IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR HOLDING MINERAL OR OTHER OILS OR LIQUIDS"
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustavus Adolphus John Schott of Bradford in the
County of York for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR HOLDING
MINERAL OR OTHER OILS OR LIQUIDS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustavus Adolphus John
Schott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd January
1883.
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS JOHN SCHOTT of Bradford in the County of York
IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR HOLDING MINERAL OR OTHER OILS OR LIQUIDS
This Invention relates more particularly to further improvements in the con-
struction of a tank reservoir or apparatus commercially known as Richter's
Economiser for which Letters Patent dated the 25th, day of August 1880 and
Nod 3449 were granted and has for its object to render the construction of such
Economiser more perfect than hitherto thus considerably increasing its utility
The first of my present improvements relates to an improved construction of the
top or cover of the tank or reservoir in order to more effectually prevent any
overflow of the contents thereof This I do by increasing the height of the rim
thereof and making the surface of the cover sloping instead of horizontal
My second improvement relates to imparting greater security to the tank. This
I do by making the well or funnel thereof movable and so arranging it that it can
be disconnected from the top or cover in which latter I form a suitable opening
sufficiently largo to allow of access to the interior in order to fasten or unfasten
the cover when desired
Such opening also facilitates the filling and cleansing of the tank when necessary
and affords a ready means for inspecting the tank and its contents thus dispensing
with a gauge
A further improvement relates to securing the delivery pipe by means of a
conical split wedge placed in a stuffing box and tightened down upon the delivery
pipe by screwing down the lid of the stuffing box
A further improvement relates to rendering the whole of the improved filtering
apparatus including the cylinder described and claimed by me in the Specification

page_text: of certain Letters Patent granted to me and Nod 4602 of 1882 detachable from the
delivery pipe so that it may be removed therefrom or fitted thereto as required
A further improvement relates to an additional filter which can be used either
independently or in conjunction with the improved filtering apparatus before
referred to This additional filter I construct by placing the pump and the
delivery pipe side by side and encasing them within a perforated metal tube which
is closed at its lower end and enveloped in a suitable filtering medium such as
linen
A further improvement relates to avoiding risk of combustion by fitting the
tank internally with a tube descending to any convenient depth and having its
lower end bent upwards so as to form a syphon trap
A further improvement relates to an improved indicating apparatus which
consists of a wire provided at its upper end with a small button and having
attached to its lower end a cork or other suitable float so fitted as to rise or fall
according to the height of the liquid contained in the vessel
A further improvement relates to constructing the delivery pipe in two or more
sections connected by universal swivel joints whereby the pipe is rendered very
flexible and adjustable to almost any kind of vessel
A further improvement relates to preventing the contents of the tank being
tampered with by connecting the delivery pipe at any convenient point inside the
tank by means of a suitable connecting pipe with a valve box placed just below
the cover of the tank with its outer opening upwards and above the level of the
liquid with a ball so arranged that such opening is sealed by atmospheric pressure
when required and so effectually prevents the liquid being withdrawn.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Gustavus Adolphus John Schott in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd July 1883.
