Improved Construction of Incubators, and Apparatus in connection therewith.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improved Construction of Incubators, and Apparatus in connection
therewith.
I, JENNY MINNE, of Haeltert, Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of incubators whereby the
defects to which existing incubators are subject are entirely obviated.
The said defects consist mainly in the absence of uniformity of the temperature
in the apparatus, and in the want of a sufficient supply of pure air to the embryos
and chickens, both of which defects cause a large proportion of failures in the
process of incubation and of decease of the chickens at the time of hatching.
I obviate these defects by the following means.
I firstly heat the incubating chamber by means of hot water circulating from a
boiler or water chamber heated from below in any suitable manner, through a
series of pipes arranged in channels round the sides of the incubating chamber
and in a central passage thereof.
A regulating device of suitable known construction contained either in a
chamber close to the boiler or in the incubating chamber controls the heating of
the water in the boiler so as to maintain a practically uniform temperature, the
regulator being for this purpose connected to a cap or valve that closes the upper
end of a large tubular passage passing vertically through the boiler, so that on
the temperature rising slightly above the normal the resulting motion of the regu-
lator effects the lifting of the cap so as to allow a portion of the hot air or gases
from the heating device to escape and thus to reduce the temperature again.
The regulator may conveniently consist of a disc mounted on horizontal pivots
and carrying a curved tube containing ether and mercury and .closed at one end
only, so that on a certain temperature being exceeded, the expansion of the
ether in shifting the mercury in the tube displaces the centre of gravity and causes
the disc to revolve. This is connected by a chain and imparts its motion to one
arm of a horizontal lever the other arm of which is connected to the said cap of
the boiler. Should any steam be generated in the boiler or circulating hot water
pipes, it escapes through a small pipe leading up into the feed water tank of the
boiler.
Cold fresh air from outside the building is led through pipes into a channel or
channels situated below the perforated bottom of the incubator chamber at those
points where the hot water pipes are situated, so that the outer air in rising

page_text: A
through the perforated bottom at those points and coming in contact with the
hot water pipes becomes heated and is then caused to ascend to the upper edge of
vertical baffle plates partially enclosing the pipes so as to flow over these and
downwards on to the eggs contained in trays in the incubating chamber.
continuous supply of fresh heated air being thus effected, the air which has done
duty, escapes through holes formed in the upper part of the sides as also in the
cover of the incubating chamber. A portion of this escaping air is led into a
flat drying chamber placed above the incubator for containing the hatched
chickens, the warm air being made to enter the same through tubes extending up
from the bottom just above the holes in the top of the incubator, so that the warm
air shall flow downward from such tubes onto the chickens.
The heavy, more or less obnoxious, gases evolved during the process of incuba-
tion such as carbonic acid &c., escape downwards through the perforated bottom
of the incubating chamber, and do not mix appreciably with the warm air above.
In addition to the above described arrangement for regulating the temperature
of the water in the hot water pipes, I also provide the following arrangement for
maintaining the air in the incubating chamber at a constant temperature.
I provide in the top of the chamber, preferably over the middle passage thereof,
two swing doors turning on horizontal pivots, at their middle, and each connected
to a separate regulating device in the incubating chamber, which regulators may
be of the same construction as that described for the hot water apparatus, so that
when the temperature in the chamber exceeds the normal, the regulators in
turning will open the doors more or less and in thus allowing the rapid entrance
of cooler air and the escape of a proportionate quantity of the hot air, the temperature
will be at once reduced to the normal again. One of the above described regu-
lators may at the same time do the duty of the first described regulator for the
hot water apparatus.
For imparting to the air in the incubating chamber, the requisite degree of
moisture arrange a small branch pipe of the hot water pipes to pass through a
trough filled with water in the bottom of the incubating chamber so as to evaporate
a certain portion thereof.
When the incubator is of small dimensions, the hot water apparatus can be
replaced by a hot air stove, which is made to heat the outside of the conduit for
the fresh air supply for the incubator, the hot gases from the heating device being
led away through a chimney.
Doted this let dow of Tenue 1898
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Construction of Incubators, and Apparatus in connection
therewith.
I, JENNY MINNE, of Haeltert, Belgium, 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: —
My invention relates to an improved construction of incubators whereby the
defects to which existing incubators are subject are entirely obviated.
The said defects consist mainly in the absence of uniformity of the temperature
in the apparatus, and in the want of a sufficient supply of pure air to the embryos
and chickens, both of which defects cause a large proportion of failures in the
process of incubation and of decease of the chickens at the time of hatching.
Firstly, as regards the question of aerating, while all the other systems take the

