Cooling Slabs for Confectioners.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 5th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th June, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
Cooling Slabs for Confectioners.
I, GEORGE SIBLEY COLLUM, Confectioner, of No. 21 Canton Street, Hartford,
in the County of Hartford and State of Connecticut, United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for COOLING SLABS FOR CONFECTIONERS,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention relates to the class of slabs used by confectioners for cooling candy,
and the object is to provide a slab for such purpose which can be made as smooth
and level.as the marble slab now in common use, and which will be cheaper and
will absorb the heat from a batch of candy more rapidly and will remain at a
constant low temperature more evenly than the prior slabs.
To this end the slab consists in a plate of uniform thickness having a smooth and
perfectly level upper surface with a groove in its lower surface, and a receptacle
having an inlet and outlet for the medium used to absorb heat from the plate, the
receptacle having double walls the inner of which projects into the groove so as to
form two chambers beneath the plate, as more particularly hereinafter described and
pointed out in the claims.
Referring to the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the device with part of the plate cut away to show the
interior.
Figure 2 is a central, vertical longitudinal section of the slab.
Figure 3 is a vertical, transverse section on plane denoted by the broken line-
of Fig. 1.
Figure 4 is a detail view, on enlarged scale, of one end of the slab.
In the views the letter a indicates a receptacle, preferably cast to shape of iron,
having a bottom b, side walls c and an inner wall or dam d, usually parallel with
but somewhat higher than the exterior side walls and dividing the receptacle into
two chambers a a². A plate e, preferably formed of steel rolled to a uniform
thickness with a perfectly level upper surface and having a groove cut in its
lower surface, wider than but corresponding in outline to the inner walls d of the
receptacle, is placed upon the receptacle so that the inner walls project into and
come in contact with the under surface of the plate in the groove. The upper
edge of the inner walls d are broken or so formed that the plate does not rest upon
then so as to form a liquid tight joint, and this is accomplished by serrating or
indenting the upper edge of the walls, or by setting studs or screws into the edge in
order that an opening may be left for the passage of liquid over the inner walls or
dam d from the interior chamber a¹ to the exterior chamber a'.
Through the bottom b, preferably at the centre of the chamber a', a small
opening g
is made into which leads an inlet duct for the cooling liquid, while
through the bottom of the chamber a³, between the interior and exterior walls, an
outlet opening larger than the inlet opening g is made for the escape of the
cooling liquid which enters from the inlet duct y and after filling the interior

page_text: chamber a¹ and rising into the groove so as to bathe the entire under surface of
the plate, flows over the top of the inner walls or dam d on all sides into the
exterior chamber a' from which it escapes through the large outlet duct h.
It is essential that the cooling liquid, usually water, should come in contact with
and bathe the entire lower surface of the plate to ensure a uniform temperature
and constant convection of heat by the liquid over the whole mass of the plate, and
it is essential that the large, smooth upper surface of the slab be level in order
that the candy in its semi-liquid condition will not settle and become thicker upon
one edge, also that the liquid may bathe the entire lower surface of the plate, and
it has been found that this cannot be accomplished by casting the plate to shape as
the casting will warp and cannot be made level only by a large amount of expensive
machine work.
To overcome these obstacles my plate is first rolled to a perfectly smooth and
level condition and the groove cut in one surface into which the edge of the inner
walls & will project so that the cooling liquid, of which a small stream is always
flowing into the inner chamber a', is compelled to rise into this groove before it can
overflow the walls d into the exterior chamber a² from which it escapes. This
necessitates that the liquid come in contact with and hathe the entire under surface
of the plate and keep the temperature uniform at all parts, and as the liquid at the
top which becomes warmed by contact with the plate first overflows the dam into
the exterior chamber on all sides and escapes and its space is occupied by the cooler
liquid which is entering the temperature of the liquid is kept reduced and a large
amount of heat convected from the plate which is a good conductor whereby the
slab is kept down to a uniform low degree of temperature.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare what I
claim is
1. A cooling slab consisting of an interior chamber having an inlet opening and
an exterior chamber having an outlet opening with a plate of uniform thickness
resting upon the walls of the receptacle, substantially as described and for the
purpose specified.
2. A cooling slab consisting of an interior chamber having an inlet opening and
an exterior chamber having an outlet opening with a plate resting upon the uneven
upper edge of the walls of the interior chamber, substantially as described and for
the purpose specified.
3. A cooling slab consisting of an interior chamber having an inlet opening and
an exterior chamber having an outlet opening with a plate provided with a groove
in its under surface resting upon the walls of the receptacle so that the walls of the
interior chamber project into the groove above the level of the lower surface of the
plate, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 4th day of May 1891.
GEORGE SIBLEY COLLUM.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.