IMPROVEMENTS. IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR DIFFUSING MOISTURE AND HEAT THROUGH VEGETABLE OR OTHER MATTERS." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Field, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi,
i
.
the City of Westminster, Consulting Engineer, and Francis Lloyd, of
Hoddesdon, in the County of Hertford, Gentleman, for the Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS. IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR DIFFUSING MOISTURE
AND HEAT THROUGH VEGETABLE OR OTHER MATTERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Field and Francis
Lloyd at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their. Petition,
on the 19th March 1866.
We, EDWARD FIELD, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the City of West-
minster, Consulting Engineer, and FRANCIS, LLOYD, of Hoddesdon, in the
County of Hertford, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR DIFFUSING
MOISTURE AND HEAT THROUGH VEGETABLE OR OTHER MATTERS," to, be as
follows
C.This Invention has for its object improvements in the mode of and apparatus
for diffusing moisture and heat through vegetable or other matters, for which
purpose we place the vegetable or other substance or substances to be treated
upon or against a perforated or pervious división, tray, or platform, carried
upon wheels or otherwise, and which is capable of being passed into or may.
form a fixture within a rectangular or other suitably formed chamber in such
manner as to divide the same into two parts, and thus to cause any air or
vapour or mixture of air and vapour admitted to one side of the. division,
tray, or platform to pass amongst ör permeate the substance or substances

page_text: placed upon or against it before gaining access to the opposite side of such
division, tray, or platform. Where, however, it may seem necessary or desirable
to do so we make use of a coil of pipe (heated by means of steam or other-
wise) in one or other of the divisions of the chamber, and by means of a fan
or other suitable contrivance cause the air or vapour or air and vapour
within the chamber as it becomes heated to pass from the one portion or
division of the chamber into the other; and thence, after having passed
amongst and permeated the substance or substances placed upon or against
the perforated or pervious division, tray, or platform to pass through the same
into the chamber containing the coil to be again heated and circulated as
liefore. In some cases it may be found advisable to dispense with the heating
coil and to make use of one or more steam-induced currents of air for the
purpose of maintaining the necessary heat and circulation, such currents being
capable of being regulated or shut off as required; otherwise, a. steam' jet or
jets may be used for, the purpose only of introducing heat and causing cir-
culation through the chamber without introducing air; as previously mentioned;
or the steam-induced currents of air or steam without air (as last described)
may be employed in conjunction with the coil..
i
.:
-SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Field and Francis Lloyd in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th September 1866.
"
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we; EDWARD
FIELD, of Chandos Chambers; Adelphi, in the City of Westminster, Consulting
Engineer; and FRANCIS LLOYD, of Hoddesdon, in the County of Hertford,
Gentleman, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Edward Field and Francis Lloyd, Her special licence that we, the said
Edward Field and Francis Lloyd, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
ör such others as we, the said Edward Field and Francis Lloyd, our executors,
administrators, and 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 Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR

page_text: DIFFUSING MOISTURE AND HEAT THROUGH VEGETABLE OR OTHER MATTERS," upon
the condition. (amongst others) that we, the said Edward Field and Francis
Lloyd, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 we, the said Edward Field and Francis Lloyd, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the mode of and apparatus
for diffusing moisture and heat through vegetable or other matters, for which
purpose we place.the vegetable or other substance or substances to be treated
upon or against a. perforated or pervious division, tray, or platform, carried
upon wheels or otherwise; and which is capable of being passed into or may
form a fixture within a rectangular or other suitably formed chamber in such
manner as to divide the same into two parts, and thus to cause any air or
vapour or mixture of air and vapour contained in or admitted to one side of
the division, tray, or platform to pass amongst or permeate the substance. or
substances placed upon or against.it before gaining access to the opposite side
of such division, tray, or platform. Where, however, it may seem necessary,
or desirable to do so, we make use of a coil. of pipe (heated by means of steam
or otherwise) in one or other of the divisions of the chamber, and by means
of a fan or other suitable. contrivance cause the air, or vapour, or air and
vapour within the chamber, as it becomes heated, to pass from the one portion
or division of the chamber into the other, and thence, after having, passed
amongst and permeated the substance or substances placed upon or against
the perforated or pervious division, tray, or platform, to pass through the
same into the chamber containing the coil to be again heated and circulated
as before. In some cases. it may be found advisable to dispense with the
heating coil and to make use of one or more steam-induced currents of air, for.
the purpose of maintaining, the necessary heat and circulation, such currents
5 being capable of being regulated or shut off as required; otherwise,a steam.
jet or jets may be used for the purpose only, of introducing beat and causing,
circulation through the chamber without introducing air, as previously men-
tioned; or the steam-induced currents of air or steam without air,(as.last.
described) may be employed in conjunction with the coil.

