Improved Apparatus for Cleaning and Sorting Potatoes, or for other similar purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 12th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Cleaning and Sorting Potatoes, or for other
similar purposes.
ALFRED JEPSON of Sandbach, in the County of Chester, Merchant, 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 chiefly to the cleaning and sorting of potatoes, the object
being to dispense with the use of baskets usually employed for this purpose and to
provide a cheaper lighter and more easily worked apparatus than those at present
made in substitution for the said baskets.
The invention consists of a frame which may be of wood but is preferably made
of wrought iron rods connected by wire network, mounted upon rockers or their
equivalent, the sorting trays are also made of light wrought iron or wire rods or
bars and covered with a network of wire, one end of the trays being formed or
provided with and supported by suitable hooks catching into the network of the
frame the other end passing through a suitable opening through one side or end of
the said frame; the latter is also provided at its top (which is open) with suitable
brackets or arms supporting a removable wire network basket or riddle of con-
venient form the bottom of which is of suitably coarse mesh.
My invention will be readily understood from the following description on
reference to the annexed sheet of drawings of which Fig. 1 is a side view of one
of my improved cleaning and sorting apparatus, Fig. 2 is a view of one end
thereof and Fig. 3 is a view of the other end thereof, with the rockers basket and
sorting frames or trays removed.
inch
The frame a is made of wrought iron rods of suitable strength (say
diameter) and wire network a' of suitable strength and mesh (say for example
No. 12 wire and inch mesh).
The rockers are also made of wrought iron rods or bars which may be carried
up the sides of the frame and over the top so as to form brackets or supports 6+ as
seen at Fig. 2 for the wire work basket c. This basket c is removable and provided
with handles c', and the wire work forming the bottom of this basket e may be
about 1 inch mesh or ccarser if preferred.
I also provide two sloping sorting trays de of wire work hooked to the frame a a¹
at one end as shown at de on Fig. 1 and passing through the opposite end or side
of the frame a a¹ which is made with openings a² and a³ for this purpose as seen at
Figs. 2 and 3 respectively.
The lower tray d forms practically the bottom of the rocking frame a and
may be provided with network of the same mesh as the network a' of the said
frame.
The upper tray
being between the basket c and the lower tray d is made with
network of a mesh neither so coarse as that of the bottom of the basket nor so
fine as that of the tray d.
The two trays d and e project slightly from the frame a the projecting ends
resting upon cross bars at de on the frame a a' at the bottom of the aforesaid
openings a and a which allow the potatoes to roll down the trays d and e and into
sacks or baskets placed in a suitable position to receive them.
When the potatoes with the soil adhering thereto are place in the basket c the
frame a a' can be recked o cause the potatoes to move or roll by means of the

page_text: handles c on the basket or by holding one or more of the sides of the frame a a².
The largest potatoes will remain in the basket the smallest will roll out through
the opening a and the intermediate sized potatoes will roll out through the
opening a³.
The soil will be broken up and fall through the meshes of the tray d, and upon
the ground or floor beneath the frame a.
If desired the rockers may be set upon boards or other slabs to prevent them
from sinking deeply into the ground.
I prefer to galvanize the ironwork or wirework of my apparatus which will
therefore be very durable.
The basket and the sorting trays d and e being so easily removed and replaced
and the whole being made of such light material, the apparatus is very portable ;
it is also easy to work, cheaply constructed and practically unbreakable.
If desired an ordinary round riddle may be set upon the top of the frame a a¹
instead of the basket c.
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 :-
The improved apparatus (for cleaning and sorting potatoes or for similar
purposes) constructed of wirework substantially in the manner herein before
described and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1895.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.