IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING GRAIN, RICE, AND SEEDS, OR BOLTING FLOUR, AND SEPARATING AND PURIFYING MIDDLINGS THEREFROM
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Bryant Childs, of No. 16, Mark Lane, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING GRAIN,
RICE, AND SEEDS, OR BOLTING FLOUR, AND SEPARATING AND PURIFYING
MIDDLINGS THEREFROM."
Sealed the 8th August 1876, and dated the 6th May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Bryant Childs at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th May 1876.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS, of No. 16, Mark Lane, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CLEANING GRAIN, RICE, AND SEEDS, OR BOLTING FLOUR, and
SEPARATING AND PURIFYING MIDDLINGS THEREFROM"
My improvement consists in the means employed for imparting a vertical jaring
or upward concussive motion to the screen frame or frames of the machine, for
keeping the meshes of the screen or bolting cloth clean, and cans the material to
bound off the screen into the air, for permitting an exhaust of air to pass through
it, for removing all foreign matter in separating and purifying middlings when
the machine is used for that special purpose, and is supplemental to my Patent
dated 27th April 1874.
One of the objects of my improvement patented in 1874 was to impart a
similar motion to the screen frame, namely, a vertical jaring or concussive motion,
but in that case, the concussion was caused by the falling of the screen frame by
being released from a series of lifting excentric cans and allowed to fall down
against stops; this downward concussive motion causes the material being cleaned
or purifyed to fill the meshes of the screen or silks by being forced into them by
the fall or downward concussive blow of the screen frame. To remedy this is
the object of my present improvement, which is effected by forcing the screen
frame down with a sories of excentric cams against the resistance of a spring or
series of springs composed of steel, india-rubber, or any other clastic material
properly arranged with the machine, and when the series of excentric cams
liberate themselves from the screen frame, the said springs lifts or forces the frame
up and causes it to strike against stops, which produces such an upward jaring
or concussive motion of it so as to prevent any material being cleaned from
lodging in the meshes of the silks, and thereby keeps them clean at all times

page_text: for the free downward passage of the material and upward passage of the blast
or air.
I prefer the use of india-rubber springs composed of balls of the proper
elasticity, and from three to four inches in diameter; several of these balls are
used on each side of the machine, and are made to rest in stationary cups similar
to the shape of the ball, while a similar inverted cup is placed over the top of the
said india-rubber ball and attached to the screen frame. The excentric cams for
depressing the screen frame against the india-rubber ball act on the inside of
metal stirrup attached to the lower part of the frame, usually two on each side
of it, and the said stirrup and excentric cams are so constructed that one
revolution of the cams will make six or eight depressions, and consequently lift
the frame as often by means of the rubber springs. The stop for the screen
frame may be attached to any part of it or made to form part of the stirrup acted
on by excentric cams.
Instead of springs for lifting the screen frames a series of weights acting over
wheels and attached to the fraine by means of cords may be used, or the weights
may be made to act through the medium of a series of levers for lifting or forcing
the screen frame up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Augustus Bryant Childs in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th August 1876.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS, of No. 16, Mark Lane, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CLEANING GRAIN, RICE, AND SEEDS, OR BOLTING FLOUR, AND
SEPARATING AND PURIFYING MIDDLINGS THEREFROM."
My improvement consists in the means employed for imparting a a vertical jarring
or upward concussive motion to the screen frame or frames of the machine, for
keeping the meshes of the screen or bolting cloth clean, and caus the material to
bound off the screen into the air, for permitting an exhaust of air to pass through
it to remove all foreign matter in separating and purifying middlings when
the machine is used for that special purpose, and is supplemental to my Patent
dated 27th April 1874.
One of the objects of my improvement patented in 1874 was to impart a
similar motion to the screen frame, namely, a vertical jarring or concussive motion,
but in that case the concussion was caused by the falling of the screen frame by
being released from a series of lifting eccentric cams and allowed to fall down
against stops; this downward concussive motion causes the material being cleaned
or purifyed to fill the meshes of the screen or silks by being forced into thein by
the fall or downward concussive blow of the screen frame. To remedy this is
the object of my present improvement, which is effected by forcing the screen
framo down with a series of excentric cams against the resistance of a spring or a
series of springs composed of steel, india-rubber, or any other elastic material
properly arranged with the machine; and when the series of eccentric cams
liberate themselves from the screen frame the said spring lifts or forces the frame
up and causes it to strike against stops, which produces such an upward jarring
or concussive motion of it as to prevent any material being cleaned from lodging
in the meshes of the silks, and thereby keeps them clean at all times for the
free downward passage of the material and upward passage of the blast or air.
I prefer the use of india-rubber springs composed of balls of the proper
elasticity and from three to four inches in diameter, more or less; several of these
balls are used on each side of the machine, and are made to rest in stationary cups
similar to the shape of the ball, while a similar inverted cup is placed over the
top of the said india-rubber ball and attached to the screen frame. The excentric

