Improvements in Urns for Containing Milk or other Liquids.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th May, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Urns for Containing Milk or other Liquids.
We, SPIERS AND POND, LIMITED, of 38 New Bridge Street, London, E.C.,.
Public Caterers, and EMILE DAOUST of 64, The Chase, Clapham Common,
London, S.W., General Manager, 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 :-
This invention has reference to milk and other similar urns such as are
commonly used in restaurants, refreshment rooms, hotels and the like public
places.
Hitherto such urns have usually served simply as a convenient form of container
having a draw-off tap and a movable lid or cover, no special means being provided
to mix up the cream, which naturally collects and floats on the top of the milk
with the consequent result that the milk nearer the bottom becomes less rich in
Usually,
cream than that nearer the top, whilst the latter is practically all cream.
therefore, when drawing off milk from the bottom, an inferior quality is obtained;
whilst the cream or richer milk is drawn off when taken from the top, leaving the
remaining contents very much poorer in quality. By the use of our improvements
this objection is overcome, seeing that, when withdrawn, a uniform standard of...
milk is always obtainable, the quality being invariable, irrespective of the
temperature or length of time the milk has been allowed to stand.
:
Now, according to our invention we construct the urns of any suitable and
ordinary design having the necessary lid or cover and draw-off tap as hitherto, but
possessing, in addition, a piston-like float or plunger, which, together with the
necessary outlet valve operating in conjunction therewith-both of which are fully
described hereafter-constitute the essence of the present invention.
We will now proceed to more particularly describe our invention with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation of our improved urn on a plane indicated by
the line A B of Figure 2, and Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of Figure 1 taken
on the line CD and with the lid or cover removed.
Like letters of reference denote the same or corresponding parts in both views.
In carrying out our invention we provide the urns with a hollow piston-like float
or plunger a having a perforated plate b at the bottom, to which is soldered, or
otherwise firmly fixed, a guide tube or sleeve c which works loosely over the guide
rod d-through the lid or cover e-and terminates in a knob or handle c¹. The
plunger a is preferably hollow, of double convex form, as shown in section Figure 1,
or it may be of any other desirable shape and consist of any suitable material
possessing the requisite buoyancy.
In its normal position the plunger a would float on the top of and rise and fall
with the milk contained in the urn, but on pressing the knob c¹ of the tube c
attached to the plunger a, the latter, as it passes steadily downwards through the
milk, causes said milk to jet or surge up through the holes in the plate b and
around and over the plunger-which loosely fits the interior of the urn-the milk
thus being thoroughly agitated and mixed with the cream collected above and now
descending with the float or plunger a. Now, when the plunger a approaches the
bottom of the urn it depresses and opens a spring or other equivalent self closing
valve, substantially as shown in the drawing at f, thus permitting the milk to enter
the draw-off outlet for delivery through an ordinary tap into a glass or other
receiving vessel placed thereunder.

page_text: From the foregoing it will be seen that it is absolutely impossible for the
attendant to draw off any portion of the contents of the urn until the plunger a,
in its descent, has in the first instance, thoroughly agitated and mixed the cream
with the milk, and, finally, after completing the mixing operation, opened the
valve f, before referred to, thereby preventing mistakes which might arise were
the plunger a employed to solely mix the milk and cream, in which case the
attendant might sometimes forget to depress the plunger before opening the draw-
off tap. We might add that, although we have illustrated the latter in the
drawings, its use is not compulsory, as the valve fin conjunction with a common
outlet would serve the function of an ordinary draw-off tap, but we prefer to guard
against any leakage through the valve by providing a draw-off tap in addition
thereto, as shown in the drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tiou, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In urns adapted for containing milk or other liquids the employment of a
float or plunger substantially as herein set forth in order to effect the complete
mixture of the cream and milk or other contents of the urn in the manner and for
the purposes specified.
2. In milk and other urns the use in combination with the float or plunger
referred to in the preceding claim of an outlet valve-independent of the draw-off
tap which is opened only by the action of said plunger after the latter has
effected the agitation and mixing of the contents of the urn substantially as set
forth.
3. In urns adapted for containing milk or other liquids the combination of a
float-plunger or agitator, perforated plate, plunger tube and handle, guide rod and
outlet valve constructed, operated and working substantially as set forth.
Dated this 20th day of May 1895.
T. B. BROWNE, LIMITED,
Agents,
By Benjamin T. King,
Registered Patent Agent.
T. B. BROWNE, LIMITED,
Agents,
By Benjamin T. King,
Registered Patent Agent.