IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE OR TABLE FOUNTAINS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane.
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE OR TABLE FOUNTAINS."-A communication
from abroad by George John Wenck, of the City, County, and State.
of New York, and Richard Von Briesen, of Weehawken, in the
County of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, both in the United
States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition; on the 3rd August 1874.
.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE OR TABLE FOUNTAINS,"
to be as follows:-

page_text: portable fountain for general use, and such that fountains of varions
sizes containing scented or other water may be regularly supplied to
private parties, shopkeepers, and others, and when empty be replaced by
full ones as often as required.
The fountain of this Invention can, if desired, be arranged in such a 5
small compass that it will answer as a bouquet holder, so that from the
centre of the bouquet a jet of water will be projected upwardly.
The fountain consists of a hollow vessel to contain the scented or other
liquid, and forming the base or main body, which is surmounted by a
bowl supported on a neck resting upon the base or main body of the 1
fountain. It is proposed to make the latter of glass of suitable size and
pleasing form, with a narrow opening at the top that is embraced by
an outwardly projecting flange, but other material than glass may
be used.
The neck of the fountain it is preferred to construct as part of a pipe 1
that extends from the bowl down into the base or bottle nearly to the
bottom thereof. This neck portion is enlarged above the flange and
bent downwardly around said flange, and provided with an internal
screw thread for connection with an annular screw, which is applied
internally to such pendent part beneath the flange. This screw should 2
be made in two semi-annular parts, so that it may be capable of removal
and insertion from and around the neck of the base. The upper part of
the fountain neck has a screw thread cut around it to receive and hold
the bowl of the fountain, and above said screw thread the terminus or
uppermost end of the neck portion is also threaded to receive the nozzle 2
of the fountain. The nozzle is over the pipe, that is to say, when
screwed upon the threaded portion of the neck its bore is in line with
that of the pipe, of which it forms in fact an upward continuation. A
valve or cock is placed in the fountain neck in the way of the bore of
the pipe for the purpose of serving to close or open said pipe ad 3
libitum.
The operation is as follows: -Before the fountain is charged the
nozzle is detached from the fountain, and water or other liquid to be
ejected from the fountain is poured into the pipe from the upper end of
the same until it arrives at the requisite height in the base or bottle. 8

page_text: An air pump or other compressing mechanism is then applied to the
upper end of the neck portion of the pipe, and air forced into the bottle,
which should be inverted during this injecting process to prevent the air
that is being introduced from causing the water to foam, but instead of an
air pump proper chemicals may be used that will when dissolved by the
water produce a gas which will exert the requisite pressure upon the
water in the same manner as can be done by compressed air. After the
bottle has thus been charged with compressed air or gas the cock is
closed and the nozzle screwed in place. When the cock is opened the
compressed air or gas will forco the water out in an upward current and
through the nozzle, thereby producing a jet.
When the force of the air or gas in the bottle or base has been spent
the nozzle is unscrewed again, and the water that has been collected in
the bowl is allowed to run off through the pipe into the base through
small openings formed through the upper part of the fountain neck in
line with the bottom of the bowl.
In order to ensure a tight joint around the uppermost part of the neck
where the same is embraced by the nozzle, and prevent the compressed
air from ejecting the liquid through the afore-mentioned openings,
the nozzle is made with a downwardly projecting ring, which enters an
annular groove in the bowl, said ring resting by preference on a washer
that is placed in such groove, and an air vent closed by a proper valve is
arranged on the fountain neck.
In a modification of the Invention the fountain consists of the base
or lower vessel, the neck or middle part of which is a hollow vessel, and
serves to receive the liquid from the bowl or top part. The pipe through
which the liquid is to be ejected in a spray or column, extends from
near the bottom of the lower vessel or base clear through the whole
length of the apparatus, a cock being provided on the said pipe, pre-
ferably above the bowl, to open or shut the said pipe and regulate the
flow of liquid through it. The base is separated from the neck or
middle portion by two partitions or diaphragms, through which is a
vertical connecting pipe having a cock upon it, whereby all communi-
cation between the two vessels may be shut off.
The operation is as follows:-When liquid of suitable kind has been
poured into the bowl it flows through apertures into the neck. The cock

