IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING THE FACE AND HEAD, AND PERMITTING RESPIRATION IN PLACES WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE IS CHARGED WITH NOXIOUS GASES OR VAPOURS, SMOKE OR OTHER IMPURITIES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Barton, of Cannon Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
PROTECTING THE FACE AND HEAD, AND PERMITTING RESPIRATION IN PLACES
WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE IS CHARGED WITH NOXIOUS GASES OR VAPOURS,
SMOKE OR OTHER IMPURITIES.”
Scaled the 24th December 1872, and dated the 10th August 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Barton at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th August 1872.
I, SAMUEL BARTON, of Cannon Street, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING THE FACE AND HEAD, AND PERMITTING RESPIRATION
IN PLACES WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE IS CHARGED WITH NOXIOUS GASEs or Vapours,
SMOKE, OR OTHER IMPURITIES," to be as follows :-
My Invention relates to apparatus which when properly fitted and
secured
upon the head of any person will permit the wearer to enter and

page_text: remain with perfect safety in rooms or other places wherein the atmos-
phere is charged with noxious gases or vapours, smoke, or other
impuritics.
The said apparatus is constructed as follows:-A cover or shield is
properly shaped to enclose the nose and mouth and the adjacent parts of
tho face. The said cover is preferably made of soft metal, so that it may
be readily adapted to the contour of any face upon which it may be
worn. To the edges of this cover I attach a tubular pad of vulcanized
india-rubber filled with water. The said metal cover is attached to a
hood which is formed to be drawn over the head and to fit closely the 1
head, face, and neck. The said hood is preferably made of some textile
material, rendered impervious to air and gas by being coated with india-
rubber. The front of the hood is provided with eye pieces or goggles of
glass, which enable the wearer to see clearly while protecting his cycs
from the heated air or gas. The eyes are further protected by tubular 1
pads of vulcanized india-rubber filled with water and fixed on the inner
side of the hood in a position to bear upon the upper part of the checks.
The ends of these pads meet the pad placed around the aforesaid
face cover, and thus an air-tight joint is formed all around the eyes.
For properly securing the cover and hood upon the head of the wearer 2
I use straps of leather or other suitable material. One of these straps is
attached to the upper front part of the hood, just above the goggles, and
passes over the head to the back of the hood; it is secured by a loop at
the back of the hood and its end is provided with a loop. A second
strap is passed through this loop around the front of the metal cover and 2
is secured by a buckle. By tightening this strap the other strap is also
drawn tight, so that only one buckle will be required. The part of the
hood which covers the top of the head and neck should be made of thinner
material than the front part thereof. And at the bottom the said hood
is provided with a string or band whereby it may be drawn tight around 3
the neck.
The aforesaid metal cover is provided with a three-way tap with
valves, so arranged that the passage to the outer surrounding atınosphere
may be opened or closed when desired.
If the above described apparatus is to be used in connection with a 3

page_text: .
"
tubes of vulcanized india-rubber or other flexible material to the inlet
and outlet apertures, to connect the same with the air bag, and the air
is drawn therefrom through the inlet valve into the lungs and returned
through the outlet tube into the said bag. But as the air expelled from
the lungs will be charged with carbonic acid gas I attach to the said
apparatus a filter containing in layers granulated quicklime, charcoal,
and cotton wool or other fibrous substance saturated with glycerine or
other fatty material. The air expelled from the lungs in returning to
the reservoir must pass through these filtering materials which will
remove and absorb the carbonic acid and any organic impurities with
which it may be charged. By this contrivance the same quantity of air
may be breathed a great number of times.
Instead of having the said apparatus connected with a portable air
reservoir or bag, as above described, the inlet valve may be connected by
a flexible tube to a fixed reservoir, supplied with air by a pump or other
suitable forcing apparatus; or the said inlet valve may be connected by
a tube directly with an air pump. Or in some instances I may use a
flexible pipe or tube long enough to extend beyond the vitiated atmo-
sphere in which the apparatus is used and opening into any space filled
with pure air. With any of these last-mentioned arrangements the
air is drawn through the tubes or pipes from the source of supply,
and is expelled through the outlet valve into the surrounding
atmosphere.
Instead of being provided with any of the above contrivances for
ensuring a supply of pure air, the said apparatus may have the face
cover provided with a filter, which permits the supply of air to be drawn
directly from the surrounding atmosphere. This filter is filled with
alternate layers of various absorbent materials.
:
-
The said filter, which is fixed upon the metal face cover, is preferably
constructed as follows:-The aforesaid absorbent materials are placed in
a cylinder made of tin or other thin metal, with ends of woven wire or
This cylinder is enclosed within another
perforated sheet metal.
cylinder, which is secured to the aforesaid metal face cover and has
a screw cap at one end for retaining the inner cylinder in place, the said
cap being formed of woven wire or perforated metal. A space is left at
the other end between the inner and outer cylinders, and from this space

