Improvements in Filter Funnels.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Dec., 1899-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1900
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Filter Funnels.
We, JOHN MICHAEL ERHARD RIEDEL, Corner of Calhoun and Washington
Streets, City of. Ft. Wayne, County of Allen and State of Indiana, United States
of America, Architect, and OTTO FREDRICK JOHN GRAHL, of 166, Barr Street,
City of Ft. Wayne, County of Allen and State of Indiana, United States of
America, Druggist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The present method of filtering liquids as practiced by pharmacists and others
in which filtering paper is used as the medium inside of an ordinary funnel is a
very tedious and slow process. As soon as the filtering paper becomes thoroughly
soaked with the liquid, it flattens out and lies very closely against the flaring
walls of the funnel, thereby preventing the liquid from flowing freely down
between the funnel and the filtering medium. As the funnel body is contracted
at its lower end where it joins with the spout, and as the filtering paper has a
tendency to slip into the spout, the latter is liable to become choked and the free
passage of the liquid is interrupted.
We overcome these defects by a novel construction of the funnel which holds
the filtering paper or material in place against flattening, by capillary attraction,
upon the flared wall of the funnel and which obviates choking up of the spout
by the settling or vertical displacement of the filtering material within said spout.
We provide a funnel which consists of a body, a spout and an enlarged throat
between the body and said spout. This throat forms a chamber of greater cross-
sectional area than the diameter of the spout, and the wall of said chamber bulges
outwardly to interrupt the continuity of the taper of said, body toward the spout.
The inner surface of the body is provided with projections which serve to hold the
layer of filtering paper or other material in spaced relation to the inner surface
of the body. These projections may be embodied in different forms, and in one
embodiment of our invention the inner surface of the body has longitudinal ribs
which are sufficiently long to extend from the upper edge of the body to or into
the throat or chamber. Between these longitudinal ribs are arranged other short
ribs, a group of these short ribs being disposed between two contiguous long ribs.
One ri of a group between the long ribs extends longitudinally of the body,
while the remaining ribs of the group are disposed in inclined positions across
the axis of the long ribs. It will be understood that the groups of short ribs do
not extend to the throat or chamber of the funnel. If desired, certain of the
long ribs may extend into the enlarged throat or chamber of the funnel. This is
advantageous when the funnel is manufactured from certain kinds of material, as
for instance, glass, because the long ribs facilitate the withdrawal of the machine
plunger from the throat or chamber between the body and the spout.
The filtering material or paper is supported by the ribs or projections away
from, and free from contact with, the inner surface of the funnel body, thus pro-
viding channels or ducts within the funnel, through which channels the filtered

page_text: liquid is free to flow uninterruptedly into the enlarged throat or chamber and
thence through the spout into the vessel.
The ribs or flanges are quite thin, in fact they are nearly of uniform thick-
ness from the line where they join the body to the free edges thereof. The
arrangement of the groups or ribs within the long ribs prevent the filtering paper
from flattening and having contact with the inner surface of the funnel in the
spaces between said long ribs. The enlarged throat between the body of the spout
enables the employment of ribs which are the same height at their lower ends as
at their upper ends, and as said long ribs converge toward the throat they are
grouped quite close together to properly support the filtering paper adjacent to
the throat without the employment of short ribs between said long ribs at said
throat. The throat insures the free flow of liquid into the spout, and as the
filtering material is held by the ribs from contact with the body and the throat,
any tendency of said filtering material to settle downwardly into the funnel and
the throat does not choke the spout or the throat, whereby the liquid is permitted
to flow freely through the funnel, and the escape of air from the vessel is made
possible.
Dated this 9th day of March 1899.
Improvements in Filter Funnels.
We, JOHN MICHAEL ERHARD RIEDEL, corner of Calhoun and Washington
Streets, City of Ft. Wayne, County of Allen and State of Indiana, United States
of America, Architect, and OTTO FREDRICK JOHN GRAHL, of 166, Barr Street,
City of Ft. Wayne, County of Allen and State of Indiana, United States of
America, Druggist, 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:-
The present method of filtering liquids as practiced by pharmacists and others,
in which filtering paper is used as the medium inside of an ordinary funnel, is a
very tedious and slow process. As soon as the paper becomes thoroughly soaked
with the liquid it flattens out and lies very closely against the flaring walls of the
funnel, thereby preventing the liquid from flowing freely down between the
funnel and the filtering medium. As the funnel-body is contracted at its lower
end where it joins with the spout and as the filtering paper has a tendency to
slip into the spout, the latter is liable to become choked and the free passage of
the liquid is interrupted. In our invention we overcome these defects by a novel
construction of the funnel which holds the filtering material in place against
flattening by capillary attraction upon the flared wall of the funnel and which
obviates choking up of the spout by the settling or vertical displacement of the
filtering material within said spout.