page_text: in the pipo connecting the neck with the base is then opened so that the.
liquid will enter the base, and when it is about half or two-thirds full of
water the cock is closed. An air pump is then connected to a nozzle
provided with an outwardly closing valve on the base, and compressed
air forced therein, the cock on the fountain pipo being meanwhile shut..
The valve in the nozzle provents all escape of the compressed air during
the operation of tho pump and afterwards. When tho air has been com-
pressed to the requisite degree the pump is dotached and the apparatus
charged for operation. The cock on the jet pipe can now be opened
more or less, whereupon the air in the base with its tendency to expand ]
will force the liquid in a fine column up through the jet pipe. Tho
fountain is thus in operation. The liquid discharged by the pipe will
fall back into the bowl and find its way into the neck through the
apertures before referred to. If scented liquids are used they are thus
protected in the neck from evaporation. When tho power of the com- 1
pressed air has been spent the cock connecting the neck and base is
reopened, and the liquid thus conveyed back to the base. The apparatus
can then- bo recharged with compressed air and the operation resumed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Olark in the Great Seal Patent 2
Office on the 3rd February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 2
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Melville Olark, my executors, adminis- 2
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Melville
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, tho Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE OR TABLE FOUNTAINS," a communication to me
from abroad by George John Wenck, of the City, County, and State of
New York, and Richard Von Briesen, of Weehawken, in the County of
Hudson and State of New Jersey, both in the United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Melville
Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to produce a small and readily trans-
portable fountain, which it is intended to introduce into general use, so
that private parties, shopkeepers, and others, may be supplied with.small
or large fountains containing scented or other waters, to be replaced
when empty by such as are filled, but otherwise of the same construction
as those that have been removed.
The fountain of this Invention can, if desired, be arranged in such a
small compass that it will answer as a bouquet holder, so that from the.
centre of the bouquet a jet of water will be projected upwardly.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a vertical central section of
the improved fountain; Figure 2 is a detail horizontal section thereof
on the line c, c, Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detail horizontal section on the
line Tin 1

page_text: 0
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
With reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3 the letter A represents the bowl
of the fountain supported on the neck B, which rests upon the base or
main body O of the fountain. This base or main body C it is proposed
to make of glass of suitable size and pleasing form, with a narrow
opening at the top that is embraced by an outwardly projecting flange a,
but other material than glass may be used.
The neck B of the fountain it is preferred to construct as part of the
pipe D that extends from the bowl down into the bottle C, nearly to the
bottom of the latter. This neck portion B is cnlarged above the flange a
and bent downwardly around said flange, as shown at Figure 1, and.
provided with an internal screw thread for connection with an annular
screw E, which is applied internally to such pendent part 6 beneatlı the
flange a, as shown. This screw E should be made in two semi-annular
parts, so that it may be capable of removal and insertion from and
around the neck of the bottle C. The upper part of the fountain neck B
has a screw thread cut around it to receive and hold the bowl A, which
is clearly shown in Figure 1, and above said screw thread the terminus
or uppermost end of the neck portion B is also threaded to receive the
nozzle F of the fountain. The nozzle F is over tho pipe D, that is to
say, when screwed upon the threaded portion of the neck B its borc is
in line with that of the pipe D, and forms in fact an upward con-
tinuation of said pipe D, as shown. G is the valve or cock placed in the
fountain neck in the way of the bore of the pipe D for the purpose of a
serving to close or open said pipe ad libitum.
The operation is as follows:-Before the fountain is charged the
nozzle l' is detached from the fountain, and water or other liquid to bo
ejected from the fountain is poured into the pipe D from the upper end
of the same until it arrives at the requisite height in the bottle C. Ang
air pump or other compressing mechanism is then applied to the upper
end of tho neck portion of the pipe D and air forced into the bottle C.
During this injecting process it is preferable to invert the bottle to
prevent the air that is being introduced from causing the water to foam.
But instead of an air pump which compresses the air in the bottle Ca
proper chemicals may be used that will when dissolved by the water

page_text: produco a gas which will exert the requisite pressure upon the water in
the same manner as can be done by compressed air. After the bottle
has been thus charged with compressed air or gas the cock G is closed
and the nozzle F screwed in place. When then the cock G is opened tho
compressed air or gas in the bottle will force the water out in an
upward current and through the nozzle F, thus producing a jet of the
style usually produced in fountains.
When the force of the air or gas in the bottle has been spent the
nozzle F is unscrewed again and the water that has been collected in the
bowl A is allowed to run off through the pipe D into the vessel O
through the small openings d, d, that are formed through the upper part
of the fountain neck B in line with the bottom of the bowl A, as as
shown in Figures 1 and 3.
In order to ensure a tight joint around the uppermost part of the
neck B where the same is embraced by the nozzle, and prevent the com-
pressed air or gas from ejecting the liquid through the afore-mentioned
small openings d, d, the nozzle is made with a downwardly projecting
ring c, which enters an annular groove in the bowl, said ring resting by
preference on a washer that is placed into such groove, all as indicated.
in the Drawing. An air vent ƒ closed by a proper valve is arranged on
the part B for evident purposes.
With reference to Figures 4 and 5 of the Drawing the letter A❤
ropresents the base or lower part of the modified fountain; B*, the
neck or middle part; and O*, the bowl or top part of the same; D❤ is
the pipe through which the liquid is to be injected in a spray or column,
said pipe extending from the lower part of the vessel A* clear through
the whole length of the apparatus, and is open at both ends. The lower
end is a short distance above the bottom of A*. A cock a* is arranged
in the pipe D, preferably above the bowl, to open or shut the said pipe
and regulate the flow of liquid through it. The vessel A* is separated
from the vessel B by two partitions or diaphragms 6º, 6º, through
which a vertical connecting pipe d* having a cock e* is placed, as shown.
When the cock e* is closed all communication between the vessels A❤
and B is shut off. The pipe B* passes also through these plates 6*;
f is a nozzle applied to the vessel A*, and provided_with an outwardly-
i.

page_text: The operation is as follows:-When liquid of suitable kind has been
poured into the bowl O it flows through apertures *, *, of the bowl
into the vessel B*. The cock e* is then opened, so that the liquid will
enter the vessel A*. When the last-named vessel A* is about half or
two-thirds full of water the cock e* is closed and an air
pump connected
to the nozzle f* and air forced into the vessel A* and compressed therein,
the cock a* being meanwhile shut. The valvo g* in the nozzle f*
prevents all escape of the compressed air from A* during the operation
of the pump and afterwards. When the air in A* has been compressed
to the requisite degree tho pump is detached and the apparatus charged
for operation. The cock a* can now be opened more or less, whercupon
the air in the base A* with its tendency to expand will force the liquid
from A* in a fine column up through the pipe D*. The fountain is thus
in operation. The liquid discharged by the pipe D* will fall back into tho
bowl and find its way into the vessel B* through the apertures 7*. If
scented liquids are used they are thus in the vessel B* protected from
evaporation. When the power of the compressed air has been spent the
cock is reopened and the liquid thus conveyed back to A*. The
apparatus can then be recharged with compressed air and operation
resumed.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. In a parlor fountain a discharge pipe D constructed in one piece
with the neck B of the fountain, said neck being secured to the body O
of the fountain by means of the flange a and screw E, substantially as
described.
2ndly. A parlor fountain composed of the bottle O, pipe D, fountain
neck B, bowl A, and nozzlo F, all the parts being held together by
the neck B, to which they are screwed, substantially in the manner a
described.
3rdly. The nozzle F provided with a downwardly projecting ring e, and
applied over the upper end of the discharge pipe D to constitute a con-
tinuation of said pive and to close the holes din said nine, substantially

page_text: 4thly. In a parlor fountain, the combination of the lower vessel A*
having the nozzle f* and valve g*, with the upper vessel B*, connecting
pipe de, cock e*, and discharge pipe D*, all arranged for operation
substantially as described.
5 In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.
Witness,
HY. SWALES,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)