IMPROVED APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE TREATMENT OF TEA, AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Francis, of Wrexham, in the County of
Denbigh, Grocer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS APPLICABLE
TO THE TREATMENT OF TEA, AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES."
Sealed the 27th October 1859, and dated the 30th April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Francis at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th April 1859.
I, EDWARD FRANCIS, of Wrexham, in the County of Denbeigh, Grocer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APParatus
APPLICABLE TO THE TREATMENT OF TEA, AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES," to be as
follows (that is to say) :-
An apparatus constructed according to this Invention consists of an horizontal
flat sieve or riddle with a vertical circular side which may be formed solid or
perforated. This sieve or riddle is provided with horizontal radial arms which
spring from a revolving centre vertical shaft. These radial arms are by
preference formed flat and placed at an angle (of, say, about 60°) to the bottom
of the sieve. But the radial arms may be formed of any convenient shape and
placed in any other convenient position, and may be so fitted to the revolving
shaft that their distance from the bottom of the riddle can be regulated at
pleasure, and that they will yield upwards upon an undue amount of pressure

page_text: being applied to the sides or under edges thereof, and they may have a tongue
of leather, india-rubber, or other suitable material fitted to their lower edges.
And in some cases it may be advisable to entirely or partially cover the radial
bars or spokes with soft leather, woollen cloth, or other suitable material.
If it be preferred an horizontal revolving wheel having a suitable number of
slots or openings (which radiate from the centre) cut through it at any
required angle to the upper and lower surfaces thereof may be substituted in
lieu of the radial arms herein-before described. The whole is enclosed in a
suitable cover to confine the dust and so forth, and is provided at the top with
a hopper having a slide in the throat thereof for regulating or cutting off the
supply of material to be acted upon. A receptacle is placed below the sieve
or riddle into which the material falls after it has been acted upon by the
revolving radial arms or wheel and passed through the meshes of the riddle or
sieve. In some cases the hopper above the mill is placed a short distance
from the mill and connected therewith by an enclosed "shoot" or inclined
spout to which a vibratory motion may be imparted if required, and the under
side of which is so constructed as to form a riddle or sieve by which means
the smaller particles of the tea or other material are separated from the larger
portions thereof, (during its passage through the "shoot" or "spout") and
which fall into any convenient receptacle to receive them. By this arrange-
ment the larger portions only are carried forward to be acted upon by the
mill. The shaft carrying the radial arms or wheel is caused to rotate by
power applied through a wheel and pinion, a band or other suitable mechanical
contrivance.
If preferred, the apparatus can be constructed so as to cause the sieve or
riddle to revolve, and the radial arms or wheel to remain stationary or revolve
in an opposite direction to the riddle or sieve, or a reciprocating motion may
be given to the sieve or radial arms or wheel, or both. This apparatus is
adapted to breaking and sifting tea, dressing seeds, disintegrating chicory, raw
sugar, and a variety of other articles. The speed of the machine being
regulated so as to suit the nature of the article to be operated upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said Edward Francis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD 35
FRANCIS, of Wrexham, in the County of Denbigh, Grocer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Francis, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Francis, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Francis, my executors, 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, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
APPLICABLE TO THE TREATMENT OF TEA, AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Francis, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said Edward Francis, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
An apparatus constructed according to this my said Invention, consists of
an horizontal flat sieve or riddle with a vertical circular side, which I form
either solid or perforated, and which I mount upon a suitable framework or
stand. Above this sieve or riddle I construct horizontal radial arms, which
spring from a vertical revolving centre shaft. These radial arms I form, by
preference, flat, and place them at an angle (of, say, about 60°) to the bottom.
of the sieve; but the radial arms may be formed of any convenient shape,
and placed in any other convenient position, and may be so fitted to the
revolving shaft, that their distance from the bottom of the riddle can be regu-
lated at pleasure by elevating their axis or depressing the sieve or riddle, and
they will yield-upwards, upon an undue amount-of-pressure-being-applied to-
the sides or under edges thereof; and they may have a tongue of leather,
india-rubber, or other suitable material fitted to their lower edges. And in
some cases it may be advisable entirely or partially to cover the radial bars or
spokes with soft leather, woollen cloth, or other suitable material; or they
may also be fitted with brushes, which will be found useful for many purposes.

