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The numeral 10 indicates the muller generally. The 50 extending toward the front (the left of the apparatus
muller 10 may very suitably be mounted on a floor plat- as viewed in Figures 1 and 2) to serve as a lifting handle
form 11 and driven by a remotely located electric motor at 51 as seen in the plan view of Figure 1. The cover
12. Preferably, the motor 12 may actually be on the 43 is attached to the underside of the channel-shaped
other side of a wall partition from the major parts of 5 lever 50 and has a sufficiently larger diameter than the
the muller apparatus 10. muller pan 25 so that the slightly overlapping edge 49
A cylindrical turntable base 13, supported on the plat- of the cover 43 can swing upwardly and clear of the
form 11, provides a stationary support for a rotatable upper edge of the pan 25 when the operator rocks the
turntable 14, which is preferably carried on the turntable cover cradle 42 upwardly by means of handle 51 in
base 13 by means of ball bearings 15 which roll in a 10 order to remove the muller pan 25 and a completed batch
grooved circular track 16 and engage a sin1ilar circular therein.
groove 17 in the underside of the rotating table 14. The The muller cradle 42 and its associated parts, particu-
ball bearings 15 are retained in place by retainers 18. larly the muller wheel 30, are rather massive and heavy,
Also preferably, the space between the underside of the and two additional features are preferably incorporated
table 14 and the upper part of the turntable base 13 is 15 in the apparatus. The first of these is a pair of segmen-
shielded from the exterior by means of a cylindrical tally shaped counterweight members 60 and 61 carrying
skirt 19 attached to the periphery of the table 14. heavy weights 62 and 63 at their circumference, and
A vertical shaft 20 extends downwardly from the cen- mounted to rotate on the same axis as shaft 36, but
ter of the underside of the table 14 through an open- riveted or bolted at 64 to rotate integrally with the cover
ing 21 in the upper part of the turntable base 13, and 20 cradle 42. The counterweights 62 and 63 approximately
into a right angle gear box 22. match the muller wheel assembly on the opposite side
The turntable 14 can be rotated on its bearings 15 of axis 36 and make it relatively easy to rotate the entire
on the table base 13 by the shaft 23 extending from the massive assembly about that axis.
electric motor 12 to the gear box 22 through an enclos- A second desirable feature is the provision of a latch
ing and shielding passage 24. 25 means readily operable from the operator's lifting handle
The grinding of the granular material being processed 51. A specific embodiment of such latch means shown
by the muller is carried out in a cylindrical muller pan in Figure 1 is comprised of a pair of horizontally and
25, which is supported without any necessary connec- laterally reciprocable latch bars 70 and 71, which are
tion on the rotatable table 14, possibly being retained urged outwardly by their encircling helical springs 72
in position by the upwardly extending edge 26 of the 30 and 73 so that they tend to engage holes 74 in the sta-
table skirt 19. tionary side panels 38 and 39 of the cradle supporting
A massive grindstone or muller wheel 30 is located structure 40. The latch bars 70 and 71 are carried in the
inside the muller pan. It will be seen from the side view cover cradle 42 and may be manually retracted for release
of Figure 2 that the muller wheel 30 is mounted on a of the cradle 42, to permit its being rocked through a
muller wheel shaft 31 which, in operating position, as 35 vertical plane around the axis of shaft 36, by retraction of
shown on both Figures 1 and 2, is tilted to an angle of a handle 75, which holds the ice-tong mechanism 76, so
about 30 degrees (for the particular embodiment shown) as to retract the latch bars 70 and 71 against their springs
from the horizontal. 72 and 73.
Preferably, the muller wheel 30 is mounted integrally It will be observed that the operation of the muller
on the shaft 31, the latter being rotatably supported in 40 is such that a conical grinding surface 80 is usually the
ball bearings 32 and· 33 located in a tubular bearing sup- most practical for the muller wheel 30. Prefera:bly, the
port 34. The tubular bearing support 34 is carried at pan 25 is provided with a cylindrical centerpiece 81, hav-
the end of an arm 35 which is rotatable in a vertical ing a conical upper part 82 which mates with the bottom
plane about the horizontal shaft 36, which is journaled of the muller wheel 30. The presence of the centerpiece
at each end and the bearings 37 ( one of which is visible 45 81 prevents the material being subjected to grinding from
in Figure 1) mounted in the right and left side panels accumulating in a solidly packed and unground cone
38 and 39, respectively, of the supporting structure indi- in the center of the pan 25 as it would otherwise tend to
cated generally by the numeral 40, located at one side do.
of the turntable 14 and the muller pan 25 thereon. The construction of the muller 10 makes it possible to
The assembly which includes the tubular bearing sup- o scrape material from the walls of the cylindrical muller
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port 34 and the rocking arm 35 may conveniently be re- pan 25 into the path of the muller wheel 30 by means of
ferred to as a bearing cradle 41, since it carries the bear- scrapers 83, 84, 85 and 86. Preferably, these scrapers
ings 32 and 33 for the muller wheel 30, and can be are disposed at different elevations ( e. g. 84 and 86)
rocked through a vertical plane up and away from the to scrape different areas or at arcuately separated points
muller pan 25. 55 (e. g. 83 and 84) to scrape the same area at successive
The horizontal cradle shaft 36 carries a second cradle intervals, as illustrated. It is also preferred that the
42, which may be referred to as the cover cradle, since. scrapers be suspended from the cradle 41 as indicated at
it carries an inverted cylindrical cover 43 which fits over 87, so that the scrapers 83 through 86 are lifted clear of
and covers the muller pan 25. The cover cradle 42 is the pan 25 to permit its removal when the cradle 41 is
adjustably associated with the bearing cradle 41, as will 60 swung Upward.
be explained hereinafter. It will be seen from the foregoing that the specific em-
Although the two cradles are. mounted to rotate in• bodiment of the muller shown in the drawings, and de-
dependently of each other about the axis of the shaft 36, scribed herein, includes many refinements which are not
an adjustable engagement means is provided in the form essential to the broadest and simplest form of the inven-
of a pair of ears 43 and 44 carried on the cover cradle 65 tion. It will, therefore, be appreciated that the descrip-
42 and provided with a pair. of adjustment bolts 45 and tion given is not intended to limit or restrict the scope of
46 which can be spaced so as to leave the bearing cradle the invention, but that its limits are defined only in terms
41 free to rotate through a small arc independently of set forth in the following claims.
the cover cradle 42. However, if the cover cradle 42 is I claim:
moved through any arc larger than the few degrees per- 70 1. A muller which includes: a flat-bottomed container
mitted by the adjustment bolts 45 and 46, the bearing in which to grind material; means for rotating said con-
cradle 42 together with the muller wheel 30 and the tainer about a vertical axis; a centerpiece carried in said
muller wheel shaft 31 are carried along as an integral container at the axis of rotation thereof and adapted to
assembly. prevent material undergoing grinding from accumulating
The cover cradle 42 has a long, channel shaped lever 75 in the center of · said container; a muller wheel with a