Improvements in Aërating or Carbonating Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1900
DI DULICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE AMERICAN SODA FOUNTAIN COMPANY, a
Corporation organized under the laws of the State of New Jersey, and having
its place of business at Trenton, New Jersey, United States of America,
Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Aërating or Carbonating Apparatus.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:
The invention relates to apparatus for carbonating water and other liquids,
such as used in bottling establishments and in dispensing soda-water. The
object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical and efficient apparatus
for automatically carbonating a supply of water or other liquid as required for
and the invention consists in the features and combinations hereinafter
described and claimed.
use;
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carbonating
apparatus constructed in accordance with the improvements; Fig. 2 a top or
plan view of the weighted arm or lever carrying the balance vessel and operating
the motor switch; and Fig. 3 a top or plan view of the ring and lugs engaging
the arm or lever for carrying the balance vessel.
In the art to which this invention relates it is highly desirable to have a car-
bonating apparatus so constructed and arranged that the water or liquid as it
enters the same may be saturated with carbonic acid gas, and when the receiver
or mixing vessel is filled to the quantity required, have the supply of water or
liquid stopped until a sufficient quantity has been withdrawn to make it neces-
sary to again furnish a supply of water or liquid and saturate the same with the
carbonic acid gas during its entrance into the receiver. It is also necessary and
desirable that the supply of both water or liquid and the carbonic acid gas to the
mixing vessel should be automatically controlled so that the saturation will be
complete and uniform. The invention, therefore, is intended primarily to pro-
vide a simple, economical and efficient carbonating apparatus having the supply
of gas and water or liquid automatically controlled by and through an electric
motor for starting and stopping the pump as desired.
In constructing the improved apparatus, a mixing vessel or receiver A is pro-
vided, of any desired size and capacity for the work to be accomplished. A
balance vessel B is connected with the interior of the mixing vessel or receiver
by a flexible pipe or tube C, united with the balance vessel by a suitable coup-
ling c, so that communication is had between the interior of the mixing vessel
or receiver and the balance vessel. The upper end of the balance vessel has a
tube 6 with an exterior screw thread thereon, which receives a ring a having
side lugs or projections a¹, the lower edges of which are preferably brought to
an edge so as to form a knife edge gearing for supporting the balance vessel.
An arm or lever D is mounted on the sides of the mixing vessel or receiver by
suitable trunnions d, and this lever at one end has a weight D and its opposite

page_text: end has an enlargement or ring &, turough which the tube 6 passes for the knife
edge bearings a¹ to rest in notches d² on opposite sides of the ring.
The arm or lever is shown supported by a bracket E, which bracket has open-
ings e for the trunnions or journals d of the lever, so as to properly support the
lever in balancing position. The bracket E has an extension e', over which a
band e² encircling the body of the mixing vessel passes for the attachment of the
bracket to the side of the vessel; and to assist in supporting the bracket side
arms E and E² are provided to bear against the surface of the mixing vessel, and,
as shown, in order to permit the insertion of the arm or lever in the bracket,
the rear portion has a cap E³ secured to the upper arms or extensions E2 by suit-
able bolts e³.
A rod F passes through a lug f on the arm or lever and between the lug
and adjusting nuts g on the rod is located a spring G, and below and between
the lug and a collar g' around the rod is located a second spring G', which
springs are for the purpose of cushioning the arm or lever in its rising and fall-
ing movement and preventing shock or jar on the rod in such movements. The
relation between the balance vessel and the arm or lever and the operating rod
is adjusted as required for the movements, by setting the ring a properly on the
tube and adjusting the springs G and G₁ through the adjusting nuts on
the rod for the movements of the arm or lever to give the required throw to the
rod to perform its work.
The lower end of the rod is connected with a switch arm or lever H, pivoted
to a binding post or stud h and engaging a binding post or stud h¹ which posts
have a proper connection with an electric circuit for supplying power to an
electric motor I. The motor is supported in suitable standards or frame I', and
its shaft I has a pinion J which meshes with a gear wheel J' on a shaft, which
shaft has a small gear wheel J meshing with a large gear wheel J³, forming
a train of gear for gearing back, so as to reduce the speed for the operation of
the pump. The gears J, J2 and J3 have their shafts supported by a frame or
standard K, and the shaft of the wheel J3 has thereon a disk L with a wrist pin,
connected with which is a pitman rod L' connected with a piston rod M of a
pump N, the pump being attached to or supported on the frame or standard K.
The pump has a suitable coupling for the attachment of a pipe 0, which can
be connected with an ordinary hydrant cock of a street main, or with some other
source of supply for supplying water or liquid to the pump; and leading from
the pump is a tube or pipe P extending up and connected with the tube of the
mixing vessel or receiver. As shown, a filter Q is provided for the pipe P and
the connections for the pipe made in the form of gate or other valves. A pipe or
tube R leads from a source of supply for carbonic acid gas, such as a tank or
cylinder containing carbonic acid gas under pressure; and leading from the
coupling of this pipe is a tube or pipe S connected by a suitable coupling with the
tube 6 of the balance vessel, so that the mixing vessel and balance vessel will
both be under a uniform pressure of gas. The upper end or top of the mixing
vessel or receiver has a plug T, preferably of a construction to have a passage
for the water or liquid, a passage for the carbonic acid gas, and a discharge pass-
age, connected with which is a pipe or tube U leading to the ordinary dispensing
apparatus for soda-water or other charged liquid. The mixing vessel or receiver
may be supported on a stand having legs V secured to a base plate W, to which
base plate is also secured the frame or standard of the electric motor and the
frame or standard carrying the driving gear and the pump, so that the entire
apparatus can be set up on the base W ready for use.
In use, with the parts in the condition shown in Fig. 1, the current is on the
motor and the motor will, through the gear, operate the pump, forcing water
through the supply pipe P into the top of the mixing vessel, and at the same
time the carbonic gas under pressure enters the mixing vessel through the
pipe R.
As the mixing vessel gradually fills with the charged water or liquid,
it flows up into the balance vessel through the pipe C, and as the required height

