Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 5th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 6th July, 1888
I, GILLIS VAN OVERBEEK DE MEYER, Doctor of Medicine and Professor of Hygiene
at the University of Utrecht, Kingdom of the Netherlands do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The objects of my invention are:
I. To secure absolute destruction of the germs of contagion in the articles to be
disinfected.
II. To avoid the disadvantages appertaining to the apparatus now in use, viz., the
gradual destruction by the use of steam of high pressure, or air heated to a high tem-
perature, of those articles subjected more than once to the disinfecting process; the
too speedy escape of the steam if introduced at the bottom of the disinfecting chamber
and allowed to escape at the top, thereby rendering it impossible to obtain the same
uniform temperature in all parts; the necessity of employing a skilled mechanic to
attend to the apparatus, &c.
III. To secure a constant uniform temperature in all parts of the apparatus &
thereby to avoid condensation of the steam in any part of the disinfecting chamber
& the necessity of drying the articles disinfected.
IV. To shorten the time required for disinfection.
In order to carry out my invention, 1 construct an apparatus consisting of an inner
chamber of suitable form, dimensions & material (called hereafter the disinfecting
chamber) & enclose it in a chamber (called the outer chamber) of approximately the
same shape but slightly larger, so that there is a small space between the disinfecting
& outer chambers.
At one end I make an opening through both chambers to permit of articles being
placed in the disinfecting chamber, provided with an airtight door, covered with some
suitable non-heat-conducting material.
In the ceiling of the disinfecting chamber I construct an opening, so that steam
generated in, or introduced into, the space between the chambers has free ingress into
the disinfecting chamber. To carry off the steam thus introduced, I make a second
opening in the floor of the disinfecting chamber & connect this hole with the onter

page_text: atmosphere, or a chimney, by a pipe passing through the outer chamber. Steam
generated in, or introduced into, the space between the chambers, will first surround
the inner chamber & then pass through the hole in the ceiling into that chamber &
after traversing its whole space in a downward direction (whereby the spread of the
steam is secured) will escape through the hole in the floor. It will also be evident that
there being a free passage for the steam from the place of generation, or introduction
(viz., the space between the chambers) to the outer atmosphere, there can never be a
sufficient steam pressure to injure articles placed in the disinfecting chamber. On the
other hand, in order to prevent too speedy egress of the steam & thus to retain it a
sufficient time in the disinfecting chamber & enable it to accomplish its work of
destroying the germs of contagion, I make the opening of ingress at the top of the
disinfecting chamber larger than that of egress in the floor, whereby the steam is
retained long enough in the disinfecting chamber to secure penetration of even the
most voluminous articles.
As shown hereafter, an additional precaution to prevent injury to the articles to be
disinfected is taken by fixing the maximum heat of the whole of both chambers at 101°
to 102° Celsius 214° to 216° Fahrenheit.
=
In order to generate the necessary steam and at the same time to secure an equal
uniform temperature throughout the disinfecting chamber, I fill the space between the
inner and the outer chambers with water to about half the height of the inner chamber
and heat this to the required temperature by means of a furnace placed underneath the
apparatus.
The inner chamber being in this manner surrounded by water & steam, which
can, by regulating the furnace, be maintained at an uniform temperature, an equal
temperature can be maintained throughout the disinfecting chamber & condensation
thereby entirely prevented.

page_text: 1, GILLIS VAN OVERBEEK DE MEYER, Doctor of Medicine and Professor of Hygeino
at the University of Utrecht, Kingdom of the Netherlands 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 :-
In order to carry out my invention I construct a suitable watertight chamber, efgh,
of cylindrical, rectangular, or other desired shape, having a door t t, by which the
articles to be disinfected can be inserted in the apparatus, or removed therefrom.
This chamber I enclose in a second chamber, of approximately the same shape, but
slightly larger, lettered a b c d in the drawings.
In the ceiling of the inner, or disinfecting, chamber ef gh, I construct an opening k,
so that steam generated between the two chambers can enter the inner chamber
freely. To carry off the steam thus introduced, I make a second opening 7 in the floor,
or bottom, of the inner chamber, into which I insert a pipe m, passing through the
wall of the outer chamber.
It will thus be evident that if steam be generated between the two chambers, which
can be done by filling the space with water about half full (up to p) and heating the
apparatus by a hearth placed underneath it, the steam thus generated will find its way
through into the inner chamber. Having a tendency to rise, it will then fill every
part of the inner chamber, until the latter becomes so full that it is forced to escape
through the opening and the tube m.
It will also be seen that the whole of the disinfecting space e f g h being surrounded
by a jacket of boiling water and steam, an equal uniform temperature is obtained
throughout the apparatus and condensation thereby prevented.
Instead of one door, two doors can be used, one for inserting and one for removing
the articles treated. If a slight pressure of steam be desired in the disinfecting
chamber, the same can be obtained by closing the opening / by a spring valve, which
will allow the steam to escape upon a certain pressure being reached.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
& in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
I. The manufacture and use of a disinfecting apparatus in which the fluid generating
the agent for the disinfecting serves at the same time with the generated agent, to
form a jacket round the disinfecting space, so that the latter is kept at the same
temperature.
II. In disinfecting apparatus, the combination of the jacket mentioned in claim I
with the arrangement described, by means of which the steam is compelled to pass
through the disinfecting space in a downward direction.
Dated this 5th day of June 1888
GEORGE COWLEY BINGHAM,
Agent for Applicant.