Improvements in Incubators.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Lelt, 17th Nov., 189'-accepted, 22nd Dec., 1894
Improvements in Incubators.
I, EDWARD RUSSELL of 12 Eastern Road, Brighton, in the County of Sussex
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in incubators the object of same being
to provide an incubator that will effectually and automatically regulate itself to the
required temperature and at the same time be capable of giving an audible alarm
should the temperature become higher or lower than the proper degree of heat.
The incubator consists of a box of any suitable size shape and material sub-
divided by a horizontal partition, the lower compartment containing one or more
boilers heated by oil or gas lamps; from the boilers up and down flow tubes run to
the top of the upper compartment where they are connected to hot water tanks in
this manner the incubator is evenly heated the lower compartment also serves for
feather drying. A second horizontal partition is placed above the first having a
central opening to allow of a free ingress of fresh air which is obtained by
perforating the sides of the incubator contained between the two horizontal
partitions. Over the aforementioned central opening I provide a pan of water
the object of same being to moisten the dry and heated atmosphere in the
incubator; immediately above the pan is arranged the egg drawer. The top of the
incubator is fitted with an inverted conical tube provided with a dome shaped valve
from the concave side of which depends a connecting rod attached to a mercurial
balance or regulator the said regulator is situated in any convenient part above the
egg drawer and consists of a glass tube sealed at one end and bent to form two
short arms extending at a slight angle. The tube is fulcrumed at the apex of this
angle and the lower sealed arm is attached to the connecting rod aforementioned.
The tube being filled with mercury and adjusted or balanced as hereafter explained
it is obvious that should the heat become higher than is required it will cause
the mercury to expand and run up the upper arm and by its weight will auto-
matically open the valve and allow the heat to pass out through the conical tube.
The balancing or adjusting is performed by means of a fulcrumed lever provided
with a sliding balance weight the lever being attached also to the dome shaped
valve.
The said lever may also be provided with a needle and graduated arc so that the
temperature may be noticed. To the lever is attached an electric recorder which
constitutes a main feature of my invention and consists of a base supporting two
upright pillars between which is pivoted a lever the end of which holds a rod of
unconducting material so arranged that it is capable of bringing into contact two
electric conducting wires by a slight movement either up or down of the lever. It
will be easily seen and understood that should the temperature increase or decrease
it will cause a rise or fall of the balancing lever and a corresponding movement of
the reporters lever thereby automatically completing an electric circuit and causing
a small bell to ring which would notify the person in charge that the incubator
needed attention.
Dated this 17th day of Fehmiary 1804
HUGHES & YOUNG,
12, Basinghall Street, London, E.C., Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Incubators.
I, EDWARD RUSSELL, of 12 Eastern Road, Brighton, in the County of Sussex,
Gentleman, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in incubators and has for object to
provide an incubator that will effectually and automatically regulate itself to a
required temperature and at the same time be capable of giving an audible alarm
should the temperature become higher or lower than the proper degree of heat.
And in order that this my invention inay be fully understood I will describe same
with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings upon which
Fig. 1 is a front sectional elevation of the incubator constructed with my
improvements all in accordance with this invention.
Fig. 2 is a view in plan of the alarm mechanism, Fig. 3 is a front elevational
view of same, and
Fig. 4 a diagram view in perspective shewing contact making mechanism for
causing an electric alarm bell to be sounded upon the temperature increasing above
or decreasing below the proper degree required.
Several letters of reference indicate like parts in each of the figures.
The incubator consists of a box a of any suitable size and shape constructed
of any suitable material. This box a is divided by the horizontal partition b and
the lower compartment thus formed contains one or more boilers c heated by oil or
gas lamps d.
A second horizontal partition e is placed above the first partition >>
the space between the two forming an air space. In the upper compartment formed
by the partition e I have a pan of water the object of which is to moisten the dry
and heated atmosphere in the incubator and immediately above the pan is or are
arranged the egg drawer or drawers 9. At the top of the box a and above the egg
drawers g is another compartment h containing hot water tanks i.
These latter are
in communication with the boilers c by means of the flow tubes K passing outside
the box a and in this manner the incubator is evenly heated while the lower
compartment containing the boilers may be also utilized for feather drying. The
top of incubator is fitted with a tube / controlled by a dome shaped valve m from the
concave side of which depends a connecting rod n attached to a mercurial balance
or regulator o situated on a line with the egg drawers g. This balance or regulator o
consists of a glass tube sealed at one end o' and bent to form two short arms of o²
extending at a slight angle. The tube is fulcrummed at the apex of this angle, and
the lower sealed arm o' is attached to the connecting rod n aforesaid.
A sufficient quantity of mercury is placed in the tube to maintain the balance
required and this may be adjusted or determined by means of the fulcrummed
lever p carried in brackets pl upon top of the box a and provided with a sliding
balance weight q, one end of said lever p being attached to the top of the dome
shaped valve m. It will be obvious that as the heat increases within the incubator
the mercury will be caused to expand and run up the upper arm o² of the balance
tube and by its weight cause same to turn upon its fulcrum and raise or open (by
means of the connecting rod n) the valve m, thus allowing the heat to pass out
through tube . The lever p may, if desired, he provided with a needle and
graduated arc r to enable the temperature to be noticed.
To the lever p aforesaid, and actuated by the same; is attached an electric
recorder which constitute a main feature of this my invention and consists of a base
supporting two brackets s s carrying brass or other conducting plates or wires t.
Between these brackets I have a lever u of a nonconducting material pivotted at its

page_text: t
one end u to the bracket or standard and attached at its other end to the fulcrummed
lever p aforesaid. At a suitable distance from the end of the lever u said lever
is provided with a cross piece or contact making branch a' this being of brass or
other suitable conducting material. In the norinal position of the lever u, that is
when the incubator being at its proper degree of heat the apparatus is in perfect
balance the cross piece remains midway between the upper and lower parts of
the conducting plates or wires t which are in electrical communication with a
battery and bell. Upon a rise or fall of the temperature the levers p and u are
correspondingly raised and lowered and contact is made by the cross piece u² with
either the upper or lower parts of the conducting plates or wires t and the electrical
circuit thereby completed causing a bell to ring whereby the person in charge is
notified that attention is needed to the incubator."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
ion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
1. The general construction, combination, and arrangement, of parts forming my
improvements in incubators, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and shewn in the drawings.
2. In incubators the combination with the heat regulating mechanism of the
automatic electric recorder or alarm for the purpose of indicating when over heated
or vice versa substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn.
3. In incubators the combination and arrangement of boilers in compartment
below the egg drawers with hot water tanks in compartment at top of incubator
connected by flow pipes substantially as shewn and described whereby the same
heat is obtained above and below the eggs; all as hereinbefore set forth.
4. In incubators the box a partitions 6 and e, boilers c pan f, egg drawers g.
compartment h, hot water tanks i flow tubes k, air outlet tube l, valve m, connecting
rod n, mercury tube or balance o and fulcrummed lever p, all constructed, combined,
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Dated this 17th day of November 1894.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents.