IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING OR PULVERIZING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES, AND IN OBTAINING INFUSIONS OR EXTRACTS FROM TEA
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Loysel, of Ruc de Grétry, Paris, in the
Empire of France, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GRINDING OR PULVERIZING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES, AND IN OBTAINING
INFUSIONS OR EXTRACTS FROM TEA."
Sealed the 4th August 1854, and dated the 30th May 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Loysel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
May 1854.
I, EDWARD LOYSEL, of Ruc de Grétry, Paris, in the Empire of France,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN GRINDING OR PULVERIZING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES, AND IN OBTAINING
INFUSIONS OR EXTRACTS FROM TEA," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, of an improved apparatus for grinding or
pulverizing vegetable substances, which is intended to be employed for grinding
or pulverizing such substances as coffee or tea, and consists of a novel arrange-
ment or combination of parts, in which are included, 1st, a vessel or chamber
for containing the substance or material to be ground; 2nd, the grinding
apparatus; and 3rd, an apparatus for weighing the ground or pulverized
material after passing through the mill or grinding apparatus.
The chamber or vessel which contains the material to be ground is of a vase

page_text: or other suitable or appropriate shape, and is provided with a lid or cover,
which may be shut up or closed by means of a key, so as to prevent surrep-
titious access to the interior. At the bottom of this vessel is an opening,
which communicates with the mill or grinding apparatus, which is actuated
by means of a winch handle or key applied to the square head of the spindle
of the grinding barrel. When the apparatus is not in use, this handle is
intended to be removed from the spindle of the grinding barrel and locked
up inside the upper vessel; but when a quantity of the pulverized material
is required, the grinding barrel must be set in motion by means of the
handle, when the material will, in passing from the upper vessel through
the mill, be ground fine, and will fall from the mill into a small vessel,
placed beneath and on the upper end of a spring weighing machine, pro-
vided with an index or pointer and a graduated scale, to indicate the weight
of the contents of the small vessel attached to the balance, so that any
given and determined quantity may be ground; and when this quantity
has passed through the mill into the small vessel below, the latter with the
pulverized material therein may be removed, and the contents placed in the
vessel or apparatus intended to be used for the purpose of making an infusion
or extract therefrom.
My Invention consists, secondly, of improvements in preparing infusions or
liquid extracts from tea. I have discovered, that by pulverizing or grinding
tea previous to submitting it to the action of boiling water for making an
infusion or liquid extract, a great economy is effected and a larger amount of
strong infusion or liquid extract is obtained therefrom than when the unground
leaves are used. In order to avail myself of this discovery, I have invented
an apparatus specially adapted to the purpose of obtaining an infusion or liquid
extract from pulverized or ground tea leaves, as ordinary tea-pots will not be
found to answer the purpose.
In this apparatus, intended to be introduced into a tea-pot, tea-urn, or similar
vessel, the pulverized material is placed, either in a porous or perforated box,
case, or vessel at the bottom of the apparatus, or may be placed between two
porous or
perforated plates or diaphragms, suitably secured, so as to prevent
the pulverized material from mixing with the infusion contained in the tea-pot
or urn; and the apparatus is furnished with a tube or tubes, and other appli-
ances, for causing a stream of boiling water to pass through the mass of ground
tea in the apparatus into the tea-pot, into which the apparatus may have been
introduced.
The boiling water may be caused to pass up through the ground mass and
then into the pot or urn; or it may be caused to pass wholly or partly up

page_text: through the ground mass, and then a part or the whole of the water may be
caused to pass down through the ground tea into the tea-pot. I cause either
the whole or a part of the water to pass up through the ground tea in this
way, because by that ineans all the air contained in the ground mass will be
more easily expelled. The tube of the apparatus for introducing the boiling
water may be made to extend from above or beneath perforated or porous
diaphragms or filters 'in the apparatus, to a considerable distance above the
top of the tea-pot or vessel.
The apparatus may be made of such a size that it may be introduced into
the interior of an ordinary tea-pot or urn, and when a sufficient quantity of
hot water has been passed through the ground tea, the apparatus may be
removed from the pot or urn, leaving the infusion or liquid extract of tea only
themoin
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
1..
by the said Edward Loysel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th November 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
LOYSEL, of Rue de Grétry, Paris, in the Empire of France, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Loysel, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Loysel, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Loysel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GRINDING OR PULVERIZING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES, AND IN OBTAINING INFUSIONS OR
EXTRACTS FROM TEA," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Edward Loysel, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent:

