AND CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR FILTERING WATER
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
AND CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR FILTERING WATER." A communica-
tion from abroad by Ralph Smith Jennings and Norman Gilbert Kellogg, both
of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 5th July 1878, and dated the 28th January 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th January, 1878.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. " IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR
FILTERING WATER." [A communication from abroad by Ralph Smith Jennings
and Norman Gilbert Kellogg, both of the City, County, and State of New York,
United States of America.]
The object of this Invention is to furnish a means for cleansing stationary filters.
This object is accomplished by providing the filter with a valve and a series of pipes
by means of which hot water may at any time be conveyed to the filter, and
entering the discharge end thereof pass through it to the supply end, where it is
discharged into a waste pipe.
The filter consists of a metallic cylinder resting on suitable supports and having
chambered heads secured to its ends, between which and the ends of the cylinder
are wire-gauze strainers. Between the wire-gauze strainers and in the body of the
cylinder there is a filling of granulated charcoal which forms the filtering medium.
Below the cylinder there is a plug valve whose casing has six openings, four on one
side and two upon the other. The heads of the cylinder are connected to the valve
casing at opposite sides by means of pipes, which are provided with unions, and are
screwed into two of the openings in the casing. A water supply pipe, a hot-water
pipe, a receiving pipe which communicates with the boiler and with the cold-water
pipe in the house, and a waste pipe are screwed into the other openings in the valve
casing.

page_text: The valve casing is bored conically, and provided with a conical plug which
extends to the top of the waste pipe opening, and is provided at its upper larger
end with a spindle that projects through a stuffing box in the cap screwed on the
upper end of the casing. The plug is provided with two sets of passages, one set
for directing the water into the regular channels for filtering, and the other set for
cleansing.
When the filter is working regularly water passes through the supply pipe to the
valve casing, and through a passage in the plug to the pipe which conveys it to one
of the heads of the filter, whence it passes through the cylinder and is received by the
other pipe which projects upward into the upper part of the chambered head, and
conveys it back to the casing, where it is directed by a passage in the plug into
the pipe which conveys it into the distributing pipes of the building.
When it is required to cleanse the filter the plug is turned through a quarter
revolution, and a passage in the plug connects the hot-water pipe with one of the
pipes leading to the filter, and another passage connects the supply pipe with the
receiving pipe for the building, while an aperture communicates with the interior of
the plug which is open at the lower end, and consequently in communication with
the waste pipe. By this arrangement hot water from the boiler is admitted to the
discharge end of the cylinder through the hot-water pipe, and escapes from the
receiving end through the waste pipe without interruption of the cold water supply
to the house. The hot water thus forced through the filter dissolves the various
salts that have been held in solution by the cold water filtered by the apparatus,
and removes from the charcoal filling the solid matter and carries it away through
the waste pipe.
The apparatus herein-described is intended more particularly for filtering water
for culinary and household purposes, but it may be employed to great advantage in
connection with steam boilers.

