Improvements in connection with Machines for Digging Potatoes, whereby the Potatoes are Collected, Screened, Elevated, and Deposited into Receptacles or Heaps.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 1st Mar., 1392-Accepted, 9th Apr., 1892
ROVISIONAL ST MOIFICATION.
Improvements in connection with Machines for Digging Potatoes,
whereby the Potatoes are Collected, Screened, Elevated, and
Deposited into Receptacles or Heaps.
I WILLIAM JAMES BURGESS of Wiggenhall, St. Mary Magdalen near Lynn
Norfolk Auctioneer and Farmer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide machines for digging potatoes with
means whereby the potatoes as they are brought to the surface of the ground are
properly collected and screened from mould adhering to them. The potatoes are
thrown into a rotating screen by a revolving rake which rake may be such as is
at present employed with potato digging machines, and the potatoes are propelled
or caused to travel through the screen by screw blades fitted in the interior of the
screen. The screw blades at the mouth or entrance to the screen are provided
with points or projections preferably covered with india rubber or other suitable
material to prevent them damaging the potatoes which points engage weeds and
the like which enter the mouth of the screen with the potatoes and elevate the
said weeds or the like onto a shoot by which they are conducted from the screen.
The mould adhering to the potatoes is removed therefrom as they pass through the
screen the said mould passing through the meshes of the screen whilst the potatoes
freed from the mould enter pockets or buckets formed in the interior of the
delivery end of the screen and are elevated by these pockets and deposited thereby
into a stationary shoot the spout of which is hinged to the other part of the shoot
so as to be capable of being raised when required to form a box to retain the
potatoes deposited therein. When the spout of this shoot is lowered the potatoes
may be delivered thereby into sacks or other receptacles placed in position to
receive them or if they are required to be placed in heaps on the ground they are
conducted into a box which is capable of turning on a crank pin so that by
tilting this box so as to cause the nose or front end thereof to come into contact
with the ground as the machine is travelling the box is caused to turn over and
deposit its contents onto the ground. The revolving screen is provided with
wheels fast on a hollow axle or sleeve fitted to turn on an axle carried on a frame
which is capable of being raised and lowered as required by the driver by means
of suitable rods and lever handle. When the machine is at work the frame is
lowered so as to bring the wheels of the screen onto the ground and thereby cause
the screen to revolve but in order to prevent the machine being damaged by the
wheels of the screen dragging on or scraping the ground when turning corners the
frame carrying the screen is raised a few inches above the ground. To ensure
the potatoes being fed into the screen there may be provided on the axle of the
rotating rake a wire or other brush which will catch any of the potatoes that may
pass by the rake and sweep them into the mouth of the screen.
Doil T
1001
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in connection with Machines for Digging Potatoes,.
whereby the Potatoes are Collected, Screened, Elevated, and
Deposited into Receptacles or Heaps.
I WILLIAM JAMES BURGESS of Wiggenhall St. Mary Magdalen near Lynn,.
Norfolk, Auctioneer and Farmer 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 :--
The object of my invention is to provide for use with machines for digging
potatoes apparatus whereby the potatoes brought to the surface of the ground by
the digger are collected and screened from mould adhering to them and delivered
into sacks or other receptacles, or deposited on the ground in heaps in convenient
positions to be gathered and carried off the field.
The apparatus consists of a revolving screen preferably of a conical form
attached to the potato digger in any convenient way so as to be free to rise and
fall to accommodate itself to the inequalities of the land over which it travels.
The screen is supported on the ground by a wheel by the frictional contact of
which it is rotated the said wheel being of suitable height and situated in such a
position as to allow the machine to be readily turned without damaging the screen
by contact with the ground. The screen is situated opposite to the revolving
tynes or rakes of the potato digger so that as the potatoes are brought to the
surface of the ground they are thrown by the revolving rakes or tines into the
revolving screen. The screen is provided on the interior with blades or guides
placed at suitable angles, or screw wise, so that by the rotation of the screen the
potatoes are propelled or caused to travel, to the delivery end of the screen where
they enter pockets, by which they are lifted to a certain height and then they
drop into an inclined spont which delivers them into bags or other receptacles,
placed in position to receive them or onto the ground in suitable position for being
collected. The guides or blades are provided with serrations, projections or points
which if desired may be covered with suitable material to prevent them damaging
the potatoes. These points, projections or serrations engage weeds and the like
which may enter the mouth of the screen with the potatoes and elevate the said
weeds or the like onto a shoot by which they are conducted from the screen and
deposited onto the ground which has been dug. The mould adhering to the
potatoes is removed therefrom as they pass through the screen the said mould
passing through the meshes of the screen onto the ground.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now pro-
ceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure represents in plan so much of an ordinary potato digger as is sufficient
to illustrate my invention applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of my improved screen detached and Figure 3
is a view of the feeding end of the said screen.
Figure 4 is a view of the delivery end of the screen shewing it provided with
a shoot having a hinged flap for conducting the potatoes in different directions as
required and with a tipping box for depositing the potatoes onto the ground in
heaps and
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 shew various constructions of guides for attachment to the
screen as required.
As shewn in the drawings the screen is of a conical form it may however be
cylindrical if desired.
