NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND MAINTAINING VACUUM THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE FOR THE OBTAINMENT OF MOTIVE POWER AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Fisher M°Laren at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd January 1883.
"
JOHN FISHER MOLAREN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Solicitor NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND MAINTAINING
VACUUM THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE FOR THE OBTAINMENT OF MOTIVE POWER
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"
This Invention relates to the forming and maintaining of vacuum and to the
obtainment of motive power from the pressure of the atmosphere.
One form of it is thus Number one: Taking three cylinders of equal length, the
centre one is closed at each end, all of them are attached in line, that is to say
lengthways. The others are open at the ends furthest from the centre cylinder
and closed next the centre cylinder by the lids of the centre cylinder.
There are pistons in each and all the pistons are or may be attached to one
piston rod and at such distances that they all move in their own cylinders the
same lengths or distances, that is to say, same length of stroke, the centre one is
equi-distant from others. The piston rod is hollow-a tube-but the hollow or
internal openness of the tube is stopped at the centre piston to prevent communi-
cation through the centre of the tube to or from the tube on each side of the
centre piston. The centre cylinder is the one through which air or fluid is received
and ejected. At or near the extremities of the centre cylinder there are inlets with
valves in connection which permit inlet and prevent outlet.-On the tube piston
rod on each side of the centre piston and as near that piston as practicable, there
are holes or openings through which the contents of the cylinder flow as the piston
is moved according to the direction on the one side or the other.--Valves must be
attached at each end of the piston rods, or in connection there with to permit outlet
and prevent inlet or these valves might be on the piston rods inside.-Valves to
permit inlet but prevent outlet are required on the lids of the centre cylinder to
permit inlet from adjoining cylinders of any air or fluid which may be in them.
With three cylinders as already described the apparatus or instrument works
both ways, that is to say the centre cylinder allows inflow from the inlets at the
upper end as the piston goes down and from the lower end as the piston goes up
and ejects both ways, one at a time, at the end to which the piston is moving
through the piston rod and through or beyond the outside piston at that end,

page_text: By the instrument described the pressure of the atmosphere on the one of the
outside pistons is balanced by the pressure on the piston at the opposite end.
Another modification (Number two) may be an enclosed cylinder with one of the
outside cylinders provided with pistons and rod as before described.-Such an one
may have another of the same kind to balance it joined by a moving bar fixed in
the centre so that as one goes up the other goes down and vice versa.-Each only
ejects one way namely by the stroke from the enclosed to the open cylinder, or
such an one might be balanced by a weight.-The inlet of this is placed at or near
the end of the enclosed cylinder next the open one or if inlets are at both ends as
before described the piston of close cylinder would require valves or clacks to
permit of return on non-ejecting stroke without pressure and maintaining pressure
on the acting or ejecting stroke.
Large apparatus of the kind described as number one should be placed hori
zontally with additional outlet pipe or pipes at the lower level arranged to act
similarly to the hollow piston rod or placed vertically to act in the downward
stroke as described for Number two.
A closed vessel full of water or other liquid to be exhausted requires a tube or
pipe or tubes or pipes, attached to it, communicating with the inlet valves. Con-
necting the exhaust pipe of an engine with the said vessel and continuing the inlet
pipe of the engine into an open trough full of water or liquid the atmosphere will
press the water or liquid through the engine into the vessel.-A connection between
the Engine and the vacuum apparatus whereby the engine works the apparatus,
being formed, the apparatus can take the water or liquid out of the vessel as fast
as the water or liquid goes in through the Engine and there will be considerable
force over and above for application to other purposes.
The water or liquid which comes out of the apparatus can be led into the
trough. An engine could be driven on the exhaust pipe being attached direct to
the inlet pipes of the centre cylinder and in such case that cylinder should never
be allowed to get completely full of liquid.-On an engine being connected with
the apparatus as last mentioned it may be arranged to go by atmospheric pressure
without intervention of liquid.
The apparatus may be used for other purposes including pumping operations.