IMPROVEMENTS IN HERMETICALLY SEALING AND PRESERVING FOOD AND OTHER PERISHABLE ARTICLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR RECEPTACLES USED IN CONTAINING AND TRANSPORTING THE SAME
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George de la Perrelle, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HERMETICALLY
SEALING AND PRESERVING FOOD AND OTHER PERISHABLE ARTICLES, AND IN THE
APPARATUS OR RECEPTACLES USED IN CONTAINING AND TRANSPORTING THE
SAME.”—A communication from abroad by Pierre Guérin, residing
at Haut Brion, Gironde, in the Republic of France.
Sealed the 20th December 1875, and dated the 6th July 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George de la Perrelle
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th July 1875:
I, GEORGE DE LA PERRELLE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HERMETICALLY SEALING AND PRESERVING FOOD AND OTHER PERISHABLE ARTICLES,
AND IN THE APPARATUS OR RECEPTACLES USED IN CONTAINING AND TRANSPORTING
THE SAME," a communication, to be as follows:-
Preserved meats at the present time are usually done up in tins;
these are opaque, consequently their contents cannot be examined till

page_text: opened. The buyers therefore have to purchase in the dark. They also
do not look inviting, and thus cause a prejudice against the use of
canned meats. The tin plates too are nearly always contaminated with
lead, which combining with the fatty acids, poisons the meat, causing dry
colic and other ailments besides the lesser evil of injuring the flavour.
The tins are of no use when used, and have to be thrown away, and they
are difficult to open. It is to remedy all these evils that this my
Invention is designed. For this purpose I construct a glass vessel,
square, oval, or cylindrical, or of any other shape, but having a cylindrical
neck. On this neck is a swelling, and above this again a round fluted
cylindrical continuation of smaller diameter than the swelling, by from
¼ to ½ an inch or thereabouts. The top is rounded. A glass lid fitting
loosely in the mouth completes the vitreous portion of the case. In this
case the meat, fruits, and other perishable articles are boiled in a bath
(of any particular shape and containing boiling water, oil, saline
solution, or even hot air or steam) in the usual manner until sufficiently
cooked, when a soft metal capsule made to fit over the mouth of the
bottle and down the flnted portion almost to the swelling, is put on and
immediately tied down tight with string over the fluted portion. An
annular piece of tin plate is then placed round it nicely fitting the
swelling, and leaving a space an eighth to a quarter of an inch wido
between it and the capsule. The top of the tin plate ring stands nearly
level with the top of the capsule. Freshly mixed plaster of Paris in a
semi-liquid condition is now poured into the annular space to level with
the top and allowed to consolidate. This in setting expands and holds
all extremely tight. The tin plate ring is also fluted to increase its
stability when fixed by the plaster of Paris. To open this tin the soft
metal capsule has to be cut round above the top of the bottle, when
the loose fitting glass lid can be at once taken off and the contents
used.
As glass vessels are very liable to fracture and in export trade would
entai heavy loss as ordinarily made, I toughen mine by immersing
them while hot in oil or otherwise in any of the methods which may
be found most convenient by which sheets of glass have of late been
toughened both in this country, France, and Germany. One plan of
doing this is plunging the glass when at a heat almost sufficient to
soften it into some boiling fluid, more especially one that boils at a high
temperature and is a good conducter of heat; oils and fusible metals

