IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AERATED
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Mc Lean, of Edinburgh, in the
County of Midlothian, North Britain, Chemist, and William
Fraser Rae, of the same place, Brass Founder, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AERATED
Sealed the 29th March 1854, and dated the 14th October 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Mc Lean
and William Fraser Rae at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th October 1853:
We, ANDREW MCLEAN, of Edinburgh, in the County of Midlothian,
North Britain, Chemist, and WILLIAM FRASER RAE, of the same
place, Brass Founder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AERATED
LIQUIDS" to be as follows:-.
This Invention relates to the general construction and, arrangement
of soda water or aerated liquid machines, wherein the whole of the
mechanism and working details are placed upon a single base board,
on one end of which is placed a cylindrical leaden vessel as a gene-
rator; two pipes open into the top of this generator, one pipe having a

page_text: funnel shaped mouth, closed by a leaden stopper, whilst the lower end
reaches nearly to the bottom of the generator. The other pipe passes
from the top of the generator to the bottom of the gasometer or holder.
Directly above the generator is the acid reservoir, fitted with a supply-
ing valve and an adjustable acid discharge pipe for regulating the acid
flow into the generator. Behind the generator is placed a water pan
or receiver alongside the gasometer, these two vessels having a
common bottom, as well as one side common to both. Next to the
gasometer is placed on the stand or base a vertical condenser, having
a pipe leading into its bottom-from-the-pump,-and-another-leading out
from it to the bottling apparatus, a safety valve and indicator being on
the top. The cover of the condenser has a pipe passed down through
it from above, acting as a piston rod and working through a stuffing
box. The lower end of this pipe or tubular rod has attached to it a
perforated beater or agitating disc, and this is worked byby connection
to a crank on an overhead horizontal shaft. And if this perforated disc
is fitted with a valve it may be employed for forcing in air amongst the
liquid. Alongside or behind the condenser is the pump, the barrel of
which oscillates on hollow trunnions, having bearings on the base
board, or the pump barrel may be, fixed with the piston rod; jointed
direct to an overhead crank on the main shaft, the action in either
case being obtained directly from the crank above. The piston is
composed of two cup leathers, and. the ports are governed by two
bottom valves, one opening up and the other down, à division: plate
being added to separate the two valves. The bottling is effected by
means of a small cylinder placed in front of the .condenser, and con-
nected with the condenser by a pipe and stop.cock.. This cylinder is
fitted with a piston worked by a rod from above, and the lower end
of the cylinder has an expanded bottle mouth piece for the discharge
of the aerated liquid into bottles. In bottling the piston is raised, and
a cork is placed in the cylinder; the liquid is then discharged into the
bottle through a stop cock, and the piston then descends. to force in
the cork.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Andrew Mc Lean and William Fraser Rae in'
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th April 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,- we,
ANDREW MCLEAN of Edinburgh, in the County of Midlothian, North
Britain, Chemist, and WILLIAM FRASER RAE, of the same place, Brass
Founder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Andrew McLean and William Fraser
Rae, Her special license that we, the said Andrew McLean and Wil-
liam Fraser Rac, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Andrew McLean and William Fraser Rac, our
exccutors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others; from time to time and at all times thereafter, during the
terin 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-
APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AERATED LIQUIDS;" upon the condition.
(amongst others) that we, the said Andrew McLean and William Fraser
Rae, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under:
the hand and seal of one of us, 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 Andrew McLean and William
Fraser Rae, 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, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:-
Our said Invention, relates to the general construction and arrange-

page_text: .
ment of soda water or acrated liquid machines, wherein the whole of
the mechanism and working details are placed upon a single base-board
or foundation plate, on one end of which is placed a cylindrical leaden
vessel as a generator; two pipes open into the top of this generator,
one pipe having a funnel-shaped mouth closed by a leaden stopper,
whilst the lower end reaches nearly to the bottom of the generator.
The other pipe passes from the top of tlie generator to the bottom of
the gasometer or gasholder. Directly above the generator is the acid
reservoir, fitted with a supplying valve and an adjustable acid discharge
pipe for regulating the acid flow into the generator. Behind the
generator is placed a water pan or receiver, alongside the gasometer,
these two vessels having a common bottom, as well as one side common
to both. Next to the gasometer is placed on the stand or base a
vertical condenser,-having a pipe-leading into its bottom from the pump,
and another leading out from it to the bottling apparatus, a safety valve
and indicator being on the top. The cover of the condenser has a pipe
passed down through it from above, acting as a piston rod, and working
through a stuffing box. The lower end of this pipe or tubular rod has
attached to it a perforated beater or agitating disc, and this is worked
by connection to a crank on an overhead horizontal shaft. And if this
perforated disc is fitted with a valve it may may be employed for forcing
in air amongst the liquid. Alongside or behind the condenser is the
pump, the barrel of which oscillates on hollow trunnions, having bear-
ings on the base board, or the pump barrel may be fixed with the
piston rod jointed direct to an overhead crank on the main shaft, the
action, in either case, being obtained directly from the crank above.
The piston is composed of two cup leathers, and the ports are governed
by two-bottom valves, one opening up and the other down, a division
plate being added to separate the two valves. The bottling is effected
by means of a small cylinder placed in front of the condenser, and
connected with the condenser by a pipe and stopcock. This cylinder is
fitted with a piston worked by a rod from above, and the lower end of
the cylinder has an expanded bottle mouth piece for the discharge of
the aerated liquid into bottles. In bottling the piston is raised and a
cork is placed in the cylinder; the liquid is then discharged into the
bottle through a stopcock, and the piston then- descends to force in

