IMPROVEMENTS IN BOLTING, DRESSING, PURIFYING, OR SEPARATING FLOUR, MIDDLINGS, OR OTHER PULVERULENT SUBSTANCES, AND IN MACHINERY OB APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME, PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINERY.
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Leicester and Richard Blezard, both
.
of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BOLTING, DRESSING, PURIFYING, OR SEPARATING FLOUR,
MIDDLINGS, OR OTHER PULVERULENT SUBSTANCES, AND IN MACHINERY OB
APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME, PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
TO OTHER MACHINERY.
93
Sealed the 4th January 1876, and dated the 11th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Leicester and
Richard Blezard at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th October 1875.
We, THOMAS LEICESTER and RICHARD BLEZARD, both of Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOLTING, DRESSING, PURIFYING, OR SEPARATING
FLOUR, MIDDLINGS, OR OTHER PULVERULENT SUBSTANCES, AND IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME, PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO
OTHER MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
1st. We construct a cylindrical reel of silk or other suitable porous

page_text: material stretched upon a framework of wood or metal. This reel is made
to revolve in any convenient manner, its axis being inclined to the
horizontal at an angle of about 5 to 10 degrees. Uusally we make it
about two or three diameters in length, but the dimensions may be
varied indefinitely.
2nd. Projecting into the central axis of the higher end of the
aforesaid reel is the spout for supplying the apparatus with flour or
middlings.
3rd. In the centre of the aforesaid reel and rigidly fixed to extraneous
supports at one or both ends of the same, and extending nearly the
whole length of the said reel we fix a pipe or chamber, by preference of
triangular cross section, and with one of the angles uppermost. On
the under side of this pipe or chamber we fix a slide perforated with
holes corresponding to perforations in the aforesaid lower side of the
triangular chamber, and so arranged that the position of the slide
can be so regulated that the perforations in the slide shall at pleasure
be made to come opposite to those in the chamber or to partially or
entirely close the latter; the chamber is connected with an exhausting
fan.
4th. If the apparatus is to be used for purifying middlings we cover
the reel for about half its length nearest the feed spout with very fine
silk, and the other half with coarser silk. Both halves are surrounded
with a stationary dust proof sheathing of any convenient construction
and material, leaving a few inches clear all round between the sheathing
and the silk. Below each half length of the reel is a hopper or spout
for carrying off the material that escapes through the meshes of the silk.
5th. When the machine is at work the middlings are fed through the
spout aforesaid into the reel. The reel in revolving carries the middlings
to a high point, whence they are thrown upon the triangular chamber,
and sliding down the side fall off to the bottom of the reel. To aid this
motion we usually place a series of ribs on the reel, projecting inwards;
these act as buckets in carrying up the middlings. As the middlings
falls the lighter fibrous particles are carried off by the exhaust through
the perforated triangular chamber. The very finest dust sticking to the
middlings is dusted through the finer silk and down the first hopper,
the semolina through the coarser half of the silk and down the 2nd
hopper, while the largest and coarsest particles traverse the entire length

page_text: of the cylinder, and are discharged through a slit in the stationary
casing.
6th. When working the apparatus for a dressing or bolting machine
we place a worm below in place of the two hoppers and sometimes omit
the triangular chamber.
7th. The apparatus is driven by a friction wheel pulley at each end,
and in machines of greath length at intermediate points not over
fifteen feet apart, all on one shaft, so that the entire weight of the
reel rests on the pullies, so that there are no bearings in the centre
axis.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Leicester and Richard Blezard in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
LEICESTER and RICHARD BLEZARD, both of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto the said Thomas Leicester and Richard
Blezard, Her special licence that we, the said Thomas Leicester and
Richard Blezard, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Thomas Leicester and Richard Blezard, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man au Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN
BOLTING, DRESSING, PURIFYING OR SEPARATING FLOUR, MIDDLINGS, OR OTHER
PULVERULENT SUBSTANCES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE
SAME, PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINERY," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Leicester and
Richard Blezard, our executors or administrators, by an instrument

page_text: in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Leicester and Richard
Blezard, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being
had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the figures and letters
of reference marked thereon :---
In these Fig. 1 is a back view of the machine; Fig. 2, a transverse
section of reel; Fig. 3, front view; Fig. 4, transverse section.
In these A is a cylindrical reel of silk or other suitable porous
material stretched upon a framework of wood or metal. This rcel is
made to revolve in any convenient manner, its axis being inclined to the
horizontal at an angle of about 5 to 10 degrees. Uusually we make
it about two to three diameters in length, but the dimensions may be
varied indefinitely. We usually arrange the reel A with a bearing Q
at the front end sliding in vertical or very slightly inclined guides, and
its whole weight on that end resting on friction pulley P. One or more
pulleys are arranged in the same shaft, so as to carry the whole length
of the machine as it revolves, their distance apart being never more
than 15 ft.; the reel is made perfectly cylindrical above cach pulley.
If the reel be not over 15 ft. long one driving pulley at cach end is
enough without intermediate ones; we also at the back end and at
every intermediate point where a driving supporting pulley is used,
put bearing or antifriction pulleys at each side so as to steady the
machine and keep it in position.
Projecting into the central axis of the higher end of the reel A is the
spout C for supplying the apparatus with flour or middlings.
In the centre of the reel A and rigidly fixed to extraneous supports
at one or both ends of the same, and extending nearly the whole length
of the reel, we fix a chamber B, by preference of triangular cross
section, and with one of the angles uppermost. On the under side of
this chamber we fix a slide D perforated with holes corresponding to the
perforations in the aforesaid lower side of the triangular chamber B,

