Improvements in or relating to the Preservation of Foods and other Perishable Goods.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Preservation of Foods and other
Perishable Goods.
I, HUBERT HIGGINS of 26 Trinity Street, Cambridge, in the County of
Cambridge, Demonstrator of Anatomy to Cambridge University, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the preservation of various kinds of food materials and
other things liable to perish, and may be carried out in the following manner.
I provide a chamber adapted to withstand the necessary pressure which may be
lined with shelves or otherwise arranged so as to contain the jars or vessels in
which is the material to be preserved. These jars or vessels which are preferably
made of glass, earthenware or other material preferably glazed inside, and at all
events such as will not damage the contents nor permit access of the atmospheric
air. Each vessel is entirely closed excepting as to a small opening over which
I prefer to place a tube which may be of glass connected in an air tight manner
with the jar and containing dry cotton wool or equivalent and provided with a
wooden or other plug placed above the opening, but so as not to close it. Steam
or hot air at a sterilizing temperature is then admitted to the chamber and would
have access to the interiors of the jars etc., and the sterilizing process will be
carried out in the well understood manner. When this is finished the steam
would be withdrawn or allowed to condense and the chamber and its contents
allowed to cool down to preferably the highest temperature to which the contents
would be likely to be always exposed before they were extracted for use.
Sterilized
air would now be admitted to the chamber so as to prevent the access of unsterilized
air, and a door or suitable means of access being opened in the chamber, the person
or attendant would draw the jars towards him or they would be automatically
moved towards him and as each one came he would in any suitable manner drive
the plugs into the openings in the jars. The openings are preferably formed as
short tapered tubes in suitable protuberances upon the lid of the vessel and the
plug baving been inserted the outer end if necessary would be removed and paraffin
wax or an equivalent sealing medium would be poured into the recess surrounding
the plug, making an air tight seal.
The jars or vessels may be provided with large lids if desired and these may be
connected with the rest of the vessel in various ways according to the material
employed as for example by cementing, a suitable cement being made by a mixture
of chalk and preferably a paraffin solid at ordinary temperatures. Various other
ingredients may be used for example French chalk (silicate of magnesia) zinc
oxide or kaolin or plaster of Paris, and several of the paraffin series are suitable for
mixing with one or more of these. Other means however may be employed either
in addition to or independently of the cement for securing the lids, mechanical
means being applicable.
Instead of the previously described wooden or other plug a screw stopper of any
suitable description may be employed instead, but it is preferable to seal it up with
paraffin or other suitable agent so as to make a thoroughly air tight joint. The
plug might actually he the whole lid which could be screwed in, secured by a

page_text: bayonet joint or otherwise, a suitable trough or channel being provided to receive
the wax or other sealing material.
Dated 2143 C
01
1
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMEDIC DICITIATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Preservation of Foods and other
Perishable Goods.
I, HUBERT HIGGINS of 26 Trinity Street, Cambridge in the County of
Cambridge, Demonstrator of Anatomy to Cambridge University, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed. to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to the preservation of food and apparatus therefor. One
improvement according to this invention is the construction of a sterilising chamber,
another improvement being a combination of filter and plug for the vessel containing
the sterilised material and a further improvement being a removable filter to be
employed in conjunction with such vessels during the process of sterilisation. An
additional improvement consists in the composition of the cement used to permanently
seal the sterilising vessel.
The chamber aforesaid is cylindrical in shape and provided at one end or at
each end with a door which may be secured in any suitable manner so as to be
capable of opening and closing readily and forming when closed an air-tight joint;
this chamber is provided with suitable valves for the admission of the heating
agent by which sterilisation is to be effected and for the withdrawal of any liquid
which may become condensed therein during the process.
Within the chamber are shelves preferably perforated and at convenient distances
apart, running lengthwise in the chamber to carry trays or trolleys upon which
the vessels containing the material to be sterilised can be run into and out of the
apparatus.
Or the vessels charged with the materials to be sterilised can be carried by trolleys
which run on rails in the chamber, shelves being dispensed with. This apparatus
and other features of the invention are hereinafter described in detail with reference
to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of one construction of chamber according
to this invention;
Figure 2 is a view of the chamber half in elevation and half in section on the
line 2-2 of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a vertical central section of the upper part of a vessel to contain
material for sterilization, in which the combined filter and plug are shown in the
position they occupy relatively to each other and to the bottle during the
sterilizing process.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to Figures 1 and 2, A is the shell the ends of which are
closed by doors A¹. A2 are shelves within the chamber, these shelves in the
present example being two in number. B are trolleys resting upon these shelves
and loaded with vessels C containing materials to be treated. The axis of the
chamber is preferably inclined as shown, so that the loaded trays B will
automatically run in under the influence of the gravity through the door at one
end, and out again afterwards by the door at the other end.

