IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR MAKING COFFEE AND OTHER INFUSIONS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Holmes Bass, of No. 6, Featherstone
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VESSELS FOR MAKING COFFEE AND OTHER INFUSIONS."
Sealed the 16th January 1872, and dated the 21st November 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Holmes Bass at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st November 1871.
I, JOHN HOLMES BASS, of No. 6, Featherstone Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR MAKING COFFEE AND OTHER INFUSIONS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in vessels for making
coffee and other infu sions.
I adopt the general arrangements of my former Patent, dated the
16th day of November, 1870, No. 3003, that is to say, I enclose the

page_text: ground coffee or other substance to be acted on in a box, the bottom
and lid of which are formed of woven wire or perforated plate, and by
means of a rod or stem attached thereto I cause this box and its contents
to move up and down in a cylindrical vessel a very little larger than
itself, or in the cylindrical part of a vessel partly cylindrical, and filled
with boiling water. By this arrangement, when the box (or bucket as
I call it) is made to ascend, a portion of the boiling water is forced
downward through the coffee, and a portion also descends between the
bucket and the outer vessel, and the same in a contrary direction when
the bucket is made to descend.
I have since the date of my Patent herein-before mentioned, found
it desirable to increase as far as possible the proportion of water passing
downward through the coffee in the upstroke, and diminish as far as
possible the proportion passing upwards through the coffee in the down-
stroke, and this I do by the following arrangement:-I make the flange
of the coffee cell about 1/5th of an inch less in diameter than the
cylindrical part of the outer vessel in which it works, and above this
flange I place a ring of steel or other hard metal, whose outer edge
accurately fits the interior cylindrical part of the outer vessel, while its
inner edge. or opening is about 1/5th of an inch larger in diameter
than the outside of the coffee cell which it surrounds, and to prevent
this ring from binding or locking when in action I cut it through in
one part and leave the joint open, as is done in the metallic rings of
steam pistons, by which I give it the required elasticity. I limit the
action of this ring by fixing above it a third flange a very little smaller
in diameter than the split ring, and perforated with a row of holes.
By these arrangements, when the bucket or coffee cell descends, the
liquid coffee collected below it first passes between the lower flange and
the split ring, then between the inside of the split ring and the outside
of the coffee cell, and lastly through the holes of the upper flange. I
place immediately upon the coffee a perforated coffee filtering plate,
which fits the coffee cell, and having a central stem rising up to and
entering the hollow stem of the cover of the cell, by which I prevent
the air expelled from the coffee on the instant of pouring in the boiling
water from deranging the surface of the coffee.
To work the coffee cell up and down I employ a wheel lever turning
on a pin or axis, which I attach to the cover of the pot, and I turn a
number of rings forming teeth in the upper part of the round stem of

page_text: the coffee cell into which the toothed lever works, and in order that the
cover of the pot and this toothed lever with it may be readily removed
from the pot, I file away the rings and produce a flat surface on two
sides, so that I can, by twisting round the cover, bring the toothed end
of the lever opposite to one of these flat surfaces, and so disengage the
teeth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Holmes Bass in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HOLMES BASS, of No. 6, Featherstone Street, in the City of London,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Holmes Bass, Her special license
that I, the said John Holmes Bass, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Holmes Bass, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR
MAKING COFFEE AND OTHER INFUSIONS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Holmes Bass, executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Holmes Bass, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in vessels for making
coffee and other infusions.
I adopt the general arrangements of my former Patent, dated the
16th day of November, 1870, No. 3003, that is to say, I enclose the
ground coffee or other substance to be acted upon in a box, the bottom
and lid of which are formed of woven wire or perforated plate, and by
means of a rod or stem attached thereto I cause this box and its contents
to move up and down in a cylindrical vessel a very little larger than
itself, or in the cylindrical part of a vessel partly cylindrical and filled
with boiling water. By this arrangement, when the box (or bucket as
I call it) is made to ascend, a portion of the boiling water is forced
downward through the coffee, and a portion also descends between the
bucket and the outer vessel, and the same in a contrary direction when
the bucket is made to descend.
I have, since the date of my Patent herein-before mentioned, found
it desirable to increase as far as possible the proportion of water passing
downward through the coffee in the up-stroke, and diminish as far as
possible the proportion passing upwards through the coffee in the down-
stroke, and this I do by the following arrangement: -I make the flange
of the coffee cell whose upper surface must be very accurate, about 1/5th
of an inch less in diameter than the cylindrical part of the outer vessel
in which it works, and projecting about 1/5th of an inch from the
coffee cell, and above this flange I place a flat ring of bell metal, or other
hard metal, whose outer edge accurately and tightly fits the interior
of the cylindrical part of the outer vessel, and whose under face is also
accurately formed so as to lie water-tight, or nearly so, on the flange
below it, its inner edge or opening being about 1/5th of an inch larger
in diameter than the outside of the coffee cell which it surrounds, and
to prevent this hard ring from binding or locking when in action, I cut
it through in one part and leave the joint open as is done in the metallic
rings of steam pistons, by which I give it the required elasticity. I
limit the motion of this ring by fixing a little above it a collar a very
little smaller in diameter than the split ring, and perforated with a row
of holes.