page_text: the cork. And in order that .our said Invention may be properly
understood we shall now proceed to describe one modification of it,
as represented in the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings here-
unto attached. Figure 1, on the Sheet of Drawings is a side elevation
of the apparatus complete, looking on the side at which the bottling
contrivance is placed. Figure 2, is an end elevation, looking on the
end at which the driving wheel and pump are placed, and Figure 3, is
a plan of the entire apparatus. The whole is carried on the single
and independent wooden tablet or base A, of an elongated rectangular
shape. At one corner of this base is placed a leaden vessel B, in
which the carbonic acid gas is generated. This vessel is provided with
a funnel C, the pipe of which passes down to within a short distance
of the bottom of the vessel 13. It is by this funnel that the carbonate
by means of which the gas is generated is introduced, and it is fitted
with a leaden plug D, to close it when necessary. The acid employed
is, introduced by a second funnel E, upon or attached to the pipe of
which is a small vessel F, which holds as much of tlie acid as is neces-
sary for one charge. Immediately below this vessel is a stopcock G,
which is only opened to allow the acid to descend into the generator B,
after the plug H; is placed in the mouth of the funnel E. A plug I,
is provided at the bottom of the generator B, by which the contents
can be drawn off. The gas generated in this vessel is conducted by
the pipe J, issuing from its top to the gasometer, consisting of a
vessel K, of tin plate, inverted inside a similar vessel L, nearly
filled with water, the vessel K, being counterbalanced by counter-
weights M, attached to cords passing over the overhead fixed pulleys N,
on one side of the gasometer, and having its bottom. formed by a
portion of the same plate, which answers as the bottom of the vessel L,
whilst the side of the latter also serves for one of its. sides, in the
vessel O, for containing the water or prepared liquid to be aerated..
This vessel is covered by a lid P, similar to what are used for cooking
pans, and is provided with a stopcock Q, for drawing off the contents.
From the water reservoir O, and gasometer K, L, the contents are
conducted by the pipes R, S, which unite into one T, communicating.
with the pump U, the water pipe R, being fitted with a 'stopcock V,
for regulating the proportions of the two elements. The pump U; is:

page_text: in this instance a stationary cylinder, fixed down to the base A. It is
of the single acting description, and. is fitted with a solid plunger W,
connected by the short rod X, to and worked by the crank Y, of the
short horizontal driving shaft Z, carried in bearings in the pair of
vertical standards a, bolted down to the main base A. The shaft Z,
has keyed upon it a fly wheel b, to which is fixed, the handle. c,. for
working the pump. The plunger W, of the pump is formed with
a cross head d, the ends of which embrace and slide upon guides
formed upon the insides of the standards a, thereby securing the
rectilinear motion of the pump plunger W. As already stated, the
gas and liquid are drawn into the pump from their respective reservoirs
by the pipe T. They issue from the pump. by the pipe e, these two
pipes T, and e, being provided with suitable valves to allow of a
passage through them. in one direction only. The pump forces the
gas and liquid by the-pipe e, into the condenser f, which is a spherical
copper vessel of great strength, and is supported by the four legs g.
It is furnished with a safety valve h, pressed down by the weight.i.
The liquid and gas are pumped into this vessel until the gas. begins
to escape at the safety valve h; the contents of the condenser are then
ready for being bottled off. For this purpose a pipe j. fitted with a
stop cock, conveys the contents of the condenser to the bottling
mechanism, consisting of a short cylinder 1, fixed into and passing
through the base or table A. The pipe j, from the condenser enters
this cylinder at the side, and the bottle m, is held up against the lower
open mouth, which is lined with leather, or other suitable material, that
the junction may be as tight as possible during the introduction of the
aerated liquid. On the bottle being filled the stop cock , is shut, and
the cork is forced down into. the bottle neck from above by means of
the plunger n. This plunger is formed with a short point on its under
side to receive the cork; it has a cross head.O, working upon guides on
the insides. of two short.vertical standards p, bolted down to the base-
board A, and formed at the top with bearings for the short cranked
spindle g. The plunger n, is connected to the crank of this spindle by
a short rod r, and the spindle has keyed upon it a handled lever s, by
means of which the plunger n, is depressed, being constrained to a vertical
movement by the cross head. and guilles, so. as to force the cork well

page_text: into the bottle's neck. The spindle q, has also formed upon it a catch t,
and one of the bearings carries a corresponding stop piece u, which
prevents the lever s, from falling over when the plunger is raised,
the catch being so set as to allow the lever to fall a slight distance
past the centre, so as to rest without a tendency to fall in either
direction.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, we may observe, in conclusion, that we do not
confine or restrict ourselves to the precise details or arrangements which
we have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may
be made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features
of our Invention; but what we consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of apparatus for the
manufacture of aerated liquids, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of constructing apparatus for the manu-
facture of aerated liquids wherein the various details or parts are
carried upon a portable base with the water vessel, gasometer, genera-
tor, and condenser arranged thereon, as herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of constructing the water receiver and
gasholder with a bottom common to both.
Fourth, the system or mode of corking bottles, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Andrew McLean and William
Fraser Rae, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the
Eleventh day of April, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
four
ANDREW MCLEAN.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM FRASER RAE. (L.S.)