IMPROVEMENTS IN CULINARY APPARATUS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Land,
-
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN CULINARY APPARATUS." A communication from
abroad by John Samuel Kidd, of Brooklyn, County of Kings, and
State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 19th June 1874, and dated the 2nd April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville.
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 2nd April 1874.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the.
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CULINARY APPARATUS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of two or more independent boiling pots
constructed with one or more flat sides so as to nest or concentrate
close together to utilize a small fire for cooking several pots, and to
apply them all to the centre of the fire, whether in a stove, range, or

page_text: furnace, or on an open hearth, the pots being arranged to hang close
together over an open fire or rest in or over special holes clustered
together in a stove plate. so as to hold the pots close together, or in
or over an ordinary pot hole, the hole having a cross piece or cover
dividing it into sections corresponding to the number and shape of the
pots in the cluster when the form is such as to make it necessary for
supporting them so that one or more of the cluster may be supported
thereon and used without the others, but when only two pots are used
the cover for the other half of the hole will answer for this purpose.
The Invention also. consists of a bail having cranked or other shaped
projections on the ends adapted to act either directly or by the inter-
vention of other devices on the cover to press and hold it on the pot
to prevent the excape of the solid contents when the pots are tilted
to pour off the water through a strainer in the side of the pot, or
in the cover preparatory to removing the food after cooking it.
A handle is provided on the side of each cooking pot for use alone
or in combination with the bail for tilting or lifting the pot, the said
handle being arranged on a vertical plane by which it is adapted for
lifting the pot by one hand only, and is more serviceable when used
in connection with the bail than it could be if arranged in a horizontal
planc.
A perforated false bottom plate of metal or other substance is sup
ported a little above the true bottom of the pot by its edges, the plate
being concave for that purpose; or it may be flat and supported by logs
or other means, the said plate being to prevent settling down to and
sticking on the bottom of the pot; also to guard against burning it in
case the water boils out.
f In a cluster of four pots each has two flat sides at right angles to
each other arranged to. nest close together so as to occupy, only the
space of an ordinary pot, or thereabout, and to be heated by a small
fire no larger than commonly used for one pot. In a cluster. of two
pots each would have one flat side to nest close together. By the
same principle the pots may be shaped to have three or any other
number in a cluster, but probably not more than four will be required
in any case, and for a stove, or range, or furnace three will be very
convenient, and for hanging over a fire two will be best. They are
made à little round at the angles to facilitate cleaning them, and

page_text: they will either be flat on the bottom to rest on the top of the stove,
or may have pit bottoms, as preferred. The oval or round corners
will also serve to make a little central space for draft when the pots
are used on a charcoal furnace, a cross bar being used for resting on
a furnace top, or in an ordinary stove hole for supporting the. pots;
or a cluster of. special holes may be made in a stove plate for a cluster
of pots. This method of clustering pots will afford facilities for cooking:
four or more varieties of food in separate pots with one small fire, so that
familics not having large stoves need not be limited for lack of means:
to cook, and it will largely economize fucl.
1
In order to simplify the labor of holding the covers. on the pots.
when pouring off the water through, a strainer in the cover on the
side of the pot, as sometimes used, I propose to make the bail with
a cranked portion arranged so that when the pot is tilted for pouring.
out the water, and is supported or held by the bail, the said cranked
portion will bear on the cover or cause a lever, dog, or other intervening
device to bear on it, so as to act as the short arm of a lever of which
the upper portion of the bail forms the long arm to press the cover to
the pot and keep it in place in such manner that the difficult. and
uncertain method of holding it by a rod or bar in one hand while
managing the pot with the other hand is avoided, and both hands arc
free to manage the pot. These cranked portions of the bail may. be
arranged in various different shapes, all answering the purpose well..
The cranks will by preference be arranged so that when the cover
is not on the pot they will swing down. therein and let the bail fall
so as not to interfere with the filling, emptying, and cleaning of the
not.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in. the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHÔM THESE PRESËNTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of April, in the year of

