IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING AND STORING WATER, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Lipscombe, of 288, Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, Water Filter Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING AND STORING WATER, AND IN THE
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 8th June 1869, and dated the 20th January 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Lipscombo
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th January 1869.
I, FREDERICK LIPSCOMBE, of 238, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Water Filter Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING AND STORING WATER, AND IN THE
APPARATUS XEPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
I place a filter inside a cistern or other vessel constructed to hold
water, and cause the impure water to pass through the filtering media,

page_text: thence it flows purified to any convenient part or parts of a house or
building in the manner following:-The filter has in its lower part a
chamber, through which by means of an aperture the unfiltered
water flows, finding an exit thro' another aperture, thence to any
convenient part or parts of the house or building when necessary. The
top side of the chamber aforesaid is perforated with holes, through
which the unfiltered water in the chamber flows upwards through the
filtering media, which is composed of animal or vegetable charcoal,
plates of porous stone, or any of the usual filtering media, separately or
in combination, thence the purified water is drawn off either directly
through one or more pipes leading to the outside of the cistern, or the
purified water after leaving the filter flows into a pure water reservoir
placed in the cistern, whence it is drawn off as required. The reservoir
is kept in position either by being weighted, or by the more
preferable plan of leaving its under side wholly or partly open and
the cementing all round to the bottom of the cistern. The reservoir is
fitted with an air pipe.
To cleanse the filter, close with cork or other contrivance, the
aperture in the chamber through which the unfiltered water enters
may be closed with cork or otherwise, and an aperture opened in
the upper part of the filter (which aperture had previously been
stopped with cork or other similar contrivance), in order that the
unfiltered water may enter the filter through the before-mentioned
upper aperture, and flow through the filtering media, and then into the
chamber of the filter, and afterwards through a pipe or pipes that. draw
from the cistern unfiltered water. By this arrangement the impurities
which may have lodged inside the filter are driven out. When the filter
has been sufficiently cleansed the upper aperture of the filter is closed as
before and the aperture in the lower chamber of the filter reopened.
Ordinarilly one pure water reservoir is sufficient in connection with one
filter where the purified water required is moderate in quantity, but
where large quantities are wanted then one or more additional filters
.may be connected with the reservoir, so as to obtain a quicker supply;
instead of one reservoir, several may be employed, but one is generally
sufficient.
All the filters may be cleaned together in the manner before described,
or a few at a time, or each separately.
4

page_text: should flow into a chambar before passing through the filtering media;
second, that in cleaning the filtering media water may be caused to
pass through the filtering media the reverse way, and having theso
principles in view the apparatus described is capable of various
modifications.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Lipscombe in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
LIPSCOMBE, of 233, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Water-
Filter Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, 'in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Lipscombe, Her special
license that I, the said Frederick Lipscombo, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said Frederick
Lipscombe, my executors, administrators, or 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 Ohannel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING AND STORING WATER AND IN THE
"
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Frederick Lipscombe, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing. under my hand and seal, 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 Frederick Lipscombe, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
is to be performed, to bo particularly described. and ascertained in
same

page_text: and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
My said Invention relates to that system of filtering wherein a
filter is placed or formed inside a cistern or other vessel constructed
to hold water, the impure water passing through the filtering media,
whence it flows in a purified condition to any convenient part or parts
of a house or building.
According to my Invention I construct a chamber in the lower part of
the filter, through which chamber by means of an aperture the unfiltered
water flows, finding an exit through another aperture to any convenient
part or parts of the house or building when necessary. The top side of
the said chamber is perforated with holes, through which the unfiltered
water in the chamber flows upwards through the filtering media, which
is composed of animal or vegetable charcoal, plates of porous stone, or
any of the usual filtering media, separately or in combination, whence
the purified water is drawn off either directly through one or more
pipes leading to the outside of the cistern, or the purified water after
leaving the filter is allowed to flow into a pure water reservoir placed
or formed in the cistern, whence it is drawn off as required. This
reservoir, which may be fitted with an air pipe, is kept in position either
by being weighed or by the more preferable plan of leaving its under
side wholly or partly open, and then cementing it all round to the
bottom of the cistern.
In order to cleanse the filter I close the aperture in the chamber
through which the unfiltered water enters and open an aperture in the
upper part of the filter (which aperture had been previously closed), so
that the unfiltered water may enter the filter through the before-
mentioned upper apperture and flow downwards through the filtering
media and into the chamber of the filter, whence it passes off through
the pipe or pipes which draw the unfiltered water from the cistern. By
this arrangement the impurities which may have lodged inside the filter
are, driven out. When the filter has been sufficiently cleansed the
upper aperture of the filter is closed as before, and the aperture in the
lower chamber of the filter reopened. In ordinary cases where the
amount of purified water is moderate one pure water reservoir only in
connection with one filter is sufficient, but where large quantities of
purified water are wanted, then one or more 'additional filters may be