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS JOHN SCHOTT, of Bradford in the County of York
IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR HOLDING MINERAL OR OTHER OILS OR LIQUIDS'
"
This Invention relates more particularly to further improvements in the con-
struction of a tank reservoir or apparatus commercially known as Richter's
Economiser for which Letters Patent dated the 25th day of August 1880 and
Numbered 3449 were granted and has for its object to render the construction
of such Economiser moro perfect than hitherto thus considerably increasing its
utility
J
In the accompanying drawings the letters of reference indicate the original parts
of the apparatus and the Figures of reference my improvements thereon
My first improvement relates to the top D of the Economiser which has
hitherto been made flat and with merely a plain edge or beaded rim thus
frequently allowing the oil or other liquid to overflow and so causing waste and
inconvenience-This I effectually obviate by forming a rim or flange (1) Figures
11-2-of any convenient height around such top and making the surface thereof
to gradually slope inwards towards the funnel shaped chamber B as shewn at
(2) (2) Figures 11-2-thus preventing the liquid collected on such surface from
overflowing and imparting a natural tendency thereto to flow back into the
reservoir instead of settling upon the surface of the top D
My second improvement relates to the funnel shaped chamber B in the centre of
the cover hereafter termed a well-Such well has hitherto been rigidly attached to
or made in one piece with the top D thus preventing ready access to the interior
of the Economiser and so causing great inconvenience attended with several other
disadvantages To obviate these I make the central opening in the top D large
enough to allow of the hand and arm being easily passed through so as to fasten
such top upon the Economiser by means of bolts and nuts (3) (3) Figures 1-2
instead of ly screws from the outside as hitherto-Such nuts being screwed on
from the inside impart great security by rendering it impossible to remove the top
from the outside-The well B I construct in a separate piece with turned facings (4)
Figure 2 formed upon the rim thereof. These turned facings fit tightly into
grooves or recesses (4) Figures 1-2-formed round the inside of the central opening
in the top D and when the well is so fitted therein I secure the same to the top
by screws (5) Figures 1-2-When it is desired to remove the well it is only
necessary to take out the screws when it can at once be lifted off. One advantage
of making such well movable is that the central opening can be utilised for filling
the tank thus materially facilitating and accelerating this operation-In the case
of dirty liquids a perforated disc (indicated by dotted lines at (5¹) Figure 1) or
other suitable equivalent may be placed over or fitted in such opening to act as a
strainer to exclude impurities-Another advantage is that a ready means of access
is afforded to the interior of the tank both for inspecting and cleansing the same
thus in many cases dispensing with the necessity of a Gauge to indicate its
contents When the well is in position it is covered by the lid a and cannot
therefore be removed until such lid is taken off-thus rendering the Economiser
thoroughly secure
My third and fourth improvements relate to an improved method of securing
the sectional delivery pipe (9) described in my Specification of Letters Patent
N° 4602 of 1882 and to rendering the upper section thereof detachable. Such
improvements are as follows. I secure the delivery pipe (g) by means of a conical

page_text: split wedge (9) Figures 3-4-5-which I place in a stuffing box (10) Figures 1-4-5
I then tighten down such cap on the upper section of the discharge pipe by the
lid (10¹) Figure 5 of the stuffing box-Such Figure 5 shews a vortical section of
such lid with a screw thread inside and conical orifice (9¹) which fits over the
conical cap (9) and allows the section of the discharge pipe to pass through-Or
instead of such conical cap two semi-conical caps may be used-Or a metal ring
may be placed over such conical cap between it and the lid so as to prevent the cap
sticking fast on the lid-In this case the orifice in the lid need not be conical as it
does not fit over the cap This arrangement is shewn in Figures 1 and 4 the latter
Figure being a detail view representing a vertical section of stuffing box (10)
with lid (10) and discharge pipe 9 passing through it the stuffing box being
screwed down upon the lower section of the discharge pipe which section projects
just sufficiently above the top of the reservoir to allow of the stuffing box being
screwed thereon Suitable leather washers (11) are placed in the stuffing box upon
which the base of the conical cap or semi conical caps (9) rests while its upper
portion is encircled by the metal ring (12) Figure 4-Upon the lid being screwed
down upon the stuffing box it tightens such ring upon the cap or semi caps (9)
thereby causing the same to grip the discharge pipe (g) which is thus held in
position with sufficient firmness Another advantage of this sectional construction
of the discharge pipe together with the stuffing box arrangement for fastening same
is that it allows of the upper section and stuffing box being detached from the
Economiser for the purposes of removal and transit thus preventing injury thereto
When so detached the lower section of the discharge pipe can be temporarily closed
with a screw cap to prevent the escape of the liquid.