page_text: By these arrangements when the bucket or coffee cell descends, the
split ring being left behind by friction comes in contact with the per-
forated collar above it, and the liquid coffee collected below the bucket
first passes between the lower flange and the split ring, then behind
the split ring, and lastly through the holes of the perforated collar,
while in the upstroke the split ring being then in close contact with
the flange below it, the boiling water is compelled to pass mainly through
the bed of ground coffee in the centre of the coffee cell. I place imme-
diately upon the ground coffee a cover, consisting of a perforated filtering
plate soldered into the larger end of a short and somewhat trumpet-
shaped tube, this larger end being made to fit as near as may be the
inside of the coffee cell and the trumpet-shape, such as will allow it to
be placed in any position without locking.
As it is very important that this coffee cell cover should be held
firmly in contact or nearly so with the surface of the ground coffee
under it, I fix it in that position by an expansion nut. This consists of
a tube or cylinder of brass or other metal (ordinarily from one-third to
half an inch in diameter) a little shorter than the diameter of the interior
of the coffee cell cover, and this tube is made hollow at the ends and
tapped at one end with a right-handed screw thread, and at the other
with a left-handed screw thread, and I form two T-shaped pieces, also
of brass or other metal, screwing their respective shafts or stems with
similar right-handed and left-handed threads, the heads of these T-pieces
being square or oblong and fitting into two corresponding square or
oblong boles on opposite sides of the rim of the coffee cell cover. To
put these parts together, I place the cylinder within the coffee cell
cover, and offering at the same time at each end its respective T-piece.
I turn round the cylinder and draw the T-pieces within the square or
oblong holes; I then place the coffee cell cover within the coffee cell
and turn the cylinder round till it firmly locks the cover in its place.
When thus fixed I attach a small tongue to it in a nearly vertical
position, for convenience of turning the cylinder round, and I make this
tongue hollow on one side and round on the other to indicate the
direction in which it is to be turned in order to lock or unlock it; I also
prefer to connect the cover of the outer vessel or pot with the pot itself
by a hinge in the ordinary way, and to lock it down to the pot when
required by a catch in front, which when pressed down passes below and
takes hold of the wire or bead round the upper edge of the pot. As

