Improvements in Tea-pots.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 9th May, 1896-Accepted, 20th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tea-pots.
CHARLES HENRY DENT Decorator George Street Tamworth do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for improvements in tea-pots to be as
follows:-
Invention consists of two parts viz. infuser & teapot-Infuser is (roughly
speaking) cross shaped, taking same as standing on the longest arm & the arms
being 4 rods, at the foot is fixed a ball weight, on top & or farthest from ball is
a wire cage or basket, the remaining cross arms form a spindle round which the
ball & basket revolve-Teapot has small bearings in centre of inner sides for
spindle to rest & turn in-The basket has a lid for admitting & extracting the
leaves The lid of pot is semiclyndrical hinged across one end of curved terminating
edge; from the hinge to past the centre inside is a flat gradient-The action is:
Infuser, basket downwards is placed in bearings, knob resting against hinge, closing
lid forces ball along flat until it is past centre-After infusing raising lid causes
ball to change places with basket, the latter being then out of water-In pouring
relative positions of basket & water line, do not alter.
Dated this 19th day of March 1896.
CHARLES HENRY DENT.
Improvements in Tea-pots.
I CHARLES HENRY DENT of George Street Tamworth in the County of
Stafford Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention has for its object improvements in tea pots whereby I am enabled
after the infusion of the tea has taken place to automatically lift the leaves out of
the tea.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I have appended
hereunto two double sized sheets of drawings upon which my improvements are
fully illustrated.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a metal tea pot with the lid open showing my
invention' applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a crock tea pot with the sliding lid detached
showing another method of operating the infuser B.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views to Figure 2 showing two more modifications
for automatically operating the infuser B.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a metal tea pot showing a method of operating
the intu-er from the exterior.
Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 5 without the catch for operating the
infuser.
Figure 7 is a front elevation of the infuser B with the lid open.
Figure 8 is a front elevation of a modified form of the infuser.
The tea pot A has two vertical slots a' formed on the sides in the interior which

page_text: form bearings for the arms & upon which the infuser B is pivotted. These arms 6
are connected at right angles to the main arm 6 one end of which is secured to the
lid of the basket into which the tea is placed before being brewed and the other
end carries a balance weight &. After the tea has been placed inside the basket
and the lid closed the arms & are dropped into the slots a' the balance weight
raising against the inclined projection a formed in the interior of the lid at of the
ten pot A which is then filled with boiling water and the lid a' closed the action of
which causes the balance weight to travel along the inclined projection a' until
it comes in contact with another projection a' also formed in the interior of the tea
pot lid at which holds the basket of the infuser B in the boiling water the required
time until all the goodness has been extracted from the tea leaves. The lid of the
tea pot is then slightly raised releasing the balance weight 64 which swings round
bringing the basket containing the tea leaves out of the tea thus preventing any
injurious matter from being extracted from the leaves after all the goodness has
been extracted which is very desirable as the tea is very often allowed to stand for
some considerable time before it is all consumed.
At Figure 2 I have shown my invention as applied to a crock tea pot fitted with
a sliding lid a. The infuser is inserted in the tea pot as above described the
balance weight & which has a projection formed on the top resting against the
edge. When the lid is inserted in the grooves ready for closing, the projection
catches against the projection a formed under the front end of the said lid thereby
causing the projection, to enter the slot a' which holds the balance weight & as
the lid is pushed along the projection a entering the mouth of the slots a' in which
position the lid is allowed to remain until the tea has been sufficiently brewed when
it is closed thereby releasing the balance weight and allowing the infuser to swing
round and bring the basket containing the leaves out of the tea. The front edges
of the slots a' are rounded so as to enable the projection a" on the underside of the
lid to slide out easily.
Figure 3 shows a modified form for indicating the position in which the tea pot
lid has to remain until the tea in the infuser has brewed. In this case I make the
surfaces d d' of the grooves in which the lid slides incline from the centre or
thereabouts so that when the lid has been pushed up the incline d it has to be
slightly lifted before it can be pushed down the incline d' which does not take place
until the tea in the infuser is brewed.
Figure 4 is a further modification for indicating the position in which the sliding
lid has to remain until the tea in the infuser has brewed. In this case when the
lid is pushed along the grooves it catches against the spring d² on the top of the
balance weight of the infuser and carries it forward until it reaches the front edge d
of the tea pot underneath which the spring d catches holding the balance weight
until the tea in the infuser is brewed when the final shutting of the lid releases it
and the basket swings round bringing the leaves out of the tea.
Figure 5 shows a method of operating the infuser by hand from the exterior
applied to a metal tea pot. The balance weight rests against the loose projection
the centre portion of which passes through a hole in the top of the tea pot and is
provided with a knob & for lifting the projection out of contact with the balance
weight which swings round on its pivots and brings the basket containing the leaves
out of the tea..
Figure 6 shows the projection k² fixed in the interior of the tea pot for the
balance weight to rest against and when the tea is brewed the lid is opened and
the balance weight being moved by hand to the opposite end of the pot swings
round and brings the basket out of the tea.
The infuser B is shown at Figure 7 with the lid open. The bottom of the
basket is made of fine metal gauze which prevents the leaves from escaping and
allows the tea to be thoroughly infused with the boiling water.
Figure 8 shows a modified form of infuser F formed with two balance weights at
either side. The different arrangen.ents for holding and releasing the balance
weight as herein enumerated can easily be altered to suit this form of infuser..

page_text: 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 :-
1st. Improvements in tea pots consisting essentially of a suspended infuser such
as B or Fin combination with the slots a¹ or their equivalents in which the said
infuser is hung substantially as herein described and shown on the accompanying
drawings.
2nd. The means substantially herein shown and described for automatically
lifting the leaves out of the tea after the same have been infused.
3rd. The improvements in tea and other pots for infusing as herein set forth and
as illustrated by Figures 1-6.
Dated this 8th day of May 1896
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.