page_text: a passage extends to the inlet valve. The outlet valve is placed in a
convenient position at one side of the face cover. The air is drawn
through the filter and inlet valve into the lungs, and expelled through
the outlet valve into the surrounding atmosphere.
When the apparatus is to be used in an atmosphere charged with
smoke or dense impurities, I prefer that the aforesaid filter should con-
tain layers of granulated charcoal arranged alternately with cotton wool
or other fibrous material saturated with glycerine. When the atmo-
sphere is charged with carbonic acid the filter should contain granulated
quicklime in addition to the above substances.
In some cases the metal face cover may be used without the hood or
the covering for the cycs, the said face cover being secured by straps, as
above described, or by other suitable means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Barton in the Great Seal Patent Offico
on the 10th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BARTON, of Cannon Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Samuel Barton, Her special licence that I,
the said Samuel Barton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Samuel Barton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRO-
TECTING THE FACE AND HEAD, AND PERMITTING RESPIRATION IN PLACES WHERE THE
ATMOSPHERE IS CHARGED WITH NOXIOUS GASES OR VAPOURS, SMOKE, OR OTHER
IMPURITIES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel

page_text: Barton, 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 tho
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 Samuel Barton, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 accompanying Drawing,
forming a part of this Specification :—
My Invention relates to apparatus which when properly fitted and
secured upon the head of any person will permit the wearer to enter and
remain with perfect safety in rooms or other places wherein the atmo-
sphere is charged with noxious gases, or vapours, or smoke.
The manner in which the said apparatus is constructed and used
is fully explained in the following description and accompanying
Drawing

page_text: "
.
soft metal, so that it may be readily adapted to the contour of any face.
upon which it may be worn. To the edges of this cover I attach a
tubular pad 6 of vulcanized india-rubber filled with water. The said
metal cover is attached to a hood c, which is formed to be drawn over
the head and to fit closely the head, face, and neck, as shown in Figures
1 and 3. The said hood is preferably made of some textile material,
rendered impervious to air and gas by being coated with vulcanized
india-rubber. The front of the hood is provided with eye pieces or
goggles d of glass, which enable the wearer to see clearly while protecting.
his eyes from the heated air or gas. The eyes are further protected by 1
a tubular pad e of vulcanized india-rubber filled with water and fixed on
the inner side of the hood in a position to bear upon the forehead and
upper part of the cheeks. The ends of this pad meet the pad 6 placed
around the aforesaid face cover, as shown in Figure 4, and thus an air-
tight joint is formed all around the eyes.
•
For properly securing the cover and hood upon the head of the wearer
I use straps f,f, of leather or other suitable material. One of those
straps f is attached to the upper front part of the hood c just above the
goggles d, and passes over the head to the back of the hood; it is
secured by a loop at the back of the hood, and its end is provided with a 2
loop; the second strap f¹ is passed through this loop around the front of
the metal cover and is secured by a buckle, as shewn. By tightening
this strap f¹ the other strap is also drawn tight, so that only one buckle
will be required. The part c² of the hood c which covers the top of the
head and neck should be made of thinner material than the front part
thereof. And at the bottom the said hood is provided with a string or
band whereby it may be drawn tight around the neck, or the hood may
T.T
-
The confined by the collar of the cont.