page_text: And an alarm bell may be connected to the apparatus in such a way, that an
alarm will be given upon any undue pressure being applied to the sieve or
radial arms by a nail or other foreign substance accidentally introduced into
the apparatus. The whole of these parts I enclose in a suitable cover to
confine the dust and so forth, and I provide the top with a hopper for intro-
ducing the tea or other substance to be acted upon into the apparatus, and
this hopper, I prefer having a slide in the throat thereof, for regulating or
cutting-off the supply of material to be acted upon. And I place a drawer or
other suitable receptacle below the sieve or riddle into which the material falls
after it has been acted upon by the revolving radial arms and passed through
the meshes of the riddle or sieve. In some cases I place the hopper a short
distance from the mill, and connect it therewith by an enclosed "shoot" or
inclined spout, to which a vibratory motion may be imparted, if required, and
the under side of which is so constructed as to form a riddle or sieve, by which
means the smaller particles of the tea or other material are separated from
the larger portions thereof (during its passage through the "shoot" or "spout")
and which fall into any convenient receptacle placed to receive the same. By
this arrangement, the larger portions only are carried forward to be acted upon
by the mill.
Sometimes I prefer, in lieu of the radial arms berein-before described, to
substitute an horizontal revolving wheel, having a suitable number of slots or
openings which radiate from the centre, cut through it at any required angle
to the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The shaft carrying the radial arms
or slotted wheel is caused to rotate by power applied through a wheel and
pinion, a band, or other suitable mechanical contrivance.
If preferred, the apparatus can be constructed so as to cause the sieve or
riddle to revolve and the radial arms or wheel to remain stationary or revolve
in an opposite direction to the riddle or sieve, or a reciprocating motion may
be given to the sieve or radial arms or slotted wheel, or both; and the sieve
or riddle may be so mounted that it will yield downwards upon an undue
pressure being applied to its upper surface. This apparatus is adapted to
breaking and sifting tea, dressing seeds, disintegrating chicory, raw sugar, and
a variety of other articles; the speed of the machinery being regulated so
as to suit the nature of the article to be operated upon.
Like
That these, my said improvements, may be the more readily seen and
understood, I have hereunto annexed Drawings, in partial illustration of one
modification of an apparatus constructed according to my Invention.
letters and figures marked thereon have reference to similar parts.
Figure 1. is a partial side elevation, showing the drawer or receiving box

page_text: removed for the purpose of exposing the lower end of the vertical revolving
shaft which carries the radial arms, and the spiral spring which allows the
shaft to work up and down through the boss of the horizontal bevel wheel
when the radial arms come into contact with a nail or other foreign substance
which may have accidentally found its way into the apparatus; Figure 2 is
an horizontal section taken from a to b, Figure 1, showing a top view of the
rotating radial arms, fixed sieve or riddle, and sieve casing; Figure 3 is a
vertical section of one of the radial arms.
A, (Figure 1) the frame or stand; B, the sieve casing, and B', the flanch
on the sieve casing; C, the hopper; D, the vertical shaft upon which the
radial arms are mounted, and which passes through the boss of the mitre
wheel F, from which it receives its rotating motion, but is free to work up
and down through it, being formed with a feather, slot, or other convenient
mechanical arrangement to cause the wheel and shaft to revolve together;
E, a spiral spring for keeping down the revolving shaft which carries the
radial arms when not subjected to undue pressure; F, a mitre wheel, which
receives motion from G, a mitre wheel on the end of H, the driving shaft;
I and I, bearings for ditto; K, fly wheel on driving shaft; L, driving handle
on fly wheel; M, horizontal riddle or sieve; N, revolving radial arms;
O, transverse horizontal bars, placed below the riddle, which support the
vertical revolving shaft and riddle; P, screws used to attach the sieve casing
to the frame of stand of the apparatus.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best put into practice, I wish
it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details or
relative dimensions herein-before set forth, as it will be readily seen that the
same may be considerably varied without departing from the Invention; but
what I claim is,-
First, the use of the radial arms or slotted wheel in combination with the
sieve or riddle herein-before described and set forth, or any mere modification
of the same.
Secondly, the application to the radial arms or slotted wheel of tongues or
flaps of leather, india-rubber, or other suitable flexible material, as herein-
before described.
Thirdly, the covering of the radial arms or slotted wheel with soft leather,
woollen cloth, or other suitable fabric, as herein-before described.
Fourthly, the application of brushes to the horizontal radial arms or slotted
wheel, herein-before described.
And, lastly, the general combination and arrangement of the various parts

page_text: of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Francis, have hereunto set my
hand and affixed my seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
EDWARD (L.S.) FRANCIS.