page_text: cams for depressing the screen frame against the india-rubber ball act on the inside
of a metal stirrup attached to the lower part of the frame, usually two on each
side of it; and the said stirrup and eccentric cams are so constructed that one
revolution of the cams will make six or eight depressions, and consequently lift the
frame by means of rubber springs. The stop for the screen frame may be
attached to any part of it, or made to form part of the stirrup acted on by the
eccentric cams.
Instead of springs for lifting the screen frames a series of weights acting over
wheels and attached to the frame by means of cords may be used, or the
weights may be made to act through the medium of a series of levers for lifting or
forcing the screen frame up.
Reference will be made to the accompanying Drawings hereunto annexed
forming part of this Specification for giving a fuller understanding of the said
Invention; the Drawings represent a longitudinal section of a machine used more
particularly for purifying middlings.
The general structure and action of the machine, excepting the manner and
ineans for imparting motion to the screen frame in the manner herein-before stated
is the same as that in my Patent 27th April 1874.
A, A, is the main chamber placed in an inclined position and supported by
the frame B, B, as shown; G, G, is the screen frame fit into the lower part of
the main chamber A, A. The screen frame is provided with four screen boards
C, C, C, C, covered with suitable bolting silk and arranged in inclined steps, as
represented; D, D, is the compensating air chamber provided with a regulating
binged valve g, which opens and closes for communicating with the external air
to increase or diminish the intensity of the exhaust, as may be required.
The air chamber D is made to communicate with the main chamber A, A, by
hinged valves d, d, d, d, attached to the top and inside of the main chamber;
E is the exhaust fan attached to the lower end of the main chamber of the machine,
and may be driven by power through the medium of a belt taken from any
suitable source, the fan draws or exhausts the air from the machine through the
valves d, d, d, d, and compensating air chamber D. The machine is supplied with
air drawn in at the bottom and sides of the hoppers L, L, L', which passes up
through an air distributor and silks S, S, and out of the machine through tho
chamber A and D and exhaust fan E.
:
The middlings to be treated is first placed in the hopper f and fed to the
machine in any regular manner, usually by a revolving feed roll worked by a belt.
In the present case the screen frame receives its vertical jarring or upward
concussive motion by two cam wheels b; one of these cam wheels are placed on
each side of the machine on the shaft O. The circumference of the wheels b aro
provided with six cam like projections ocupying equal spaces on tho wheels; tho
projections come in contact with the lower part of the metal stirrup a which is
attached to the lower part of the screen frame G, as represented, and thereby forces
tlio frame down on the india-rubber balls c, c, at each end of the machiuc. Two of
these balls are placed on each side of the machine, two at the lower and two at
the upper end, and under the screen frame and every time the cam wheels b
release themselves from the stirrup a the india-rubber balls e, e, causes or imparts
to the frame a vertical jarring or upward concussive motion for keeping the
silk S clean in the manner before stated. The stroke or intensity of the motion
thus imparted to the frame against the stationary buffer k may be increased or
diminished by the adjusting screw h, which is made to lower the indin-rubber
balls, and thereby lessen tho motion of the frame or elevate the rubber balls for
increasing the motion imparted to the frame by the cam wheels b as the material
being treated may require, and for purposes before stated. The portion of the
stirrup a where the cam comes in contact with are provided with bits of wood or
leather to prevent wearing, and for cheaply and readily renewing when required
by wearing or from other causes.

page_text: The following is a description of the action of the machine while in operation :-
The fan E is set in motion, and by it other parts of the machine are worked, as
before described. The middlings are placed in the hopper f and regularly fed
into the machine over tho silks, which desends on and passes over the series of
silks S, S, S, S, attached to the screen frame G; the finest of the middlings are
separated and purifyed as they pass over the first two screens at the upper end of the
screen frame and fall into the hopper L', while the remaining or coarser portion of tho
middlings are separated and purifyed as they pass over the two lower silks and
fall into the hoppers L, L; the refuse from the screen frame is discharged at the
tail of the machine. As beforo stated the machine is supplied with air by being
drawn up through the bottom and sides of the hopper, and is exhausted through
the silks while the screen frame is being vertically shaken or jarred in the manner
described. The fluff, dust, and other light foreign matter exhausted from the
middlings is drawn through the valves d, d, d, d, into the air chamber D, and
from thence exhausted by the fun into the open air or suitable resceptacle. The
arrows marked on the Drawings show the direction of the air through the
machine.
Having described the manner of constructing and working my said improvement
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the exact arrangement
of parts for giving the kind of motion to the screen frame before described, as they
may be varied to suit any condition and size of the machine and purposes for
which it is used, what I claim is, imparting the kind of motion to the screen
frame of the machine by the compression of india-rubber balls as represented, or
by other clastic mediums, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Bryant Childs, have bereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of August in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS. (L.S.)