Year: 1897

page_text: I, JOSEPH WALTER SUTTON, of 199, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improved ice safe consists of a rectangular chamber which is separated into
two divisions by a vertical partition, extending from front to back of the chamber
but not reaching to the bottom. Each division is separated into sections of con-
venient dimensions by horizontal gratings through which air can pass freely.
There may conveniently be four such sections in each division. The uppermost
section in one division is the ice chamber and the usual arrangements are made
for draining away the water from the melting ice. This section may be closed
in front by a wooden flap hinged at its upper end and in like manner the uppermost
section of the other division is closed. The sections below are closed in front by
glazed sashes which are arranged to slide vertically and when raised to be retained
by spring catches which will support the sash when raised but will yield neverthe-
less to moderate force applied to draw it down again to its place.
By this arrangement ready access may be obtained to any of the sections; the
uppermost section is first opened by raising the hinged flap and thereby room is
made for the sashes below to be slidden upwards.
Air is admitted to the safe by an entrance passage provided at the upper part
of the ice chamber and it is withdrawn from the uppermost section of the other
division of the safe by a fan, driven by clockwork, constructed to run for as many
hours as may be thought necessary.
In this safe the ice is very economically and efficiently used as instead of
allowing the cold air to escape at the lower part of the safe as is usual it is passed
up again through other cooling spaces in which it is utilised before it is discharged.
Doted this 10th day of June 1897
I, JOSEPH WALTER SUTTON, of 199, High Holborn, 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:-
My improved ice safe consists of a rectangular chamber which is separated into
two divisions by a vertical partition, extending from front to back of the chamber
5 but not reaching to the bottom. Each division is separated into sections of con-

page_text: venient dimensions by horizontal gratings through which air can pass freely.
There may conveniently be four such sections in each division. The uppermost
section in one division is the ice chamber and the usual arrangements are made
for draining away the water from the melting ice. This section may be closed
in front by a wooden flap hinged at its upper end and in like manner the uppermost
section of the other division is closed. The sections below are closed in front by
glazed sashes which are arranged to slide vertically and when raised to be retained
by spring catches which will support the sash when raised but will yield neverthe-
less to moderate force applied to draw it down again to its place.
By this arrangement ready access may be obtained to any of the sections; the
uppermost section is first opened by raising the hinged flap and thereby room is
made for the sashes below to be slidden upwards.
Air is admitted to the safe by an entrance passage provided at the upper part
of the ice chamber and it is withdrawn from the uppermost section of the other
division of the safe by a fan, driven by clockwork, constructed to run for as many
hours as may be thought necessary.
In this safe the ice is very economically and efficiently used as instead of
allowing the cold air to escape at the lower part of the safe as is usual it is passed
up again through other cooling spaces in which it is utilised before it is discharged.
In the drawings annexed Figure is a perspective view of an ice safe in
accordance with my invention. Figure 2 is a front elevation (partly in section)
of a similar ice safe, differing however from the former in some of its details.
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 in Figure 2. Figure 4 shows the clockwork
fan which I employ for circulating the air.
a is the ice chamber, bbb are compartments arranged beneath it, ccc are other
compartments alongside of the compartments a and b, d is an air inlet on the top
of the ice chamber, and e is an air outlet from the top of the uppermost chamber c.
The clockwork fan shown by Figure 4 is applied in connection with this outlet.
The air entering at d passes downwards through the ice chamber through the
open work bottom thereof and then in succession through the chambers b until it
reaches the bottom of the safe. From the lowermost chamber 6 the air is able
to pass laterally (either beneath the central partition or through openings in it)
to the chambers c through which it ascends in succession, being aided in so doing
by the fan. The two uppermost chambers of the safe are fitted with doors ff
hinged by their upper edges and the compartments beneath are fitted with sashes gg
which are able to slide vertically in the grooved uprights hhh of the front of the
safe. In some cases as in Figure 2 I omit the sashes from the lowermost compart-
ments as it is not always essential these compartments should be capable of opening
from the front. ii are springs for supporting the sashes when raised. They are
fixed in recesses in the uprights h. When the sash is raised the head of the
spring advances beneath the lower edge of the sash and so supports it but the
head of the spring, being inclined, will yield when the sash is drawn downwards
with moderate force.
In Figure 4 the tube e represents the air vent from the uppermost compartment c
of the safe; k is a fan fitted in this tube at its upper end. It has a worm k¹ upon
its spindle and this engages with a worm wheel on an axis 1. This axis ¹ is
driven by a train of wheels n n from the spring barrel o which is upon the axis of
the first wheel of the train; the spring barrel is provided with the usual winding
arrangements as the drawing indicates.
Small safes may be made without the chambers c, a pipe then leads the air from
the lowest chamber b to the fan.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. An ice safe provided with air propelling mechanism driven by clockwork

page_text: so arranged as to cause a current of air to enter the ice chamber to pass in contact
with the ice and then successively through the several chambers in which provisions
are stored.
2. An ice safe having two ranges of chambers side by side the uppermost
chamber of one range being the ice chamber and air propelling mechanism driven
by clockwork circulating air downwards through the ice chamber and the chambers
beneath it in the one range and thence upwards through the several chambers in
the other range.
3. The arrangement of doors and sashes for closing the chambers of an ice
safe consisting of sashes sliding in grooves for the lower chambers and hinged
doors opening upward for the upper chambers, these parts being so adapted that
the opening of the doors makes room for the sashes to be raised.
Dad thi 7th
J
of Manch
1900