page_text: covered by the pots, and all of the available portion of the heat thereof
will bo utilized.
:
This Invention consists of two or more independent boiling pots
constructed with one or more flat sides so as to nest or concentrate
close together to utilize a small fire' for cooking several pots, and
to apply them all to the centre of the fire, whether in a stove, range,
or furnace, or on an open hearth, the pots being arranged to hang
close together over an open fire, or rest in or over special holes clustered
together in a stove plate so as to hold the pots close together, or in
or over an ordinary pot hole, the hole having a cross piece or cover
dividing it into sections corresponding to the number and shape of
the pots in the cluster, when the form is such as to make it necessary
for supporting them so that one or more of the cluster may be supported
thereon and used without the others, but when only two pots are used
the cover for the other half of the hole will answer for this purpose.
The Invention also consists of a bail having cranked or other shaped
projections on the ends adapted to act either directly or by the inter-
vention of other devices on the cover to press and hold it on the pot
to prevent the escape of the solid contents when the pots are tilted
to pour off the water through a strainer in the side of the pot, or
in the cover preparatory to removing the food after cooking it.
.
The Invention also consists of the pot hole covers hinged to the stove
plate in a way to rise up and stand ercct or nearly so at the side of the
pot, or between two pots to save the necessity of lifting them off and on
the stove.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a cluster
of four pots cach having two flat sides arranged to nest close together
so as to occupy only the space of an ordinary pot, or thereabout, and
to be heated by a small fire no larger than commonly used for one
pot.
Figure 2 is a sectional clevation of a cluster of four pots and a
small charcoal furnace, showing the application of four independent
pots to a furnace no larger than commonly used for one pot.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the furnace showing the cross piece for
dividing the space over the fire into the special holes for each pot.
Figure 4 is a plan view of a stove top plate showing a cluster of holes
formed.in it specially adapted for the pots..

page_text: :
Figure 5 is a side elevation of a couple of pots with one flat side as
adapted for hanging over a fire on an open hearth; Figure 6 is a top
view of the pots represented in Figure 5.
Figures 7 to 11 inclusive are sections of pots and bails showing
modifications of the bails for securing the covers while pouring out
the water.
Figure 12 is a section of a pot showing an arrangement of the cover
holding cranks to let the bail fall when the pot cover is off.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts..
A represents four pots in a cluster having two flat sides B at right
angles to each other suitable for being concentrated in a cluster of
four; C represents two pots having one flat side to nest in a cluster
of two. By the same principle the pots may be shaped to have three
or any other number in a cluster, but probably not more than four will
-be required in any case, and for a stove, or range, or furnace three will 1
be very convenient, and for hanging over a fire two will be best. They
are made a little round at the angles to facilitate cleaning them, and
they will either be flat on the bottom to rest on the top of the stove,
or may have "pit "bottoms, as preferred. The oval or round corners
will also serve to make a little central space D for draft when the pots
are. used on a charcoal furnace E; F represents the cross bar for resting
on a furnace top, or in an ordinary stove hole for supporting the pots;
G represents a cluster of special holes in a stove plate for a cluster of
pots. This method of clustering pots will afford-facilities for cooking
four or more varieties of food in separate pots with one small fire, so that a
families not having large stoves need not be limited for lack of means to
cook, and it will largely economize fuel.
L
In order to simplify the labor of holding the covers H on the pots
when pouring off the water through a strainer I in the cover, or on the
side of the pot, as sometimes used, I propose to arrange the bail with a 3
cranked portion J so that when the pot is tilted for pouring out the
water, and is supported or held by the bail, the said cranked portion
will bear on the cover or cause a lever, dog, or other intervening device K
to bear on it so as to act as the short arm of a lever of which the upper
portion of the bail forms the long arm to press the cover to the pot and 3
keep it in place in such manner that the difficult and uncertain method
of holding it by a rod or bar in one hand while managing the pot with

