IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING THE LIQUID PORTION OF YEAST, SPENT HOPS, OR OTHER SIMILAR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Ritchie, of Edinburgh, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Brewor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN EXTRACTING THE LIQUID PORTION OF YEAST, SPENT HOPS, OR OTHER SIMILAR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ritchie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th September 1862.
I, GEORGE RITCHIE, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North
Britain, Brewer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING THE LIQUID PORTION OF YEAST, SPENT HOPS, OR
OTHER SIMILAR MATTERS. AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a mode of subjecting yeast, spent hops, or other
similar matters to filtration in such manner as to extract therefrom the liquid
portion, and so avoid the loss of a considerable portion of the liquid.
Under one modification or system of arrangement the yeast obtained in
brewing is placed in a filtering vessel, which may be formed either of metal,
stone, slate, or wood, coated so as to render it impervious to air. Iuside the
filtering vessel is fitted a false bottom, which is made of metal, stone, slate, or
wood, and is perforated, or it may be made of wire, similar to the bottom of a
sieve. This false bottom is properly fitted in its place, and the space between

page_text: it and the filtering vessel is put in communication with an air pump. On the
surface of the fulse bottom two, three, or more plies of filtering cloths are
placed, and the yeast is then poured on to the cloths. The air is exhausted
from beneath the false bottom by moans of the air pump, the atmospheric
pressure on the upper surface causing the fluid portion of the yeast to be
driven rapidly down through the interstices of the filtering cloths and the false
bottom. In this way the whole of the liquid portion of the yeast is utilized,
and an important saving is effected. Spent hops, grains, or other generally
similar matters, which have hitherto been but partially deprived of the liquid
portion, may be treated in a corresponding manner, so as to effect a saving
thereon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Ritchie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th March 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
RITCHIE, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, Brewer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Ritchie, Her special license that 1, the said George Ritchie, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others that I, the said George
Ritchie, my executors, administrators, or 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 EXTRACTING THE
LIQUID PORTION OF YEAST, SPENT HOPS, OR OTHER SIMILAR MATTERS, AND IN THE
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," on the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said George Ritchie, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one
of them, 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 George Ritchie, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:―
My said Invention relates to a mode of subjecting yeast, spent hops, or
other similar matters to filtration in such manner as to extract therefrom the
liquid portion, and so avoid the loss of a considerable portion of the liquid.
pump.
Under one modification or system of arrangement the yeast obtained in
brewing is placed in a filtering vessel, which may be formed either of metal,
stone, slate, or wood, coated so as to render it impervious to air. Inside the
filtering vessel is fitted a false bottom, which, if made of metal,stone, slate,or
wood, is perforated; or it may be made of wire, similar to the bottom of a
sieve. This falso bottom is properly fitted in its place, and the space between
it and the filtering vessel is put in communication with an air
On the
surface of the false bottom two, three, or more plies of filtering cloths are
placed, and the yeast is then poured on to the cloths. The air is exhausted
from beneath the false bottom by means of the air pump, the atmospheric
pressure on the upper surface causing the fluid portion of the yeast to be
driven rapidly down through the interstices of the filtering cloths and the
false bottom. In this way the whole of the liquid portion of the yeast is
utilized, and an important saving is effected. Spent hops, grains, or other
generally similar matters, which have hitherto been but partially deprived
of the liquid portion, may be treated in a corresponding manner, so as to
effect a saving thereon.
And in order that my said Invention of "Improvements in Extracting the
Liquid Portion of Yeast, Spent Hops, or other similar Matters, and in the
Apparatus employed therein," may be properly understood, I shall now pro-
ceed to describe the several Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings
which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of showing certain modifi-
cations under which my said Invention may be judiciously carried out in
practice, that is to say:-
Figure 1 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a vertical section of
one modification or arrangement of my improved apparatus for extracting
liquor from spent hops; Figure 2 is a vertical section of another modification
of apparatus suitable for the same purpose; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section
of an apparatus for straining yeast; and Figure 4 is a plan of the same,
corresponding to Figure 3.
Referring to the arrangement for straining hops as delineated in Figure 1,