page_text: the lungs and returned through the outlet tube * into the said bag.
These tubes are preferably corrugated, as shewn, to prevent their
liability to collapsing or being accidentally closed when the apparatus is
in use.
As the air expelled from the lungs will bo charged with carbonic acid
gas
I attach to the said apparatus a filter i containing in layers granu-
lated quicklime, charcoal, and cotton wool or other fibrous material
saturated with glycerine or other fatty matter. The air expelled from
the lungs in returning to the reservoir / must pass through those
filtering materials, which will remove and absorb the carbonic acid and
any organic impurities with which it may be charged. By this con-
trivance the same quantity of air may be breathed a great number of
times.
."
:
a
'Instead of having the said apparatus connected with a portable air
reservoir or bag, as above described, the inlet valve ' may be connected
by a flexible tubo to a fixed reservoir, supplied with air by a pump or
other suitable forcing apparatus, or the said inlet valvo may be connected
by a tube directly with an air pump. Or in some instances I. usc
may
flexible pipe or tube long enough to extend beyond the vitiated atmo-
sphere in which the apparatus is used, and opening into any space filled
with pure air. With either of these last-mentioned arrangements the
air is driven through the tubes or pipes from the source of supply, and
is expelled through the outlet valve into the surrounding atmosphere.
'
Instead of being provided with any of the above contrivances for
ensuring a supply of pure air the said apparatus may have the face
cover provided with a filter, which permits the supply of air to be drawn
directly from the surrounding atmosphere, as shown in Figures 3, 4, 5,
6, 7. The said filter is filled with alternate layers of various absorbent
materials.
The said filter, which is fixed upon the metal face cover, is preferably
constructed as follows:-The aforesaid absorbent materials are placed in
a cylinder ; made of tin or other thin metal with ends of woven wire
or perforated sheet metal. This cylinder is enclosed within another
cylinder k, which is secured to the aforesaid metal face cover and has a
screw cap at one end for retaining the inner cylinder in place, the said
cap being formed of brass or other suitable-metal. A space-m is left at
เ

page_text: the other end between the inner and outer cylinders j, k, as shewn in
Figure 5, and from this space a passage extends to the inlet valve /'.
The outlet valve h³ is placed in a convenient position at one side of the
face cover.
The air is drawn through the filter and inlet valve into the lungs, and
expelled through the outlet valve into the surrounding atmosphere.
Figure 5 also shows the said inner cylinder placed excentrically within
the outer cylinder, for the purpose of giving as large a space as possible
between the two cylinders for the passage of the air, but if desired
the two cylinders may be concentric with each other, as shown in
Figure 7.
When the apparatus is to be used in an atmosphere charged with
smoke or dense impurities, I prefer that the aforesaid filter should con-
tain layers of granulated charcoal arranged alternately with cotton wool
or other fibrous material saturated with glycerine. When the atmosphere
is charged with carbonic acid the filter should contain granulated quick-
lime in addition to the above substances.
In some cases the metal face cover may be used without the hood or
the covering for the eyes, the said face cover being secured by straps, as
above described, or by other suitable means.
Having thus fully described my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. The metal face piece constructed as herein described, and pro-
vided with a hood and with the vulcanized india-rubber water pads, for
the purposes specified.
Second. The said face picce provided with glass eye pieces or goggles
and with the vulcanized india-rubber water pad surrounding the same,
for the purposes specified.
Third. The straps for securing the hood, arranged in combination with
each other, as herein set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The filter, constructed and packed as herein described, in
combination with the said face piece, and with suitable valves and other
appliances, as herein set forth and for the purposes specified.

page_text: Fifth. The combination of the said face piece with a metal tube and
flexible tube to permit the wearer of the said face piece to obtain air from
a distance, as herein specified.
Sixth. The face piece, the filter, and the bag or reservoir arranged in
combination with each other and with the valves and flexible pipes, as
herein set forth and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Barton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-threc.
Witness,
W. ROBT. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
SAMUEL BARTON. (L.s.)