US280478A

US280478A - Rudolph m

Info

Publication number: US280478A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1883-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 1900-07-03

Description

(No Model.) r

R. M. HUNTER & J. T. STEWART.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR PACKING BEAN. No. 280,478. Patented July 3,1883.

N. PETERS, PhoXn-Lilhcgrzphur, Washin ton; 0.6.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER AND AMES T. STEWVART, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR PACKING BRAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Ive/280,478, dated July 3, 1883.

Application filed May 21, 1883.

To all whom it may concern.-

- Be it known that we, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER and JAMEs T. STEWART, of the city of Phil adelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Process and Apparatus for Packing Bran, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention has reference to processes and apparatus for packing bran; and it consists in heating the bran and then compressing it into the desired-sized packages or boxes, and, if desired, extracting all excess of air during the process of packing, and in apparatus for carrying on said process, all of which is more fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

Heretofore it has been found difficult to compress bran to a sufficiently compact form to make its transportation and sale of commercial value. This non-compressibility is due to the fact that the flaky cuticle is so constituted that it becomes electrified, and all the particles repell each other, causing the airto beinterposed, and thus rendering it difficult of compression. WVhen this electrical condition is destroyed the bran may be compressed to an enormous extent, and this may be increased by extracting the greater part of the air inclosed by the said bran particles.

The object of our invention is therefore to provide a process and apparatus by which the electrical condition of the bran may be destroyed, and, if desired, the air removed, and

then compress the said bran and seal it, when compressed, into a caseor package.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of our improved apparatus for compressing bran, and Fig. '2 is asectional elevation of a case of packed bran.

A is a hopper, into which the bran is fed, and from which it passes into the cylinder B, which may be heated externally by a steamjacket, 13. Working"through this cylinder 1-3 is a feed-screw, 0, formed of ahollow shaft, 0, provided with a screw formed of pipes C or a hollow sheet-metal spiral, through which steam is passed. This hollow shaft 0 is supported at the bottom by bearing D, made with an an nular space, (1, into which steam is fed by steam pipe E, and from which it passes into the l1ol- (No model.)

at the top, the only difference'being in the omission of the block 61, as this element is notv needed. This shaft or axle C is provided on or near the top with a bevel-gear wheel, F, which meshes with a small bevel-wheel, F, secured to driving-shaft F", which also carries a small pinion, G, which meshes with a large spuravheel, G, carried loosely on a shaft, H, the object of which will be presently explained.

B is the outlet from the cylinder l3,'and opens into another cylinder, 1. This outlet or part of 'it may be made of fine wire-gauze I), through which air may be sucked by a fan, J, and trunk J, and any particles of dust, &c., extracted may be collected in a dust-chamber, J". To prevent clogging of the gauze, open metal fingers I), or their equivalent, are constantly vibrated, for instance, by a shaft, 71 crank If, rod b', and crank-wheel If.

The bottom part of cylinder I is made with a small flange, '2", to fit over the top of the packing-case K, and, if desired, gauze covered openings 1 may be made in the said cylinder near its bottom, and also, if desired, in the bottom of compressing-plunger L, which reciprocates in said cylinder. is so formed as to leave a slot across its front when the plunger L is fully raised, as at I". through which the case-lid K may beinserted between the bran and plunger. The plunger is made with a guide-pin, M, provided with nuts m at the top, and upon which is a head, N, which is kept pressed against said nuts with great force by a spring, 0. P is a pitman connecting the head N with the crank Q, which is secured upon the shaft H, which is provided with a sliding clutch, H, which may be engaged with spur wheel G when the crank Q-is to be rotated by a lever, B, which may be operated by hand. A spring, R, throws the clutch out of contact and arrests all motion when the lever R is released. If desired, this crank might be made so as to simply make one revolution and then come to rest each time the lever B was pulled; but this is common in. many mechanical devices.

\Ve do not limit ourselves to the particular construction of apparatus shown, as it may be modified in various ways without departing from our invention. For instance, it is not necessary that the bran should be heated with Steam heat, as hot air, gas, products of combustion, or liquid may be used in lieu of steam, and in place ofusing it externally it may, if desired, be brought into direct contact, though we prefer to use steam in the manner substantially as shown.

