AN IMPROVED FILTER
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Antoine Espirat and Etienne Sause, of Marseille, in
the Department of the Mouth of Rhône, in the Empire of France, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED FILTER."
Sealed the 10th January 1865, and dated the 19th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Antoine Espirat and
Etienne Sause at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 19th July 1864.
We, ANTOINE ESPIRAT and ETIENNE SAUSE, of Marseille, in the Department
of the Mouth of Rhône, in the Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED FILTER," to be as follows:-
The improved filter, the subject of this Invention, will be best understood
by reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, forming part of this
Provisional Specification, and to the letters of reference placed thereon.
The non-filtered water arrives by the pipe A into the float box B, it forces
the float C to rise perpendicularly, and being kept in this direction by the
guide D, in which its rod passes, it leaves the pipe E open for the free
entrance of the water, which then rushes with rapidity into the receiver F of
the cleanser, forming the first part of this apparatus, and by means of its
upward pressure passes through the filtering materials held between the
gratings G and H, and thus undergoes a first filtering. Thus freed from the
major part of its mud and dirt, the water passes round the filter J, which is

page_text: the second part of the apparatus, and is conducted by the pipe K into the
float box L, where it forces the float M to rise, and introduces itself into the
pipe N, which is hermetically closed at its lower part by means of the valve O
(known as the Perrot valve), it then rises again by the pipe P, which con-
ducts it into the receiver Q of the filter, and from thence it passes through the
filtering materials held between the gratings R and S; it is then only that it
has arrived at a perfect degree of clarification, and it may be directed wherever
desired by means of the pipe T. A reversed float may be substituted in the
place of the valve O. The filter is cleaned by its own agency as follows:-
The pipe V being fitted to the tube U at any part of its length constantly
brings a volume of water into the receiver X; this water passes through a
wire gauze Y placed in this receiver and comes into the syphon tube Z, which
may be regulated at will to bring this volume of water into the overshot
wheel a, the equilibrium of which is maintained by means of a counterweight
fixed to it at 6; when several buckets are filled, the wheel pivots and pours its
water suddenly into the receiver c, and when the water has attained a certain
height in this receiver it finds itself drawn up by the syphon d and poured into
a counterweight e, which on becoming full slides on the inner rod or guide f,
and by this sudden movement draws down the extremity g of the lever g, h,
opens the valve J, and then the emptying and cleansing takes place. The
support of the lever g, h, may be fixed either in a wall or by a collar on the
pipe U, or otherwise. On examination of this movement it will be observed
that the point of suspension of the lever being very near the valve J, this
latter opens instantly on the descent of the counterweight and comes under
the part K, which protects it from the shock of the current of water. It is
then that all the water contained in the receivers F and Q, being no longer
upheld by any fulcrum, escapes with great rapidity by the pipes P and U, and
forces the valve O to open and give it passage to issue by the opening of the
valve J. In the same way the water in the conducting tubes E and N being
no longer forced back, the floats C and M will come down and rest on their
funnels Z and m, which may be of leather; caoutchouc, or metal, and will
thus completely intercept the passage of the water and air during the cleansing.
From this moment the filtering materials are traversed with great rapidity by
a part of the already filtered waters, carrying with them, by the strength of
the expiration the muddy matters which have been arrested by the filtering
materials. The valve J closes of itself as follows:-The counterweight e in
its descent, which is very precipitate, empties itself by means of the syphon n
into the receiver o, and thus freed from the weight which has caused its
descent rises again and closes the valve J; the receiver o is emptied by

page_text: means of an opening at bottom or a syphon. This movement of the counter-
weight may be effected by means of an overflow from the float box B, which,
passing by the pipe p, will fall on to the overshot wheel a. In this case the
fitting of the branch V on to the pipe U might be suppressed. The overflow
above mentioned would be fed by the water obtained from the waste which
the choking of the muddy matters occasions in the filtering materials. It is
by this means that the filter cleanses itself when necessary. The cleansing
apparatus may be dispensed with at pleasure, the apparatuses may therefore be
simple or double. The non-filtered waters might, according to the situation
of the place, be brought to the apparatus by fitting the tube q in the pipe U,
which would produce the same effect as the water arriving by the pipe A.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Antoine Espirat and Etienne Sause in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ANTOINE
ESPIRAT and ETIENNE SAUSE, of Marseille, in the Department of the Mouth of
Rhône, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Antoine Espirat and Etienne Sause, Her special licence that we, the said
Antoine Espirat and Etienne Sause, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Antoine Espirat and Etienne Sause,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the time
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 "AN IMPROVED FILTER," upon
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Antoine Espirat and Etienne
Sause, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.
the
i

