Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 11th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1887.
I, THOMAS BOWLEY, of No. 537, Battersea Park Road, in the County of Surrey,
Watchmaker and Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of an improved filter peculiarly adapted
for the use of troops on the march, emigrants, or other persons similarly removed from
the conveniences and appliances of an ordinary stay-at-home existence, and consists in
enclosing the filter proper, which is made in a special manner for the purpose of this
invention, within a bucket of closely woven canvas or similar material which serves as
a reservoir for the water to be filtered, and as a packing for the filter in transit.
In carrying this invention into effect, a conical vessel open at the top has a smaller
cone, closed at its top, suspended within the said vessel by means of a perforated
disc fixed across the interior of the larger cone at about a third of the height of the
latter from the top. The smaller cone stops short of the bottom, but a central tube
perforated round the top depends from the top of the inner cone and is continued down
to the bottom of the conical vessel.
The annular spaces between the central tube and cone, and between the latter and
the conical vessel, are filled with charcoal, or whatever filtering medium may be
adopted.
The material of the vessel, cone, and tube may be sheet zinc, or any other which
may be suitable.

page_text: The filter proper made as above described is enclosed within a canvas bucket of a
proper diameter, upon the bottom of which it rests, and in which it is confined by a
canvas ring attached to the bucket and embracing the top of the conical vessel above
described.
The top edge of the bucket is carried round a ring, and a bale of any suitable type
is provided by which the filter can be carried or suspended.
The bucket is filled with water and hung up. The water passes through the sponge,
down through the outer filtering ring, up through the inner one, and down the central
or draw-off tube, from which it is tapped in any convenient way.
Some of the water percolates through the side of the bucket, and by its evaporation
contributes to the refrigeration of the remainder.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Combination Collapsible Bucket and Refrigerating
and Filtering Device.
I, THOMAS BOWLEY, of No. 537, Battersea Park Road, in the County of Surrey,
Watchmaker and Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, (as it has been communicated to me from abroad
by James Henry Southcott and Owen Philip Payne, both residing at Adelaide, in the
Colony of South Australia), to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to the manufacture of an improved filter peculiarly adapted
for the use of troops on the march, emigrants, or other persons similarly removed from
the conveniences and appliances of an ordinary stay-at-home existence, and it consists
in enclosing the filter proper, which is made in a special manner for the purpose of
this invention, within a double bucket, (that is, one the sides of which are continued
downwards and connected to a second bottom), made of closely-woven canvas, or
similar material. This double bucket serves as a reservoir for the water to be filtered,
as a reservoir for the filtered water, and as a packing for the filter in transit.
In order that my invention, and the manner of carrying the same into practical
effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will proceed to describe the same in detail,
referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of
this specification and read therewith. Like parts are marked throughout the figures
in which they occur with the same reference letter.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my invention shewing it suspended by its bail from
any convenient support, with the bucket two thirds full of water.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the invention empty and closed for transit, the bail
being omitted.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the invention as the latter is illustrated in Fig. 1.

