IMPROVEMENTS IN ICE SAFES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Olarke Ash, of 315, Oxford Street, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ICE SAFES."
Sealed the 25th April 1873, and dated the 12th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Clarke Ash at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th November 1872.
I, HENRY CLARKE ASH, of 815, Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN ICE SAFES," to be as follows :-
-
Heretofore in ice safes which have been formed to open at the front
the ice by which the interior of the safe is to be cooled has been placed
into a vertical receptacle or ice well passing through the safe, or the ice
well has been sometimes placed at the upper part of the safe, and the
air in the safe coming into contact with the ice or with the receptacle
containing it has been thereby cooled, and the extent to which the
temperature in the safe could be reduced has varied greatly, according
as more or less ice is contained in the ice receptacle or well, consequently

page_text: if a low temperature has been required it has been necessary to fill up
the ice well from day to day in order to keep it well filled with ice. To
obviate this inconvenience and to render the temperature in the safe
more equal, whether there be much or little ice in the ice well, I make
the ice well of a taper form, the upper part being lined or surrounded
with non-conducting material, whilst the side of the lower part of the
ice well which is towards the interior of the safe is of metal. The ice
in the upper part of the ice well being in contact with non-conducting
material will act but slowly in reducing the temperature of the safe,
whilst the ice in the lower part being in direct contact with the metal
casing will be thereby quickly melted and fresh ice from the upper part of
the receptacle will take its place. The upper part of the ice well is made
to taper downwards just sufficient to ensure that the ice placed therein
shall, as it gradually melts, keep moving downwards, whilst the lower part
of the ice well may be nearly vertical and tapering downwards but slightly,
and may be made narrow from front to back, say from three to four
inches at the top and tapering downwards to about one or half an inch
at the bottom. The water from the melted ice I cause to flow away into
a hollow bottom extending below the whole of the bottom of the safe,
and the outlet from this hollow space I arrange to be above the top
plate of the double bottom, so that the hollow space is kept full of water
from the melting ice, and this water is in immediate contact with the
metal plate forming the bottom of the safe, and aids considerably in
cooling the interior. The sides and top and bottom of the safe are as
usual made double and packed with non-conducting material.
The ice well or receptacle may extend along the entire back of the
safe, and the upper part or hopper extend forward to the front of the
safe, and it may be supplied with ice through an opening at the top, or
there may be two ice wells, one on each side of the safe, and the hoppers
at the top may meet together at the centre. In this case two openings
can be formed at the top for supplying ice, one for each hopper, or the
acting portion of the ice well may pass down through the centre of the
safe, and the hopper extend from it to the two sides of the safe; or if
block ice is to be used the acting portion of the ice well may be in the
centre, but in place of the hopper extending from it to both sides one
side of the ice well may be vertical and extending from top to bottom
of the safe, whilst the hopper at the upper part of the safe extends to one
side only

page_text: Ventilation is obtained, in each compartment that is to contain the
edibles, by perforating small holes through the exterior casing of the ice
safe where desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Clarke Ash in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th May 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CLARKE ASH, of 815, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Clarke Ash, Her special license that
I, the said Henry Clarke Ash, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Henry Olarke Ash, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN ICE SAFES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Clarke Ash,
my executors or administrators, 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 Henry Clarke Ash, 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 the
following statement thereof, that is to say :—
-
Heretofore in ice safes which have been formed to open at the front
and which are known as cabinet ice safes the ice by which the interior

page_text: of the safe is to be cooled has been placed into a vertical receptacle or
ice well passing down through the centre, and in some cases passing
down the back of the safe, or the ice well has been sometimes placed
at the upper part of the safe and the air in the safe coming into contact
with the ice or with the receptacle containing it has been thereby cooled,
and the extent to which the temperature in the safe could be reduced
has varied greatly, according as more or less ice is contained in the ice
receptacle or well. Also up to the present time no efficient cabinet ice
safe has been made with its ice well or receptacle suitably formed to
receive block ice, but in all such safes broken ice has had to be used.
==
The objects of my Invention are to render the temperature in the safe
more equal, whether there be much or little ice in the ice well, and also
to construct cabinet ice safes in such a manner that they may be cooled
by block ice and also possess the same advantage. To construct cabinet
ice safes in such a manner that they may be cooled by block ice I form
the receptacle or chamber, which is to receive the ice with its bottom
sloping downwards towards a vertical metal partition of the interior of
the safe, as shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings hereunto
annexed, so that the block of ice resting on the inclined bottom may, as
it gradually melts away, slip downwards along such inclined bottom and
constantly remain in contact with the metal partition, and as the cooling
effect will remain approximately the same so long as the extent of the
ice and metal surfaces in contact remains uniform a comparatively even
temperature is for a long time maintained; and in order still further to
render the temperature in ice safes uniform, whether there be much or
little ice in the ice receptacle, I clothe the whole or the upper part of
the inclined bottom of the ice receptacle with wood or other non-
conducting material, so that the part of the block resting on such
wooden lining will act but slowly in reducing the temperature in the
safe, whilst the side of the block which rests against the metal partition
will quickly melt away and the block will continually move downwards,
and keep approximately the same amount of ice surface always in contact
with such partition.
In order also still further to render the temperature in such safes
uniform, whether there be much or little ice in the ice receptacle, and
to prevent the water produced by the melting of the ice from passing
away from the safe at a lower temperature than that of the interior of
the safe, I carry downwards from the lower part of the ice receptacle