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Loysel, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "Improvements in Grinding or Pulverizing Vegetable
Substances, and in Obtaining Infusions or Extracts from Tea," relates, firstly, to
an improved apparatus for grinding or pulverizing vegetable substances, and is
intended to be employed for grinding or pulverizing such substances as coffeo
or tea, and consists of a novel arrangement or combination of parts, in which
are included, first, a vessel or chamber for containing the substance or material
to be ground; second, the grinding apparatus; and, third, an apparatus for
weighing the ground or pulverized material after passing through the mill or
grinding apparatus.
The chamber or vessel which contains the material to be ground is of a vase
or other suitable or appropriate shape, and is provided with a lid or cover,
which may be shut up or closed by means of a key, so as to prevent surrep-
titious access to the interior. At the bottom of this vessel is an opening,
communicating with the mill or grinding apparatus, which is actuated
by means of a winch handle or key, applied to the square head of the
spindle of the grinding barrel. When the apparatus is not in use, this
handle is intended to be removed from the spindle of the grinding barrel
and locked up inside the upper vessel; but when a quantity of the
pulverized material is required, the grinding barrel must be set in motion
by means of the handle, when the material will, in passing from the upper
vessel through the mill, be ground fine, and will fall from the mill into
a small vessel, placed beneath and on the upper end of a spring weighing
machine, provided with an index or pointer and a graduated scale, to indicate
the weight of the contents of the small vessel attached to the balance, so that
any given and determined quantity may be ground; and when this quantity has
passed through the mill into the small vessel below, the latter with the pul-
verized material therein may be removed, and the contents placed in the
vessel or apparatus intended to be used for the purpose of making an infusion
or extract therefrom.
In order to make the principle of this part of my Invention and the
manner of applying it more clearly understood, I have in the accompanying
Drawings given a Figure, showing how the apparatus may be constructed.
Fig. 1 of the said Drawings is a sectional elevation of an apparatus con-
structed according to this part of my Invention for the purpose of grinding

page_text: both tea and coffee, the several parts being shewn in section, in order that their
internal construction may be more clearly seen and understood. The appa-
ratus shewn in the Figure is a double apparatus, one part of which may be
used for grinding tea and the other for grinding coffee; but a single apparatus,
suitable for grinding either of those substances or any other substance, may of
course be made, as shewn in Figs. 1*. A, A, A', A', (Fig. 1,) are the upper
vessels or receptacles for containing tea and coffee, which are separated or
divided into two parts by a partition, and the whole secured at top by a lid or
cover B, B, which is hinged at one end, as seen at C, and is provided at the
other end with a hasp or fastening D, which may (if desired) be secured by a
padlock. The grinding chambers are seen at I, I', and the grinding barrels
at F, F. These latter are provided with long vertical spindles J, J¹, extend-
ing up in the vessel A, nearly to the lid or cover, in which a hole is made to
insert the key of the winch E, E. Supposing the vessel A, A, to be supplied
with coffee, as shown, it will be seen, that upon communicating motion to the
grinding barrel F, by means of the winch E, the pulverized material will pass
out of the exit aperture M. below, and fall into the small shallow vessel N,
placed immediately beneath for the purpose of receiving the same. This vessel
is placed on a disc or plate P, at the top of a spring balance O, and conse-
quently the quantity of pulverized material that falls from the mill into the
vessel N may be correctly ascertained.
When it is required to obtain a supply of ground tea, which may be sup-
posed to be in the compartment or vessel A¹, A', it will only be necessary
to remove the small vessel N and spring balance O to the hole T', imme-
diately below the exit opening M' of the other mill; and the winch E being
then applied to the spindle J', the other grinding barrel F¹ may be set in
motion, and a supply of pulverized or ground tea quickly obtained.
Figs. 1 represent sectional views of a portable apparatus for grinding either
tea or coffee. It consists of two parts or chambers, A and N. In the chamber
A is placed the tea, coffee, or material to be ground; and this part A is fitted
by means of a bayonet joint on to the lower chamber N, which receives the
pulverized material when ground. In the lower part of the chamber A is
mounted the grinding barrel F, which is actuated by means of a winch handle
E, at the upper end of the vertical shaft or spindle I. Upon communicating
motion to the grinding barrel, the material will be ground, and fall from the
upper chamber A to the lower one N, from whence it may be removed
when the chamber N is detached from the upper one.
When the apparatus
is not in use, the handle E may be detached and placed inside the lower

