June 3, 1924. J. C. H.

GRANT
1496,265
s
COFFEE PULPING MACHINE
filed July 24, 1923 2. Sheets-Sheet 1
June 3, 1924. J. C. H. GRANT 1,496,265
COFFEE PULPING MACHINE

Filed July 24, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

 Patented June 3, 1924. 1,496,265
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
JOSCELINE CHARLES HENRY GRANT, OF KITIMURU, CHANIA BRIDGE, EAST AFRICA.
COFFEE-PULPNG ACENE.
Application filed July 24, 1923. Serial No. 653,578.
To all whom it may concern: mounted upon parallel shafts a b'; the
Be it known that I, JoscELINE CHARLES rollers a brevolve in opposite directions,
HENRY GRANT, a subject of the King of one being driven for example by belting a
Great Britain, residing at Kitimuru, or other suitable means, and the other roller 60
5 Chania Bridge, Kenya Colony, East Africa, revolving by frictional contact with the
have invented certain new and useful Im Sale. The driven roller a is preferably
provements in Coffee-Pulping Machines, of mounted on fixed centres, while the other b
which the following is a specification. i be adjusted towards or away from the
This invention relates to the pulping of irst. 65
10 coffee and the like and consists of improved An extension A' of the frame supports a
mechanical means for separating the beans hopper d of convenient size according to
from the cherry or pulp portion. the quantity of material with which the ma
According to the present invention, the chine is to deal.
coffee or the like is pulped by squeezing it The coffee cherries are led, preferably 70
15 between rollers, one or both rollers being with a stream of water, into the hopper d
grooved so that the beans fall into the arranged above the rollers a b, and contain
grooves, while the pulp or cherry adheres ing a notched wall or partition d' behind
to the raised or contact surfaces of the roll which there is fitted a feed roller e driven
8S. by a belt or chain for example from one of 75
20 Suitable scraping devices are arranged to the rollers a, b. This feed roller e has series
remove the pulp from the rollers, and if of teeth or knurled rings e' at intervals in
necessary to dislodge the beans from the its length, each set of teeth or each ring
grooves, the separated products then falling corresponding to one of the notches d° in
into troughs or the like by which they are the partition d' so that the rotation of the 80
25 led away. feed roller flicks the cherries over the parti
The rollers are preferably so shaped that tion, down a series of inclined chutes, so
one roller has comparatively shallow grooves arranged that the cherries arrive singly in
around its surface while the other has a cor separate paths of descent between the upper
responding number of circumferential ribs engaging surfaces of the rollers a b. 85
30 of sharply inclined W-section separated by I have shown the hopper as being pro
deeper grooves. vided with a corrugated plate f which forms
A hopper device is also arranged to feed a chute device, each channel in the upper
the coffee cherries to the rollers, by means surface of the inclined plate acting as a
of chutes leading to the points of engage guide for the descending cherries in the di 90
35 ment. rection towards the rollers a, b.
The invention is hereafter described with The plate f, see Fig. 2, has its lower end
reference to the accompanying drawings, in cut to fit the contour of the main roller b,
which :- and the end section f is adjustable for ex
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a suitable ample by means of slides f to provide for va 95
40 form of construction of the improved pulp riation of the size of the coffee beans. Pref
ing machine. erably as shown more clearly in Figure 3,
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the feed the bottoms of the grooves in the plate f,
device, with one end of the hopper re are notched as at f° to allow the rollers to 100
moved. grip the cherries vertically.
45 Figure 3 is a detail of the lower end of The contacting rollers are provided with
the feed-chute. grooves or corrugations 9 which may be of
Figures 4, 5 and 6 illustrate suitable sec various shapes as represented for example in
tions for the rollers of the pulping machine. Figures 4 to 6, where a small gap is left be
Fig. 7 is a top plan of Fig. I with the tween the parts for the sake of clearness, al 05
50 hopper though the rollers actually rotate in con
Fig. 8cutis away, and view showing the
a perspective tact, the principle being that the cherry is
structure of the scrapers and their relation led by the feed-device to a portion of the
to the rollers. rollers where it is held and squeezed be O
In the construction illustrated in Figure tween the raised or contact portions h of
55 1, the machine comprises a suitable frame A, such rollers. By this action the coffee beans,
upon which are journaled two rollers a b, which are coated with slimy matter, are
 ge 1,498,265
Squeezed from the pulp and pushed side its peripheral surface formed with circum