page_text: D is a supply pipe with valve D', through which the heating medium for
effecting the sterilization is supplied to the interior of the chamber. E is an exit
pipe similarly provided with a valve E¹ to control the exit of the sterilizing
medium. Drain cocks F are provided at the bottom of the shell A.
The chamber is employed as follows:-The trolleys B are filled with the
vessels C to be sterilized and placed in position in the shelves A. The doors A¹
are then shut tight and the process of sterilization is carried out in the usual way
by the admission through the pipe D of a heating medium. The chamber is then
preferably cooled, air being admitted to destroy the vacuum through any suitable
vent.
The doors A¹ are then opened, the vessels C (preferably fitted with the vent-hole
filters hereinafter described) in the tray nearest the door are sealed, the tray
removed and the next tray will automatically move into the same position.
With reference now to Figure 3, C is the body of one of the vessels containing
the material to be sterilized; G is its cover or stopper with a vent hole G¹ therein,
tapered so that its narrower end is presented towards the interior of the vessel and
having its outer and wider end encircled by the flange G.
H is an open-ended cylinder placed vertically on the cover G so as to encircle
the flanged portion G2 thereof, and the vent-hole. J is a plug preferably of wood
placed in the upper end of the coned vent-hole G¹ in such a manner as not at first
to close it. It is held in position by a filling K of cotton wool with which the
interior of the cylinder H is packed, and is preferably shaped as shown, with a
lower cylindrical or very slightly tapering portion J' ending in an expanded
head J.
The method of employing this device is as follows:-The vessel C to be
sterilized, hermetically sealed, with the exception of the vent hole G', which is
protected by the apparatus H K just described, is placed in a suitable chamber
which may be such as is described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, and
sterilized by heat.
On the completion of the process, the wooden plug J is hammered or otherwise
driven firmly into the vent hole and broken off, to facilitate which breakage it is
shaped as shown in the drawing, and the filter H is next removed. The plug J
may be driven in before the vessel C has cooled, or, preferably, when it has cooled
down to about the highest temperature to which it is likely to be afterwards
exposed; the air which enters to fill the vacuum formed during cooling being
thoroughly sterilized by the filling K in the filter H, but it is essential that this
latter be not removed until after the driving in of the plug J.
The plug J may be of any suitable material and shape and driven entirely into
the vent-hole instead of being broken off.
The top of the plug may then be permanently sealed preferably with a cement
such as is hereinafter described.
It is obvious that it is not necessary to use a stopper such as shown in the
drawings, as the invention is equally applicable to other devices commonly
employed for the purpose of closing receptacles of this class.
For the permanent sealing both of the corks or stoppers and vent-holes of the
vessels I prefer to use a paraffin, solid at ordinary temperatures mixed with one or
more of the following ciz.: French chalk, zinc oxide, kaolin, plaster of Paris, or
chalk. A convenient mixture consists of 3 parts of paraffin wax and one part
consisting of one or more of the above named ingredients.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a sterilizing chamber such as A inclined and having a
door at each end of trolleys, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. The employment of a removable filter such as H K for protecting the vent
of a sterilized vessel.

page_text: 3. In a sterilizing vessel the combination with a plug of a removable filter
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. The employment of a filter and plug for protecting and subsequently sealing
the vent of a sterilized vessel substantially in the manner described.
5. Sealing the stoppers of sterilized vessels by a cement consisting of a paraffin
mixed with one or more of the following ingredients, chalk, zinc oxide, kaolin, or
plaster of Paris, substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of January 1897
HUBERT HIGGINS.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.