A Novel Cinder Sifter or Contrivance for Intercepting, Holding, and Sifting the Cinders falling from House Stoves, Ranges, Grates, or Fire-places.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd May, 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Novel Cinder Sifter or Contrivance for Intercepting, Holding, and
Sifting the Cinders falling from House Stoves, Ranges, Grates,
or Fire-places.
I, THOMAS PERKINS STEWART of 92 Southampton Street, Reading, in the
County of Berks, Ironmonger's Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a novel construction of cinder sifter or device or
contrivance for intercepting holding and sifting cinders falling from those house
stoves, kitchen ranges or other domestic grates or fireplaces having a space beneath
the bottom bars or bottom of such fireplaces of sufficient dimensions to permit the
application and use of my present invention which is as follows:-
1 arrange and construct this contrivance-of a specially shaped basket form or as
a trough shaped tray or body or other suitable form of a suitable wire mesh,
perforated metal wire-work gauze or other suitable reticulated fire and heat
resisting material and which for the sake of brevity 1 shall hereinafter
comprehensively refer to as the "basket."
This basket has upwardly and outwardly extending sides the lower part of which
converge at or form a narrow bottom.
The outer end of these outwardly curving or sloping sides are joined by a vertical
end formed of the same reticulated material or equivalent or instead of being
vertical this end may also be made to curve or slope.
The inner end of the basket is made also of said reticulated material or
equivalent but this inner end is not made so high as the aforesaid outer end and
sides so that the basket is practically open ended at the inner end thereof to permit
the ready discharge of the collected cinders therefrom.
An incline leading from the lowermost part of the basket bottom up to the
upperinost edge of the said inner end may be arranged and mounted so as to
facilitate the discharge of said cinders.
Extension pieces or wings may be arranged and mounted each side towards the
front of the basket so as to embrace the whole width of a curved or other grate.
Also a handle (or handles) or means for lifting the basket may be arranged and
mounted thereon in any desired manner and furthermore the front or other part of
the basket may be ornamented and made ornamental in appearance in
manner if desired.
any suitable
The bottom of the basket may be dished or otherwise formed-or the basket
may be supported on legs or other suitable support-so as to be above the hearth
or ash-pan and thus permit the dust or small ashes to readily fall through the
wire mesh etc. leaving the cinders clear of dust lying in the said basket.
This basket can be used over the ordinary or any suitable ash-pan or stand
direct upon the hearth and can be emptied as often as desired.
Dated this 11th day of September 1893
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Novel Cinder Sifter or Contrivance for Intercepting, Holding, and.
Sifting the Cinders falling from House Stoves, Ranges, Grates,.
or Fire-places.
I, THOMAS PERKINS STEWART of 83 London Road (late of 92 Southampton
Street) Reading, Ironmonger's 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 :-
My invention consists in forming a specially shaped basket as a trough shaped
tray of suitable mesh wire netting. This basket has upward and outwardly
extending sides (marked A A on drawing) the lower parts of which converge at or
form a narrow bottom. The outer or front end of these sides is joined by a vertical
.end (marked B) formed of the same wire netting. The inner end (marked C) is
made of the same wire netting, but is smaller than the outer end so as to permit of
the ready discharge of the collected cinders therefrom. This inner end is also
slightly inclined so as to facilitate the discharge of the said cinders. Extension
pieces or wings are arranged at each side towards the front of the sitter, and the
front or outer end of the sifter is made to protrude somewhat beyond the front of
the grate, so that with the said wings, it catches any cinders &c. which may fall out
of the front of the grate.
The frame is arranged so as to form hinges in front and back and so enable the
upper parts of the sides to be expanded or contracted to suit the size of the ash pan.
(These hinges are marked D. D. D. D.)
Handles for lifting the sifter are formed out of the frame at the outer edge of
the aforesaid wings. The bottom of the sifter is supported on legs so as to be
above the hearth or ash pan, thus permitting dust and small ashes to readily fall
through the wire netting, leaving the cinders clear of dust lying in the sifter.
In making this sifter, I bend a frame of strong wire to the shape required, with
hooked pieces to form hinges as shown and also pieces to form legs. I then take a
piece of wire netting of a suitable mesh cut it to the shape and bend it to form the
sides and tie or lace it to the frame. I then take another piece of netting and
insert it in front of the sifter and also a smaller piece and insert it at the bottom of
the inner end of the sifter. The whole is then dipped in a galvanizing bath.
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―
Ist. The automatic cinder sifter of novel shape constructed entirely of wire and
wire netting for use in sifting the cinders in situ, i.e. beneath the fire grates of house
and similar fires, substantially as herein described and illustrated.
2nd. A cinder sifter containing a mechanical contrivance for expanding and
contracting the sides thereof as herein set forth.
3rd. A cinder sifter containing extension pieces or wings to catch the cinders
falling from the front of the grate.
4th. A cinder sifter with handles to facilitate the removal of the same with the
cinders therein as often as desired.
Dated this 19th day of May 1894.
THOMAS P. STEWART.