An Improved Apparatus for the Preparation of Tea, Coffee, or like Drinks.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for the Preparation of Tea, Coffee, or
like Drinks.
A communication by WARNERUS BORCHERS, of 4, Triftstrasse, Munich, in the
Empire of Germany, Doctor of Medicine.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, hoth in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, and 31, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 :-
The improved apparatus has as its essential basis a siphon (or suction device)
the action of which rests on the principle that the siphoning action commences
when by raising the heat to boiling point all the air contained in it is driven out
and then a moderate cooling takes place by means of which the steam which has
taken the place of the air is condensed and the liquid (in this case water) flows
from both ends of the siphon again into the same and fills it, whereupon the siphon
comes into action as the levels of the water into which the respective ends of the
siphon dip stand at different heights.
According to this invention, water which is contained in a vessel provided with
such a siphon apparatus, is heated from the outside by means of a suitably
measured quantity of spirit, until it boils. The small amount of cooling necessary
according to the above mentioned principle takes place immediately after the
extinction of the spirit. The cooling suffices to set the siphon automatically in
action. The latter draws the boiling water out of the vessel and allows it to flow
over the ground coffee, when such is used, placed in a vessel arranged beneath it,
and from this latter vessel the coffee liquor flows away through a sieve-shaped
bottom to a coffee can placed underneath. On the accompanying drawing such an
automatic tea or coffee making apparatus is shown.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the machine when fitted up ready for use;
Figure 2 a horizontal section on A B of Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 a horizontal section on CD of Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 a horizontal section on F¹ F of Figure 1;
Figure 5 shows the arrangement to be employed in the case of tea ;
Figure 6 a modification of the siphon arrangement of Figure 1.
A cylinder d for receiving the ground coffee and which is open above and pro-
vided with a sieve-like bottom c and a flange 6 is first placed directly on the upper
opening or mouth of the coffee can or pot a. A tube e open above and below is
firmly soldered on the bottom c and serves in case of need as an overflow pipe.
A pad or projection c¹ is soldered near the upper end of the cylinder d and serves
for receiving a circular disc c on which a short piece of tube 9 is soldered. The
disc or plate c³, which is also provided with an opening through which the tube e
extends, serves to receive the coffee foam or scum which rises through the tube g
from below on the inflow of hot water into the coffee-containing cylinder d. The
projection or rim c¹ on which the disc crests does not form a closed ring, but has
one or more interstices, and as the disc fits only loosely on the rim, water can thus
pass into the cylinder d. The disc c³ on which the scum or foam remains is

page_text: taken out together with the cylinder d for cleaning purposes after the coffee is
prepared.
A somewhat wider cylinder h is supported over the cylinder d, and has at its
lower end a dish or receptacle i which rests on the flange b, and serves for receiving
the heating liquid, such as spirit or the like.
A funnel shaped vessel k which is provided with a bottom / somewhat above its
lower narrow opening, is placed with the latter on the upper edge of the coffee
cylinder d, and pretty well encloses the latter with its lower overlapping end.
On the upper edge of the funnel just mentioned there is placed a-vessel l pro-
vided with a cushion or projection and having a lid or cover P. This serves for
holding the milk which is to be warmed.
The peculiar syphon arrangement before referred to consists in the vertically
placed cylindrical vessel m which is closed above and below, and provided with
three different tubes.
One somewhat thin tube n is soldered on the bottom of the funnel k and
extends through the bottom m' of the vessel m almost up to the cover m' of the
same. The widest tube o is open below but closed above and is soldered at
a suitable height on the vessel lid m¹ and extends with its lower open end almost
to the bottom m² of the said vessel. The latter rests in a similar way on the bottom
of the funnel k as shown more particularly in Figure 6, and the third tube
p which
is open above and below lies inside the tube o and is soldered on the bottom m² of
the vessel m.
A further tube q independent of the siphon apparatus extends through the
bottom of the funnel shaped vessel k, and serves to carry off the surplus steam to
the upper part of the cylinder d and from thence through the tube e to the can or
pot in order to preliminarily beat it.
In order to make use of the apparatus, fine ground coffee is first placed in the
cylinder d and the cylinder is placed on the coffee can or pot. The cylinder h with
its dish i is then fitted over the cylinder d and then the funnel shaped vessel k is
placed over the cylinder h in such a way that the bottom of the funnel rests on
the upper edge of the cylinders h or d, and it is then filled with water to
above the siphon arrangement when the following process takes place. When
the water is poured in, a portion of the same passes from below through tube p and
runs, when it reaches the upper end of this tube, over its edge passing down its
outer walls to the bottom of the vessel in without expelling the air contained in the
tube o if the latter be of sufficient width.