page_text: and so arranged that the position of the slide can be so regulated that
the perforations in the slide shall at pleasure be made to come opposite
to those in the chamber, or to partially or entirely close the latter;
the chamber is connected with an exhausting fan E. We generally
make the two upper sides project beyond the bottom of the triangular
chamber, as shown in the Drawing, finding this plan better than
increasing the size of the chamber so as to occupy sufficient space in
the drum, a mere pipe or tube of small diameter without the sloping
top being entirely uscless, as if near the top it only takes up a very
small part of the fibrous matter, and if near the bottom takes in the
middlings as well.
If the apparatus is to be used for purifying middlings we cover the
recl A for about half its length nearest the feed spout C with very fine
silk, and the other half with coarser silk. Both halves are surrounded
with a stationary dust proof sheathing G of any convenient construction
and material, leaving a few inches clear all round between the sheathing
and the silk. Below each half-length of the reel is a hopper or spout
H, J, for carrying off the materials that escape through the meshes of
the silk.
When the machine is at work the middlings are fed through
the spout C into the reel A. The reel in revolving carries the
middlings to a high point whence they are thrown upon the triangular
chamber B, and sliding down the side fall off to the bottom of the
reel A. To aid this motion we usually place a series of ribs K on the
reel, projecting inwards; these act as buckets in carrying up the
middlings. As the middlings fall the lighter fibrous particles are carried
off by the exhaust through the perforations in the triangular chamber B.
The very finest dust sticking to the middlings is dusted through the finer
silk and down the hopper J, the semolina through the coarser half of
the silk and down the hopper H, while the largest and coarsest particles
traverse the entire length of the cylinder, and are discharged by falling
on to the slide L, and thence through the slit M in the casing.
When the machine is say 10 ft. only in length, we find that two
hoppers below is all that is required, but when a longer length up to 15
ft. is used, a worm N is required to carry the fine dust and semolina to
the spouts R and S, but no separate shaft is required, as shown in the
Drawing, as the worm could be put on the driving shaft O. For very

page_text: long reels however the secondary shaft N driven from the driving shaft
by spur gearing T, T, is required for the worm.
When working the apparatus for a dressing or bolting machine we
usually place the worm N below in place of the two hoppers and some-
times omit the triangular chamber.
The apparatus is driven by a friction wheel or pulley P at each end,
and in machines of great length by pulleys at intermediate points not
more than 15 feet apart as well, all being on shaft O; so that the entire
weight of the recl resting on the pullies P, no bearings are required in
the centre axis at either end.
We find it useful however occasionally to put side bearing pullies Q
at the rear end instead of another bearing at the front, and in very long
machines usually put side bearing pulleys also in the middle. To
prevent the middlings passing over the ends, of the reel we attach
stationary boards W, W, to the casing with a hole just large enough
to admit the reel, two rings or bearings U, U, on the reel to each board
keep the middlings from passing between these baffle boards and the
reel. The fan can be placed in any suitable position, sometimes quite
away from the machine.
In short machines of only 10 feet in length the worm N is not
required, in those not over 15 feet in length it can be placed on shaft O,
but in longer machines it requires the subsidiary shaft N, as shown.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and the best
modo known to us of carrying it into effect, we wish it to be distinctly
understood that we do not claim as our Invention the purifying of
middlings or bolting of flour by rotary silk or reel, as that is well known,
nor do we claim all the other separate parts of our machine taken
separately, as many of these are in use in existing machines; but what
we beleive to be new and claim under the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
1st. The mode of driving a revolving reel, silk, or screen, by the rolling
contact of pulleys or other gear on a single line of shafting immediately
beneath and upon which the said reel, silk, or screen rests, for the pur-
poses described.
2nd. Arranging the reel of a middlings purifying machine so that it
shall carry the middlings round with it nearly, or quite, to the top of

page_text: the reel, and then let them fall upon an exhaust chamber or other.
obstruction, so constructed that they must in falling pass in a thin
stream or streams near but at a uniform distance from the openings in
an exhaust chamber, and thus have the fine fibrous particles sucked out
from them by the said exhaust.
3rd. The internal exhaust chamber B with sloping surface above,
extending a considerable distance into the reel A, and having perfora-
tions below, regulated or otherwise, so as to suck out the fine fibrous
particles from the middlings as they fall past them, for the purposes
described.
4th. The general arrangement of apparatus, substantially as described
in the foregoing Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Leicester, on behalf of
myself and the said Richard Blezard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord 1876.
THOMAS LEICESTER. (L.S.)
Witness,
EDWARD C. COLTON,
Clerk to W. P. Thompson,
Patent Agent,
6, Lord Street.
Liverpool.