A NEW APPARATUS FOR BOILING OR COOKING EGGS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn, of 169, Fleet Strect, in the City
of London, Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, for an Invention of
"A NEW APPARATUS FOR BOILING OR COOKING EGGS." A communication
from abroad by Louis Marie Antoine Couchoud, of Marseilles, France..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton Mewburn at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th September 1880.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "A NEW APPARATUS FOR BOILING OR
COOKING EGGS."
[A communication from abroad by Louis Mario Antoine
Couchoud, of Marseilles, France.]
The apparatus which forms the subject of this Invention has for object the
boiling or cooking of eggs in the shell without supervision. The eggs placed in a
sort of basket are introduced into the apparatus when filled with boiling water,
and in about 4 minutes the action of the apparatus itself indicates that the boiling
or cooking of the eggs is finished.
The body of the apparatus is of galvanized iron or other suitable metal, and is
preferably of oval section with parallel sides. It is divided horizontally by two
partitions into 3 compartments; the upper partition is of concave and the lower
of convex form, and they are connected together by a central tube which forms a
communication between the top and bottom compartments.
The apparatus is provided with a cover to keep out dirt when not in use, also
with a handle, and opposite the handle is a spout communicating with the middle
compartment. In the upper partition is a hole covered with wire gauze below
which is a disc, in which is a small aperture, the diameter of which should be
determined with the greatest precision for the object hereinafter explained.
The basket for holding the eggs during the boiling operation is composed of a
plate or of wire work or gauze shaped to correspond with the concave form of the
upper partition. It has an opening in the centre, the edges of which are raised to
keep off the eggs. From the edges of the plate arms are carried up to support a
disc. This disc has a ring or loop which forms a handle to the basket. The disc

page_text: also serves to prevent the water boiling over. A groove or other indication, which
may be graduated or not, shows the level up to which the boiling water should be
filled.
The apparatus is used and acts as follows:-
The cover having been removed and the basket taken out the apparatus is filled
with boiling water up to the level before referred to. The eggs are placed in the
basket, which is then introduced into the apparatus so as to rest upon the upper
partition. The apparatus is placed on the fire, and the water soon begins to boil
again. The water runs gradually from the upper compartment into the middle
compartment by the small aperture before described, which is protected by the
wire gauze from obstruction by foreign matters. The size of this aperture is calcu-
Inted so that the upper compartment becomes emptied of water in about 4 minutes,
that is to say, the boiling or cooking is finished when all the water has run out.
The boiling or cooking stops of itself, because the eggs cool progressively as they
become gradually uncovered by the running out of the water. They may now be
taken out.
The opening in the centre of the basket allows the water to pass into the tube
below, but its raised edges keep the eggs from the centre and out of immediate
-contact with the stream of boiling water. The disc before described which is
intended to prevent the water boiling over may be dispensed with, in which case
the cover of the apparatus may be used for the purpose; the cover should then be
formed with holes for the escape-of-steam, these-holes-being-around-the.central_
-portion-which-takes-the place of the disc..
The apparatus is emptied by the spout, which communicates with the middle

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Clayton Mewburn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
February 1881.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "A NEW APPARATUS FOR BOILING OR
COOKING EGGS." (A communication from abroad by Louis Marie Antoine
Couchoud, of Marseilles, France.)
The apparatus which forms the subject of this Invention has for object the
boiling or cooking of eggs in the shell without supervision. The eggs, placed in
a sort of basket, are introduced into the apparatus when filled with boiling water,
and in about 4 minutes the action of the apparatus itself indicates that the
boiling or cooking of the eggs is finished.
The construction of the apparatus will be fully understood by the following
description and the accompanying Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a vertical section
of the apparatus, and Figuro 2 a plan; Figures 3 and 4 are respectively a vertical
section and a plan of the basket.
The body A of the apparatus is of galvanized iron or other suitable metal, and is
preferably of oval section with parallel sides. It is divided horizontally by two
partitions B and C into three compartments; the upper partition B is of concave and
the lower C of convex form, and they are connected together by a tube D which
forms a communication between the top and bottom compartments.
The apparatus is provided with a cover Ẹ to keep out dirt when not in use, also
with a handle G, and opposite the handle is a spout H communicating with the
middle compartment. In the upper partition B is a hole 6 covered with wire
gauze c, below which is a disc I, in which is a small aperture i, the diameter of
which should be determined with the greatest precision for the object hereinafter
explained.
The basket for holding the eggs during the boiling operation is composed of a
plate K shaped to correspond with the concave form of the upper partition B. It
has an opening T in the centre, the edges of which are raised to keep off the eggs.
From the edges of the plate arms k, k, are carried up to support a disc L. This
disc has a ring or loop which forms a handle to the basket. The disc also serves
to prevent the water boiling over. A groove m shows the level up to which the
boiling water should be filled.
The apparatus is used and acts as follows:-
The cover having been removed and the basket taken out the apparatus is filled
with boiling water up to the level in (see the diagram, Figure 5). The eggs are
placed in the basket L, which is then introduced into the apparatus so as to rest
upon the upper partition B. Tho apparatus is placed on tho fire, and the water
Boon begins to boil again. The water runs gradually from the upper compartment
into the middle compartment by the small aperture i, which is protected by the
wire gauze c from obstruction by foreign matters.
The size of this aperture is
calculated so that the upper compartment becomes emptied of water in about 4
minutes, that is to say, the boiling or cooking is finished when all the water has
run out (see the diagram, Figure 6). The boiling or cooking stops of itself because
the eggs cool progressively as they become gradually uncovered by the running out
of the water. They may now be taken out.
The opening T in the centre of the basket allows the water to pass into the
tube below, but its raised edges keeps the eggs from the centre, and out of imme-
diate contact with the stream of boiling water. The disc L, which is intended to
prevent the water boiling over, has also the effect of causing the water which rises
to fall on the upper part of the eggs. The disc may however be dispensed with,

page_text: in which case the cover of the apparatus may be used to prevent the water boiling
over; the cover should then be formed with holes for the escape of steam,
these holes being around the central portion, which portion takes the place of
the disc.
The apparatus is emptied by the hole and spout H.
Instead of being formed of a plate as seen at K the basket may be made of wire
work, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, or of gauze, the wires being turned up in the
centre as shown.
Instead of the groove many other convenient indication may be adopted to
shew the level to which the water should be filled, and the indication inay be
graduated to shew the proper water levels when one, two, or more eggs respectively
are to be boiled.
The characteristic features of the Invention are the arrangement of the body
with two partitions which form three compartments, the top compartment commu-
nicating with the bottom one by means of a tube, also the aperture of a size
calculated so that the water in the top compartment will flow into the middle
one in about 4 minutes; also the basket (Figures 3 and 4, and Figures 7 and 8)
having raised edges to keep' the eggs from the centre, and a disc to prevent the water
boiling over; also the indication, by means of a groove or otherwise, and graduated
or not, to shew the level up to which the water should be filled; also-(when a disc
is not employed on the basket) the cover with holes around the central portion,
which portion takes the place-of-the-disc..
Having-now-described the nature of the said Invention as communicated to me,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that-l-claim;-
--
The apparatus for boiling or cooking eggs, constructed and acting substantially
as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
.In witness whereof,. I, the said. John Clayton Mewburn, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and eighty one.
VDWORDY