page_text: the other hand is avoided, and both hands are free to manage the pot.
These cranked portions of the bail may be arranged in various different
shapes all answering the purpose well, as seen in the Drawing; but the
arrangement shown in Figures 11 and 12 is preferred.
:
The cranks will by preference be arranged so that when the cover
is not on the pot they will swing down in the pot, as indicated in Figure 12,
and let the bail fall so as not to interfere with the filling, emptying, and
cleaning of the pot.
1. Figure 13 is a plan view showing the pot hole covers hinged to the
stove plate.
:
L
Figure 14 is also a plan view, but with some of the covers standing up
as when the holes are opened for the pots.
Figure 15 is a longitudinal, sectional elevation of the improved stove
taken on the line a, a, of Figure 13:
!.
Figure 16 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line y, y.
Figure 17 is a detail of one of the pot hole covers.
Figure 18 is a detail section showing the method of hinging the
covers.
•
:
Figure 19 is a side elevation showing the application of legs to the
pots to stand on a hearth. In this case there are represented four
holes a on tlie front part of the stove, and two bon the back part,
with narrow parallel sided cross bars between them, which like the
cross bars of the ordinary stoves will be removable for converting two
holes into one for receiving an elongated pot or wash boiler. By this
arrangement, and with pots of this character, the boiler capacity of a
stove of a given size will be much greater than with the old arrange.
iment of pots, so that much smaller stoves will serve in lieu of the old
ones..
.
It is also proposed to hinge or joint the covers e, as shown in Figures
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 of the Drawing, or in any approved way,
so that they may be turned up and rest on the edge by the side of
the pot, and thus save the labor of lifting them off and on the stove.
The joints or hinges will be on the straight side, and where two or morė
holes are used the covers will be jointed to the cross pieces so as to
swing, up between the pots. For making room for them between the

page_text: .
'
pots the latter will be made so as not to meet close together, but as the
covers will be very thin only slight spaces will be needed. Small covers
for small holes in the large covers will be hinged to the latter in the
same manner as they are hinged to the stove plate, as represented at i,
Figure 13. This plan of hinging the covers to the stove is applicable to
the ordinary round covers by making a portion of the edge straight for
a short distance.
The method preferred for hinging the covers to the stove consists of
holes formed in the plate in the casting of it, and the crooked lugs g
formed on the cover in the casting of it so arranged that the lugs may
be inserted in the holes without fitting, and will hold the cover against
escaping by any of the forces applied to it in opening or closing it. The
lug on the side of the cover to which the cover lifter will be applied for
lifting it will have a lateral projection h to catch under the plate and
prevent the lifter from raising the lug out of the hole in case it be
applied directly at the lug. The part j of the lugs catch under the plate
at i to prevent the covers from falling over backward.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. Two or more independent boiling pots or other cooking vessels
with one or more flat or equivalent shaped sides clustered together, sub-
stantially in the manner described.
2ndly. The combination of a cluster of two or more independent
boiling pots and a cross picce or cover adapted for use on an ordinary
stove hole, substantially in the manner described.
3rdly. The combination of a cluster of two or more boiling pots or
other cooking vessels having one or more flat or equivalent shaped sides
with a stove plate or top having a cluster of holes, substantially in the
manner described.
4thly. A cross piece or cover so arranged as to form a cluster of holes
in and adapted for use on an ordinary hole of a stove, substantially as
specified.
5thly. A pot bail having a cranked portion arranged to bear directly
on the pot cover or indirectly by an intervening lever or other device to
1

page_text: Hold the cover on the pot while pouring out the water, in the manner
described.
6thly. The pot holes of a stove constructed on straight lines on the
confronting sides, and clustered and concentrated over the middle or
part subject to the greatest heat, substantially in the manner described.
7thly. The pot hole covers hinged or jointed to the stove or to other
covers to be clevated and rest on the edge when the hole is occupied by
thic pot, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four.
Witness,
HARRY SWALES,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)