An Improved Automatic Egg Cooking and Raising Apparatus and Improvements relating to the Timing of the Action of same.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left 6th Aug. 1889-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Automatic Egg Cooking and Raising Apparatus and
Improvements relating to the Timing of the Action of same.
I, THOMAS DYKES of 65 West Regent Street Glasgow Lanarkshire Architect do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to produce an apparatus for employment in the
cooking of eggs by boiling, with a minimum necessity for supervision or risk of over-
boiling or underboiling. My improved apparatus is such as to retain the eggs
amongst the boiling water for a necessary agreed on period, and upon the lapse of
such period to automatically raise them entirely out of the water either-as the case
may be with or without warning by bell that the eggs are cooked and have been
so raised.
I may manufacture my improved apparatus under various modifications of style and
finish.
In a simple form it will be made so as to be placed for the time being into a
separate vessel or pot amongst boiling water.
Under other modifications it may, as part thereof, be combined with a pot or
vessel containing the water, and when in use, be placed as a whole over an ordinary
fire, range, or stove, or else over a spirit or other lamp set upon a table or like
situation.
My improved apparatus preferably consists of a stand having a hollow per-
pendicular stem, of requisite diameter and height, carried up from same although it
would be quite practicable to use wire alike for the stand, the stem part, and the
hereinafter described frame and relative suspender forming the upper termination of
the apparatus.
Upon the aforesaid hollow perpendicular stem there is a shorter outer casing tube,
narrowed at its top end to afford a fair sliding fit around the central stem, and to be
elsewhere wide enough in bore to permit of a compressible spiral spring working
freely around the central stem and within the said casing tube, which latter at its
lower end is attached to a receptacle for containing the eggs to be cooked. This
receptacle may be of any suitable character-e.g.-a series of clips or holders-but
will preferably consist of a shallow rimmed circular basket of light wire cloth or other
suitable perforated material.
The receptacle for the eggs, of whatever precise description as regards detail, will.
at its said centre casing tube and under the action of the aforesaid spiral spring
around the central stem of the apparatus, be always normally pressed upwards.
Preferably within the hollow central stem aforesaid, fix a suitably pliant lever-
say of wire which shall always tend to project a portion of itself outwards through
an opening or slot at a suitable height in the hollow central stem, somewhat after
the character and action of an umbrella catch.
The object of this portion projecting thus outwards through the slot aforesaid, is
to retain the basket in position at the bottom of the stem, when so required, and to
keep the spiral spring compressed as a consequence of the said projecting portion or
catch upon the inside lever snipping sufficiently across the top end of the afore-
said casing tube carrying the receptacle or basket for containing the eggs.
Fixed at the top end of the central stem of my apparatus, I have a suitably shaped
and constructed frame with a ring or fixed eye at its top extremity, by which to lift
the apparatus bodily.
A swung suspender, suitably balanced, is hung, by means such as pivots working
in projected eyes upon the aforesaid top frame that terminates the apparatus and
carries a sandglass inclosed within a suitable metallic or like casing for protection
against breakage; the said protecting case being weighted more heavily at one end

page_text: than at the other and, near the centre of its length and diameter, so pivoted to the
aforesaid swung suspender as to overturn when the joint equilibrium of said swung
suspender and the sandglass case carried by it, is sufficiently disturbed by the sand
in requisite quantity passing on a slope into the lower bulb of the sandglass.
One point of specialty and practical superiority in the device and construction of
my aforesaid suspender for carrying the sand glass within its case is, that the said
suspender may of itself (while the sand is in any quantity at the top and running
out of the bulb at the weighted end of the sand glass case) with a minimum risk of
prematurely overturning the sandglass, be swung or oscillated with very considerable
freedom and degree in two opposite directions in front of the perpendicular line of the
central stem of the apparatus, without requiring to have of necessity stops of any
description to reduce and confine within narrow limits, the swing of the suspender or
retain for a time the said suspender and its relative sandglass in any one fixed
relationship to the perpendicular of the hereinbefore described top terminating frame
which suspends them.
On the contrary, during the running as aforesaid of the sand from the weighted
top end of the sandglass case, the angle of inclination assumed by the said sand glass
case and the suspender by which it is carried, is determined solely by the poise or
balance of the weighted end of the sand glass case (thereby rendering it greatly less
sensitive to premature overturn) while the said angle of inclination becomes gradually
modified and approximated to the perpendicular, without artificial stops, and entirely
by reason of the measured and increasing weight of sand run into the lower bulb of
the sandglass.
