IMPROVE- MENTS IN EGG-BOILING APPARATUS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Durrant at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd February
1864.
I, JAMES DURRANT, of Granville Terrace, Lewisham, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN EGG-BOILING APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
I arrange and construct my apparatus in such manner that eggs when
sufficiently boiled shall be removed from the water by self-action of the
apparatus, consequently eggs cannot be otherwise than properly cooked
whether they receive attention or no as to the proper time for cooking, and no
sand glass is required for personal observation. In this apparatus I dispose
the egg or eggs in holes cut in a disc or other frame fitted to the saucepan or
vessel containing the water, this I make of double the depth required for the
eggs, and fill it with water only to cover the eggs in their lowest position ;
the egg disc or holder may be made for a double tier of eggs, the vessel having
additional depth in proportion. I mount the egg frame on a central stem
on which it slides up and down, such central stem containing a spring having
sufficient tension to lift the egg frame upwards when loaded with eggs.
When the egg frame is loaded it is depressed in the cooking vessel, which
increases the tension of the lifting spring, it is fixed in the lower position by a
catch set somewhat in the manner of a trap, the catch being acted on and held
in position by a lever; this lever supports a tray in which I place a quantity of
water, the weight of which keeps the lever from rising, it having a small spring

page_text: or counterbalance acting on it by which it rises as soon as the water tray is
empty and relieved of the weight of water. This tray has a small hole in the
bottom which allows the water to run out in a given time and into the cooking
vessel, say in three minutes, so soon as it is empty the lever rises and releases
the catch holding the lifting spring, which being thus released lifts the eggs
out of the water immediately. I arrange the top of this vessel so that the
eggs shall come against the under side, on which they receive a smart tap by
reason of suddenly arresting the motion of the spring, the eggs will thereby be
cracked on their ends and prevented from getting hard even if not attended to
immediately when lifted out of the water. At same time as the eggs are
lifted by the self-action of the apparatus I also arrange the upper front part
of the vessel or door to be opened by the same action, it being in the form of
a flap hinged at the lower edge, and allowed to fall down in this way,
the vessel will be opened simultaneously with the lifting of the eggs, and they
will not be subject to the further cooking action of the steam even if allowed
to remain in the vessel; at same time also a bell is struck to give a signal
that the eggs are cooked, this is effected by the rising motion of the egg frame
or part connected therewith acting on the bell hammer and causing it to give
one stroke; this it may do by striking and receding by the action of the
spring, or the hammer arm may be elastic and strike as it passes the bell. In
being set it can be again pressed past and in contact with the bell, which may
or may not be struck at the time. A counterbalance weight may be used in
lieu of the lifting spring, and other fluid or material may be used in the
weighted tray of the setting lever, and in this tray I place a scale showing the
quantity of water to be put in for two minutes, two and a half minutes, or
three minutes, or other period of time that may be required. The bell and lever
apparatus is placed in the top of the cooking vessel, but it may be otherwise
arranged, and this vessel arranged to open from the top instead of at the side,
and the eggs be lifted out instead of sliding out from the side. This cooking
vessel may be more or less ornamental and adapted for cooking eggs on
the table by a gas burner or adapted to be placed on a fire as usual.