Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1887
Complete Left, 18th Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1888
I. THOMAS NELSON, Filter Manufacturer Haslingden, in the County of Lancaster
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a substitute for the sponge found in
ordinary Filters, fixed in what is termed the sponge plate and is intended to give a
more perfect preliminary purification and clarification: The arrangement at the same
time to permit of being readily cleaned, either by removing the filtering material to
be washed, or simply plunging the arrangement in water several times & blowing
through it. The arrangement forming a perfect filter when constructed on a larger
scale.
This substitute consists of an earthenware jar or vessel open at one end, having a
rim or grove concentric or otherwise inside at the open end and a small recess at the
closed end of slightly less diameter than the jar, into the jar is placed a perforated
earthenware plate in the centre of which is a pipe, moulded in one piece with the per-
forated plate, which rests on the ledge or shoulder formed by the recess at the closed
end of the jar, thus a cavity is formed between the perforated plate and the end of the
jar, he pipe is somewhat longer than the depth of the jar, and projects beyond the
open end. The jar is now filled with any suitable filtering substance and a second
perforated plate having a hole in the centre, to pass over the pipe, is placed on the
filtering substance and secured in the rim or groove before described.
This perforated plate is made concavo-convex, the convex face being adjacent the
filtering substance.
The edge of this plate may be grooved or plane, to fit the rim or groove on the
jar, in order to secure the whole as one piece. The plate may also be screwed into
the jar, by having the jar formed with a screw thread, into which the plate fits by a
corresponding screw thread. The whole piece put together in the manner or manners
described is now ready to be fixed into the hole formerly filled by a sponge. I propose

page_text: to fix my substitute into the sponge plate by having a stopper or cork which may be
part of cork and part of rubber, or of rubber only or of cork only. This stopper has
a hole in the centre into which the projecting end of the pipe fits so as to make a
secure water tight joint.
When the arrangement is in its place a small space is left between the sponge plate
of the filter and the concave face of the cover plate. The action being as follows.
When water is poured into the filter it rises up through the filtering medium, the
cavity at the top already described allows the water to float clear of the filtering
medium and on reaching the height of the centre pipe is drawn off into the body of
the filter, the pipe acting as an ordinary syphon and continues to act so long as there
remains any water around the jar.
This arrangement of perforated plates & centre pipe may be enlarged to form a
filter as an whole.

page_text: Improvements in Filters.
I, THOMAS NELSON, Haslingden in the county of Lancaster, Filter Manufacturer
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 object of this invention is to provide a substitute for the sponge found in
ordinary filters, fixed in what is termed the sponge plate, and is intended to give a
more perfect preliminary purification and clarification. The arrangement at the same
time to allow of being readily cleaned out. The said substitute also forming a perfect
filter when constructed on a larger scale. The substitute is constructed, combined
and operated as hereinafter described reference being had to the accompanying
drawings.
The earthenware jar or cup Fig. 5 & 6, open at one end, which may be either
parallel or taper or any suitable shape, is provided with a rim or shoulder near the
closed end, at the open end also a rim or number of brackets a. b. c. are formed. Into
this jar or cup is placed an earthenware perforated plate which may be flat or concavo-
convex, to which is attached in the centre as one piece or otherwise an earthenware
pipe Figs. 3 & 4. The perforated earthenware plate is slightly less in diamr. than
the jar or cup and is intended to rest against the rim or shoulder at the closed end,
thus leaving a cavity between the perforated plate and the closed end of the jar.
The centre pipe is made long enough to project beyond the open end of the jar. The
body of the jar or cup around the centre pipe can now be filled with any suitable
filtering media which may consist of manufactured blocks or in layers, up to the
height of the brackets or groove a. b. c Figs. 5 & 6. A perforated earthenware flat or
concavo-convex plate A. Fig. 3. having a central opening is now adjusted into the
groove or brackets, which secures the whole of the parts as one piece. If desirable
the perforated plate and jar or cup may be furnished with screw & thread, and the
central pipe may be attached to the same perforated plate as shewn at D Fig. 1, in
which case the perforated plate resting against the rim at the closed end would have
a central opening Fig. 7 & 8.
The whole piece put together in the manner or manners described, constituting the
substitute, is now ready to be fixed in the hole formerly filled by the sponge. I
propose to fit this so called sponge plate with a cork & rubber stopper or a rubber
stopper simply as shewn at E. Fig. 1, into which the projecting pipe fits so as to
make a secure and water tight joint. The action of the substitute is as follows, water
is poured into the filter in the usual manner and rises up around and inside the sub-
stitute through the perforated plates & filtering media till it reaches the level of
the central pipe it then descends through the pipe into the body of the filter. The
substitute acts in the form of a syphon the water being forced up through the
filtering media by atmospheric pressure, so long as any water remains above the rim
of the jar it continues to act, any suspended matter in the water having time to settle

page_text: out is prevented from being carried over.
The construction of the substitute allows
of it being taken out to clean or renew at any time. Figs. 1, & 2, shew sectional
elevation and sectional plan of a filter, as a whole where the body of the filter is
provided with a cup or jar constructed on the same lines as the substitute. The space
around F. F' Fig. 1 can be filled with any filtering media which is covered by an
earthenware plate which may be flat dish shaped or concavo-convex. The central jar
or cup is fixed by means of a similar cork into the body plate of the filter. The
action of the whole filter as described is as follows:-
The water having passed through the substitute as described falls upon the
perforated earthenware plate or dish and is distributed over the surface of the filtering
media in F. F around the jar G. G. rising up through the perforated plate and filtering
media in G. G. and passing finally into the well of the filter.
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 :-
:-
1st. The substitute for the sponge in the form of a jar or cup as described.
2nd. The arrangement of the perforated plates pipes & filtering media as
described.
3rd The arranxamant of the filton on a