page_text: connected with the rservoir, so as to obtain a quicker supply, and
instead of one reservoir several may be employed, but one is generally
sufficient.
All the filters may be cleaned together in the manner before described,
or a few at a time, or each separately.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purposo
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a vertical section of my improved
filter; Figure 2 is a similar view of the filter shown in connection with
an open-mouthed reservoir for pure water, both contained within an
ordinary house cistern; and Figure 3 is a vertical section of a large
water tank containing my improved filter and having a pure water
reservoir formed in a part of the tank itself.
My improved filter A, Figure 1, is provided with a chamber B at its
lower part, through which by means of an aperturo O the unfiltered
water flows from the cistern in which the filter is placed, driving out
any impurities which may have lodged there, and finding an exit
through another aperture D, whence it flows or is drawn off to any con-
venient part or parts of a house or building. The top sido E of the
chamber B is perforated with holes, or is constructed of any material
or combination of materials that will allow water to pass thro' it,
through which the impure water in the chamber B flows upwards
through the filtering media in the chamber or space F, such media
being composed of animal or vegetable charcoal, plates of porus stone,
or any filtering media, separately or in combination. The purified
water passes up through the perforated or porus plate G into the top
chamber H, whence it flows or is drawn off through one or more
pipes I leading to the outside of the cistern; or the purified water after
leaving the filter flows into a pure water reservoir K (Figure 2) placed
in the cistern L, whence it is drawn off as required through one or moro
pipes M, M. This reservoir K is kept in position either by being
weighted or otherwise secured, or by the more preferable plan of having
its under sido made wholly or partly open (as in Figure 2), and ce-
menting or otherwise making the same water-tight all round the edge to
the bottom of the cistern L. The reservoir K, where necessary, is fitted

page_text: with an air pipe N carried to a higher level than the water in the
cistern.
In order to cleanse the filter the aperture O through which the
unfiltered water enters may be closed by means of a cork or. other
plug, or by a valve or tap, or otherwise; and the aperture O leading
to the upper part H of the filter opened, such aperture having pre-
viously remained closed by means of a moveable plug P, or by a tap
or otherwise, in order that the unfiltered water may enter the filter
through the before-mentioned upper aperture O and flow through, the
filtering media reversely to its ordinary course, then into the chamber B,
and afterwards through one or more pipes D that dray from the cistern
unfiltered water. By this arrangement the impurities which may have
lodged insido the filter are driven out. When the filter has been
sufficiently cleansed the upper aperture O is closed as before, and the
aperture O in the lower chamber of the filter reopened. When several
filters are used they may all be cleansed together in the manner before
described, or a few at a time, or each separately. There may be several
modifications of the before-described arrangements, for example, the
aperture O leading to the upper part of the filter may be lower than
the aperture without any injurious effect. The lower plate or
bottom Q of the filter may be dispensed with and the rim of the bottom
of the filter be cemented or otherwise made water-tight, or nearly so,
round its lower edge to the bottom of the cistern.
Figure 3 represents another modification, wherein the filter is shewn
to be in a large chamber or tank L by itself supplying a pure water
reservoir K separated from the tank by a partition R. This reservoir
may be either covered and have an air pipe N, or it may be loosely or
in part covered, in which latter case the air pipe may be dispensed
with. The purified water may also, after passing from the filter, be
stored in any convenient receptacle away from the tank altogether if
desired.
In the arrangement shewn at Figure 3 the tank may be supposed to
consist of a rain water tank placed underground, the pure water being
elevated by a pump as required for use through the suction pipo M,
the impure rain water being similarly elevated through the suction
pipe D.
The filter is also susceptible of several other modifications; thus
instead of impure water passing into a chamber below the filtering media

page_text: (as shown in Figure 1) the apertures C and D may communicate with
a chamber like the chamber B placed above the filtering media, the
channels I and O in that case communicating with the bottom chamber.
The water while being purified would then pass downwards instead of
upwards as in Figure 1. The cleansing of the filtering media in that
case would be effected by letting the water pass upwards through the
filtering media for the purpose of driving from the filtering media the
impurities that may have lodged therein, but the more preferable plan
is that shown in Figure 1. Also instead of having two apertures in
connection with the upper part of the filter, the aperture O (which is
used for the cleansing of the filter) may be in the reservoir K, or in the
pipe or pipes I, or in any other position which will allow free access of
filtered or unfiltered water to the top of the filter for the purpose of
passing through the filtering media and driving out the impurities
therefrom.
The filter and reservoir may be made of earthenware, galvanised iron,
slato, stone, brick, or other material or combination of materials, and of
any convenient form and size.
I do not confine myself to the combination of my improved filter
with the peculiar separate pure water reservoir shewn in Figure 2,
as any other suitable filter may be combined with such pure water
reservoir.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The so constructing a filter that the impure water shall flow
into a chamber before passing through the filtering media, such chamber
being provided with one or more inlets and outlets for the passage of
impure water into and out of the same, substantially as herein-before
described.
Second. The cleansing of filters constructed as herein-before described,
by causing water to flow through them in the reverse direction to that
in which it flowed whilst being filtered, the impurities being carried into
the impure water chamber, and thence drawn off through the discharge
pipe, substantially as herein-before described.

page_text: Third. The combination of a filter with my improved separate pure
water reservoir, arranged and operating together substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated in Figure 2 of
my Drawings.
Fourth. The combination of my improved filter with any suitable
separate pure water reservoir, substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described and illustrated by Figure 3 of my Drawings.
Fifth. The constructing a pure water reservoir intended to be con-
tained within a cistern in the form of an inverted vessel, having an
open or partially closed mouth, which is cemented or otherwise connected
in a water-tight manner to the bottom of the cistern, substantially as
and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Lipscombe, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of
July One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.