IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF PROVISIONS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN LINGS,
of Spur Street, Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesox, Cheesemonger,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-first day of July, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Lings, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Lings, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said John Lings, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonics and Plantations abroad, and in the
Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF PROVISIONS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Lings,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Lings, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described aud
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Improvements in apparatus for the preservation of provisions consist
in certain novel constructions of safes, chests, or closets, for the reception of
victuals and other perishablo commodities, in which such articles may be
preserved in a cold or hot state, as may be required, and also enclosed from
the action of the surrounding atmosphere. In the accompanying Drawings
I have shewn such improved constructions of safes, chests, or closets, as
constitute the subject of my Invention, the particular features of which I will
now describe.
Fig. 1 represents the elevation of one of my improved safes, chests, or
closets, for the reception of provisions required to be kept at a very low
temperature. The front external part of the safe is removed (indeed the
safe may be said to be in section), for the purpose of shewing its internal
construction.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same, or it may be said that the top
of the safe has been removed, and Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken transversley
through the middle of Fig. 1; in all which Figures similar letters of reference
indicate the same parts of the apparatus. a, a, is the outer casing, which
I usually make of wood, with an external door in front, as shewn thrown open,
as at a* in Fig. 2. The inner casing of the safe b, b, b, I prefer to be of zinc,
or galvanised iron, but do not intend to confine myself to those metals, as other
suitable materials might be employed for the purpose. Between the two
casings a and b, I introduce powdered charcoal, or sawdust, or hair, or any
other imperfect conductor of heat applicable to the purpose, and with this non-
conducting material I fill the spaces all round the closet except at the front
part. The interior of the safo I divide into such distinct compartments as
may be required, by partitions and shelves c, c, c, by which receptacles are
formed to receive different kinds of provisions. In the middle of the safe
I place a box or vessel d (having a perforated bottom), intended to contain
ice, and below this another box or vessel e, to receive the water that may run
from the ice as it slowly melts. The vessel d should be kept continually full
of ice; and therefore, in order to supply the place of that which melts away, the
top of the safe may be raised, so that it can be from time to time replenished
with ice, and the vessel may be drawn out in front when required to dis-

page_text: charge the water which has dripped into it from the ice box d above. In the
front of the safe I place two doors, or a double door, the inner one of having a
casing 6, the space between which and the wood work is to be filled with
powdered charcoal or other imperfect conductor of heat, so that when the
door is shut the safe shall be on all sides guarded by a non-conducting partition,
which will prevent the radiation of heat. In the compartments of this safe
formed by the shelves c, c, c, I place the different kinds of victuals required to
be refrigerated or kept cool, and having closed the doors and a* the external
air will be effectually excluded, and the low temperature of the ice being
communicated through the metallic vessel d to the compartments, the heat will
be quickly abstracted therefrom and they will be kept at a uniform low tem-
perature. A modification of this apparatus is represented at Fig. 4, which is a
front elevation, the doors being removed to shew the interior; Fig. 5 is a hori-
zontal section of the same, and Fig. 6 a vertical section. The general features
of this apparatus are the same as those already explained, but in this instance
instead of the vessel e (shewn in Fig. 1), which receives the drippings of the
melting ice, I have in this modification provided a syphon pipe g, seen
best in Fig. 6, to take off the water from the vessel d, which vessel is to
be filled with ice at the top, as before. This safe being all round insu-
lated or encased by a non-conducting material which will prevent the radi-
ation of heat, and the compartments formed by the partitions c, c, c, being
in immediate contact with the metallic sides of the ice chamber d, when
the doors are closed the ice will abstract the natural heat from the com-
partments and keep them and the articles placed therein at a very low
temperature. This modification of the apparatus, however, is capable of
being employed if required as a hot closet; in which case the ice being removed
from the vessel d, a current of steam or hot water might be passed into the
vessel d from a boiler through the pipe h, and the condensation or water as it
cools might be discharged at bottom through the syphon pipe g; the heat thus
given to the vessel d would pass through the metallic sides of the vessel to the
compartments, and the victuals, &c. contained therein would be kept hot, for the
non-conducting materials which surround the safe would prevent the radiation
or escape of the heat as long as the doors are shut and the compartiments
closed from the external air.
Fig. 7 is a section taken vertically of another modification of my improved
apparatus, suited for a wine chest or other similar purpose, and Fig. 8 is a
horizontal section of the same. This arrangement of apparatus, if constructed of
small dimensions, say from two to three feet square, may be made ornamental
in shape and external figure, to be placed in any situation contiguous to or in

page_text: a dining room, for the reception of wines, ice, creams, and other things re-
quired to be kept cool. The compartments of this safe are constructed as
before, and surrounded by a non-conducting casing, in or near the middle of
which an ice box d is to be placed, which box may be let down from the top or
slidden in and out at the front. The compartments may be made suitable for
the reception of bottles or other vessels, and the ice in the box d communi-
cating its refrigerating properties to the chamber contiguous will keep the
liquids and other things in a cold state. I may remark, that if ice cannot be
conveniently procured, cold spring water may be used as a substitute in the
vessel d, and if desired a current of cold water may be made to pass through
the apparatus represented in Figures 4, 5, and 6.
Fig. 9 represents a portable chest, which may be made like a basket exter-
nally, but internally formed with compartments, having a box of ice in the
middle, the chest being surrounded by a non-conducting material, as before
described. In such a basket, when closely shut from the external air, any
articles of provisions may be carried to a distance in the warmest weather and
in any climate without exposing the provisions to the temperature of the sur-
rounding atmosphere; and hence any articles of food, wines, fruits, &c. may at
all times be preserved and delivered at such a low temperature as may bo
found agreeable to the taste, though placed in a warm room or other situation
where the air has been considerably heated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lings, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twenty first day of January in the mn of one Tod
JOHN (8.) LINGS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-first day of January,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Lings came before our Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also
the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
in that case mado and provided.