We are aware that it has heretofore been proposed to provide a funnel with
ribs which extend to the spout, but such prior devices have the ribs arranged or
grouped in close relation to each other at the spout. Hence the ribs must be
made quite small or shallow to provide for the passage of the liquid from above,
and when capillary attraction sets in the filtering material obstructs the flow of

page_text: liquid from the funnel-body into its spout. We provide the funnel with an
enlarged throat between the spout and the flared body, thus forming a chamber
of greater cross-sectional area than the diameter of the spout, and above this
chamber terminates the lower extremities of the ribs or projections, thus insuring
free flow of the liquid from the funnel-body into the enlarged throat and enabling
ribs or projections of proper depth to be used on the interior surface of the
funnel-body for holding the filtering material in place against the capillary attrac-
tion between the filtering material and the funnel.
The invention consists, therefore, in a funnel especially adapted for holding a
filtering material provided with a throat or chamber between its body and the
spout and with projections, arranged to hold a filtering material in spaced relation
to said funnel for the purpose of forming spaces adapted to permit the free flow
of the filtered liquid and for the unobstructed escape of the air from the vessel
into which said liquid is adapted to pass.
The invention consists, further, of a filtering-funnel provided with a throat or
chamber between the body and the spout and spacing projections on the inner
surface of the body, certain of said projections terminating in contiguity to the
throat or chamber. We also employ a series of longitudinal ribs within the
funnel-body which extend from the enlarged throat upwardly and are spaced at
suitable intervals from each other, and between said longitudinal ribs are pro-
vided other ribs or projections which prevent the folded paper from flattening
out in the intervals between the longitudinal ribs.
In order that our invention may be more readily understood we have illustrated
the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming a part
of this specification, and in which,
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a funnel constructed
in accordance with our invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.
Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the plane indicated by the dotted
line 3-3 of Figure 1.
Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the
several figures of the drawings.
Our improved funnel for use in connection with the layer of paper as a filtering
medium is designed in its entirety in the accompanying drawings by the
numeral 1. The said funnel consists of a body 2, a spout 3, and an enlarged
throat 4 situated between the funnel-body and the spout thereof and forming a
chamber of greater cross-sectional area than the diameter of the spout, as clearly
indicated by Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.
To prevent the layer of filtering-paper which is placed within the funnel-body
from flattening against and upon the inner surface of said body when the layer of
filtering-paper becomes thoroughly saturated with the liquid," we provide ribs or
projections on the inner surface of the body and which terminate at the entrance
to the enlarged throat 4 of the funnel. The ribs may be of suitable form and
arrangement within the funnel-body, but it is essential to our invention that the
funnel be constructed with the enlarged throat and that the ribs or projections
shall terminate at the entrance to said throat. In the drawings we have illus-
trated a preferred arrangement of the projections, which consists of the longi-
tudinal ribs 5, the diagonal ribs 7, and the short longitudinal ribs S, all of said
ribs being of uniform depth throughout the inner surface of the funnel-body.
The ribs 5 extend in the longitudinal direction of the funnel-body, substantially
from the upper edge thereof, and terminate at their lower ends, as at 6, at the
entrance to the enlarged throat, and said longitudinal ribs are spaced at suitable
intervals apart. In the intervals between said longitudinal ribs 5 are arranged
the diagonal ribs 7 and short-ribs S, the depth of which is substantially equal to
that of the longitudinal ribs 5. The ribs 7, between two adjacent longitudinal
ribs 5, are arranged diagonally to the ribs 5 at the upper part of the funnel-body,
but the short ribs 8 lie below the diagonal ribs and in the direction of the

page_text: length of the body, said short ribs S terminating above the terminals of the ribs 5,.
all as clearly indicated by Figure...
In the construction of our funnel the body 2. is flared or of substantially in-
verted-cone shape, and the lower part of said body is swelled or flared outwardly
for the purpose of producing in the funnel the enlarged throat 4, from which
extends the contracted spout 3. The funnel may be made in a single piece of
metal, glass, rubber, or any other suitable material, or said. funnel may be made.
in sections and its parts suitably. joined together..