page_text: this apparatus consists of a cylinder A, formed by preference of iron. This
vessel is open at the upper part, and closed at the bottom, which is made of a
convex figure externally, so that the liquid may flow to the centre, where there
is an aperture for inserting the cock B for drawing off the liquid. This form
of bottom serves also to give strength to the vessel, so that it may resist the
external pressure of the atmosphere when the lower part of the vessel is
exhausted of air. At a convenient distance above the bottom of the vessel A
is cast a ring or flange C, which projects from the inner face of the cylinder,
and serves to support the false bottom D; this false bottom consists of a metal
disc, perforated throughout its area, to allowof any fluid passing freely through
it to the space below. Immediately below the flange C an aperture is made
through the cylinder in a lateral direction to admit of the connection thereto
of the pipe E, which is connected with a suitable pump for exhausting air.
The hops, grain, or other matters that have been used in brewingareremoved
from the brewing vessels and thrown into the cylinder A. When the cylinder
is nearly filled, the metal cover F is lowered on to the top of the spent hops or
other similar material to be operated upon. The cover F is formed of iron,
and is of a convex figure on its upper side; there is a ring G in the centre for
the convenience of slinging it when required. The outer margin of the cover
is recessed to receive the packing H, which is formed of caoutchouc or other
suitable material. This packing is kept in its place by means of a metal
ring I, which is secured to the cover by the pinching screws J, or other
equivalent contrivance. The apparatus being filled with the spent material,
and the cover fitted in its place, the air pump is put in motion, and the air is
gradually exhausted from the space below the false bottom D. The cover F
now acts as a species of plunger or piston, the unbalanced column of air
causing it to press with considerable force upon the contents of the cylinder A,
and so cause the liquid portion of the spent material to be pressed out and run
into the space below the false bottom. From this receptacle the liquid is run
off by the cock B at intervals, as required, and in this way a considerable
saving of liquor is effected. When the spent material has been thoroughly
pressed, so at to extract as much as possible of the liquid, the action of the
pump is stopped, air is admitted to the lower part of the cylinder, and the
cover G is raised. The spent material is now removed from the cylindor A,
and the apparatus is again ready for use.
In Figure 2 of the accompanying Drawings is shown another mode of
arranging the parts of the hop strainer. In this modification the cylinder A
is an open topped vessel with a flat bottom, immediately above which is the
lateral opening for screwing in the liquor cock B. On the lower part of the

page_text: interior of the cylinder is arranged the stand or frame C, the rim of which is
perforated at intervals, as shown at D. The air is drawn off from the interior
of the vessel by the laterally branching pipe E, which is connected, as herein-
before described, with a contiguous air pump. In this arrangement the spent
material is placed in a secondary cylinder K, which is supported on the
stand C. This cylinder is perforated over its entire surface, so as to permit
the escape of liquid from all parts of it,and it has arranged in the centre of it
a vertical stand pipe L, which is bolted down to the bottom of the vessel K.
This pipe is also perforated throughout its extent to allow of the free escape of
the liquid from the central portion of the spent material under pressure. The
pressing cover or plunger F is in this case somewhat modified from the one
shown in Figure 1. The cover F is fitted with the india-rubber or other
packing H,to exclude the external air, the packing being retained by the ring I
and punching screws J,as herein-before described. The cover F is connected
by means of the cylinder M, or in any other convenient manner, with the
perforated disc N, which rests upon the top of the spent material. With this
arrangement, when the cylinder K has been filled with the spent material, the
cover F is slung into its place, the disc N resting on the spent hops, and
the mouth of the pipe L passing up into the cylinder M. Upon the air
being exhausted from the interior of the cylinder A, the cover F descends,
and the liquid portion of the spent material is forced out with great
rapidity, the great number of perforations on all sides of the material
causing the liquid to flow away with great facility.
The apparatus I prefer to use for straining yeast so as to economise the
liquid portion of the same is shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying
Drawings. It consists of a rectangular framing O, which serves to support a
shallow trough P, made by preference of slate. This trough is formed with
a ledge a short distance above the bottom,and extending round the interior of
the trough. This recessed part serves to support the false bottom Q, which is
formed of a rectangular frame supporting a series of transverse bars R, formed
of wire tinned, or of wood, or of other suitable material, and arranged nearly
close together. These transverse wires or bars R are further supported by the
longitudinal lengths of wood S, which prevents the false bottom from bending
in the central part; these have notches cut in them, as shown in Figuro 3, to
allow of the free passage of the air and liquid, and above the wire bottom R
is placed one or more plies T of cotton, linen, or woollen cloth, or other fabric
suitable for filtering. Two apertures are formed in the bottom of the trough P,
one to receive the junction piece of the air pipe U, and the other that of the
liquor pipe V, which is furnished with a cock W, to regulate the egress of the

page_text: liquid, as required. The pipe V is connected to the barrel of the contiguous
air pump X, which is actuated by the winch handle Y, or by steam power, as
may be found most convenient. The yeast to be strained is allowed to flow
into the trough P until it is filled; the pump X is put into motion, which draws
off the air from the space below the false bottom Q; the external pressure
forces the liquid portion of the yeast through the textile strainers, and it falls
into the chamber below. As the liquid accumulates, it is drawn off from time
to time into a suitable receptacle by means of a cock W. With these
several arrangements for straining spent hops or other materials used in
brewing, and yeast, the whole of the fluid portion may be utilized and a
considerable saving may be thereby effected.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carricu
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what 1 consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the system or mode of treating spent hops or other materials used
in brewing, and also yeast, for the purpose of straining or extracting the
liquid matters contained therein, and utilizing the same, as herein-before
described, and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the arrangement, construction, and combination of parts forming
the machinery or apparatus for extracting the liquids contained in spent
hops or grain, as herein-before described, and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification of the said arrangements.
Third, the arrangement, construction, and combination of parts forming
the machinery or apparatus for straining yeast, and extracting therefrom
the liquid portion,as herein-before described, and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere equivalent for the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Ritchie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of March Oue thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three.
GEORGE RITCHIE. (L.s.)