The space between 4 and 5, Figure 1, will then first fill with water or the water
will extend to the lower edge of the tube o. The water will then rise in the
vessel m outside the tube o until the column of water (indicated approximately by
the distance 3-4 in the drawing) equipoises the pressure exerted by the column of
water (1-2 in the drawing) on the air enclosed in the tube o.
A quantity of spirit determined by a special scale for causing the quantity of
water employed to boil, is then poured into the dish i and ignited, whereupon
the coffee is prepared without further trouble. This process takes place as
follows:-
The water contained in the vessel k is caused to boil by means of the flame of
the spirit. The steam developed in the entire siphon arrangement expels the air
contained in the various pipes of the same. On the extinction of the flame an
almost instantaneous cooling takes place in the interior of the siphon apparatus
and causes a condensation of the steam which has taken the place of the air
previously contained and produces the vacuum necessary for the working of the
siphon.
A modification of the siphon apparatus hereinbefore described is shown in section
in Figure 6 and the action of the siphon takes place in the same manner as herein-
before described. The sole difference consists in the use of a single siphon like
curved pipe o p which is soldered below to the vessel m whilst the drawing off
siphon tube n is soldered outside the vessel m at the upper end underneath

page_text: the lid or cover. It is self-evident that on the water in the vessel becoming
heated, the milk contained in the vessel 11 12 13 will be heated with it by the steam
generated.
In order to use the apparatus as a tea urn, the cylinder shown in Figure 5 is
employed, on the bottom of which cylinder da tube t open above and below is
soldered. Another somewhat wider tube s, open above and below, is placed over
the tube t, and a sieve like plate or strainer s¹ is soldered on the lower end of this
tubes and is for the purpose of easily removing the tea leaves after use. When
the boiling water flows from the vessel k and submerges the tea leaves the prepared
tea flows out through the opening d' or if the level of the water rises rapidly, the
tea liquor may overflow through the pipe t into the teapot a.
Although a certain form of apparatus has been hereinbefore described and shown
on the accompanying drawing, yet the whole apparatus may be varied in several
ways without thereby affecting the essential part of the invention namely the
siphon arrangement and the action of the same, which rests on a physical law for
preparing coffee, tea or like drinks automatically.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An improved apparatus for automatically preparing coffee, tea or like
beverages consisting of a siphon device which is based on the principle that the
siphon action commences when all the air contained in it is expelled by the heat
of the boiling water, and a subsequent moderate cooling has taken place, substantially
as described.
2. In an apparatus such as described in Claim 1, the arrangement of a funnel
shaped vessel (k) with a bottom (1) arranged a little within the lower end of
the funnel, on which bottom the overflow pipe (g) and the siphon arrange-
ment (m no and p) are soldered or otherwise fixed, in such a manner that the
draw off pipe (n) passes through the bottom (7) of the vessel (k) and a little
way above the bottom is soldered to the cylinder (m) which is closed above
and below, and on the upper cover of this cylinder a tube (o) is soldered which
latter is closed at its upper end and extends with its lower open end nearly to
the bottom of the cylinder (m), a tube (p) open both at its upper and lower
ends being also soldered or otherwise fixed on the bottom of this cylinder (m),
substantially as described and shown on the accompanying drawing.
3. In an apparatus such as described, the arrangement of the cylinder (d)
(which is provided with a flange (b) for the purpose of resting or fitting on the
mouth of the coffee pot) with a sieve-like bottom (c) for receiving the ground coffee
and an overflow pipe (e) open above and below, substantially as shown on the
accompanying drawings.
4. In an apparatus of the kind described-the arrangement of a somewhat larger
cylinder (h) than the coffee cylinder described in Claim 3, having a dish or
receptacle (i) for receiving the spirit, substantially as shown.
5. In an apparatus of the kind described, the modification shown in Figure 6 of
the siphon arrangement consisting of a cylinder m closed above and below, on the
upper end of which an overflow or draw-off pipe (n'), and on the under end of
which a siphon or curved pipe (o p) open at both ends, is soldered or otherwise
fixed from the outside, substantially as described and shown on the accompanying
drawing.
Dated this 13th day of Febru 180
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.