Within the ribbed surface of the flared funnel-body is arranged the layer of
filtering material, (indicated by dotted lines at 9,) the lower edge or extremity of
which enters the enlarged throat 4 of the funnel, and this filtering material or
paper is supported by the ribs or flanges away from and free from.contact with
the inner surface of the funnel-body-thus providing channels or ducts within the
funnel, through which channels the filtered-liquid is, free to flow uninterruptedly
into the enlarged throat 4 and thence through the spout into a suitable vessel.
The ribs or flanges provided in our funnel are quite thin, and are nearly of
uniform thickness from the line where they join the body to the. free edges
thereof. The arrangement of the short ribs in the intervals between the longi-
tudinal ribs 5 prevents the filtering-paper. from flattening out and having contact
with the inner surface of the funnel in the spaces between the ribs. The enlarged
throat between the funnel-body and the spout enables us to employ ribs which are
the same height at their lower ends as at their upper ends, and as the ribs con-
verge toward the throat they are grouped quite closely together to properly, sup-
port the filtering-paper adjacent to the throat without the employment of short
ribs between the longitudinal ribs. The described arrangement. of ribs supports
the filtering material or layer 9 throughout the length of the funnel-body and
free from contact with the inner surface thereof, and said ribs form the ducts or
channels for the flow of the liquid through the funnel and into the enlarged
throat thereof. Said throat 4, furthermore, permits the liquid. to flow freely
through the same into the spout, and as the filtering material is held by the
ribs 5 away from contact with the body and the throat any tendency of the filter-
ing material to settle downwardly into the funnel and the throat thereof does
not choke the spout or throat, whereby the throat insures the free flow of the
filtered liquid through the funnel and into the spout.
It will be noted that the funnel at a point between its body and the spout is
formed with a bulged or enlarged portion which interrupts the continuity of the
taper of the body toward the spout. It will also be observed that certain of the
ribs or projections terminate at or contiguous to the throat or chamber. In the con
struction shown the ribs 7 and 8 terminate above the throat and within the
limits of the body, whle the other ribs 9 terminate at or in the spout.
Our improved funnel is simple and durable in construction. The filtering
agent is readily removable to permit access to be obtained to the interior surface
of the funnel for the purpose of cleansing the same. The device is .cheap of
manufacture, and it is efficient and reliable in service.
It is evident that changes in the form and proportion of parts may be made
by a skilled mechanic without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advan-
tages of the invention.
11.
די
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
-
1. A funnel comprising a body, a throat, a spout, ribs or flanges extending
longitudinally within the body and terminating at the enlarged throat thereof,
and projections in the intervals between the longitudinal ribs, substantially as
described.
2. A funnel provided with an enlarged throat between its body and spout, the
longitudinal ribs extending within the body and having their lower terminals

page_text: grouped closely together at the entrance to the enlarged throat, and the short and
diagonal ribs in the intervals between the longitudinal ribs, substantially as
described.
3. A funnel provided on its inner surface with the longitudinal ribs which
have their lower extremities grouped closely together, the diagonal ribs in the
intervals between the longitudinal ribs, and short ribs below said diagonal ribs
and terminating above the lower extremities of said longitudinal ribs, all the
ribs being of uniform depth throughout their length, substantially as described.
4. A funnel adapted for holding a filtering material, provided with a throat or
chamber between the body and the spout, and with projections on the inner
surface of said body, certain of said projections occupying such relation to the
throat as to co-operate therewith in holding a layer of filtering material out of
contact with the throat for the formation of spaces adapted for the free flow of the
filtered liquid through the funnel and for the escape of air between the funnel
and said filtering material, as and for the purposes described.
5. A funnel provided with a throat or chamber between the body and the spout
and with spacing projections on the inner surface of the body, certain of said
projections terminating in contiguity to said throat or chamber, substantially as
described.
6. A funnel provided with an enlarged throat between the body and the spout,
forming a chamber of greater cross-sectional area than the widest portion of the
spout, the wall of said throat being bulged outwardly and interrupting the con-
tinuity of the taper of the body to the spout, and a series of ribs on the inner
surface of the funnel, certain of said ribs terminating in contiguity to the throat
or chamber, substantially as described.
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