page_text: considerable force is required to work the bucket up and down, I prefer
the use of a lever which can be applied and removed at pleasure. This
lever has two round pins projecting from one side, and when used, the
longer pin is first made to pass into a socket or eye on the cover of the
pot, and then the shorter pin at the end is made to enter a hole in the
tongue, which rises up through the centre of the lid from the arch piece
of the bucket below, the said tongue being so shaped above as to pass
through a hole in the centre of the cover when the cover is shut down
upon the pot.
To make coffee with the above described apparatus, I put the ground
coffee into the coffee cell and place upon it the cell cover, locking the
latter firmly into its position by turning round the expansion nut or
cylinder, I then put the coffee cell and its contents within the pot,
pushing it well down to the bottom, and taking care to place its arch
in line with the spout and handle of the pot, I then pour in quickly the
boiling water, shut down the lid and lock it by the catch in front, and
then putting in the lever, I give a few vigorous strokes from the top to
the bottom of its range, which ordinarily occupies from one to two
minutes, and the coffee is all made. The lever can then be taken off,
and when the coffee thus made has been poured out, the lid opened, and 3
fresh water poured in as in making tea, the quantity of which should
be about 1/3rd of the first charge, and after two or three strokes with
the lever this also can be poured out.
In the annexed Drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a coffee pot
constructed according to my Invention.
a, a, is the body of the pot, the lower part of it from a¹ to the bottom
should be truly cylindrical, but the upper part may be of any suitable
shape; it is provided with a spout a² and handle a³. The lid 6 of the
pot is hinged to the body at 6' and the catch 6, which is similarly con-
nected with the lid, serves to lock it securely in its place when the 3
pot is closed.
³ is a socket fixed upon the lid which serves as a
fulcrum for the lever, by which motion is given to the bucket.
The bucket is shewn separately in elevation at Figure 2, and in plan
at Figure 3. The body or box of the bucket forms the coffee cell, con-
sisting of a cylinder c with a perforated metal bottom c¹, and a cover 3
formed of another perforated metal disc c² fixed upon a ring c³, which at its
lower end fits pretty closely the interior of the cylinder c, and has square

page_text: or oblong holes to receive T-pieces. c* is the right and left-handed tubular
nut, and the T-pieces for locking the coffee cell cover in its place in
the cylinder c close down upon the coffee. c* is the thumb peice for
turning the tube; c', c, is the lower flange on the exterior of the coffee
cell, and c' the upper perforated flange or collar; d is the split ring
which works between these flanges; it is shewn separately at Figure 4.
This ring should fit accurately and tightly to the interior of the cylin-
drical part of the pot, and also to the upper face of the flange cª, and
it has three projections upon it to serve as guides to keep it loosely
centered; e is an arched rod or stem fixed to the cylinder c, by means
of which the bucket is worked. The stem e projects through a hole formed
for it in the lid of the pot, and has a hole at e¹ to receive the lever; f is
the handle or lever for working the bucket; it has two pins f¹ and f
fixed upon it, as is clearly seen at Figure 5, where this handle is shewn
separately. The handle is shewn also in its place in Figure 1, but it
may be removed whenever it is not required for use. The method of
action of the parts has already been explained. At the upstroke of the
bucket the split ring rests upon the bottom flange of the bucket in
fluid-tight contact, or nearly so, and the hot water over the bucket is
compelled to percolate through the coffee or material in the coffee cell
to supply the void left beneath the bucket. On the downstroke of the
bucket on the other hand the split ring rises off the lower flange of the
bucket till it comes in contact with the perforated collar, and thus
allows the liquid to pass freely from the under to the upper side of the
coffee cell. The split ring thus acts as a valve allowing the free passage
of the liquid upward on the downstroke of the bucket but preventing
it on the upstroke, and so compelling the liquid to percolate through
the material in the coffee cell.
It is obvious that the same action may be obtained, although less
conveniently, by reversing the action of the ring valve, or by substituting
for the ring valve in the passage around the bucket an ordinary ball
or disc valve in a passage through the centre of the coffee cell, or
otherwise passing from the under to the upper side of the bucket.
What I claim is the construction of vessels for making coffee and
other infusions with a bucket working in a cylindrical portion of the
vessel, and containing the coffee or other material in a perforated cell,
there being also a ring or other valve and a passage by which the liquid
is able to pass the coffee cell during one stroke of the bucket, whilst on

page_text: the return stroke this passage is closed, and the liquid is compelled
to percolate through the material in the coffee cell, substantially as
described.
I also claim the construction of vessels for making coffee and other
infusions, substantially as described and shewn in the Drawings hereunto 5
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Holmes Bass, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.