Improvements in Apparatus for Preparing a Beverage from Coffee.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Preparing a Beverage from Coffee.
I, LEON EDMOND KIRMAIR of Boulevard Henri IV. Paris in the Republic
of France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The improved device for preparing coffee for drinking operates upon the
general principle of the so-called pressure apparatus namely that the pressure of
steam when the water boils raises the boiling water and causes it to pass through
the ground coffee previously placed in an appropriate receptacle in the apparatus.
The improved apparatus consists of a vessel for boiling the water, having a
steam blow off cock provided with a whistle which is used as a signal to notify the
boiling of the water, and a safety valve which is designed to blow off the steam
should it rise to a dangerous pressure from any cause. On the boiling vessel is a
flange forming the lower part of the chamber which receives the beverage which
the water forms after and by passing through the coffee. This chamber consists,
for the remainder, of glass and is closed above by a cover of metal. A pipe rises
from the boiling vessel outside the beverage vessel and is connected by a suitable
union to a pipe passing into the cover and rising therein to terminate above in a
rose or sprinkler which is placed in a glass bell at the top of the cover so that
the water may be seen flowing out when the apparatus is in action. On the
pipe below the rose is a loosely sliding disk which breaks the fall of the water
issuing from the rose, and also, when the cover is removed and held upside down
for placing the coffee in it, slides on the pipe and prevents the coffee falling into
the glass bell. In the bottom of the cover is a slightly dished perforated disk
which may be covered with muslin or other filtering medium. When the water
boils the pressure of steam causes it to ascend into the pipe and issue from the rose
onto the sliding disk and thence onto the coffee passing through the latter and
forming a beverage which collects in the glass vessel from which it may be
drawn off when and as desired through a cock provided for that purpose.
The stand on which this apparatus rests is provided with inwardly radiating
arms on its upper rim so that the same stand may be used for smaller apparatus.
The burner may be a gas burner, or made for burning spirit in which latter case
it is made of copper without solder and with suitable devices for regulating the
flame.
Dated this 19th day of March 1892.
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Preparing a Beverage from Coffee.
I, LEON EDMOND KIRMAIR of Boulevard Henri IV. Paris in the Republic of
France, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
The improved device for preparing coffee for drinking operates upon the general
principle of the so-called pressure apparatus namely that the pressure of steam
when the water boils raises the boiling water and causes it to pass through the
ground coffee previously placed in an appropriate receptacle in the apparatus.
The improved apparatus consists of a vessel for boiling the water, having a

page_text: steam blow off cock provided with a whistle which is intended to be used
as a signal to notify the boiling of the water. On this vessel is a flange or socket
intended to receive the lower and appropriately shaped part of the vessel which
receives and holds the beverage which the hot water forms by passing through
the coffee. This vessel is of glass and is provided with a draw off cock for the
passage of which a notch is made in the flange or socket wall aforesaid. A
metal cover closes the upper end of this vessel upon which it rests and a pipe
passing from the bottom of the inside of the boiling vessel and out through the
roof thereof where it passes through a box or union which may be tightly
closed by a screw cap, rises outside the beverage vessel and enters the metal
cap to which it is secured. This pipe conducts the water from the boiling vessel
into the cap when the pressure of the steam developed by boiling reacts to
force the water out of the boiling vessel. In the upper part of the cap is a
finely perforated diaphragm or plate which cuts off a small chamber at the
apex of the cap and acts as a rose or sprinkler to distribute the falling water
evenly over the coffee lying thereunder. Where the cap is made so that it must
be reversed or held upside down when filled with the coffee a sliding plate may
be arranged under the rose so that when the cap is reversed this plates falls
upon the rose and prevents the coffee from entering it. Where however the cap
does not need to be reversed to receive the charge of coffee but is provided
with a detachable receiver such as a slightly dish shaped perforated tray or
plate which may be taken off, filled with coffee and replaced without reversal of
the cap, the sliding plate before described may be dispensed with.
This perforated dish may be covered with muslin or other filtering medium.
When the water boils, the pressure of steam causes it to ascend into the pipe
and issue from the rose onto the sliding disk, if one is used, and thence onto the
coffee so that it passes through the latter and forms a beverage which collects in
the glass vessel from which it may be drawn off when and as desired through the
cock provided for that purpose.*
The stand on which the apparatus rests is provided with inwardly radiating arms:
on its upper rim so that the same stand may be used for smaller apparatus. The
burner may be a gas burner or made for burning spirit in which latter case it is
made of copper without solder and with suitable devices for regulating the flame.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the improved apparatus. Fig. 1 being a
vertical.central section, Fig. 2 a side elevation and Fig. 3 a plan thereof.
Trepresents the stand, of any suitable ornamental kind, made in metal, with
the pivoted inwardly directed arms & usually three in number.
A is the boiling vessel, usually of sheet copper tinned inside. B is the handle
thereto, usually of hard wood, ivory, or bone or like material being a non conductor
of heat. F is the flange or socket on the vessel A to receive and hold the glass
vessel G. The cock H is secured in this vessel G by a nut I suitably tightened
by rubber or other washers. The cock H projects from a slot cut in the wall F
and tends also therefore to prevent the vessel & from turning in its socket. J is
the metal cap, flanged at J' to rest over the edge of the vessel G and made with
the upper chamber J' divided off by the perforated plate K which is held in place 4
as a floor to the chamber J' by a rod K' as shown and nut K' thereon. The
base of the cap J is provided with the internal flange N on which the perforated
tray M is fastened by a bayonet joint as shown in Fig. 2. A round of muslin
or equivalent may be placed in the dish M before the coffee is placed therein.
The sliding plate which might be used to cover and guard the rose K is not shown
as it is not essential in this form. Where used it may slide upon a downward pro-
longation of the rod K'.
Ď is the blow off cock with whistle thereon. When this cock is open the steam
escaping there when the water boils will sound the whistle and notify the fact of
the commencement of boiling, the cock is then intended to be closed.
On the vessel A is a socket E and on the pipe L at a suitable place is a collar L'
which may be conical and which rests upon the upper end of the socket E through

page_text: which the pipe L is passed. The screw cap E¹ bears firmly on the upper face of
the collar L and when screwed down forms a very tight closure but one very
easy to dismount when required. The pipe L at its upper end communicates with
the chamber J'.
If a gas burner is employed this may be of any suitable kind; where a spirit
lamp is used I prefer to employ one in which an inner small wick is surrounded
by an outer larger wick each with its extinguishing or flame lowering device
independent of the other. A very convenient form of uch a lamp is shown in
section in Fig. 1 and elevation in Fig. 2. U is the spirit container with small
wick tube U and large wick tube V. The latter is made in one with the cap
of the container U. The pivoted half collars V₁ act as flame reducers or
extinguishers for the main wick, the perforated cap U' forms a similar reducer for
the small wick.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
The improvements in apparatus for preparing a beverage from coffee, namely,
1) The combination of the boiling vessel, the beverage vessel above the
former and supported in a flanged socket thereon and the cap above the
beverage vessel.
2) The combination of the boiling vessel, beverage vessel and cap with the pipe
for carrying the water from the boiling vessel to the cap arranged exterior to the
beverage vessel.
3) The spirit burner with double wick and arrangements for regulating the
flame as described and illustrated.
4) The stand having on its rim pivoted arms adapted to be swung inwards for
supporting vessels of different sizes as herein described.
Dated this 19th day of December 1892.
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.