AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS FOR MAKING BUTTER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Clifton, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS FOR
MAKING BUTTER,"
Sealed the 1st May 16, and dated the 15th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Clifton at the
Office of the Commissiouers of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
November 1865.
1, HENRY CLIFTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS
FOR MAKING BUTTER," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to liberate and unite the particles of butter
existing in cream or milk by the means of the action of atmospheric air
forced into the fluid to be acted upon in an intermittent or continuous current.
in carving out the Invention the operative mechanism for producing an
intermittent current of air may, on the score of economy, consist of a plunger
[Price 8d.1

page_text: made to work easily within a cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel, and
provided with a hollow stem. The upper end of said stem will be furnished
with a valve arranged to open in the direction of the said plunger. In
operating this device the cream or milk will be placed in the said vessel, and
the said plunger made to reciprocate or move up and down beneath the surface
of the fluid. As the said plunger may be moved from the bottom of the said
vessel, a partial vacuum will be created, the pressure of the atmosphere will
open the said valve, and the air rush down through the said stem into the
midst of the fluid below the plunger. As the plunger may be forced down-
ward the air below it will be expelled through the fluid to the surface, by
means of which said operation the globules coutaining the butter will be
expanded and opened. The said operation should be continued for several
minutes until the process of churning is complete, when the butter may be
collected and treated in the usual manner.
A continuous current of air forced into the midst of cream or milk as a
process of churning may be produced by means of an ordinary rotary fan in
connection with a tube leading to the bottom of the vessel containing the fluid.
I do not confine myself to any precise or especial construction of devices by
means of which the requisite currents of air may be produced, as it is obvious
the same may be very much varied without departing from the spirit of this
Invention and still produce the same result; but what I do claim and desire
to secure by Letters Patent is, the production of butter from cream or milk
by means of atmospheric action in intermittent or continuous currents forced
into the midst of or below the surface of the said fluids through the agency of
suitable mechanical devices.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Clifton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
Clifton, formerly of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, and now of
Moorgate Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the

page_text: said Henry Clifton, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Clifton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Clifton, iny executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should aud lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE PROCESS FOR MAKING BUTTER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Henry Clifton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Clifton, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings, that is to
say:-
The object of my Invention is a new or improved process for the manu-
facture or production of butter.
My Invention or process consists in producing butter from cream or inilk
by driving or forcing continuous or intermittent currents of atmospheric air
into the said cream or milk, that is to say, into the midst of the cream or
milk, or below the surface of the cream or milk. I proceed to describe the
apparatus which I consider most suitable for performing my Invention, but
I wish it to be understood that I do not restrict myself to such particular
apparatus for the purpose. An apparatus suitable for carrying my Invention
into effect when intermittent currents of air are to be produced is represented
in the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a perspective external view of the apparatus; Figure 2 a
perspective view of the interior; Figure 3, vertical section; and Figure 4,
horizontal section.
A is a cylindrical vessel in which is placed the milk or cream from which
the butter is to be obtained; B, lid or cover; C is a hollow stem, rod, or
handle, to the lower end of which is fixed a plunger D consisting of a disc or
plate perforated with a number of small holes d; E is a valve fitted within
the stem C and hinged thereto so as to open downward. The stem passes

page_text: freely through a central hole in the lid B and is worked up and down in the
cylinder A by hand or otherwise, and it carries the plunger with it, care being
taken to keep the plunger always below the surface of the milk or cream.
As the plunger is drawn upward it produces a partial vacuum in the mass of
milk or cream and the external atmospheric air forces open the valve E and
rushes down through the hollow stem C into the midst of the milk or cream
below the plunger, and as the plunger is drawn upward the air below it will
be expelled through the milk or cream to its surface and will escape therefrom.
This operation expands and opens the fatty globules existing in the cream or
milk and thereby the butter is obtained. This operation is continued for several
minutes until the butter is made, when it may be collected and treated in the
usual manner.
An apparatus suitable for conducting my process when continuous currents
are to be obtained is constructed thus:-An ordinary rotary fan is combined
with a vessel or receiver containing the milk or cream to be made into
butter, the said fan communicating with the said vessel or receiver through
a pipe leading into the bottom of the latter, so that continuous currents of
air may be driven into the milk or cream until the same is converted into
butter.
Although I have described two arrangements of apparatus suitable for
carrying my process into effect I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
or restrict myself to any precise or special construction of apparatus for pro-
ducing the currents of air required in performing my Invention, and indeed
I do not confine myself to the mechanical details or contrivances of the
apparatuses I have described for carrying my process into effect, as it is
obvious that they may be varied and yet produce the result, that is to say,
perform the process I have described, namely, the production of butter from
milk or cream by driving, forcing, or introducing continuous or intermittent
currents of air into the midst of the mik or cream or below the surface
thereof, hence it is evident that such contrivances and details may be
varied without departing from the nature of my Invention as herein set
forth.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be carried into effect, I declare that I claim as constituting my
said Invention,the process of producing butter from milk or cream bydriving,
forcing,or introducing continuous or intermittent currents of atmospheric air
into the milk or cream, that is to say, into the midst thereof or below the
surface of the same, substantially as described; and I claim such process,

page_text: whatever mechanical contrivances or apparatus be employed for carrying the
same into practical effect.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Clifton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
E. DE PASS,
68, Fleet Street,
London, E.C.
HENRY CLIFTON. (L.S.)