Improvements in Tea-pots, Coffee-pots, and other similar Receptacles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Apr., 1890-Accepted, 24th May. 1890
Improvements in Tea-pots, Coffee-pots, and other similar
Receptacles.
We, ROBERT PETER MONCRIEFF, of 20 Argyle Terraco, South Shields, in the
County of Durham, Jeweller, and JOHN MITCHELL MONCRIEFF of the same address,
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 :-
This invention comprises certain improvements in teapots, coffee pots and other
similar receptacles so constructed that their liquid contents are discharged by displace-
ment. The liquid contents from receptacles of this character have hitherto been
discharged only during the time the air vent is closed and pressure maintained on the
displacer, a relaxation of the pressure or an opening of the air vent resulting in a
cessation of the flow of liquid. In practice it has been found very inconvenient to
keep the air vent closed and simultaneously to maintain constant pressure on the
displacer during the time the liquid is required to flow, and our invention is designed
with the object of overcoming this inconvenience.
Our invention relates to the application of the syphon principle to receptacles from
which the liquid contents have hitherto been discharged by displacement. When
once the syphon is started the contents will continue to flow automatically until the
desired quantity has been discharged, when the flow may be conveniently stopped by
the production of a partial vacuum in the receptacle, this may be effected by closing
the air vent and withdrawing the displacer.
And in order that our invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice, we will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying.
drawing which shews the section of a teapot constructed in accordance with our
invention.
We provide the teapot with a spout constructed on the principle of the syphon, that
is to say, the discharging orifice of the outer leg is at a lower level than the
orifice K of the inner leg B. In the drawing. we have shewn the outer leg.A curved
to correspond with the curvature of the handle C, but the outer leg A may be made
perfectly straight. or of a fanciful shape as desired. D is a displacer, which may
form part of the lid of the vessel and is capable of being slid up and down within the
cylindrical casing E, the two contiguous faces of the displacer and casing being
worked up as nearly true as possible, so that they fit each other practically airtight.
The knob F is provided with a central aperture & in direct communication with the
inside of the teapot, so that the air may freely pass through the aperture G into and
out of the teapot. H is a strainer of ordinary construction it forms no part of our
invention and may be dispensed with, although we prefer to use something of this
kind to prevent the tea leaves from passing off with the tea.
To start the syphon, the displacer D is raised with the aperture or air vent G open.
This allows the air to pass into the interior of the teapot through the aperture G. The
said aperture G is now closed by the finger of the operator, or by other suitable
means, and the displacer D is gently pressed inwards, thus compressing the air within
the teapot and forcing the liquid to completely fill the syphon tube. The syphon
having thus been started the displacer D is then released and the air vent unclosed,
and the liquid will continue to flow automatically until the syphoning action is
interfered with by admission of air to syphon tube or by the production of a partial
vacuum or other means. To stop the syphoning, when sufficient has been drawn off,
the vent G is closed, and the displacer quickly raised, creating a partial vacuum in the
teapot which causes the withdrawal of the liquid from the tube and then stops the

page_text: syphoning action. When more tea, coffee, or other liquid is required to be drawn off,
the action of the syphon is again started as before.
r
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
(1) The application of a syphon or syphon action to teapots, coffee pots, and other
similar receptacles, from which an intermittent flow of liquid is required, the syphon
being started by displacement, and stopped by creating a partial vacuum in the
receptacle substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described and.
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
(2) Our insproved syphon teapot, coffee pot, or other similar receptacle, constructed
so that the spout or pourer forms the discharging leg of the syphon, substantially as
described and illustrated.
11.
1
c
1
CASTLE SMITH,
Per F. W. Golby,
"Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicants.