Improvements in Apparatus and Vessels for the Infusion of Tea, Coffee, and other Substances.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 13th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus and Vessels for the Infusion of
Tea, Coffee, and other Substances.
I GEORGE FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN, of No. 7 Mandeville Place, Portman
Square, in the City and County of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus and vessels for the infusion
of tea, coffee and other substances and it consists in such simple additions to
ordinary tea, coffee or other pots by pressing moulding or otherwise forming, metal,
china stone or other ware or a combination of the same, as will, whilst allowing alĺ
the valuable properties and flavours of tea, coffee or other substances to be fully
extracted by hot or boiling water, admit at any moment of the tannin and injurious
properties and flavours being shut off without removal, and prevented from mixing
and stewing in the hot water, as tea leaves, coffee grounds etc. are ordinarily allowed
to do.
In the
To effect this object, I form or place inside at the bottom of the pot a cup or
recess having perpendicular sides, of such size as is necessary to hold the quantity
of tea, coffee or other substance from which the extract is to be taken.
centre of this cup or recess I may provide an upright pointed bar of suitable length,
upon which another cup, reversed with the sides downwards, rests and slides. Such
cup guided by the bar, exactly fits in, or over, the lower one, and one or both, have
such perforations at the sides as are necessary for my purpose. By raising or
lowering the upper cup, into or over the lower one (which is effected by pressing
upon or raising the upper cup by a metal or other attachment, which comes
up to, or near to the inside of the pot under the cover), the perforations are opened
or closed at will, in such a manner that when closed, the extract only can be
poured off, whilst when open, the hot water freely mixes with the tea, coffee or
other substances. Thus when tea, coffee or other substances are sufficiently infused,
they can in a moment be securely enclosed between the upper and lower cups, or
recess, the hot water being shut off so as to no longer affect them.
Dated this Fourteenth day of December 1891.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus and Vessels for the Infusion of
Tea, Coffee, and other Substances.
1 GEORGE FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN, of No. 7 Mandeville Place, Portman
Square, in the City and County of London, 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 object of my invention is to construct a vessel which will enable any one
using it at a given moment to prevent the admixture of tannin and other deleterious
properties found in tea, coffee and other substances with the infusions thereof, whilst
such infusions are taking place.
To effect this object, I form or place inside at the bottom of the vessel or pot
(which may be made of metal, china, earthenware or other material) a cup, recess
or receiver, having perpendicular or other conveniently shaped sides, or of such
FD77

page_text: form as may be found most desirable and of suitable dimensions to hold and allow
for the expansion of tea, coffee or other substances from which the infusion is to be
taken. Upon this cup or receiveral place another reversed cup, cap or cover which
exactly fits, and is as nearly water tight as possible, but which may under pressure
be made slide up and down into or over the lower cup or receiver. Both receiver
and cover, or either of them, can be made with perforations at the sides, or all
round, as may be found desirable, but in practice it is sufficient and convenient to
have perforations only in one. The act of raising or lowering the upper cup or cover
into or over the receiver, opens or closes the perforations at.will, but when the
receiver consists of a recess formed in the material of which the pot itself is made,
a perforated upper cap or cover only is necessary, as the act of lowering it into the
recess closes the perforations.
When the perforations are open, the hot water poured into the vessel freely
mixes with the tea, coffee or other substances to be infused; whilst, when closed,
the leaves, powder and bitter dregs extracted from such substances naturally
gravitating to the bottom of the lower cap or receiver, and below the perforations
therein, are securely enclosed in the chamber or strainer thus formed, so that they
cannot any longer be affected by the hot water.
Although it is desirable to have a fit of practically perfect accuracy of one cup
over or into the other, yet the position of the perforations in the cup is of the
greatest importance, as they must be so placed as to keep back, hold and retain in
the receiver to the greatest extent possible all the solid and liquid injurious pro-
perties of the substances infused whilst allowing all the valuable and wholesome
éléments to be freely poured off.
It will be understood that in proportion to the size of the vessels employed.
sufficient space must be left in the lower cup or receiver (below the perforations) to
hold all the injurious elements and prevent the escape of the same as far as possible,
at whatever angle the pots may be held in pouring off the infusions.
$
In some cases the lower cup or receiver may be made a fixture at the bottom of
the pot, but I prefer not to do so, but to form it with a socket in its under side, so
that after putting in the substances to be infused, I may put the upper cup or cover
upon it and place the whole upon a pin, bar or projection at the bottom of the pot,
the object being to keep the whole steady and allow of its being.lifted into or out
of the pot: It will be evident that other means of effecting the object of keeping
my apparatus in suitable position within the vessel may be employed.
For lowering the upper cup or cover into or over the lower one or receiver, I use
a metal or other attachment in connection therewith. This may be in: one or more
pieces and it may be either of hollow or solid rod. It may be made to pass
Shrough, come up to or near to the lid or cover of the vessel. Thus, when passed
through the lid and in connection with the knob, the metal attachment is made to
stand up to such a height that by pressing it down upon the lid the perforations
can be closed, whilst on the other hand it may be so arranged that by pulling up
the knob and its attachments the perforations are open, or vice versa.
Upon the accompanying, shectrof. drawing
Figure 1. is a sectional elevation of. a vessel or tea pote showing position and
general arrangement of cup or cover and receiver whilst infusion is taking place.
Figure 2. is a similar view but shows the cup pressed down to.cover perforations
in receiver for the purpose of preventing further infusion.
Figure 3. is a detail of the cup, or cover.
Figure 4: illustrates method of securing detachable receiver in position.
Figure 5. is a section through receiver having perforations arranged at an angle
for the purpose of forming a chamber for the retention of the injurious elements.
Figure 6 is a vertical section through a cup and receiver; the stem of the cup
being made hollow to permit of the passage of the water down through the same
on to the tea or other substance!
A being the ten pot or vessel';
Bis the receiver formed or secured therein.

page_text: L stud or projection formed within the vessel to secure receiver in position ;
M recess or socket in receiver adapted to receive stud or projection L.
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 :-
1. Apparatus suitable for the infusion of tea, coffee and other substances, con-
sisting of a tea pot or other vessel having attached to, or forming part thereof, a
perforated or non-perforated recess or receiver, of any convenient form, in com-
bination with an inverted cup, cap or cover, perforated or non-perforated and
provided with a rod, or other connection or connections, extending to or through
the lid of the vessel, whereby the said cap or cover may be removed for the
introduction into the receiver of the tea or other substance to be infused and be
passed down over or into the receiver to cut off its contents from the body of the
vessel at pleasure, substantially as described.
2. An apparatus suitable for the infusion of tea, coffee and other substances,
consisting of a perforated or non-perforated cup or receiver in combination with an
inverted cup, cap or cover, perforated or non-perforated, both removable from the
vessel in which the infusion is to take place and the cover provided with connections
whereby it may be passed into or over the receiver to isolate the contents thereof
within the vessel, substantially as described.
3. A tea pot or vessel and apparatus suitable for the infusion of tea, coffee and
other substances, constructed so as to operate substantially as herein before described
with reference to the accompanying drawing.
4. The combination of parts forming my improved apparatus constructed
substantially as herein described.
Deted his Thintoonth Jan
1
1005