Improvements relating to the Employment of Disinfectants.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 1st Feb.,
1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Employment of Disinfectants.
I MARY ROSENNA LATHAM of 23 Hartington Villas, Hove Park, West
Brighton (married) do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of the present invention is to facilitate the employment of disinfectants
for household purposes.
Disinfectants are at present upon the market in powders and fluids, which can be
used by sprinkling in the neighbourhood of the place to be disinfected, or an
infusion may be made by dissolving or diluting the requisite proportion of the
disinfectant in or with cold water.
To afford still greater convenience to the users of disinfectants, I take a small
quantity of powerful disinfecting material which is soluble in cold water, such as
permanganate of potash, in a powdered or granulated state, and I enclose it in an
envelope of paper or equivalent material, part of which envelope is pervious
to water. The envelope is so formed that, when thrown into a basin of water, it
will float on the surface, and the water saturating the porous part of the envelope
will gradually dissolve the contents.
In this manner a disinfecting fluid is formed, first at the surface, and subsequently
involving the whole contents of the basin.
The advantages of this arrangement are to be found in the convenience of
handling the envelopes, which may be sold in packets at a low price, and in the
fact that no care or attention is necessary when preparing a basin of disinfectant,
to be placed in a sick room or other apartment to be purified.
Moreover, as the disinfecting substance is held on the surface of the water,
it there dissolves, and being exposed, at once exercises its influence on the
surrounding air, although the dissolution may not be complete for some time
afterwards.
A charged envelope thrown into a basin of water, or into the pan of a
water-closet, will do its work without further attention.
Dated this 7th day of Fahru 1895
I, MARY ROSENNA LATHAM, of 23 Hartington Villas, Hove Park, West
Brighton, (married), 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 object of the present invention is to facilitate the employment of disinfectants
for household purposes.
Disinfectants are at present upon the market in powders and fluids, which can be
used by sprinkling in the neighbourhood of the place to be disinfected; or an

page_text: infusion may be made by dissolving or diluting the requisite proportion of the
disinfectant in or with cold water.
To afford still greater convenience to the users of disinfectants, I take a suitable
quantity of some powerful disinfecting material which is soluble in cold water, such
as, for instance, permanganate of potash, in a powdered or granulated state, and
I enclose it in an envelope of paper or equivalent material, part of which envelope
is pervious to water. The envelope is so formed that when thrown into a basin of
water, it will float on the surface, and the water saturating the porous part of the
envelope, will gradually dissolve the contents.
In this manner a disinfecting fluid is formed, first at the surface, and subsequently
involving the whole contents of the basin.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shewn a circular envelope charged
according to my invention.
Fig. 1 is a plan view and
Fig. 2 is a section on the line x-x of Fig. 1.
a is the disinfecting material in a powdered or granulated form, enclosed between
thin sheets of tissue paper b. b. The edges of the tissue paper are stuck together,
and fixed between paper rings cc of stouter substance.
When the envelope is thrown upon the water, it floats thereon, and the tissue
paper becoming saturated, the disinfecting substance dissolves, and impregnates
the water.
It will be understood that various shapes of envelope may be adopted, so long as
a porous portion containing the disinfecting substance is employed.
The advantages of this invention are to be found in the convenience of handling
the envelopes, which may be sold in packets at a low price, and in the fact that no
care or attention is necessary when preparing a basin of disinfectant, to be placed
in a sick room or other apartment to be purified.
Moreover, as the disinfecting substance is held on the surface of the water,
it there dissolves, and being exposed, at once exercises its influence on the
surrounding air, although the dissolution may not be complete for some time
afterwards.
A charged envelope thrown into a basin of water, or into the pan of a water
closet, will do its work without further attention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
As a new article of manufacture, the hereinbefore described envelope or holder,
charged with soluble disinfectant, which envelope, when placed in water, permits of
the disinfectant being dissolved through the envelope, in the manner set forth.
Dated this 7th day of November 1895.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.