A fifth improvement relates to an additional vertical filter which can be used
either separately or in conjunction with my improved pressure filter described in
the Specification of the before mentioned Patent N° 4602 of 1882 To construct
such vertical filter I place the pump and discharge pipe side by side and encase
the two within a perforated metal tube (301) Figure 1 closed at its lower end-
Such tube can be further enveloped if desired in a bag not shewn made of one or
more thicknesses of well washed linen of a suitable texture or other suitable textilo
fabric which is sewn or tied or otherwise fastened to the tube The perforated
tube together with the pump shaft and discharge pipe are screwed or otherwise
fastened to a circular disc (31) which fits tightly into a corresponding hole formed
in the cover of the tank near its periphery and is secured by bolts and nuts (32) :
(33) Figure 1 the bolt heads being outside and the nuts inside When this vertical
filtering apparatus is fitted to the Economiser the liquid contained therein by its
own weight filters into the perforated tube and is so cleansed of its impurities If
preferred the tube may be made of fine wire gauze or of any other suitable
material and mounted when necessary in a convenient framework Such vertical
filtering apparatus can be casily withdrawn to be cleansed or renewed and after-
wards replaced and however fine the filtering media employed offers no impediment
whatever to the speedy filling of the tank
A sixth improvement relates to a syphon trap arrangement in conjunction with
cock d to guard against any danger of combustion which might arise either through
evaporation or overflow when the Economiser is filled with petroleum or other
volatile oil or liquid-As hitherto constructed free intercommunication exists
between the interior and exterior of the Economiser during the operation of with-
drawing the oil or other liquid through the pump and while the cock d is open to
allow any overflow to reenter the Economiser-This danger I effectually obviate
by soldering or otherwise hermetically attaching to the bottom of the collecting
funnel Ba tube (34) Figure 1 so placed that the cock d discharges itself therein
Such tube descends into the tank to any convenient depth and has its lower end
bent upwards to form a syphon trap by which means all communication between
the exterior and interior of the Economiser is cut off by the liquid standing in the
trap so formed This arrangement is shown in Figure 1 (34') being the syphon

page_text: My seventh improvement relates to a simple and inexpensive float indicator for
indicating the contents of the reservoir with which the Economiser can be fitted in
lieu of with a glass gauge and shield plate thus avoiding the risk of breakage and
consequent expense of refixing. The following is a description of such float
indicator I make a small orifice in the bottom of the collecting funnel B or in any
other convenient part of the top of the Economiser through which I insert a
vertical metal wire (35) Figure 1 of about 1/8th of an inch in thickness having a
cork or hollow metal ball (36) Figure 1 or other suitable equivalent fitted to its
lower end while its upper extremity is provided with a small metal button (37)
Figure 1 which screws into such orifice When the button is so screwed in the
wire reaches to the bottom of the reservoir-Suppose now the reservoir to be
partially filled with liquid and having the lid a and strainer fremoved therefrom
it is obvious that upon unscrewing the button the float will at once rise to the
surface of the liquid and consequently the wire will rise above the orifice to a
height corresponding to the height at which the liquid stands in the reservoir
Such wire may have a graduated scale marked thereon so as to more readily
indicate the height or quantity of the liquid in the reservoir
My eighth improvement relates to a swivel jointed arrangement of the discharge
pipe g which is more particularly alapted for Economisers intended to be used for
filling a variety of vessels of different shape and capacity To carry out this
improved arrangement I make that part of the discharge pipe g which is above
the top D in two or more sections which are connected by swivel joints preferably
double or universal swivel joints By this improved construction the pipe is not
only rendered extremely flexible but can also be readily adjusted so as to fill
almost any kind of vessel In Figure 2 I have illustrated this arrangement as
applied to the ordinary fixed discharge pipe which is here shewn fitted in three
movable sections (marked 38) with three universal swivel joints (marked 39) the
outflow nozzle (20) being screwed on to the outer extremity of the last section
The number length and form of the sections may be varied according as circum-
stances require This combination arrangement may also be readily applied to the
