AN IMPROVED FILTER
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Outerson and Andrew Outerson, of Windsor
Locks, County of Hartford, State of Connecticut, United States of
America, Paper Makers, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
FILTER."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Outerson and
Andrew Outerson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition and Declaration, on the 16th February 1875,-
pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act,
1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
OUTERSON and ANDREW OUTERSON, of Windsor Locks, County of
Hartford, State of Connecticut, United States of America, Paper Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
FILTER," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto us, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and

page_text: have made solemn Declaration that we are the true and first inventors
thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Outerson and Andrew
Outerson, do hereby declare that the following Complete Specification,
under our hands and seals, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, which is a view in central, vertical, longitudinal section of a
vessel or case for containing our filtering medium or material :-
The essential feature of the Invention is a new filtering material,
to wit, disintegrated paper stock fibre intended for filtering water or
other liquids that do not act destructively on the filtering material.
The filtering material is produced by taking rags or other paper-
making material, cutting it as for making paper, boiling it as for making
paper, washing it as for making paper (commonly done in the United
States of America in a washing engine which grinds the stock enough to
disintegrate the fibre), and bleaching it as for making paper, giving as a
result a mass of clean disintegrated but not pulpy fibre, known among
paper makers as "half stuff."
The bleaching and boiling processes are not for all purposes absolutely
essential, but are for most purposes preferable.
It is essential that the fibre be disintegrated, by preference thoroughly
so, and it is essential that the fibre be washed clean.
In making paper this "half stuff" is afterwards reduced by beating
or grinding engines till the fibres are divided into minute particles,
giving a result called pulp. This material retains its filtering qualities
until the complete pulpy condition is reached.
Rope, jute, flax, and other similar paper-making material has its fiber
sufficiently disintegrated without grinding, though rope and the like
needs to be run through a separating machine, commonly known as a
"devil." We prefer to make use of this material in a vessel like that
shown in the Drawing.
The water to be filtered enters through the pipe a in the end plate b.
The body c is partially filled with the filtering material d, say, to the
line d. In the bottom plate e is a strainer f where the filtered water

page_text: 1. The use and application of disintegrated and cleaned paper-making
stock (not including pulp for the purposes of a filter.
2. The containing vessel having the shelf g, substantially as shown
and described.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.
In the presence of
W. EDGAR SIMONDS.
JOHN OUTERSON.
(L.S.)
ANDREW OUTERSON.
(L.S.)