page_text: have been used. I however do not lay claim to any particular mode of
hardening the glass, but merely use the hardened glass in the form of
jars or bottles and glass lids to cover over the same. The advantage
of hardening the lids being that by this means I can occasionally
dispense with the capsule, the flange of the lid dipping into the plaster
being quite sufficient to hermetically seal the jar. Without the hardening
this plan would however be dangerous.
In some cases especially with large jars of meat it is found preferable
to dispense with the glass cover. In this case I use the metallic capsule
the same as before, but plate its inner surface with tin, silver, nickel, or
other metal not acted upon by fatty acids, fruit acids, water, or other
matters contained in the substance to be tinned. This capsule has an
orifice (occasionally in a slight projecting tube or slicve of the samo
metal) through which the steam is allowed to escape for a time after
the capsule has been applied, and until all the atmospheric air has been
eliminated. The orifice is then soldered in the usual manner, and if on
the end of a slieve the slieve is flattened and bent down on to the
capsule. The slieve however except in rare instances is dispensed with,
being only retained when it is absolutely necessary not to have any
solder in contact with the contents of the jar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George de la Perrelle in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DE LA PERRELLE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George de la Perrelle, Her special
licence that I, the said George de la Perrelle, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George de la Perrelle,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 HERMETICALLY SEALING AND PRESERVING FOOD AND OTHER |
PERISHABLE ARTICLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS OF RECEPTACLES USED IN CON-
TAINING AND TRANSPORTING THE SAME," a communication to me from abroad
by Pierre Guérin, a person residing at Haut Brion, Gironde, in the
Republic of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George de la Perrelle, 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 1
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George de la Perrelle, 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
Drawings and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon :-
Preserved meats at the present time are usually done up in tins;
these are opaque, consequently their contents cannot be seen till
opened. The buyers therefore have to purchaso in the dark. They also
do not look inviting, and this causes a prejudice against the use of
canned meats. The tin plates too are nearly always contaminated with
lead, which combining with the fatty acids may be the means of
poisoning the meat, causing dry colic and other ailments, besides the
lesser evil of injuring the flavour. The tins are of no use when used,
and have to be thrown away, and they are difficult to open. It is to
remedy all these cvils that this my Invention is designed. For this
purpose I construct a glass vessel A, square, oval, or cylindrical, or of
any other shape, but having a cylindrical upper portion. On this upper
portion is a swelling B, and above this again a round fluted cylindrical
continuation C of smaller diameter than the swelling by from ¼ to ½ an ;
inch or thereabouts. The top is rounded. A glass lid fitting loosely in
the mouth completes the vitreous portion of the case. In this case tho
meat, fruits, and other perishable articles are boiled in a bath (of any

page_text: particular shape and containing boiling water, oil, saline solution, or
even hot air or steam) in the usual manner until sufficiently cooked,
when a soft metal capsule D made to fit over the mouth of the bottle
and down the fluted portion almost to the swelling, is put on and
immediately tied down tight with string E over the fluted portion c.
An annular piece of tin plate F is then placed round it nicely fitting the
swelling, and having a space an eighth to a quarter of an inch wide
between it and the capsule. The top of the tin plate ring stands nearly
level with the top of the capsule. Freshly mixed plaster of Paris in a
semi-liquid condition is now poured into the annular space to level with
the top and allowed to consolidate. This in setting expands and holds
all extremely tight. The tin plate ring is also fluted to increase its
stability when fixed by the plaster of Paris. To open the jar the soft
metal capsule has to be cut round above the top of the bottle, when
the loose fitting glass lid can be at once taken off and the contents
used.
As glass vessels are very liable to fracture and in export trade would
entai heavy loss as ordinarily made, I toughen mine by immersing
them while hot in oil or otherwise in any of the methods which may be
found most convenient by which sheets of glass have of late been
toughened both in this country, France, and Germany. One plan of
doing this is plunging the glass when at a heat almost sufficient to
soften it into some boiling fluid, more especially one that boils at a high
temperature and is a good conductor of heat; oils and fusible metals
have been used. I however do not lay claim to any particular mode of
hardening the glass, but merely use the hardened glass in the form of
jars or bottles and glass lids to cover over the same. The advantage
of hardening the lid being that by this means I can occasionally
dispense with the capsule, the flange of the lid dipping into the plaster
being quite sufficient to hermetically seal the jar. Without the hardening
this plan would however be dangerous.
When I dispense with the capsule, I make the lid G, Fig. 2, with a
deep flange H covering over the upper part of the bottle or jar for a
quarter of an inch or so below the top. I place the tin ring round
as before.
The meats are boiled in the manner already described, but instead

page_text: .
lid with its deep flange H is placed on the bottle, and the part between
the lid and the metallic ring F is filled with plaster of Paris or other
composition and the whole allowed to cool. To open it the ring Fis
cut down the vertical seam or otherwise; the unprotected plaster is
easily removed and the jar is opened.
To more easily boil the meats I sometimes put an orifice G in the lid
to allow the steam to escape, stopping up this with composition the
instant the jar is removed from the bath.
11.1
71
Having now. described my Invention and the best modes known to
me of carrying it into effect, I hereby. státe that what I claim as my
Invention is,―
11
29 in
1st. The use of glass or earthenware jars for cooking and packing
meats and other perishable matters, hermetically sealed by pouring.
freshly mixed plaster of Paris or other composition in a groove between
the lid and capsule and an outside ring or rim, substantially as
described.
'1'
Juan
2nd. The loose ring F, substantially as and for the purposes described.
To
3rd. The arrangement of a jar and capsule, or jar, lid, and ring,
(preferably in part or in whole of tin or, other soft metal) in such manner
that it is easily opened by cutting through the metal for the purposes
described. (The ring can be made of almost any material sufficiently.
strong.).