IMPROVEMENTS IN KITCHEN RANGES WITH COMBINED STEAMER AND HOT CLOSETS FOR COOKING, WARMING, DRYING, OR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to. James Charles Nixon, of the Firm of Messieurs
Danks and Nixon, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Furnishing Ironmongers and Domestic Range and Closet Manufacturers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KITCHEN RANGES WITH COMBINED
STEAMER AND HOT CLOSETS FOR COOKING, WARMING, DRYING, OR OTHER
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 28th February 1860, and dated the 3rd September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Charles Nixon at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd September 1859.
I, JAMES CHARLES NIXON, of the Firm of Messieurs Danks and Nixon, of
the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Furnishing Ironmongers
and Domestic Range and Closet Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KITCHEN RANGES WITH COMBINED
STEAMER AND HOT CLOSETS FOR COOKING, WARMING, DRYING, OR OTHER PURPOSES,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the convenience and advantage of com-
bining in a kitchen range a steamer and hot closet, or steamers and closets,
so that it can be used as a steam closet for steaming purposes, or as a

page_text: drying closet for warming, drying, or other purposes, and is as follows :-I
introduce from the boiler or steam generator steam directly into the closet for
cooking purposes, and when not used for steaming purposes the steam is
circulated through pipes round the outside of the steam closet, or between the
steam closet and an outer case, which converts that which was before a steam
closet into a hot, warming, or drying closet.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Charles Nixon in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CHARLES NIXON, of the Firm of Messieurs Danks and Nixon, of the Town
and County of the Town of Nottingham, Furnishing Ironmongers and
Domestic Range and Closet Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Charles Nixon, Her special licence that I, the said James
Charles Nixon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Charles Nixon, my executors, administrators, and 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN KITCHEN RANGES WITH COMBINED STEAMER AND HOT CLOSETS FOR
COOKING, WARMING, DRYING, OR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Charles Nixon, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Charles Nixon, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by

page_text: the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention has for its object the convenience and advantage of combining
in a kitchen range a steamer and hot closet, or steamers and closets, so that
the apparatus may be used as a steam closet for steaming purposes, or as a
drying closet for warming, drying, or other purposes. I introduce steam from
the boiler or steam generator directly into the closet for cooking purposes, and
when not used for steaming purposes the steam is circulated through pipes
round the outside of the steam closet, or between the steam closet and an
outer case, which converts that which was before a steam closet into a hot,
warming, or drying closet.
I now proceed to explain my Invention more particularly with reference to
the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a front view, and Figure 2, end view, partly in section, of a
cooking range constructed according to my Invention, and fitted with the
following arrangements:-A is a flue flap, which can be opened or closed at
pleasure; the flue passes up a portion of the left side of the oven B and over
a portion of the top, where it joins the draught from the flue C near the
bottom of the fire, the draught passing under the bottom of the oven and up
the right side of it on the top, and out at the back up the flue, as shewn by
the arrows. The top flue A is shewn open in the Drawing, and when closed
by turning the thumb bit in the direction of the arrow A', the flap will lie
close to the side of the fire, and stop the draught over the top of the oven.
B' is the top plate or hob of the oven, which plate or hob has a square
opening B³, in which is fitted a square plate, having a round opening stopped
by a plate B³, which is taken away when liquid or other matter contained in a
pan or vessel is to be boiled. When liquid or other matters in two or more
pans or vessels have to be boiled at the same time, the square plate is taken
out, and the pans or vessels are set within the opening. The doors D, D, D,.
are for the purpose of cleaning out the several flues. The flue E carries the
draught from the lower part of the left side of the fire under the boiler F, up
the left side of the boiler, round the upper part of the back, and out at the
flue G, which is provided at the top with a flap or damper H, which may be
opened to any extent required by means of a notched lever terminating in a
knob in front of the range, a greater or less heat being directed under the
boiler in proportion to the extent to which the damper is opened or closed.
The damper works upon two pins or axles placed a short distance from the
front of the flue, so that when the damper is wide open, and the flue is being
cleaned, the soot may fall down the flue instead of lying on the damper,

page_text: thereby preventing any choking of the damper, or obstruction to its effectual
working. A closet I is placed at the upper part of the range at the right
hand, which in a range of the size shewn, supposing the Drawings to be, for
example, one-fourth the full size of a kitchen range, is 10 inches high,
18 inches wide, and 25 inches long, and is used for heating dishes, plates,
or other articles. In the centre of the range over the fire is placed a register
flap K, which, as it at all times inclines upward, effectually prevents the smoke
from returning, the flap being held in the position required by the racked
lever passing through a slot in the flap. The main improvement to the range
is the closet L, the inner size of which is shewn by the inner dotted lines, the
outer dotted lines representing a casing to the closet; the top of the casing is
furnished with a steam damper M, opened or closed by means of a knob in
front of the range. Between the top of the closet and the top of the boiler F
is placed a steam slide or valve provided with two escapes, one of which is
furnished with a short pipe N, Figure 2, through which the steam escapes
into the casing surrounding the closet, by which means the closet is made hot,
the steam escaping through the damper box M. There are two perforated
shelves in the closet on which the articles to be steamed or dried are to be
placed. This closet can be made a hot closet as just described, or it can be
made a steam closet, by simply drawing out the knob N¹ attached to a rod and
slide, which slide will be placed over the opening to the pipe N, thereby
stopping the steam from entering the closet casing, and leaving open the
pipe N, through which the steam passes up into the interior of the closet;
the water which is produced by condensation on the sides of the closet is drawn
off by the small cock in front of the range. Below the bottom of the closet
door in front is placed a small trough, which receives the water that drops
from the door when it is opened, and from which trough the water passes into the
bottom of the closet, and is drawn off as above described. Figure 3 represents
a steam cock which I use when a closet is detached from the range, the two
outlets A and B are turned accurately, and fit into corresponding collars in
the closet, which forms a steam-tight joint; the other end of the cock is
soldered to a pipe passing from any steam boiler. Although I have herein
stated certain proportions, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to these precise proportions or dimensions.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim. as my
Invention,―
Firstly, the use and arrangement of the dampers for the steam closet and
fire flues, as shewn and described, and also the arrangement of a combined

page_text: steamer or hot closet for heating, steaming, and drying purposes, as shewn
and described.
Secondly, the use or employment of the fall door over the fire for the
prevention of smoke, and for regulating the draught.
Thirdly, the application or employment of the cock for steaming and drying
purposes, as shewn in Figure 3, and herein-before described.
Fourthly, the use of a bottom grate to the fire, which is cast in one
piece with, and forms the flues for the oven and boiler, as shewn in the front
view, Figure 1.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Charles Nixon, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
5
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Agent,
Nottingham.
J. C. NIXON. (L.S.)