Upon the weighted top lid or cap of the sand glass case, I in general (though not
necessarily in every case) apply an adjustable flange-ended portion for modifying in
any required degree the slope at which within the swung suspender aforesaid the
sand shall run out of the sandglass, as also to furnish a projection upon the weighted
end of the sandglass case to be rested against the top horizontal continuation or
bridge of the already mentioned swung suspender-which at its top is somewhat
fork shaped. In this way the sandglass case prevented from overturning backwards,
while further, in consequence of the appreciable effect exercised by it upon the
periodicity of the overturn of the sandglass, the aforesaid adjustable flange-ended
portion applied at the weighted end of the sandglass case may be appropriately
utilised and marked to serve as a graduated time index. In such case, I would,
upon or near the hinging pivots of the hereinbefore described swung suspender, apply
what in any modification I shall adopt and regard as my improvement of some value
in relation to the predetermination of periodical time measurement by sandglass
overturn-viz.-a controlling and truing arrangement additional to, and for the
purpose of regulating, the reading of the pointer or indicator of the time index.
This truing arrangement may take the form of a radially working, or else a screwed
arm, or otherwise be in detail such as in all cases to afford suitable counterbalancing
weight under the simple adjustment of which the periodicity of overturn of the
sandglass case weighted end, as aforesaid, shall be made to correspond to the reading
of the pointer upon a graduated time index; said time index being placed either
upon the sandglass case weighted end as aforesaid, or else in some other convenient
portion. of the sandglass protecting case. Contrary wise, as a modification calculated
to effect the same practical end, I may retain the aforesaid adjustable flange-ended
portion upon the cap of sandglass case to prevent the backward overturn of same,
or other undesirable results, and place, near or upon one of the hinging pivots of the
swung suspender aforesaid, a graduated time index, with a moveable weighted pointer
or indicator, which will be capable of being so trued in its reading, by means of the
herein before described adjustable truing arm, by preference so applied to the other
pivot of, or elsewhere upon the suspender as to insure the overturn of the sandglass
after the agreed upon lapse of the period indicated by the pointer of the time index
aforesaid. This operation of truing the overturn of the sandglass to correspond with
the reading of the time index, does not necessarily require to be repeated each time
the apparatus is used, but may be done once for all if desired.

page_text: A timing and truing arrangement such as is thus foreshadowed is simple and will
insure greater accuracy and satisfaction to the user of my improved apparatus as a
whole, than in any overturning egg glass pure and simple has hitherto been
obtained.
The object of thus suspending and applying to my apparatus an overturning sand-
glass combining the herein described improvements in the timing and truing of same,
is not alone to measure time by the periodicity of its overturn, with or without bell
warning of such overturn, but to simultaneously insure that when the sandglass case
shall overturn at the agreed on period, its weighted end shall transmit to the top
projecting end of the herein before described lever within the central stem of the
apparatus, a blow adequate to cause the catch upon said lever to retire within the
already described slot in the central stem and thereby relieve the casing tube of
the egg basket and permit same to be carried clear out of the boiling water.
As already indicated, the sliding casing tube of the basket, in certain modifications
of the apparatus may be caused by its rise to operate an arm which will strike-say
a half-round bell) with an opening at its centre for fitting round the top end of the
central stem without interference with the action of the aforesaid lever) and so give
warning that the eggs have been cooked and so raised clear of further boiling.
Dated this 9th day of November 1888
THOS. DYKES,
Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Automatic Egg Cooking and Raising Apparatus and
Improvements relating to the Timing of the Action of same.
I, THOMAS DYKES of 65 West Regent Street Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Architect
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, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My present invention has for its object the production of an improved apparatus
for employment in the cooking of eggs by boiling, with a minimum necessity for
supervision or risk of overboiling or underboiling.
My said improved apparatus, which may be manufactured under modifications,
shall in each individual modification be such as to retain one or several eggs in a
basket or other form of receptacle amongst boiling water for a necessary agreed on
period of time, upon or at least approximately and for needful practical purposes
upon the lapse of which such period of time the egg or eggs shall be automatically
raised clear out of the boiling water, either (in the individual apparatus) with or
without bell or equivalent specially provided means of warning of such raising.