page_text: The invention as illustrated consists of two parts, the filter proper and the bucket
with which is incorporated the storage reservoir.
The bucket, A; the reservoir, B, for the filtered water; its bottom, C; and the
diaphragm, D, separating the bucket and reservoir; are made of stout canvas, or
similar material, which must be, for the purpose of my invention, closely woven, durable,
flexible, nearly waterproof and incapable of tainting potable water. The junctions of
the diaphragm, D, with the bucket and reservoir, and of the bottom, C, of the latter
with the side thereof may be made in any convenient way provided they are made
watertight. I find that close sewing, as illustrated in the figures, gives very
satisfactory results.
The top edge of the bucket is strengthened by being turned over a piping, a.
Three
holes, a, are formed to which is connected the flexible bail, E, terminating in an
I
eye, e.
prefer that this bail shall be a triple one, as shewn, in preference to its being
merely a single cord or strap connected to the bucket at only two points diametrically
opposite to each other, for two reasons.
First;
with a triple bail, the full bucket can
be carried more safely; and second, by reason of the three points of suspension, the
sides are not drawn together (thereby diminishing the capacity of the bucket), as they
would be if a full bucket of a material so flexible as canvas were suspended from the
two ends of a single cord.
F is a tap of strong material and any simple construction, for drawing off the
filtered water from the reservoir.
G is a conical vessel with an open top. The top is passed through the diaphragm, D,
and connected watertight therewith in any convenient way.
A perforated disc, H, is stretched across the inside of the vessel, producing a cavity
which is occupied by a piece of sponge, I, or similar material.
K is a smaller cone, or baffle, concentric with the sides of the vessel, G, and
depending from the underside of the perforated disc, H. Either the top of the
cone, K, is closed or the central part of the plate, H, is unperforated. There is no
direct communication between the tube, J, and the sponge cavity. The baffle, K, has
no bottom and stops short of the bottom, g, of the vessel, G, by about an inch, or so,
for the purpose of forming a water way. The object of this baffle is to make the water
take as long a course through the filtering medium as the size of the filter conveniently
admits of. If it were not for this battle, it is clear that the water would pass from the
plate, H, to the perforated tube, J, along the shortest route.
Jis a delivery tube perforated round its top and depending from the top of the
cone, K. I prefer that this tube; the baffle, K; and the vessel, G, should be all
concentric, as illustrated in Fig. 3.
This tube is continued downwards to the bottom, g, of the vessel, G, with which it
makes water tight connection, and in addition to this it may be continued through it.
I do not confine myself to the conical shape of the vessel, G. It may be of inverted
or of any other shape, but by making it conical in either direction I increase the length
of the travel of the water from the bucket through the filtering medium, G¹, which
occupies the space between the vessel, G; the disc, H; and the tube, J.
The vessel, G; disc, H; baffle, K; and tube J; are made of any durable material
provided that it will not taint potable water.
I find the metal zine suitable, although
I do not confine myself to the use of it.
My invention is used and operates as follows:-
When the empty bucket and filter has had its bail attached to it, and has been filled
with water at any convenient source, it can be used for watering cavalry or draught
horses, who, it is well known, may safely drink unfiltered water. Or the filled
bucket can be supended by its bail for the filtering process to be set up, which proceeds
as follows
-
The unfiltered water in the bucket, A, passes through the sponge, I, through
the perforated disc, H, down through the filtering medium on the outside of the
baffle, K, and up through the filtering medium between the baffle and the delivery
tube, J, when it enters the latter through the perforations round its top, and drops
into the reservoir, B, whence it can be drawn off from the tap, F.

page_text: The following analytical comparison of a sample of cloudy unfiltered water taken
from a natural water course as it was before and as it was after having been passed
through my invention will further illustrate the practical utility of the latter.
Before
After
Albuminoid Ammonia
.025
-012
The filtering process has therefore reduced the amount of solids and deleterious
matters to the amount of one half.
Jany. 27th, 1886.
Signed A. THOMAS, F.C.S.
The percolation of some of the water through the sides of the bucket and reservoir
it has been pointed out that the material of which these are made is not thoroughly
waterproof and the resultant rapid evaporation in hot weather will, as is well-known,
tend to keep the liquid contents of the bucket and reservoir cool.
When the troops or caravan receives the order to march, the water can be poured
away or drunk, the bucket and reservoir collapsed as shewn in Fig. 2, the bail dropped
upon the top, and the tap turned sidewise and tucked into the reservoir side.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
1. The combination of collapsible bucket, and collapsible reservoir to receive the
filtered water, with a filter depending from a diaphragm separating the said bucket
and reservoir, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination of a filter with a bucket and a reservoir for filtered water, the
material of the bucket and reservoir being made of a flexible material not quite
waterproof, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. In combination with a water bucket the sides of which are continued downwards
to form with the addition of a second bottom a reservoir for the filtered water, a
water filter depending from the bottom of the bucket and consisting of a vessel
containing the filtering medium, a delivery tube entering said vessel, and a baffle or
its equivalent depending from the top of said tube, substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying figures.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Patent Agents,
22, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.