page_text: >
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd July 1878.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR
FILTERING WATER." A communication from abroad by Ralph Smith Jennings
and Norman Gilbert Kellogg, both of the City, County, and State of New York,
United States of America.
The object of this Invention is to furnish a means for cleansing stationary filters.
This object is accomplished by providing the filter with a valve and a series of
pipes by means of which hot water may at any time be conveyed to the filter, and
entering the discharge end thereof pass through it to the supply end, where it is
discharged into a waste pipe leading to the sewer.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which,―
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved filter.
Figures 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the valve used in connection with the
filter.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the valve plug taken on line x, x, in
Figure 2.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is a metallic cylinder resting on supports B, and having secured to its ends
chambered heads C, D, between which and the ends of the cylinder A wire gauze
strainers a are placed. Between the wire gauze strainers and in the body of the
cylinder there is a filling of granulated charcoal which forms the filtering medium.
Below the cylinder A there is a plug valve E (Figures 2 and 3). whose casing b has
six openings, four, c, d, e, f, on one side, and two, g, h, upon the other side. A pipe i
having upon it a union j connects the valve E with the head D of the cylinder, being
screwed into the opening g, and a pipe k having the union j connects the head Č
with the valve E, being screwed into the opening d. This pipe projects upward
into the upper part of the chambered head C. The water supply pipe is screwed
into the opening h. A hot-water pipe m is screwed into the opening c. A receiving
pipe n which communicates with the boiler and with the cold-water pipe in the
house is screwed into the opening e, and the waste pipe o is screwed into the
opening f
The valve casing E is bored conically and provided with a conical plug F which
extends to the top of the opening f, and is provided at its upper larger end with a
spindle o' that projects through a stuffing box p in the cap G, said cap being screwed
on the upper end of the casing b. The plug F is provided with two sets of passages,
one set for directing the water into the regular channels for filtering, and the other
set for cleansing.
When the filter is working regularly water passes through the supply pipe 7 to
the valve casing b, and through the passage q in the plug F to the pipe i, which
conveys it to the head D of the filter, whence it passes through the cylinder A and
is received by the pipe k which conveys it back to the valve E, where it is directed
by the passager in the plug F into the pipe n, which conveys it to the distributing
pipes of the building.
When it is required to cleanse the filter the plug F is turned through a quarter
revolution. When the passage 8 connects the pipes k, m, the passage t connects the
pipes l, n, and the aperture u communicates with the interior of the plug F, which
is open at the lower end, and consequently in communication with the pipe o. By
this arrangement hot water from the boiler is admitted to the discharge end of the
cylinder A through the hot-water pipe m and pipe k, and escapes from the receiving
end through the pipes i, o, while the water is supplied to the distributing pipes by
the pipes l, n. The hot water thus forced. through the filter dissolves the various

page_text: salts that have been held in solution by the cold water filtered by the apparatus,
and removes from the charcoal filling the solid matter and carries it away through
the waste pipe o.
The apparatus herein-described is intended more particularly for filtering water
for culinary and household purposes, but it may be employed to great advantage in
connection with steam boilers.
Figure 5 is a central longitudinal section, and Figure 6, a transverse section of an
improved filter provided with means for distributing the liquid to be filtered through
the filtering medium, so that the entire filling of the filter is available in removing
impurities from the liquid passing through the filter.
A¹ is the cylinder or main portion of the filter, which is flanged at each end to
receive the flanged hemispherical heads B' which are secured to the ends of the
cylinder by means of bolts. Both of the heads B¹ are apertured at a¹ to receive a
pipe, a feeding pipe being screwed into one of the heads B₁ and a discharge pipe into
the other. A hollow truncated cone C¹ having a flanged base is placed in each of
the hemispherical heads B1, with its smaller end looking away from the cylinder A'.
The flange of the cone is received in a groove formed in the adjacent faces of the
cylinder end and the hemispherical head B¹. The smaller end of each cone C¹ is
provided with a wire gauze strainer 6¹ which prevents the escape of the filling
material, and also prevents the entrance of large bodies of foreign matter. The
cylinder A is filled with any of the materials that are used as a filtering
medium.
The water or other liquid to be filtered is introduced into one of the hemispherical
heads through the opening a', and on striking the cone C' its force is broken, so that
it enters the main body of the filter in a comparatively slowly moving stream and
is therefore diffused through the filtering medium, so that it is thoroughly cleansed
and filtered.
When the filter is cleansed by forcing through it a volume of hot water in the
reverse direction, and is again arranged for filtering, the sediment in the discharge
end of the filter will be rapidly carried away.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The process of cleansing the water filter by passing hot water through it,
substantially as specified.
2nd. The combination with the filter of a valve or set of valves for directing a
current of hot water through the filter and simultaneously throwing the water
supply pipe into communication with the distributing pipes, substantially as herein
shown and described.
3rd. A filter consisting of a cylinder A containing a filling medium, and having
wire gauze strainers and chambered heads, substantially as herein shown and
described.
4th. The six-way valve, consisting of a casing having openings c, d, e, f, g, h, and
a plug having passages q, r, s, t, u, substantially as herein shown and described.
5th. The hollow cones C¹ having the strainers 61 in combination with the
cylinder A having the chambered heads B', substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.