In general the apparatus will be made so as to be inserted for the time being into
a separate vessel or pot in which to boil the water for cooking the eggs; although as
one of the modifications contemplated, such vessel or pot may be combined as a part
of the apparatus to serve as a base and have the water contained within it boiled
over a lamp at table if desired.
My improved apparatus consists of a receptacle for the eggs, made in such manner
as to be readily lowered, or under suitably applied spring action (I preferably adopt
a spiral wire spring in compression, although the same might be applied under sus-
pension if thought fit) raised on one, or as may be, upon duplicate guide stems,
springing from a base or stand, the said stem or stems being constructed in suitable
combination with an upper terminating frame bearing a slung pivoted time-measurer
which shall automatically overturn upon the lapse approximately of a pre-arranged
requisite period of time as aforesaid.
I adopt and utilize as such time-measurer a suitably shaped pivoted and over-
turning egg-timer, the particular application of which together with the adaptation of

page_text: its controllable overturn to the practical end of causing the egg or eggs within their
receptacle to be raised clear of further boiling, constitute the essential improvements
which I claim in my automatic egg-cooking-and-raising apparatus.
In order that my said invention may be more fully understood, I hereto append a
sheet of illustrative drawings shewing examples of modifications as regards the con-
figuration, inter-relationships and putting together of the necessary parts of my
improved apparatus, although I desire it to be understood that while maintaining
the essential features of my improved apparatus herein set forth, I do not limit my-
self to the precise details or configuration of the several parts described and illustrated
herein, since obviously with the experience of actual manufacture such may readily be
diversified without altering any essential part materially or save in respect of sub-
ordinate detail which in all modifications shall be made to sub-serve one and the same
purpose contemplated in the apparatus as a whole viz :-
The automatic raising of eggs as aforesaid clear of further boiling upon the lapse
approximately and for practical purposes, of such pre-arranged periods of time as are
usual for the cooking of eggs by boiling.
At Fig. 1 is illustrated a modification of the improved apparatus in which the egg-
basket or receptacle is lowered and the overturning sandglass time-measurer is shewn
as turned up to the position intended while the eggs are being boiled in the vessel or
pot into which for the time being the apparatus as a whole has been placed.
The base or stand (A) carries the vertical guide stem (B) which in general will be
a hollow tube constituting a guide upon which to slide the egg-basket or receptacle (C)
which of whatever varied character and construction, shall always be normally forced
upwards by means of a spiral spring (D) working by preference under compression
around the said guide stem (B) and within a casing tube (E) to which the egg-basket
or receptacle (C) is attached.
The said egg-basket or receptacle (C) is retained as required at the lower end of
the guide stem (B) by means of a projecting portion (p) formed upon a suitably
pliant lever (1) which is conveniently placed inside of the hollow central guide
stem (B).
In cases where a solid instead of a hollow guide stem might be employed, the
pliant lever (1) would be let into a groove in the side of the said guide stem, or be
otherwise arranged in such manner as that 'the catch projection (p) upon the
lever (1) should tend to normally project itself, substantially as shewn at Fig. 1,
beyond the vertical line of the guide stem (B) and across the aforesaid casing
tube (E) to which the egg-basket or receptacle (C) is attached.
In Fig. 1 where a hollow guide stem (B) is illustrated and the pliant lever (1) is
placed within the bore of same the projection (p) upon the lever (l) is, after the
nature and action of an umbrella catch, caused to normally project itself through a
slot or opening formed for that purpose through the vertical guide-stem (B) and to
snip across the casing tube (E) of the egg-basket or receptacle (C) for the aforesaid
purpose of retaining same at the bottom of the apparatus for the period of time
requisite for the cooking of the eggs.
As shewn at Fig. 1, a frame (G) terminating the central guide stem (B) carries a
suspender (H) swung, as for example by means such as pivots, from the frame (G)
which suspender (H) in turn bears the pivoted overturning sandglass time
measurer (I).
