Year: 1831

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSпUA
BATES, of Bishopsgate Street, within the City of London, Esquire, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth; by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of January, in
the first year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give
unto me, the said Joshua Bates, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, tho said
Joshua Bates, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them,
by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies; servants or
agents, or such others as I, the said Joshua Bates, my executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term of years in the said Letters
Patent expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within that part of His Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also in all His Colonies and Plantations abroad, in such manner
as to me, the said Joshua Bates, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or

page_text: any of them, should in my or their discretion seem meet, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN REFINING AND CLARIFYING SUGARS," and that I, the
said Joshua Bates, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should and
lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and
advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason
of my said Invention, for and during the term of years in the said Letters
Patent mentioned; in which said Letters. Patent there is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Joshua Bates, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court. of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference. being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that my "Apparatus to Filter Syrup, and Wash the
Animal Black and other Substances used for its Clarification, principally
destined for the Use of Sugar Bakers and Confectioners," is truly and fully
described in the following Specification, with the attached Drawings:—
The apparatus essentially consists of the revolving filter B, and of the vessel
A, together with the pipe or pipes whereby they are connected with each
other. See Figures 1 and 2. D is the boiler, in which the syrup is mixed
with the animal black, by the action of which the colour of the syrup is
wholly or in part taken away. This boiler forms no part of my Patent, and
therefore it is unnecessary to give a more particular description of it, except to
observe that the pipe a connects the boiler D with the vessel A, and that by
means of a stop cock on the said pipe the communication between the two
may be opened or closed at pleasure. A is a vessel made of copper plate or
of any other suitable material, to which may be given any form fitted to resist
pressure. The form which I prefer is an ellipsoid, as represented in Figures
1 and 2. This vessel may be either single or double. The latter construction
is the most expensive, but I prefer it, as producing the more rapid filtration,
and allowing a greater previous consentration of the syrup: In Figure 1, A
is a side elevation of such double vessel, the dotted lines in which indicate
the, lining or inner plates. Between the lining and the outer plates is a
space of about half an inch, forming a cavity, which has no connection with
the interior of the vessel. C is a steam boiler of any common construction,
with feed pipe, safety valve, and pressure gage. In the cover is inserted the
pipe, which divides into two branches, c and d, and is furnished with three
stopcocks, c, d, i. Across the junction of the stopcock i with the pipe are
.

page_text: placed three or four round pieces of closely-woven wire gauze, for the purpose
of intercepting any water that may be thrown up, while in a state of violent
ebullition, from the boiler C, at the same time, that they allow a free passage
to the steam. The branch d opens into the vessel A (being fixed in the
cover of the man-hole), and the branch c opens into the cavity between the
lining and outer plates. Into this same cavity opens the stopcock h. . I
is a
stopcock opening into the pipe u, u, which forms the communication between
the vessel A and the filter B; and m is a stopcock by which the pipe wis
commanded. S is a hollow metallic vessel of a globular or any other conve-
nient form, having a short open pipe t at top, and terminating below in the
open pipe k, which dips considerably below the surface of the water in the
boiler C. On this pipe is a stopcock y, and between this stopcock and the
vessel S comes in a lateral pipe f, which opens at its other or lower extremity
in the cover of the double vessel A, and is commanded by the stopcock l.
B, Figures 1 and 2, is tho revolving filter, of a cylindrical figure, and
supported on framework in a horizontal position. It is connected with the
vessel A by thic pipe u, to which latter it is secured by means of a collar and
stuffing box, 1 and 2, Figure 4. From the opposite end of the filter, and in a
line with the pipe u, projects an iron spindle 3, to the end of which is fixed the
crank or handle 4, by means of which a rotatory motion is given to the filter.
The filter consists of two circular wooden headings 5, 5, 5, 5, Figure 4 (cach
covered externally by a metal plate 6, 6), and of bars of wood passing fron
one heading to the other. There are intervals between the bars, so that tho
whole of this part of the apparatus forms a kind of cylindrical cage. The
number of the bars is indefinite, but I prefer four principal bars 7, 7, 7, 7,
with fifteen secondary ones 8, 8, 8, &c., placed between every two principal
ones, making in the whole sixty secondary bars. Sections of these are shewn
in Figure 5, which may be considered as a section of Figure 4, through the
linc,.
The cage or frame just described is covered with a cylinder:or
jacket 10, Figures 4, 6, 7, 9, 13, of blanketing, or of that kind of woollen cloth
usually employed by sugar refiners as a filter, and in this cylinder of woollen
cloth are made as many pockets 9, 9, 9, &c. of the same material as there aro
intervals between the bars of the cage. Tliese pockets hang between the bars,
and tend towards the axis of the cylinder, as shewn in Figures 4 and 5. In order
to keep these pockets always stretched, I place in cach a wedge-shaped piece of
board 11, 11, Figures 8 and 10. These boards are: grooved or furrowed on
both sides, as shewn in Figures 14 and 15. They are as long as and as deep
as the pockets, but are not so wide, so that a clear space is left between the..
sides of the pocket and the board, through which the filtered syrup may flow out.