page_text: The manner in which our said Invention may be conveniently carried into
effect is represented in and explained with reference to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 of which represents a side elevation of a chamber
and carriage supporting a tray or platform, as previously referred to; Fig: 2,
'a transverse section of the chamber and carriage; Fig. 3, a plan of the
chamber and carriage, showing the carriage withdrawn from the chamber, as
represented in elevation at Fig. 1; and Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the
chamber, showing its floor and the rails upon which the carriage supporting the
tray
or platform is carried in passing into and out of the chamber..
The apparatus consists in this case of a chamber a, one end of which is
open, and is formed with a fanch .b carrying a layer of felt or other material
suitable for forming a steam or air tight joint. The bottom part a' of the
chamber a is continued beyond the chamber and carries rails c, having the
wheels d carrying the 'tray or shallow box e-formed to travel upon them, and
enabling the tray or shallow box e to be readily passed into and out of the
chamber a as required. The tray or shallow box e is formed with a per-
forated, grated, or pervious bottom; and rests upon bars f interposed between
itself and the axles of the wheels d, as shewn to an enlarged scale.at Figs. 5
and 6. These bars at the parts resting upon the axles of the wheels are
oblong in section, each having two of its corners slightly rounded, and are.
'capable of being turned or revolved by their projecting ends to the extent of
-one-fourth of a revolution, so that when required their flat sides may be pre-
sented towards the under side of the tray e; instead of its being supported
upon their edges, as shown at Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6. To the tray or shallow
box e is attached a flanch or plate e', which when it (the tray or box) is
passed into the chamber a comes in contact with the flanch 6, and thus enables
a steam or air-tight joint to be formed between the two, so as to prevent the
escape of air or vapour from the chamber. Around the inner sides of the
chamber a is fixed an angle iron g, and a similar angle iron g¹ carrying a layer
of felt or other material suitable for forming a steam or air tight joint is
attached to the exterior of the corresponding sides of the tray e, so that when
after the carriage and tray have been passed into the chamber the bars fare.
partially revolved, and their flat sides presented towards the under side of the
tray, it (the tray) is caused to slightly descend, thus causing the angle iron 9¹
to rest upon and be supported by the angle iron g, with the felt or other
material interposed and forming a joint between them. In the lower part of
the chamber is placed a coil of steam or hot air pipes h supplied -with the
necessary steam or hot air by the pipe 'i, and communicating by a pipe j with
the external atmosphere. The circulating pipes k form a communication

page_text: between the upper and lower parts, of the chamber a, and are provided, with
an annular or other: steam jet.; whereby the required-circulation may be
maintained from the one part to the other and through the vegetable or other
matters to be treated. The steam jet we prefer to employ for this purpose is
shewn to an enlarged scale in vertical, section at Fig. 7; and at Fig. 8 in
transverse section through 'the line A, B, of; Fig. 7; --Fig. 9 being an under.
neath view. of. Fig. 7, and .shewing: the perforations forming: the ring: jet.
Steam from the boiler enters through, the pipe minto, the annular space n;
and passing through the orifices o into the, circulation pipes k puts in motion
the air or vapour contained in the pipes k and chamber a, thereby producing
a rapid circulation, and at: the same time, when necessary, drawing air
through the openings p for regulating the temperature of the circulating
vapour, the quantity of air so admitted being regulated at pleasure by turning
the perforated cap.q.
.
.
In order to put the apparatus in action the matters to be treated are placed
in the tray or shallow box e, which is then with its carriage passed, into the
chamber until the flanch e¹ comes in contact with. the felted flanch 6 of the
chamber. The two flanches 6 and e¹ are then secured firmly together (by
means of screws or otherwise), and the bars fare partially revolved by means
of their projecting ends, thus causing the tray or shallow box e to, slightly
descend until the felted angle iron.g¹ rests: upon the angle iron g, the felt or
other material interposed between the angle irons forming a joint and pre
venting the passage of steam from the lower to.. the upper part of the
chamber a, excepting by passing through or amongst the vegetable, or other
matters contained in the tray e. Steam, hot air, or other equivalent medium
for imparting heat is then admitted to the coil, and the steam for causing cir-
culation through the pipes k is put into action, inducing a powerful current
downward from the upper part of the chamber a into its lower part. In
this way the steam, hot air, or vapour employed after passing from the lower
into the upper part of the chamber a through or amongst the vegetable or
other matters placed on the perforated, grated, or pervious bottom of the tray
or shallow box 6, and thereby losing a portion of 'its heat, is drawn from the
upper part of the chamber and returned by the circulating pipe k to the lower
part, and after absorbing a fresh amount of heat from the coil h is again
returned through the perforated bottom of the tray or box e, as before; the
circulation being continued as long as may be necessary for thoroughly acting
upon the vegetable or other matters under treatment.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same may be conveniently carried

page_text: into effect, we desire to point out that. it is not confined or limited to the
precise forms or arrangements described, inasmuch as they are susceptible.of
being variously modified without-departing from the distinguishing features of
our Invention; thus, for example, the heating coil may. in some cases be dis-
pensed with, and the air or vapour caused to circulate through. the chamber
and matters under treatment, and become warmed by a steam jet, as described;
or the circulation may be maintained by a fan or blower, or other mechanical
means. We do not, therefore, confine or limit ourselves to any particular
form or arrangement so long as the distinguishing features of our Invention
are maintained; but we claim,-
Firstly, the treatment of vegetable and other matters by causing a current
or currents of heated air or vapour to circulate through or amongst them,
substantially as described.
Secondly, the construction or arrangement of chamber admitting of being
divided into two portions by a moveable or other perforated or pervious tray,
.platform, division, or grating, upon or against which the matters to be treated
may be laid, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Thirdly, the general-arrangement and combination of parts constituting an
apparatus for diffusing moisture and heat through vegetable and other
matters, substantially as described.
Fourthly, the construction or arrangement of annular steam jet for
producing circulation and regulating the temperature of the circulating fluid,
substantially as described. . .
In witness whereof, we, the said Edward Field and Francis Lloyd, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
M.D.)
EDWARD FIELD.
FRANCIS LLOYD., (L.S.)
Witness,
W. LLOYD WISE,
Office for Patents,
Chandos Chambers, London, W.C.