1
In the particular modification illustrated at Fig. 1, the suspender (H) carrying this
overturning sandglass time measurer (I) has nothing of the nature of stops, formed
upon it, for the purpose of retaining the sandglass (I) at any particular angle of
inclination irrespective of its own equilibrium, although as illustrated at Fig. 2, while
still omitting such stops formed upon the suspender (H), I may modify this point of
detail and prevent the suspender (H) from leaning back too far, by forming
shoulders (9) upon the frame (G) against which the suspender (H) may for a time
until the sand has so far run out, be rested without liability to premature overturn of
the sandglass, should the apparatus be then moved about. The sandglass (I)'held

page_text: within a wire frame or case, is shewn at Fig. 1 as occupying the position intended
when the period of time for, which the eggs are desired to be cooked is being measured
and determined by means of the running, in requisite quantity, of the sand from the
upper weighted bulb (j) into the under bulb (k) at which latter bulb is placed a
graduated time index and pointer (n) which latter is made to he adjustable to the
time upon the lapse of which it is desired the sandglass (I) should, upon its pivots (m)
overturn within its suspender (H).
At the bulb opposite to that upon which this graduated time index is placed, the
case which holds the sand glass proper is weighted in a simple manner by means of a
disc or hammer (r) fixed upon a stalk connected to the case of the sandglass.
This hammer (r) roadily serves the purpose of a counterbalancing weight, under
the simple adjustment of which, by the mere lengthening, or shortening or bending
backwards or forwards of its stalk as the case may require, the periodicity of overturn
of the sandglass may once for all, or at any time, be simply trued to correspond
practically to the readings of the pointer of the graduated time index aforesaid.
Upon the sand in requisite quantity passing on a slope into the lower bulb (k) of
the sandglass, the said sandglass overturns on its pivots (m) in a degree sufficient to
bring the hammer ()-or a portion of the stalk to which it is attached-in direct
contact with the upper end of the aforesaid lever (1) as shown at Fig. 2, or other-
wise, as illustrated at Fig. 1, in contact with a bell or gong fixed upon the said end of
the lever () and that with a force adequate to cause the projecting catch (p) upon
the lever () to retire within the vertical line of the central guide stem (B) in a
degree sufficient to thereby relieve the casing-tube (E) bearing the egg-basket or
receptacle (C) and permit of same with the eggs contained in it, being, under the
spring force aforesaid, raised clear of the boiling water in which the eggs have been
cooked. In the modification shewn at Fig. 1, warning of such raising is effected by
causing the hammer (r) to sound a gong or bell (g) when the sandglass overturns,
said gong or bell being fixed on the top end of the lever (1); while in other styles,
the like practical purpose is served by causing the rise of the casing-tube (E) to
operate an arm or hammer which shall strike a bell fixed to the upper end of the
central guide stem (B).
In Fig. 2 however, the apparatus is shewn without any provision for such bell
warning, and as a modification of what is substantially the same apparatus as that
shewn at Fig. 1, but with alternative forms and subsidiary detail all made such as to
subserve the
purpose and action of the apparatus as herein set forth.
In Fig. 2 the sandglass (I) is shewn as having overturned and caused the egg-
basket or receptacle (C) to be raised vertically upon the central guide stem (B) under
the actions and in the manner hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The improvements in combination egg-cooking and automatic-raising apparatus
substantially as herein set forth, or any mere modification thereof.
2nd. 'In combined egg-cooking and automatic-raising apparatus the improvements
relating to the combination therein of a suitably shaped pivoted and overturning
sandglass (or equivalent time measurer similarly applied) and the adaptation of the
controlled and adjustable overturn of said pivoted and overturning sandglass (or
equivalent time measurer) to the practical end of causing one or several eggs within
a receptacle to be raised clear of further boiling upon the lapse approximately and
for all practical purposes of egg-cooking of such pre-arranged periods of time as are
usual for the cooking of eggs by boiling all substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
3rd. In combined egg-cooking and automatic-raising apparatus otherwise corre-
sponding in action and construction to that illustrated herein, the embodiment of a
vessel or pot in which to boil the water for cooking the eggs and the adaptation of

page_text: such vessel or pot to serve, in addition, the practical purpose of a base or stand for
the apparatus and to have the water for cooking the eggs boiled within such vessel
or pot-base over a lamp at table or otherwise as desired: all substantially as herein set
forth, or any mere modification thereof.
Dad: KIL
L 1000
THOS. DYKES,
Applicant.