ways by the angled or oblique faces of the ferential grooves, means for feeding coffee
rollers into the grooves g. On the other cherries between said rollers, said grooves
hand, the coffee pulp or cherry is held fast adapted to receive the beans separated by the 65
between those parts of the rollers which are Squeezing action of said rollers, scrapers for
closest together and is subsequently removed removing the pulp from the contacting sur
by suitably shaped scrapers i arranged to faces of said rollers, and means for removing
engage the surfaces of the rollers as they the beans from Said grooves after passing
commence moving away from each other. Said Scrapers.
O These scrapers lead the pulp into the inte
70
2. A coffee pulping machine, comprising
rior of the chamber i, whence it falls into a fraine, parallel shafts journaled in said
the channel k and is led away with water. frame, Toller's mounted on said shafts, means
The coffee beans, being in the grooves g for driving Said shafts, one of said rollers
are not caught by the scrapers, and are free formed with Spaced circumferential grooves, 75
5 to fall on to the outside of the chamber i. leans for regulating the separation of said
and thence into the channels l l, whence shafts, a hopper for feeding coffee cherries
they are led away with water. Additional between said rollers, and means for remov.
finger-shaped scrapers m may be fitted to ing the pulp from said rollers, said pulp
the outside of the chamber i or at other suit removing means adapted to allow the pas 80
20 able points, to project into the grooves of Sage of the beans contained in said grooves.
the rollers and remove any beans that may 8. A coffee pulping machine, comprising
adhere to them, the beans then falling be a pair of contacting rollers, means for re
tween the fingers m into the chamber ll. Volving said rollers, a hopper for receiving
The raised portions h of the rollers a, b the coffee cherries, a feed chute, means for 85
25 (i. e. those portions in which no grooves delivering cherries from said hopper upon
have been cut) may be machined at any suit said feed chute, Said chute having guides
able angle to the sides of the rollers, so that between said rollers and towards their line
the pulped beans may more readily slide of contact, said cherries being separated into
into the grooves prepared for them. beans and pulp while passing between said 90
30 For example, as illustrated in Figure 5, roller's, and means for removing the pulp
the general shape of the rollers, instead of and the beans separately.
being cylindrical, may comprise alternate 4. A coffee pulping machine, comprising a
oppositely-directed frustro-conical zones, the pair of contacting rollers, said roller's hav
raised portions or ridges h of one roller fit ing grooved peripheries, means for revolv
35 ting closely into the shallow depressions g ing Said rollers, a feed device mounted above
of the other roller and vice versa; at or on Said rollers and delivering coffee cherries
one side of the bottom of each depression a towards the line of contact of said rollers,
circumferential groove g’ of approximately achute down which said cherries travel, said
semi-circular section may be provided to re chute consisting of a corrugated plate hav OO
ceive the separated beans. ing its lower end shaped to fit the contours
Alternately, as shown in Figure 6, one of said rollers, and means for adjusting the
roller may be of plain cylindrical shape, end of Said plate in relation to said roilers.
and the other roller formed with circumfer
ential grooves of spaced at Suttable intervals
5. A coffee pulping machine, comprising a 05
pair of contacting rollers, said rolliers hav
5 along its length. The coffee is led to the ing grooved peripheries, means for revolv
contacting surfaces between the grooves, the ing said rollers, a feed device mounted above
pulp adhering to these surfaces and the ber
ries sliding laterally into the grooves g from Said rollers, a chute delivering coffee cherries
from said feed device towards the line of
which they fall or are removed when the contact of said rollers, said chute consisting O
rollers are clear of one another. - of a corrugated plate having its lower end
It will be understood that the invention shaped to fit the contours of said rollers and
is not limited to the details given by way provided with notches at intervals along its
of example, and that the grooving of either lower edge, means for adjusting the end of
or both the rollers, their directions of rota. Said plate in relation to said rollers, and 115
55 tion, and the method of feeding the coffee
means for removing the pulp and the berries
to the rollers may be modified if desired. Separately after the cherries have been
Having thus described my invention, what Squeezed by said rollers.
claim is:- In testimony whereof I hereunto affix: my
1. A coffee pulping machine, comprising a signature.
pair of contacting rollers, means for revolv
ing said rollers, one of said rollers having JOSCELINE CHARLES HENRY GRANT.