page_text: chamber N, as shown by dotted lines in the Figure. In this instance the
measuring apparatus is dispensed with, as portability is the chief object.
My Invention consists, secondly, of improvements in preparing infusions or
liquid extracts from tea. I have discovered, that by pulverizing or grinding
tea previous to submitting it to the action of boiling water for making an
infusion or liquid extract, a great economy is effected, and a larger amount of
strong infusion or liquid extract can be obtained therefrom, than when the
unground leaves are used. In order to avail myself of this discovery, I have
invented an apparatus specially adapted to the purpose of obtaining an infusion
or liquid extract from pulverized or ground tea leaves, as ordinary tea-pots
will not be found to answer the purpose.
In this apparatus (which is intended to be introduced into a tea-pot, tea-urn,
or similar vessel), the pulverized material is placed, either in a porous or per-
forated box, case, or vessel at the bottom of the apparatus; or may be placed
between two porous or perforated plates or diaphragms, suitably secured, so as
to prevent the pulverized material from mixing with the infusion contained in
the tea-pot or urn; and the apparatus is furnished with a tube or tubes and
other appliances for causing a stream of boiling water to pass through the
mass of ground tea in the apparatus, and from thence into the tea-pot, to
which the apparatus may have been adapted.
The boiling water may be caused to pass up through the ground mass and
then into the pot or urn; or it may be caused to pass wholly or partly up
through the ground mass, and then a part or whole of the water may be caused
to pass down through the ground tea into the tea-pot. I cause either the whole
or a part of the water to pass up through the ground tea in this way, because
by that means all the air contained in the ground mass will be more easily
expelled. The tube of the apparatus for introducing the boiling water may
be made to extend from above or beneath perforated or porous diaphragms
or filters in the apparatus, to a considerable distance above the top of the
tea-pot or vessel.
The apparatus may be made of such a size that it may be introduced into
the interior of an ordinary tea-pot or urn, and when a sufficient quantity
of hot water has been passed through the ground tea, the apparatus may
be removed from the pot or urn, leaving the infusion or liquid extract of tea
only therein.
Apparatus constructed according to this part of my Invention for obtaining
extract from the reduced or pulverized material is shewn in the Figures men-
tioned from 2 to 7, inclusive, of the accompanying Drawings, the apparatus as

page_text: shewn being intended to be applied more particularly to tea-pots for obtaining
extracts from tea for domestic use; but by varying the size, the principle may
be adapted to an apparatus capable of supplying large quantities of tea for
large establishments.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of a tea-pot containing apparatus constructed upon
my improved plan. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same, showing the
internal construction and arrangement of parts. The tea-pot externally does
not materially differ in appearance from an ordinary tea-pot, but inside it
provided with a flange or shoulder a, which supports an open-mouthed vessel A,
shown detached in perspective at Fig. 4, and in section at Fig. 5. This
vessel A, A, is provided at bottom with a well c, which is covered by a per-
forated plate B, from the centre of which rises the tube or pipe C. The
pulverized tea is placed in the vessel A on the perforated plate B, and sur-
rounds the pipe C. A second perforated plate E, attached to the pipe D of a
funnel F, is then placed in the vessel A, above the pulverized tea. - This
funnel F with its plate E are shown detached in perspective at Fig. 6, and in
section at Fig. 7. Upon pouring water into the funnel F, it will run down
the pipe C into the well or chamber c below, from whence it will pass up
through the perforations of the plate B and the mass of pulverized tea thereon,
also through the upper plate E, and will finally run out of the lateral open-
ings i, i, i, in the sides of the chamber or vessel A, A, and down the outside
thereof into the pot, from whence it may be poured in the ordinary manner.
When it is required to clean the pot, the vessel A may be taken out, and upon
lifting up the funnel F with its perforated plate E, the exhausted tea may be
removed and the vessel washed clean.
In operating with the above-lescribed apparatus, I find it advisable to pour,
in the first instance, only a sufficient quantity of water to fill the vessel A,
and then leave the tea powder to be macerated or operated upon by this
water for a minute or two, after which, upon pouring in more boiling water
through the funnel E, all the useful and extractive matter will be drawn or
washed out.
I would observe that my improvements may be adapted to any ordinary tea-
pot with facility, by merely soldering in a flange, as at a, to receive the appa-
ratus, shewn detached at Figures 3 and 4; and although I have shewn my
improvements as applied merely to such tea-pots as are usually employed
for domestic use, it will be evident that an apparatus of large dimensions
may be constructed on the same principle, so as to make large quantities of tea
at one time.

page_text: When my improved method of obtaining extracts or infusions of tea is
intended to be employed on a large scale, the boiling water may be forced up
from a steam boiler into the funnel F, so that the water may be supplied when
required by merely turning a cock.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I do not claim any of the clements
forming the combinations of which my improvements consist; but that I
claim,―
First, the combination of parts or elements forming the apparatus herein
described for pulverizing or grinding vegetable substances.
Secondly, the mode of obtaining infusions or extracts from ground tea, by
causing the water to pass upwards through the mass and from the upper
surface thereof into the lower part of the tea-pot or other vessel or receptacle
provided for the purpose of receiving it, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Loysel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eleventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
EDWARD LOYSEL. (L.S.).