A are the ordinary rotating rakes or tines carried by the digging machine and
overated in the usual manner, B is my improved conical screen into which the

page_text: potatoes, brought to the surface of the ground by the digger, are thrown by the
said rakes or tines A. The periphery of the screen B may consist of any suit-
able reticulated material such for example as strong wire netting of the required
mesh, or as shewn in the drawing it may be formed by wire a wound round a
frame & the convolutions of the wire being at such a distance apart as to prevent
the potatoes from passing between them but at the same time permitting of the
mould escaping therethrough as it is removed from the potatoes in their passage
through the screen. This screen is mounted so as to be free to turn between a
collare on an axle D (preferably hollow) and a disc or washer d carried on a rod
or bolt passing through the axle D and secured therein by a pin or cottar e.
The axle D is screwed into an arm or frame F and secured by a nut f. The arm
or frame F is provided with a rod or spindle G mounted in bearings H on the
frame of the potato digger, so as to admit of the screen rising and falling with
the inequalities of the ground. The bearings H or one of the said bearings may
be adjustable in height so as to enable the angle of screen to be varied to bring
it into and out of operating position as required. The screen is provided with a
wheel which may be of greater diameter than the largest end of the screen so
that when the screen is brought into working position the wheel by its frictional
contact with the ground imparts rotation to the screen without the use of gearing
and at the same time maintains the screen above or out of contact with the
ground so as to facilitate the turning of the machine without injuring the said
screen. Arranged helically or angularly inside the screen are a number of troughs
blades or plates L which extend from the mouth or larger end of the screen to
within a short distance of the small or delivery end thereof by means of which
troughs blades or plates the potatoes thrown into the screen by the rakes A. are
propelled or guided or caused to pass through the screen, as it rotates and enter
pockets buckets or elevators M formed in the interior of the small or delivery
end thereof and by these pockets or buckets the potatoes are elevated and dis-
charged onto a shoot N by which they may be conducted into sacks or other
receptacles or deposited in heaps on the ground as hereinafter described. K is a.
deflecting plate arranged in the mouth of the screen to prevent the potatoes from
being thrown by the rakes A direct through the screen. The guides L may be.
of trough shape as shewn in Figure 5 or of any other suitable shape in cross section
and all or any desired number of these guides may be serrated or provided with
teeth or projections as shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 extending from the mouth.
of the screen to any desired distance along the guides, which teeth or projections.
catch or engage any loose weeds or refuse and clods of earth that may be thrown
into the screen by the rakes A, the said refuse being thereby elevated and,
deposited into a shoot O by which it is conducted onto the ground which has been.
dug, whilst the mould removed from the potatoes in their passage through the
screen passes through the meshes of the screen onto the ground. If the potatoes.
are to be deposited into sacks or other receptacles two sacks or the like may be
placed in position on a platform P carried by the bolt E or in any other con-
venient way so as to maintain the sacks in a vertical position the months of the
sacks being held open or distended by arms or otherwise to receive the potatoes
as they pass down the shoot N the potatoes being guided into one of the sacks.
by the hinged flap and when this sack is filled the flap i is moved on its hinge
so as to conduct the potatoes into the other sack.
Or the potatoes may be conducted by the shoot N directly onto the ground or
as shewn in Figure 4 into a box or receptacle Q mounted on centres and provided.
with means under the control of the driver or attendant whereby when the box is
sufficiently charged he may tilt the box so as to discharge the contents thereof
onto the ground in heaps as the machine is travelling.
To ensure the potatoes being fed into the screen B there may be mounted on
the axle of the rotating rakes A, in rear of the said rakes, a wire or other brush
so that any of the potatoes missed by the rakes will be caught and driven by the:
said brush into the screen.

page_text: 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 or for use with a machine for digging potatoes a rotating screen into
which the potatoes are fed by rotating rakes or the like and caused to travel
through the interior of the screen to the delivery end thereof whereby the mould
is removed from the potatoes and discharged through the meshes of the screen
onto the ground substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In or for use with a machine for digging potatoes, a rotating screen into
which the potatoes are fed by the digger and caused by means of helically arranged
blades or guides to travel through the screen to the delivery end thereof sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In or for use with a machine for digging potatoes a rotating screen provided
in the interior with guides for conducting potatoes fed into the screen, into pockets
formed in the delivery end thereof by means of which pockets the potatoes are
clevated and discharged from the screen into suitable receptacles substantially as
hereinbefore described.
4. In or for use with a machine for digging potatoes a rotating screen provided
in the interior with plates or guides for conducting the potatoes through the screen
the said plates or guides having teeth or projections by which weeds haulms and
like refuse are separated from the potatoes and deposited onto the ground outside
the screen substantially as herein before described.
5. In or for use with a machine for digging potatoes a rotating screen through
which the potatoes are caused to travel from the feeding end to the delivery end
thereof, the screen being provided with a rim or wheel which when in operation
bears on the ground and by its frictional contact therewith gives rotation to the
screen without the necessity for gearing substantially as herein before.described.
6. In or for use with a machine for digging potatoes, a screen caused to rotate
by the frictional contact of a rim or wheel thercon with the ground the screen
being connected to the digging machine so as to be capable of being adjusted into
and out of operating position and of rising and falling or accommodating itself to
inequalities of the ground substantially as herein before described.
7. The combination of parts constituting an apparatus for screening potatoes,
separating them from weeds and other rubbish, elevating and depositing them into
receptacles or in heaps substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 25th day of February 1897
WILLIAM JAS. BURGESS.