page_text: of charged water or liquid is reached in the mixing vessel or receiver, the balance
vessel has received a supply sufficient for its weight and the weight of the added
water or liquid to over-balance the weight D₁ of the balancing lever or arm,
raising such weight, and, through the connection of the arm or lever with the
rod F, raising the switch arm or lever, breaking the connection to the motor
and stopping the motor, and with such stoppage the pump is simultaneously
stopped, shutting off the supply of water or liquid to the mixing vessel. A with-
drawal of carbonated or charged liquid, or water sufficient to reduce the weight
of the balance vessel for the weight D¹ to act and raise such vessel, carries down
the balancing arm or lever and such down movement carries with it the opera-
ting rod, forcing the switch arm or lever into engagement to complete the circuit
and again start the electric motor for operating the pump and renewing the
supply of liquid or water to or in the mixing vessel.
It will thus be seen that the electric motor is under control from the quantity
of water or liquid in the mixing vessel through the balance vessel and the balanc-
ing arm or lever, and that the motor is automatically started and stopped, there-
by starting and stopping the pump and controlling the supply of water or liquid
to the mixing vessel or receiver.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In a carbonating apparatus, the combination of a mixing vessel, a liquid
supply pipe for the mixing vessel, an adjustable balance vessel, a balancing arm
or lever carrying the balance vessel suspended therefrom at one end and having
a weight at the other end, a bracket on the mixing vessel pivotally supporting
the arm or lever, a pipe communicating with the balance vessel and the mixing
vessel permitting liquid to rise and fall in the balance vessel coincident with
he rise and fall of the liquid in the mixing vessel, an electric motor, an electric
switch for the motor, an operating rod between the balancing arm or lever and
the switch arm or lever actuated by the rise and fall of the liquid in the mixing
vessel and the balance vessel for the rise of the liquid to a predetermined point
to move the switch arm and open the switch and the fall of the liquid to a pre-
determined point to move the switch arm and close the switch, an adjustable and
yielding connection between the balancing arm or lever and the operating rod,
and a liquid supply pump communicating with the liquid supply pipe of the
mixing vessel and driven from the electric motor and automatically started and
stopped by the starting and stopping of the electric motor through the move-
ments of the switch arm or lever with the rise and fall of the liquid in the balance
vessel, substantially as described.
2. In a carbonating apparatus, the combination of a mixing vessel, a liquid
supply pipe for the mixing vessel, a balance vessel, an adjustable support on the
balance vessel, a balancing arm or lever carrying the balance vessel suspended
therefrom at one end by the adjustable support and having a weight at the other
end, a pivot or trunnion on each side of the arm or lever, a bracket on the mix-
ing vessel provided with elongated openings receiving the pivots or trunnions
of the arm or lever, a pipe communicating with the balance vessel and the mixing
vessel permitting liquid to rise and fall in the balance vessel coincident with the
rise and fall of the liquid in the mixing vessel, an electric motor, an electric
switch for the motor, a liquid supply pump driven by the electric motor and
communicating with the liquid supply pipe for the mixing vessel, an arm or
lever for the electric switch, a rod attached at one end to the switch arm or lever,
and loosely connected with the balancing arm or lever, a resistance spring around
the rod on each side of and engaging the balancing arm or lever, and an adjust-
ing nut for the springs regulating the tension thereof and the throw of the
balancing arm or lever, substantially as described.
3. In a carbonating apparatus, the combination of a mixing vessel, a liquid

page_text: supply pipe for the mixing vessel, a gas supply pipe for the mixing vessel, an
adjustable balance vessel having communication with the mixing vessel and the
gas supply pipe permitting liquid to rise and fall in the balance vessel coincident
with the rise and fall of the liquid in the mixing vessel, a pivotal balancing arm
or lever carrying the balance vessel suspended therefrom at one end and having
a weight at the other end, a bracket on the mixing vessel having the balancing
arm or lever pivotally mounted thereon, an electric motor, an electric switch for
the motor, a liquid supply pump driven from the motor and communicating with
the liquid supply pipe to the mixing vessel, an arm or lever for the electric
switch, a rod fixedly connected at one end to the switch arm or lever and loosely
connected at the other end with the balancing arm or lever, and a resisting and
yielding connection between the balancing arm or lever and the rod, regulating
the throw of the arm or lever, for the rise and fall of the liquid in the balance
vessel to automatically start and stop the motor and control the liquid supply
to the mixing vessel at the pump by stopping and starting the pump. substan-
tialy as described.
Dated this 21st day of December 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings,. London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.