one of the United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to the production of an alimentary product from Indian
corn or maize.
In the practice of the art to which my invention appertains, it has been customary
to crack and hull the corn grains either before or after soaking the same, and to also
remove the germ, the product of this operation has then been immersed and soaked
in warm or cold water or steam, and subsequently compressed and flattened between
heated or cold rollers. In practicing the art as set forth, I have found that the use
of steam or hot water for soaking the corn, as also the use of heated rolls for
crushing and flattening the same, tends to cooking or partially cooking the corn,
gelatinizing the starch, and toughening the granules. And I have also found that
even with the use of moderately warm or cold water in a tank or basin, where the
corn is immersed and thoroughly soaked, that not only does it require considerable
length of time to moisten the corn, but a great loss of time is experienced in the
proper draining of the saturated corn of its excess of moisture, rendering it
necessary to employ a series of draining vats or hoppers, the contents of which
are successively delivered to the flattening rolls. This process not only requires
considerable time, but it also frequently happens that before the grain is sufficiently
well drained fermentation is apt to ensue, especially if the condition of the
atmosphere or its temperature is conducive to such result.
My invention has for its object to avoid the delays incident in the present
methods, and also the possibility of accidental fermentation, and the production of
a valuable alimentary product in an economic and expeditious manner; and with
these ends in view, my invention consists in first subjecting the corn to the process
of hulling and degerminating for the removal of the exterior skin from the kernel
and extracting the germ. The hard corn granules are then placed in a suitable
receptacle or hopper and fed therefrom into a conveyor trough provided with a
broken flighted conveyor.
Over the head of this trough, and immediately above the point of delivery of
the corn from the hopper, is arranged a rose jet upon the end of a conduit or pipe
leading from a reservoir, and water is sprinkled in small quantities upon the corn
which is immediately conveyed by the rotary conveyer out of contact with and away
from the falling water spray. The conveyor flights being broken serve as mixers
or stirrers, and the wetted grains are tumbled or mixed together as they advance
toward the tail of the trough, and thus any excess of moisture or water deposited
on or adhering to any of the grains is distributed among the others, so that when
the body is delivered at the tail of the conveyor it is uniformly saturated or
moistened.
My invention further consists in eliminating any possible undue saturation or
moisture, by conveying the saturated corn through dry conveyor troughs open at
the top, and finally delivering the thus treated corn to the action of flattening rolls
in'the usual manner.
In carrying out my invention I have found it desirable to employ machinery
especially adanted for the nunnose and in the mening dramine

page_text: 1
Figure 1 shows in elevation, partly in section, such machinery and the arrange-
ment thereof, as I have found efficacious, and
Figure 2 is a cross section on line -x of Figure 1.
In the drawing referred to, A', represents any ordinary hulling and degerminating
machine, and, A, represents a hopper for receiving the hulled and degerminated
corn; this hopper, A, is provided with a slide, B, in its open bottom, by which the
discharge of corn is regulated, and a suitable shoe, C, extends from the bottom
of the hopper and over the head of the moistening trough, D, which is provided
with a rotary shaft, E, having a series of conveyor flights F, which are arranged
as shown, so as to convey the corn towards the tail of the trough and at the same
time thoroughly mix the same. Immediately over the point of delivery of the
corn to the trough, D, is arranged a rose jet, G, connected to the end of a water
supply, H, leading from a reservoir, I. The pipe, H, is provided with a suitable
valve, J, by which the supply of water is regulated. The moistened corn when it
has reached the tail of the trough D, is delivered into a second trough, K, and by
a reversely operated continuous conveyor the corn is carried back toward the
location where it started its movement, and it is then delivered into a third trough, L,
with a continuously operating conveyor. In the bottom of this last named trough
there are a series of openings or chutes, M, adapted to deliver the corn to a series
of crushing and flattening rollers, which I have represented by N, and these rollers
finally complete the process or treatment of the corn.
I have shown the apparatus or the parts thereof 'arranged vertically, but it is
apparent that they may, except as to the water supply and hopper, be arranged
horizontally with suitable auxiliary devices for transferring the corn from one
trough to another, and it is equally apparent that where economy of space is
not necessary, the auxiliary evaporating troughs may be dispensed with, and in lieu
thereof the wetting and mixing trough may be correspondingly increased in length
and to such an extent as to bring the corn to the proper condition before delivery
to the conveyor trough over the rolls.
In practicing my invention I have used with satisfactory results a wetting and
mixing trough about ten feet long and about nine inches in cross section, as shown
at Figure 2 of the drawing, having arranged longitudinally therein a conveyor
with broken flights adapted to make about one hundred and sixty-eight revolutions
per minute, and under such conditions the corn is caused to travel longitudinally at
the rate of about one to two feet per minute. The supply of water is regulated
somewhat by experience but to such extent that a handful of corn picked up at or
near the tail of the mixing trough will make no visible deposit of moisture upon
the hand while at the same time producing a well defined sensation of dampness.
The evaporating and delivery troughs, K, and L, are provided with continuous
conveyors making about fifty revolutions per minute, and the pitch of the conveyors
is such that the corn will be conveyed at about the speed of from two to three feet
per minute, and the continuous conveyor which delivers the corn to the succession of
rolls travels at about the same speed. Any suitable system of gearing and
belting being employed to produce the results named.
Variations in the speed of the conveyors and of the travel of the corn may of
course be made according to the temperature of the room, or the condition of the
atmosphere, which is readily determined by experience.
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. The process hereinbefore described of producing an alimentary product from
corn, which consists essentially in first hulling and degerminating the corn, then
feeding the same under a spray of water at the initial point of travel, then stirring
and mixing and simultaneously conveying the same longitudinally in a trough, then
partially evaporating the moisture from the corn, and finally feeding the same to,
and flattening between rollers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
45,99

page_text: 2. In an apparatus for treating corn to produce an alimentary product, the
combination with a mixing and conveyor trough, D, provided with a broken flighted
conveyor E-F, a feeding hopper, A, for delivering the corn to the trough, and a
water reservoir, I, conduit pipe, H, and spraying nozzle or rose jet, G, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In combination with the hopper, A, trough D, with broken flighted conveyor,
and the spraying nozzle, G, evaporating conveyor trough, K, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
4. The combination and arrangement of the hopper, A, water reservoir, I, rose
jet, G, conveyor E-F, evaporating conveyor trough, K, delivery trough, L, and
crushing or flattening rolls, N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
A D 1000
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.