IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING AERATED LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Sowerbutts, of Clevedon Villa, Station Road,
Barnet, in the County of Hertford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING AERATED LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 9th September 1876, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
and dated the 2nd March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Sowerbutts at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd March 1876.
ALFRED SOWERBUTTS, of Clevedon Villa, Station Road, Barnet, in the County
of Hertford. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING AERATED
LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
My Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of aerated liquids,
such as soda water, seltzer water, lemonade, beer, and others in which carbonic acid
or other suitable gas is forced into or absorbed by the liquid.
Heretofore, so far as I am aware, aerated liquids have been manufactured by
introducing the gas into the liquid before placing it in the bottles.
The object of my Invention is to obviate the difficulties of corking, the breakages
of bottles, and the consequent waste of liquid and injury to persons which arise
from the said process now in common use.
For this purpose I employ bottles having any of the well-known stoppers or
valves closing from the inside against a seating in the neck of the bottle, such
stopper or valve being held against such seating by the pressure of the gas confined
in the bottle in the manner now well understood, but instead of impregnating the
liquid with the gas before placing the former in the bottle I first fill the bottle with
liquid and put the aforesaid stopper or valve in place. I then place any desired
number of bottles so filled with unacrated liquid into a strong chamber adapted to
withstand the requisite pressure of the gas. The said chamber is then closed air-
tight, and carbonic acid or other suitable gas admitted or forced into it to the
requisite pressure, or such gas may, if preferred, be generated in the said chamber.
The said gas forces its way past the stoppers or valves into the liquid contained in
each of the bottles in the said chamber. When the liquid in the bottles is
sufficiently impregnated with the gas the pressure in the chamber is suddenly
relieved by opening a communication between it and a second chamber, or between

page_text: it and the atmosphere, a gasholder, or other receptacle. The pressure of the gas in
each bottle will then cause their respective stoppers or valves to close tightly against
their seats, and the operation is complete. The bottles may then be withdrawn and
the chamber re-charged with a fresh quantity of bottles filled with unaerated
liquid.
The chamber I prefer to employ for effecting the impregnation of the liquid in
the bottles with gas as aforesaid is a cylindrical wrought-iron vessel similar to that
employed in the process of vulcanizing india-rubber, but I do not confine myself to
that particular form or structure of chamber, as any other form or structure that
may be found suitable can be employed. And any desired number of such
chambers may be used and so connected and operated together as to economize the
gas as much as possible.
Another part of my Invention consists in means which are wholly or partially
self-acting applied to the gas generators, whereby the marble or other material
employed therein is raised out of the acid as soon as the pressure of gas in the
generator reaches a certain point. The said means consist in suspending the
marble or other material to a flexible bag or bellows or to a piston moving in a
cylinder, such flexible bag or bellows being caused to expand or such piston to move
by the pressure of the gas when the said pressure reaches a certain limit per square
inch, which limit can be adjusted at will by means of weights or counterweights
applied to such flexible bag or bellows or piston. The gradually decreasing weight
of the marble or other material in consequence of the action of the acid upon it
can also be compensated for by adjustable counterweights or springs in such manner
that whatever the weight of the marble or other material may be the pressure of
gas required to raise it out of the acid shall always remain the same, or nearly so.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and
of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Alfred Sowerbutts in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 19th September 1876.
ALFRED SOWERBUTTS, of Clevedon Villas, Station Road, Barnet, in the County
of Hertford. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING AERATED
LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
My Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of aerated liquids,
such as soda water, seltzer water, lemonade, beer, and others in which carbonic acid
or other suitable gas is forced into or absorbed by the liquid.
Heretofore, so far as I am aware, acrated liquids have been manufactured by
introducing the gas into the liquid before placing it in the bottles.
The object of my Invention is to obviato the difficulties of corking, the breakages
of bottles, and the consequent waste of liquid and injury to persons which arise
from the said process now in common use.
For this purpose I employ bottles having any of the well known stoppers or
valves closing from the inside against a seating in the neck of the bottle, such
stopper or valve being held against such seating by the pressure of the gas confined
in the bottle in the manner now well understood. But instead of impregnating
the liquid with the gas before placing the former in the bottle I first fill the bottle
with liquid and put the aforesaid stopper or valve in place. I then place any
desired number of bottles so filled with unaerated liquid into a strong chamber
adapted to withstand the requisite pressure of the gas.
The said chamber is then
closed air-tight, and carbonic acid or other suitable gas admitted or forced into it
to the requisite pressure, or such gas may, if preferred, be generated in the said
chamber.
Referring to the Drawing, Figure 1 represents an end elevation with the cover
removed, and Figure 2 a side elevation partly in section of an apparatus suitable
for carrying out this part of my Invention.