vertical telescopic discharge pipe already referred to as will be readily understood
without further description A further advantage of this improved arrangement
is that the delivery pipe can be so constructed that when not in use it can be
folded and laid down horizontally upon the top D either level with or below tho
surrounding rim and by making the pump handle of a corresponding size the top D
may then be conveniently covered by an additional lid resting upon such rim thus
affording additional protection against dust and injury. Such additional lid may
be fastened and locked to the Economiser when not in use in which case the small
lid a and the cock d and the locking of the pump handle to lid a may be dispensed
with and the well closed by an ordinary plug instead of by lid a and cock & This
modified arrangement is illustrated at Fig 6 in which the delivery pipe g and
pump are shewn affixed to a sheet iron top D for simplicity and economy of
construction whereby certain alterations of detail are necessitated in the mode of
fixing the pump and delivery pipe to the top which however involve no new
principle and will not require detailed description as they offer no difficulty to
practical men-y is the additional lid fastened to the Economiser by suitable
hinges and secured by a padlock- is a plug closing the well (in place of the lid a
and cock d) which may be an ordinary metal screw plug or if not provided with a
screw thread (in order to save the time of frequent screwing down and unscrewing)
it may be held in position by buttons wand w' or by other equivalent means fis
the perforated strainer placed in the bottom of the well
The movable construction of the delivery pipe described in the Specification of
my before mentioned Patent 46022 as also the improved construction constituting
the eighth of my present improvements are both equally well adapted to admit of
fitting the Economiser with the additional lid y as for this purpose it is only
necessary to make the upper section of such delivery pipe of such a length that
when at its minimum height it can be covered by such additional lid y

page_text: My ninth improvement has for its object to guard against the surreptitious
withdrawal of the contents of the Economiser which as it is now constructed might
be effected by connecting the suction pipe of a pump to the outflow orifice of a
discharge pipe by doing which the contents might be pumped out even when the
pump of the Economiser is locked as described To prevent this I connect the
discharge pipe g at any convenient point inside the reservoir by means of a small
junction pipe (40) Figure 2 with a sinall valve box (41) Figure 2 placed just below
the cover of the reservoir with its outer opening upwards and above the level of
the liquid when such reservoir is full-(42) Figure 2 is a ball which closes the
outer opening (43) Figuro 2 of the valve box and (44) Figure 2 is a wire placed
across the mouth of the junction pipe (40) to prevent its being closed by the ball
When the pump of the Economiser is worked the liquid will ascend the discharge
pipe g in the ordinary manner and will continue so to ascend through the junction
pipe into the valve box and so press the ball up against the opening therein thus
effectually preventing the outflow of the liquid therefrom-When however the
direction of the pressure is reversed by connecting the suction pipe of a pump to
the outflow orifice of the discharge pipe g and working such pump it is evident
that the ball (42) will fall thus opening the valve (43 and admitting the air into
the discharge pipe whereby the raising and'oxtracting of the liquid in the reservoir A
by means of the illicit pump is rendered impossible
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention I claim as novel and of my invention
1° The forming the top of the Economiser with a rim or flange (1) and sloping
as described
2° Fitting the Economiser with a loose well B and perforated strainer (5¹) as
described
3° The application thereto of the combined mechanical arrangement consisting
of conical cap (9) stuffing box (10) washers (11) and ring (12) as described
4° Fitting the Economiser with the vertical filter as described and shewn
5° Fitting the loose well B with a syphon tube (34) as described
Go Fitting the Economiser with a float indicator consisting of wire (35) float (36)
and button (37) as described
7° Constructing the discharge pipe of the Economiser in two or more sections
connected with swivel joints and otherwise as herein before described and shewn
in Figures 2 and 6
8° Fitting the Economiser with the combined arrangement of junction pipe (40)
valve box (41) ball (42) and wire (44) as described and shewn
In witness whereof I the said Gustavus Adolphus John Schott have hereunto
set my hand and seal this thirtieth day of June in the year of Our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
GUSTAVIS ADOLPHUS JOHN SCHOTT