IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOT WARMERS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Everitt, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOT
WARMERS'
"
Sealed the 16th December 1879, and dated the 24th June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Everitt at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th June 1879.
WILLIAM EDWARD EVERITT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOT WARMERS."
My Invention has reference to the foot warmers used in railway and other
carriages, and elsewhere, the said foot warmers consisting of closed metallic vessels
containing hot water.
The said foot warmers are ordinarily made of sheet copper folded into the figure
of an elliptical or flattened tube, the opposed edges of the sheet being connected by
brazing or soldering. The said foot warmers as ordinarily made are liable to leak,
the action of the changing temperature producing repeated strains on the brazed or
soldered parts, which results sooner or later in leakage.
In making foot warmers according to my Invention, I employ seamless tubes of
copper or brass drawn of the nearly elliptical or other figure of the body of the foot
warmer to be made. These seamless tubes are cut into the proper lengths, and
their open ends are closed by cast end pieces brazed therein. The said end pieces
are of somewhat larger size than the ends of the tube, and are provided with short
necks of a figure suitable to fit in the interior of the tube.
When these end pieces are inserted in the ends of the tubes and brazed therein,
the brazing extends to the interior, brazing the neck to the inner end of the tube,
and also brazing the end piece to the end and outside of the tube. Foot warmers
made in this way are not liable to leak.
The foot warmer is filled and emptied by an opening at one end, and in order to
compensate the slight expansion and contraction produced by change of tempe-
rature, I make a small valve in the plug by which the said opening is closed. The

page_text: Baid plug is hollow and has a small hole in its head. In the hollow body is a
washer or plug of india rubber pressed inwards by a strong coiled spring.
By the expansion of the water this washer is forced towards the head of the plug,
and on the contraction of the water the said washer is forced inwards by the
pressure of the atmosphere.
On the under side of each end of the foot warmer I place a roller of a length
about equal to the breadth of the body. The foot warmer is supported on these
rollers, and can consequently be more readily moved than foot warmers, the bodies
of which rest directly on the floor. The rollers economize the heat by sup-
porting the body of the foot warmer out of contact with the floor.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Edward Everitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th December 1879.
WILLIAM EDWARD EVERITT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOT WARMERS."
My Invention has reference to the foot warmers used in railway and other
carriages, and elsewhere, the said foot warmers consisting of closed metallic vessels
containing hot water.
The said foot warmers are ordinarily made of sheet copper folded into the figure
of an elliptical or flattened tube closed at its ends, the opposed edges of the sheet
being connected by brazing or soldering.
The foot warmers as ordinarily made are liable to leak, the action of the
changing temperature producing repeated strains on the brazed or soldered parts,
resulting sooner or later in leakage.
In making foot warmers according to my Invention, I employ seamless tubes
of copper or brass, or other metal or alloy drawn of the nearly elliptical or
other figure of the body of the foot warmer to be made. These seamless tubes
are cut into the proper lengths, and their open ends are closed by cast end pieces
brazed therein. The said end pieces are of somewhat larger size than the ends
of the tube, and are provided with short necks of a figure suitable to fit in the
interior of tube. When these end picces are inserted in the ends of the tube and
brased, the brazing extends to the interior, brazing the neck to the inner end of
the tube, and also brazing the end piece to the end and outside of the tube. Foot
warmers made is this way are not liable to leak.
The foot warmer is filled and emptied by an opening at one end, and in order
to compensate the slight expansion and contraction of the foot warmer produced
by change of temperature in the water, I make a small valve in the plug by which
the said opening is closed. The said plug is hollow and has a small hole in its
head. In the hollow body of the plug is a washer or small piston constituting the
valve pressed inward by a strong coiled spring. By the expansion of the water,
this washer or piston is forced towards the head of the plug, and on the contraction
of the water the said washer or piston is forced inwards by the spring and by the
pressure of the atmosphere.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan, Figure 2 in cross section, and Figure 3 in longi-
tudinal section a foot warmer made according to my Invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
a is the body of the foot warmer made of a length or piece of seamless copper or
brass tube drawn of the nearly elliptical shape represented in Figure 2, or of other
figure in cross section. The ends of the piece or length of seamless tubing forming
the body a of the foot warmer are closed by the cast end pieces b, b, having the
same sectional figure as the body a, but of somewhat larger size (see Figures 2
and 3). The cast end pieces b, b, are provided with short necks or flanges c, c
which fit closely in the ends of the tubular body a, as seen in Figure 3. These
cast end pieces b, b, are connected to and made to close the ends of the body a by
brazing the necks or flanges c, o, to the said ends of the body.
In effecting the brazing of the cast end pieces to the ends of the tubular body,
the brazing not only effects the junction of the tube and end pieces at the external
parts d, d, but runs between the inner ends of the tube, and the outer surface of the
necks or flanges c, c, thereby forming an effectual junction. Instead of brazing the
cast end pieces b, b, to the ends of the body a, the said end pieces may be soldered
in their places, but I prefer to effect the junction of the parts by brazing.

page_text: The foot warmer is filled and emptied by the opening e at one end of the foot
warmer, the said opening being closed by a screw plug. This plug is hollow or
tubular, and in it a small valve or piston g of india rubber is placed. The valve or
piston g is pressed inwards or to its seat by the coiled spring h, and the small
hollow cylinder in which the valve or piston g works is open at i to the external
air. By the expansion of the heated water in the foot warmer, the valve or piston
g is forced outwards or towards the head of the plug, so as thereby to slightly
increase the capacity of the body a, and on the contraction of the water, the said
valve or piston g is forced to its seat by the joint action of the atmosphere and
the spring h. The greater or less capacity of the body a produced by the change of
temperature in the water is compensated by the motion of the valve or piston g in
the hollow plug f.
Instead of the hollow plug ƒ a solid closing plug may be used, as the slight
elasticity of the flat bottom of the foot warmer is sufficient to compensate any
increase or diminution of the capacity of the vessel produced by change of
temperature.
On the underside of each end of the foot warmer I place a roller of a length about
equal to the breadth of the body. The foot warmer is supported on these rollers
and can consequently be more readily moved than foot warmers, the bodies of
which rest directly on the floor. The rollers economize the heat by supporting the
body of the foot warmer out of contact with the floor.
Although in carrying my Invention into effect I employ by preference seamless
tubes of copper or brass, yet I do not limit myself thereto, as seamless tubes of iron
or steel or other hard metal or alloy may be used in place of seamless tubes of
copper or brass.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,
the improvements in foot warmers herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making foot warmers of pieces or lengths of
seamless tubes of copper or brass, or other metal or alloy drawn of the nearly
elliptical or other figure which the body of the foot warmer is required to have,
and closing the open ends of the said tubular pieces or lengths by cast end pieces
brazed or soldered to the inner onds of the said tubular lengths or pieces, substan-
tially as described and illustrated; also the combination or arrangement of parts
described and represented for compensating the slight expansion and contraction of
the water in the foot warmer produced by change of temperature.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Everitt, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
J. HAWKES Woodward,
Sol.,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM EDWARD EVERITT. (L.S.)