page_text: A is a strong chamber, by preference so mounted on the stand B, B, that it can
be rotated by means of the handles C, C. D, D, are circular discs or trays of
suitable material perforated or recessed at convenient intervals so as to steady and
support the bottles E, E, when in place, as shown. F is an iron rod, over which
the dises or trays D, D, are loosely placed G is the cover or lid held down by
bolts H, H, in the slotted holes J, J, of the lid and J, J¹, of the flange of the
chamber. K is a valve or cock for the admission of the gas being fitted with a
union so that it may be easily connected or disconnected from the gas generating
chamber or gasholder hereafter mentioned. The apparatus is worked as follows:-
Having filled the bottles E, E, with the liquid which it is required to impregnate
with gas, and having put the stoppers or valves in position, the bottles E, E, are.
placed on the discs or trays D, D, so that the bottom and neck of each bottle
is steadied by passing into the perforations or recesses in the discs or trays
D, D, as shewn in the Drawing. When a sufficient number of bottles have
been placed in position so as to fill one set of discs or trays, the whole is lifted
by the eye F¹ and placed in the chamber A. The lid G is then screwed on
and made air-tight, and the gas at suitable pressure is admitted by the valve or
cock K. The said gas forces its way past the stoppers or valves into the liquid
contained in each of the bottles E, E, in the chamber A, and impregnates the said
liquid. I find that such impregnation is facilitated if the liquid in the bottles is
kept in motion. The chamber A is therefore by preference rotated by means of
the handles C, C, or other convenient or suitable means. When the liquid in the
bottles E, E, is sufficiently impregnated with the gas the pressure in the chamber
A is suddenly relieved by turning the cock or valve K which may open communi-
cation between the chamber A and a second similar chamber, a gasholder or other
receptacle, or the atmosphere. The pressure of the gas in each of the bottles E, E,
will then cause their respective stoppers or valves to close tightly against their
seatings and the operation is complete. The bolts H, H, are then loosened and
withdrawn from the slots J, J, J, J, and the lid or cover G removed. The bottles
E, E, with the discs or trays D, D, may then be withdrawn by means of the eye F¹
in the rod F and the chamber A re-charged with a fresh quantity of bottles, which
may be filled with unaerated liquid and placed in position on a duplicate series of
discs or trays whilst the first batch is being operated upon, as above described.
•
I do not confine myself to the particular form or structure of the chamber A
as above described, as any other form or structure that may be found suitable may
be employed; and any desired number of such chambers may be used, and so
connected and operated together as to economize the gas as much as possible.
Another part of my Invention consists in means which are wholly or partially
self-acting applied to the gas generators, whereby the marble or other material
employed therein is raised out of the acid as soon as the pressure of gas in tho
generator reaches a certain point. The said means consist in suspending the
marble or other material to a flexible bag or bellows or to a piston moving in a
cylinder, such flexible bag or bellows being caused to expand or such piston to
move by the pressure of the gas when the said pressure reaches a certain limit per
square inch, which limit can be adjusted at will by means of weights or counter-
weights applied to such flexible bag, bellows, or piston. The gradually decreasing
weight of the marble or other material in consequence of the action of the acid
upon it can also be compensated for by adjustable counterweights or springs in such
manner that whatever the weight of the marble or other material may be the
pressure of gas required to raise it out of the acid shall always remain the same, or
nearly so.
This part of my Invention is illustrated in Figure 3 of the Drawing. M is the
chamber in which the gas is generated; N, the box or receptacle with perforated
bottom, on which the marble or other material O is placed, such box or receptacle
being supported to the under side of the top plate P¹ of the flexible bag or bellows
P, as in the Figure, or to a piston moving in a cylinder when the latter is employed
instead of a flexible bag. Qis a graduated lever pin jointed at one end to the

page_text: upper side of the top plate P¹, as shewn, or to the piston, as the case may be, and
working on the fulcrum R. S is a shifting weight, which may be made to slide
along the graduated lever P. T is the outlet for the gas, and U is a mud valve or
cock.
It will be readily understood that when the pressure of gas in the chamber M is
lowered, the flexible bag, bellows P, or piston will collapse, and in so doing will
lower the box or receptacle N containing the marble or other material O into the
acid W. Gas will then be generated until there is sufficient pressure within the
chamber M to cause the flexible bag or bellows P to expand or the piston to rise,
and thus elevate the box or receptacle N containing the marble or other material
more or less out of the acid W, thus causing the generation of gas to be reduced or
to cease entirely.
The pressure at which it is desired that the marble or other material should be
lowered into or raised out of the acid, and also the compensation for the reduced
weight of the marble in consequence of the action of the acid upon it, may be
regulated by the graduated lever Q and sliding weight S, as will be readily
understood.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to or may be performed, I would have it understood that what
I claim as my Invention is,-
First. Manufacturing aerated liquid by impregnating liquid with carbonic acid
or other suitable gas after the said liquid has been placed in bottles by placing such
bottles in a strong chamber and charging the same with gas at the requisite
pressure, substantially in the manner herein-beforo described.
Second. The apparatus for manufacturing aerated liquids arranged, adapted, and
operated, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2
of the Drawing.
Third. The arrangement and adaptation of self-acting or partially self-acting
means and apparatus for raising the marble or other material out of the acid when
the pressure of gas reaches a certain point, and of compensating for the decreased
weight of marble, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in
Figure 3 of the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Sowerbutts, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
ALFRED SOWERBUTTS. (L.S.)