IMPROVEMENTS IN SAND GLASSES OR TIME MEASURERS to be as follows:—
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN BURGESS the Younger of Soho Hill Handsworth in the County of
Stafford Manufacturer's Manager do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SAND GLASSES OR TIME MEASURERS to be as follows:—
"
My Invention relates to Sand Glasses for measuring time in boiling eggs, testing
tea, and for other similar or analagous purposes, and has for its object the
construction of such glasses or time measurers in such a manner as to indicate
fractional parts of the whole time for which such sand glasses or time measurers
are made to run.
A Sand Glass constructed in accordance with this Invention may be of the usual
shape and made of any material either wholly transparent or partially transparent
so that the falling of the sand may be visible to the observer-If of glass and
wholly transparent I mark upon the glass, by any of the means afterwards
described, a scale of divisions the lines of which run round the glass in a plain
perpendicular to its axis, or if only partially transparent, across the spaces or such
portions of the glass or reservoir of the time measurer as may be of glass or
rendered transparent for the purpose of watching the falling of the sand. A glass
constructed in accordance with this invention may in this way be divided so that
minutes, half minutes, or quarter minutes, may be easily and readily noted, or in
fact any fractional portion of the whole time for which the glass or time measurer
is made to run.
In accordance with this invention I make the lines or divisions forming the said
scale as follows. If the Sand Glass or time measurer is formed wholly of glass
I mark the divisions by indented rings or projecting ribs made in or upon the said
Glass during the process of manufacture, or otherwise mark the said Glass either
by painting gilding etching engraving or any other known way with a plain and
legible scale for the purposes mentioned. This applies also to the marking or
forming a scale upon any portion of glass or other material that may be used for
observing or shewing the motion of the sand when the vessel or reservoir itself
may be of metal, china, porcelain or other material. Both ends of the said glass
or time measurer are marked in a similar way the scale commencing from the
extremities so that when reversed either end measures equally well
reservoir is formed with conical shaped extremities a scale of equal divisions of
If the

page_text: time will require lines or marks comparatively near together at first and gradually
getting farther apart as the central portion is reached. If the extremities are
cylindrical equal spaces of time will be indicated by lines at equal distances apart.
By these means such sand glasses or time measurers may be rendered more
useful than hitherto. A four minute glass for example will indicate one, two, or
three minutes, or any other fractional part of minutes, so that in case of egg
boiling, eggs may be cooked to any degree of hardness that may be required with
as much ease and certainty as they can be boiled in the ordinary way for any fixed
time.
For any other analogous purposes glasses may by the above means be made more
suitable and accurate for the purposes required.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN BURGESS, the younger of Soho Hill, Handsworth, in the county of
Stafford, Manufacturers Manager do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN SAND GLASSES OR TIME MEASURERS and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
This invention relates to sand glasses for measuring time in boiling eggs, testing
tea, or other similar or analogous purposes, and has for its object the construction
of such glasses or time measurers in such a manner as to indicate fractional parts
of the whole time for which such sand glasses or time measurers are made to run.
A sand glass constructed in accordance with this invention may be of the usual
shape, and made of any material either wholly transparent or partially transparent,
BO long that the progress of the falling sand may be visible to the observer. If of
glass, and wholly transparent I mark upon the glass by any of the means
afterwards described, a scale of divisions the lines of which run round the glass in
a plane perpendicular to the axis; or if only partially transparent across the spaces
or such portions of the glass or resorvoir of the time measurer as may be of glass
or rendered transparent for the purpose of watching the falling of the sand.
A glass constructed in accordance with this invention may in this way be divided
Bo that minutes, half minutes, or quarter minutes, may be easily and readily noted,
or in fact any fractional portion of the whole time for which the glass or time
measurer is made to run.
In accordance with this invention I make the lines or divisions forming the said
scale as follows:-If the sand glass or time measurer is formed wholly of glass
I mark the divisions by indented rings or projecting ribs, made in or upon the said
glass during the process of manufacture, or, otherwise mark the said glass either by
painting gilding, etching, engraving, or any other known way with a plain and
legible scale for the purposes mentioned.
This applies also to the marking or forming a scale upon any portion of glass or
other material that may be used for observing or shewing the motion of the sand,
when the vessel itself may be of metal, china, porcelain or other material, as for
instance I may mark any suitable portion of the framework.
Except in the case of swinging resorvoirs & where the marking is entirely upon
the frame both ends of the said glass or time measurer are marked in a similar
way, the scale commencing from the extremities, so that when reversed either end
measures equally well. If the resorvoir is formed with conical shaped extremities,
a scale of equal divisions of time will require lines or marks comparatively near
together at first and gradually getting farther apart as the central portion is
reached. If the extremities are cylindrical equal spaces of time will be indicated
by lines at equal distances apart.
By these means such sand glasses or time measurers may be rendered more
useful than hitherto. A four minute glass for example will indicate one, two, or,
three minutes or any other fractional part of minutes, so that in case of egg boiling,
eggs may be cooked to any degree of hardness that may be required with as much
case and certainty as they can be boiled in the ordinary way for any fixed time.

page_text: For any other analogous purposes glasses may by the above means be made
more suitable and accurate for the purposes required.
In order that my invention may be better understood, I have illustrated it with
the accompanying drawings where
Fig 1 is an elevation of a sand glass or time measurer having the projecting ribs
or marks, a, and figures upon the glass.
Fig 2 is a sectional plan of Fig 1 upon line A—B.
Fig 3 is an elevation of a sand glass or time measurer where the indented
rings or marks, b, are shewn upon the glass but with the figures marked upon the
frame.
Fig 4, is a sectional plan of Fig 3 at A-B.
Fig 5 is an elevation of sand glass or time measurer where the marking is
entirely upon the frame the glass c, being plain.
Fig 6, is a sectional plan of Fig 5 at A-B.
Although I have provided these drawings to illustrate my invention I wish it to
be understood that I do not confine myself to their precise design or construction,
nor method of marking, as they may be constructed in various designs, including
such designs as are made to swing on pivots or centres and marked in a suitable
manner to suit such designs, such as for instance the marking wholly upon the
glass, or, wholly upon the frame, or part of the marking both upon the glass and
frame, whether by painting, gilding, etching, engraving or any other method.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
The marking of sand glasses or time measurers, so as to indicate any fractional
part or parts of the whole time for which such sand glasses or time measurers are
made to run.