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Antoine Espirat and Etienne Sause,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Sheet of Drawing
hereunto annexed, and forming part of this Specification, and to the figures
and letters of reference marked thereon:-
The filters hitherto made have always been open to great objection, either
that the waters obtained were not perfectly clarified, or that the filtering
materials were too often impregnated with residues from the deposits made by
the waters and gave to these latter a bitter and muddy taste, resulting from
the continuous passage of the now filtered water through these residues, and
above all these inconveniences that of being obliged to take the filter to
pieces in order to cleanse it, which rendered a double number of filters
requisite, more especially in public establishments, because of the intermission
occasioned by their cleaning.
By our system we have fully overcome all the defects which now exist in
filters, and have substituted advantages which we will set forth in the following
description.
As indicated on the Drawing the non-filtered water arrives by the pipe A
into the float box B, it forces the float C to rise perpendicularly, and it being
kept in this direction by the guide D, in which its rod passes, thus leaves
the pipe E open for the free entrance of the water, which then rushes with
rapidity into the receiver F of the cleanser, forming the first part of this
apparatus, and by means of its upward pressure passes through the filtering
materials held between the gratings G and H, and thus undergoes a first
filtering operation. Thus freed from the major part of its mud and dirt the
water passes round the filter I, which is the second part of the apparatus, and
is conducted by the pipe K into the float box L, where it forces the float M
to rise, and introduces itself into the pipe N, which is hermetically closed at its
lower part by means of the valve O, known as the Perrot valve; it then rises
again by the pipe P which conducts it into the receiver Q of the filter, and
from thence it passes through the filtering materials held between the gratings
R and S; it is then only that it has arrived at a perfect degree of clarification,
and it may be sent wherever desired by means of the pipe T. A reversed
float may be substituted in the place of the valve O. As to the cleansing of s
the filter, we have succeeded by a simple contrivance in making the filter
itself the actual agent of this important function by means of a branch fitted
on the pipe U; in fact the pipe V being fitted to the tube U at any part of
its length constantly brings a volume of water into the receiver X; this water

page_text: passes through a wire gauze Y placed in this receiver and comes into. the
syphon tube Z, which may be regulated at will to bring this volume of water
into the overshot wheel a, the equilibrium of which is maintained by means of
a counterweight fixed to it at 6; when several buckets are filled, the wheel
pivots and pours its water suddenly into the receiver c, and when the water
has attained a certain height in this receiver it finds itself drawn up by the
syphon d and poured into a counterweight e, which on becoming full slides
on the inner rod or guide f, and by this sudden movement draws down the
extremity g of the lever g, h, opens the valve j, and then the outflow and
cleansing takes place. The support h of the lever g, h, may be fixed either
in a wall or by a collar on the pipe U or otherwise. On examination of this
movement it will be observed that the point of suspenson h of the lever being
very near the valve j, this latter opens instantly on the descent of the counter-
weight and comes under the part K, which protects it from the shock of the
current of water. It is then that all the water contained in the receiver
F and Q, being no longer upheld by any fulcrum, escapes with great rapidity
by the pipes P and U, and forces the valve O to open and give it passage to
issue by the opening of the valve j. In the same way the water in the con-
ducting tubes E and N being no longer forced back the floats C and M will
come down and rest on their funnel and m, which may be of leather,
caoutchouc, or metal, and will thus completely intercept the passage of the
water and air during the cleansing. From this moment the filtering materials
are traversed with great rapidity by a part of the already filtered waters,
carrying with them, by the strength of the impulsion, the muddy matters
which have been arrested by the filtering materials. The emptying valve j
closes of itself as follows:-The counterweight e in its descent, which is very
precipitate, empties itself by means of the syphon n into the receiver o, and
thus freed from the weight which has caused its descent rises again and closes
the valve j; the receiver o is emptied by means of an opening at bottom or a
syphon. This movement of the counterweight may be effected by means of
au overflow from the float box B, which, passing by the pipe p, will fall on to
the overshot wheel a. In this case the fitting of the branch V on to the
pipe U might be suppressed. The overflow above mentioned would be fed by
the water obtained from the waste which the choking of the muddy matters
occasions with filtering materials. It is by this means that the filter cleanses
itself when necessary. The cleansing apparatus may be dispensed with at
pleasure, the apparatuses may therefore be simple or double; we may also
employ leather or caoutchouc for the funnels and m, or any well-fitting
metallic pieces, as also screws on the cross bars to retain the filtering materials,

page_text: or, an indefinite number of springs causing pressure on the above-mentioned
materials. The valve j may be replaced, if desired, by a cock fitted on any
part of the pipe U. It would be worked by hand by pressing on the end of
the lever and keeping it down as long as may be deemed necessary for the
outflow and cleansing. The non-filtered waters might, according to the
situation of the place; be brought to the apparatus by fitting the tube q in
the pipe U, which would produce the same effect as the water arriving by
the pipe A.
In witness whereof, we, the said Antoine Espirat and Etienne Sause,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventh day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
ESPIRAT, ANTOINE. (L.S.)
ETNE. SAUSE.
(LS.)
ESPIRAT, ANTOINE. (L.S.)
ETNE SAUSE.
(L.8.)