The operation is as follows: The bran is fed into hopper A, from which it passes into cylinder B, and through which it is forced by heating feed-screw G. The heat from steanr jacket 13 and steam feed-screw 0 both heat the bran and destroy the electrical condition, allowing the said bran to pack at once. When this is taking place the bran is being continually pressed downward and compressed, and while being compressed the heated air is extracted with any fine dust, thus enabling the compression to be greatly increased. After being (ls-electrified and deaerified it is automatically forced into the cylinder I and case K. \Vhen filled pretty close to the plunger the lid K is pushed into the aperture I and rests upon said bran. The bran, when forced into cylinder I, is compact. Now, the lever B is pulled and the plunger L is forced down, compressing the bran down into the case K in the form ofa hard solid mass, and when the lid is in the top of the case it is nailed in place.

One of the side flanges, i, which is hinged as at 2 may then be turned up and the packed case withdrawn and an empty one replaced. Triangular strips k may then be nailed on the top to keep the lid tightly on. During this last operation the bran is being compressed into the bot-tom of the cylinder 13 and outlet B, and after placing a new box in position the piston or plunger L is raised and the compressed bran falls into the new case. By this it is seen that in reality no time is lost, as the bran in the cylinder 13 is being deelectrified and condensed while the case is being closed. By this method of packing bran no moisture is used, and when unpacked the bran will assume its original condition, and will be found not at all impaired by the exeesssive compres- S1011.

Ve are aware of the patent to Locke, No. 223,522, for packing meat in cans, and claim nothing therein set forth or shown, our invention being limited to bran and like substances. Locke shows mechanism for forcing his meat while hot into a tin can, feeding it from the bottom upward to insure filling the can and getting rid of the air. He uses a small amount of pressure, suffieient to make the preserved meat flow into the can; but there is no at tempt at compression. He also keeps his hoppers warm; but that is to prevent the meat drying on them and clogging the same. There is no electrical condition to deal with in the preserved meat. In our invention we use con siderable heat and great pressure and utilize these in a process entirely different and for a different result than Locke, and we therefore disclaim anything set forth or shown in the Locke patent.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

l. The herein-described process of packing bran, which consists in first subjecting said bran to heat and then to compression, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The herein-described process of packing bran, which consists in subjecting said bran to heat, then extracting most of the air held among the particles of bran, and then subjecting said heated and deaerated bran to compression, substantially as and for the purpose specified. 4

3. The process for packing bran, which consists in heating said bran and simultaneously compressing the same, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The process for packing bran, which consists in heating said bran and simultaneously compressing and deacrating the same, sub stantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The process for packing bran, which con sists in heating said bran, simultaneously compressing and deacrating the same, and finally subjecting the said bran to high pressure, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The herein-described process of packing bran, which consists in destroying the electri cal condition of said bran and then subjecting it to high pressure, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination of feeding and heating apparatus with a compressing device, the same being organized to heat and compress bran, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination of feeding and heating apparatus with deacrating and a compressing device, the same being organized to heat and compress bran, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. The combination ofcylinder B, feedscrew 0, means, substantially as described, to heat the bran in said cylinder, cylinder I, and

plunger L, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

10. The combination ofeylinder B, feed-screw 0, means, substantially as described, toheat the bran. in said cylinder, gauze-covered open ing 1), air-trunk J, fan J, cylinder I, and plunger L, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

11. The combination of cylinder B, feedscrew 0, means, substantially as described, to heat the bran in said cylinder, gauze-covered opening b, air-trunk J, fan J, cleaner 6, cylinder I, and plunger L, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

12. The combination of cylinder B, feedscrew 0, means, substantially as described, to heat the bran in said cylinder, ease K, cylinit I der 1, means to makeatight joint betwcensaid formed of a hollow shaft, 0, with the screw cylinder I and case, and plunger L, substanmade of hollow metal or pipes, substantially tially as and for the purpose specified. as and for the purpose specified. 13. The combination of cylinder B, steam- In testimony of which invention we hereunto 15 5 jacket B, feed-screw 0, cylinder I, and plunger set our hands.

L, substantially as and for the purpose speci: RUDOLPH M HUNTER fied. T

14. The combination of cylinder B, steam JAMES feed-screw O, substantially as and for the pur- \Vitnesses:

1o pose specified. WILLIAu MoWADE, 15. 'lhesteainfeed-screw O,f01'heating-bran, R. S. CHILD; Jr.