page_text: a narrow chamber or well, which is by preference tapered downwards,
say from 3 to 4 inches at the top down to 1 or 1, at the bottom. As
the block of ice melts away the water coming therefrom will trickle
down the sides of the well and aid in cooling the interior of the safe,
and when the block has nearly all melted away the block itself will enter
more and more into the narrow well and the extent of ice surface in
contact with the metal sides of the well will thus be rather increased
than diminished. The bottom of the well opens into a hollow bottom,
which extends below the whole of the safe; in this hollow bottom the
waste water collects and is led off therefrom through a trapped outlet,
the outlet being above the top plate of the double bottom, so that this
plate which forms the bottom of the safe has always in immediate
contact with it the water which has trickled down from the melting ice,
and aids in cooling the interior of the safe. Cabinet safes to be cooled
by rough or broken ice I also construct on the plan above described,
so that the extent of ice surface in contact with metal plates or
partitions of the safe shall remain approximately the same whether there
be much or little ice in the safe, and so maintain a uniform temperature
in the safe.
At Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 I have shewn various views in perspective
of a cabinet ice safe constructed to be cooled by block ice in the manner
above described; and at Figure 5 I have shewn a front view of the same.
In these Figures a, a, are the outer sides of the safe, which are as usual
made double and packed with non-conducting material; 6 is the hopper
or chamber at the top of the safe to receive the block of ice; b¹, the
inclined bottom of the hopper covered with wooden boards by preference
about half an inch in thickness; o is a central partition of metal; and
d the narrow well descending from the bottom of the chamber 6 into the
hollow bottom e of the safe; f is a trapped outlet for the waste water to
pass away, the entrance to this outlet being above the top plate of the
double bottom; g, g, are shelves on to which the articles to be cooled
are placed as usual.
In Figures 2, 3, and 4 the front doors of the safe are shown to be
open, and the left hand side is shewn partly in section in order that the
ice hopper and well may be seen more clearly.
Figure 2 represents the hopper with a fresh block of ice just placed

page_text: also to have descended somewhat into the narrow well. In Figure 4 the
block is shewn to have almost entirely melted away and to have descended
further into the well, thereby producing great cooling effect, although
but a small quantity of ice is remaining.
I would remark that I do not confine myself to the precise form of
safe shewn in the Drawing, as it may be considerably varied, as for
example another similar ice hopper and well may be placed at the right
hand side of the safe. The block of ice might also if desired be intro-
duced into the hopper 6 through an opening at the top in place of
through a door at the front.
I would also state that the ice hopper 6, with its bottom sloping down-
wards towards a metal partition c, may be used without having the
narrow well d descending from it, the water produced by the melting of
the ice being then led off from the bottom of the hopper by a suitable
pipe either to a double bottom or otherwise; and in this case also the
upper part of the inclined bottom may be covered over with wood or
other non-conducting material.
At Figure 6 I have shewn a perspective view of a cabinet ice safe
suitably constructed to be cooled with rough or broken ice. In this
Figure one end of the safe is removed so that the interior construction
may be seen clearly. a is the ice hopper with the whole or the upper
part of its inclined bottom covered with wood. b is the narrow well
leading downwards from the lower part of the hopper, and at its lower
end opening into a double bottom c, kept full of the water passing from
the melting ice as in the safe shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. d, d,
are openings at the top of the safe through which the hopper a may be
supplied with ice.
In place of the narrow well b passing down at the back of the safe, às
shewn at Figure 6, it may be made to form a partition across the safe as
shewn by the diagram view at Figure 7, and the hopper bottom made to
slope upwards from it to the two sides of the safe. These inclined bottoms
should also for the most part be covered with wood, and the broken ice
may if desired be prevented from descending too far into the narrow well
by a grating placed across it, as shewn, so as to limit the amount of ice
which can come into contact with the metal sides of this well.
The safes constructed as above described may be ventilated in any
ordinary manner, but by preference I ventilate them upon the plan

page_text: adopted by me in the year 1865, slight currents of air being admitted
through small openings at the top of the safe to pass downwards through
the safe and escape by other openings at the bottom.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as
my improvements in ice safes is,-
1. The construction of ice safes, substantially as herein described and
illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
2. The construction of ice safes with an ice chamber having its bottom
sloping downwards towards a metal partition, substantially as herein
described.
3. The construction of ice safes with an ice chamber or hopper having
its bottom sloping downwards and with a narrow well descending from
it, substantially as described.
4. Covering the whole or the upper part of the inclined bottom of the
ice chamber or hopper with wood or non-conducting material.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Clarke Ash, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.