page_text: In order to retain these boards in their places, three copper hoops 12, 12, 12,
Figures 1, 3, 7, 8, are passed round the cylinder, and are brought to the
proper degree of tightness by binding screws. There are likewise two other
similar hoops 13, 13, on the outside of the three above mentioned, for the
purpose of binding down the two transverse ends of the woollen jacket in
which the pockets are inserted, and thus preventing the escape of any un-
filtered syrup between them and the headings on which they rest. The two
longitudinal ends of the jacket are united by lacing 14, Figure 9, and are
further secured by a lath 15 laid over them, as shewn in Figures 9, 10, 11.
Having now described the principal parts of the apparatus, I proceed to
show how it is applied to the purpose for which it is intended, namely, the
filtration of the syrup from the animal black and other substances used in its
clarification. All the stopcocks in Figure 1 are first of all to be closed, and
are to remain in that situation till the syrup in the pan D is almost ready to
be filtered. The water and steam in the boiler C are to be kept as nearly
as may be at the temperature of 236 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer.
On opening the cocks i, c, h, d, and g, the steam will pass out of the boiler C
through the cock into the two-branched pipe, that part of the steam which
passes through the cock c enters the space between the outer and inner plates
of the vessel A, and blows out of the cock h partly as steam and partly as
water, while the remainder of the steam passes through the cock d into the
body of A, driving the atmospheric air out before it through the cock y. The
vessel A being thus heated, the cocks d and g are closed; the cocks e and m
are opened, and likewise that which commands the pipe a. As soon as this
latter is turned, the contents of the pan D flow into A, and drive out the
steam through e, while from A the liquor flows through the pipe u into the
Hilter B, which is immediately to be put into motion by turning the winch or
handle 4. As soon as the pan D is emptied, the cock upon the pipe a is
closed, which fits the pan to receive a second charge of syrup and animal
black; the cock e is likewise closed. Now, as the space between the inner
and outer plates of the vessel A continues filled with steam at about 135
degrees of heat, it is evident that the liquor in the cavity of A will be kept at
a temperaturo at least as high as boiling water; steam will therefore be gene-
rated from this liquor, and, not being able to escape, will press on the surface of
the liquor, and will consequently force it through the pockets of the filter,
leaving the animal black and other impurities within the cavities of the filter.
The first runnings are a little discoloured, from holding in suspension the finer
particles of animal black, and are therefore to be reserved apart from the
clear liquor, and are to be returned into the vessel A, by opening the cocks

page_text: e and x, and placing a funnel on the latter, through which the discoloured liquor
is to be poured; the two cocks are then to be again closed, when the
syrup no
longer drops from the filter. The next process is to wash out the remainder
detained by capillary attraction among the particles of animal black. For
this purpose the stopcock i is closed, and y is opened. The pressure of the
steam in the boiler C immediately drives the hot water up the pipe k into the
globular vessel S till it is filled; the cock y is then to be closed, and 7 is to be
opened, which will allow the water to flow from S through the pipe finto A,
and thence into the filter B. One or more measures of hot water are to be
passed through the filter till the whole of the sugar is washed out, and these
washings are to be used for the various purposes to which they are now
applied by sugar refiners. Finally, the hoops of the filter are to be loosened,
the jacket and pockets are to be removed, and their place is supplied by a
fresh set, while the former are cleared (by washing in clean water) from the
animal black and other impurities.
Figure 2 represents a simplified form of my apparatus, in which the boiler
C, Figure 1, and all the parts immediately connected therewith, are omitted.
D and a are the parts indicated by the same letters in Figure 1. The vessel
A is single, that is, it is composed only of one thickness of plates, and conse-
quently has no space for the reception of steam in order to heat the liquor
contained within it. F is a pan for heating water in, and its situation must
necessarily be higher than that of the vessel A. From the bottom of F'proceeds
a pipe, which divides into two branches, commanded respectively by the cocks
y and p. The branch on which y is placed terminates in the cover of the
vessel. A (in which also is inserted the cock x). The branch on which p is
placed opens into the pipe u between the cock m and the collar 2. When the
syrup in the pan D is ready to be filtered, the cock on the pipe a, and likewise
for cocks x and m, are to be opened, p and y remaining closed. The syrup
mixed with the animal black runs first into A, and thence into the revolving
filter B, and is forced through the filtering cloth merely by its own gravity
and the atmospheric pressure. When the syrup ceases to drop from the filter,
the cock y is opened and m is shut. Hot water passes from the pan F into the
vessel A, and washes the syrup and black adhering to its inside into the pipe u.
The cock y is then closed, and m is opened, on which the washings run imme-
diately into the filter B, and drip from it into any vessel placed to receive them.
The cock m is then closed, and p is opened, which allows a steam of hot water
to flow from F into the filter B, and this is to continue till the drippings
from the filter cease to be sensibly sweet. In order to retard the cooling of
the liquor in A and B, I cover these parts respectively with a wooden case.

page_text: The disadvantages of this simplified form of apparatus, compared with that
represented in Figure 1, are, that the syrup cannot be kept so hot while
filtering, and steam pressure cannot be applied to expedite the filtration, and
therefore the syrup so operated upon ought not to be so dense as that which
may be employed in the apparatus first described. If any loss of time should
be experienced by the syrup in the pan D being ready before the filtration of
the preceding charge has been completely effected, such loss may be avoided
by connecting two filters with the vessel A, as shown Figure 12, in which
u, u, u, represents a branched pipe with two stopcocks m and n, one on each
branch.
In order to give a clear description of my Invention, aud of the mode of
applying it to the filtration of syrup, I have been obliged to shew its connection
with other parts of apparatus, the exclusive use of which is not claimed by me.
That which I claim by this Patent is my Invention of a revolving filter,
whether the same be made with pockets, as above described, or be brought to
its utmost state of simplicity by suppressing the pockets, and reducing the
surface of the filtering cloth to a single fold wrapped round the wooden cage
or frame above described. I also claim that arrangement of pipes, cocks,
and vessels whereby the syrup (when let out of the pan in which it has been
mixed with the animal black or other substances for the purpose of clarifying
it) is received into a vessel placed between the clarifying pan and the revolving
filter, and is there kept hot by means of steam, and is likewise subjected to
the elastic pressure of steam, in order to expedite its filtration.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Bates, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the * day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
Inrolled the same Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year above written.