Improvements in Apparatus for Raising Cream from Milk and for Skimming.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1888
Specification Accepted, 12th Oct., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus for Raising Cream from Milk and for
Skimming.
I, WILLIAM HOWLEY WELLS of Evershot, in the County of Dorset, Estate Agent,
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 so form vessels in which milk is to be set to allow
cream to rise, that the raising of the cream may be effected in a shorter time than was
heretofore practicable.
I have found that the raising of cream can be quickly and efficiently effected if the
vessel in which the milk is set be so formed that the cooling of the milk may take place
through a large area of cooling surface so disposed that all the spaces occupied by the
inilk are narrow.
By making the spaces within which the milk is contained sufficiently narrow the
raising of cream may be effected in one hour or less without any artificial cooling by
ice or stream of cold water but it is desirable to so proportion the width of the spaces
occupied by the milk that the raising of the cream may be effected say in about
three hours.
I form vessels to effect the raising of cream in the above manner comparatively deep
with the lower part either one narrow cell or divided into two or more narrow cells
and with a cream reservoir or receptacle at the top into which the cream can
rise from all the cells and when raised can be skimmed or cut off bodily from the
skim milk.
The vessels may be of a great variety of forms. Various forms suitable for the
purpose are shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed but I do not restrict my claim
to these forms.
In Figures 1, 2 and 3, I have shewn examples of vessels formed of a number of
parallel deep and long but narrow cells all opening at the top into one shallow cream
reservoir.
In figure 1 each cell is shewn to be tapering or wedge shaped. In figure 2 the

page_text: sides of the cells are vertical and rounded at top and bottom. In figure 3 they
are of similar construction but of greater length, at the bottom than at the top..
At figure I have shewn a single cell rising into a cream reservoir-if such cells
were used they might either be formed with a foot to rest on or more conveniently
a number of them might be placed side by side into the spaces of a rack or holder.
Figures 5 and 6 are side and end views of a vessel in which the cells are circular in
horizontal section.
Figure 7 is a plan view of a vessel the cells of which radiate from a common
centre.
Figure S a plan view of a similar vessel.
Figure 9 is an end view and figure 10 a longitudinal section of a vessel in which
the cells in place of being separated from one another by air spaces are separated by
solid partitions say of metal.
Figure 11 is a plan view of a vessel having the sides of its lower part corrugated
and a cream reservoir at the top--and divisions radiating from the centre and either
solid or hollow and open to the air or may be filled with cold water or otherwise
cooled.
Figure 12 is a plan view of a vessel of similar construction.
Figure 13 is a plan view and figure 14 a vertical section of a vessel having a cream
reservoir at the top and cylinders descending from it each cylinder having a hollow
cone rising up into it from its lower end, there being an air duct communicating from
the upper portion of the inner cone to the outside of the exterior cylinder, so that on
the apparatus being immersed in water, the latter may rise in the inner cone.
With very narrow cells and with wider cells in cold weather it is sufficient to allow
the cells containing the milk to be cooled by the air surrounding them but in warm
weather or with the wider cells or in hot climates it is desirable to cool them by
immersion in water but owing to the large cooling surface I can do so without
colder water than ordinarily available in warm weather. A ready way of doing
this is shown at Figure 15. The vessel is shown with its lower part immersed in
a water bath.
The shallow cream reservoirs or receptacles at the top of the vessels may be formed
with vertical or sloping sides but preferably I make them with one or both sides
circular as shown in the drawings so that a circular skimmer of the same radius may
readily be passed into them and the whole of the cream collected in the reservoir be
removed by one insertion of the skimmer.
When using vessels formed as herein before described for cream raising the milk
whilst still warm should be filled into the vessels until it partially fills the cream
reservoirs at the top and should then be allowed to remain at rest.
When the cream layer has been allowed to collect in the cream reservoir or
receptacle at the top the edge of a curved skimmer equal in length to the length of
the reservoir is placed against the top edge of one side of this reservoir and the skin-
iner moved downwards into the reservoir and in this way the whole of the cream in
the reservoir may be at once collected in the skimmer and separated from the skin
milk. The skimmer is shown separately at figures 16 & 17.
Before introducing the skimmer into the reservoir the liquid level in the reservoir,
can be so adjusted that the reservoir contains little else than cream.
If the liquid
level is too high some liquid can be drawn off or if too low liquid can be added
quietly.
By setting milk to cool in vessels formed as above described a deep cream layer is
quickly formed and the raising of the cream can be effected in from one to. 10 hours
according to the width of the narrow spaces which the milk fills and to the height of
these spaces..
To effect a very quick raising of the cream without cooling the vessels by cool
water I make the cells to be about half an inch in width and say about six inches to
one foot or 18 inches in depth so as to obtain a deep cream layer but it is usually
desirable to make the cells of somewhat greater width 1 prefer however that they
should in no case exceed three or four inches..

page_text: 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 :-
1. Forming vessels in which milk is to be set to effect the raising of cream with a
shallow cream reservoir or receptacle at the top and with the part below this
receptacle comparatively deep and formed or divided into narrow cells or spaces
opening into such cream receptacle substantially as described.
2. Forming vessels in which milk is to be set to effect the raising of cream with a
shallow cream reservoir or receptacle at the top and with the space below this
receptacle comparatively deep and formed or divided into narrow cells which
externally are surrounded by air or can be both warmed and cooled by other
surrounding fluid.
3. Curving outwards the top of one or both sides of a vessel in which skimming
is to be performed so as to allow a curved skimmer to he readily inserted sub-
stantially as described.