page_text: air from around and even below the incubator, that is to say in the region which
is most contaminated by the combustion of the lamp, and in particular by the
deleterious gases which are given off by the eggs and the embryos, in such a
manner that the nearer one approaches the day of hatching the more irrespirable
becomes the atmosphere which fills the egg chamber and causes the suffocation
of a considerable number of the chickens ready to be hatched. I, on the other
hand, leave the egg chamber wide open to the pure outer air, which is
admitted by a tube of 10 cm. diameter, which is always open from the beginning
up to the last day of incubation, the air being drawn in continuously by the rare-
faction to which it is subjected in passing over the tubes of the thermo-syphon,
on which it attains a temperature of about 45° C. so as to arrive on the eggs
at 40° or at such other degree as may be determined by the operator, by means of
the three energetic regulators which he can employ.
It is by means of these three regulators, which are fixed by means of counter-
weights at the will of the operator at the moment of placing the eggs in the cases,
that the heat of the egg chamber is regulated during the entire time of incubation,
no matter what may be the variations of the external temperature, on condition
that the lamp or stove be regulated so as to supply a sufficient heat.
With regard to the regulation of the temperature, the other systems either have
no regulators, these being the incubators that work quite haphazard, or they have
a single regulator. This latter is in certain cases placed at a higher level than
that of the eggs, and with the exception of the case where, by a rare chance, the
temperature should remain absolutely invariable in the incubator from the first
to the last day of incubation, this regulator regulates absolutely nothing. Or in
other cases the regulator is placed at the level of the eggs and acts on the gene-
rator of heat. In this case it always operates too late, that is to say, the tempera-
ture continues to rise during a certain time after the regulator has been put in
motion and it continues to descend below the determined degree after the
regulator has been actuated again for the lowering of the temperature. From
this, results a succession of alternate and continual risings and fallings rendering
all stability impossible.
My improved apparatus on the other hand, totally suppresses these variations of
temperature. In fact, from the commencement of my investigations I have
proved that it is a matter of impossibility to effect the regulation of the temperature
by means of a single regulator.
I found that to attain the result which I had in view it was necessary to employ
two regulators to obtain an absolutely constant regularity of the temperature, the
one for regulating the temperature of the generator of heat, the other for
regulating the temperature of the egg chamber. I have therefore provided the
steam boiler of my thermo-syphon with a regulator which enables me to maintain
the heat of the water in the boiler in such a manner as to obtain in the egg
chamber the desired degree of temperature, when the outside temperature and
that of the incubator are at the point which I consider to be the lowest permissible.
If this temperature rises, it naturally tends to cause the heat in the egg chamber
to rise, as is the case with all other incubators, whether with or without a regulator.
It is then that the double regulator of my apparatus placed in each of the egg
cases at the level of the eggs, is brought into action by opening two large windows
which are situated in the cover of the incubator, and in thus allowing the air
which began to get heated to make room in escaping for the fresh outer air.
As soon as the temperature tends in consequence to descend below the degree
fixed by the operator, the two windows close again automatically by the action of
the two regulators.
I will state, before entering into the detailed description of the parts of the
incubator, the advantages of my improved apparatus, which are not possessed by
any other.
First, pure air is taken from the exterior, continually renewed, heated to 45° C.
and dosed to 40° hygrometrical scale before its introduction in the egg cases.

page_text: Second, absolute and constant stability of the uniform temperature in all parts
of the cases, resulting in insured hatching at the proper time, and without possible
accidents, of a maximum of healthy and vigorous chickens.
My improved incubator is shewn on the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 shews a cross section. Figure 2 a longitudinal section, Figure 3 a plan,
Figure 4 an end view, partly in section, and Figure 5 part plan and part section.
As will be seen, the incubator consists of a large rectangular casing A mounted
on legs and the bottom of which is pierced with holes. Of these holes those a
communicate with the atmosphere of the chamber and serve for the evacuation of
the carbonic acid and other heavy gases produced by incubation; the others b
communicate with the conduits B which serve to convey the pure air, and which
are arranged below the bottom of the casing A.
The entrance of the air takes place at B1 by means of pipes coming from the
outside and not shewn on the drawing. Along the internal sides of the casing,
all round the same, is arranged a double row of pipes C containing hot water and
serving to impart the desired temperature to the interior of the apparatus. For
heating this water, we employ a recipient D or vertical tubular boiler having an
axial passage D¹ passing right through it, which is closed by means of a cap or
valve d, the action of which I will describe later on.
Under the recipient D is placed the source of heat, such as a lamp, a brazier, etc.
The hottest part of the water, in rising, passes into the casing, through the
inlet c and issues through c¹, in order to re-enter the recipient D, where it becomes
heated again for repeated use.
For preventing the water from becoming heated above a determined tempera-
ture, I cause the cap d to communicate by means of a cord with one extremity of
a balance lever M, while from the other end of this hangs a chain attached to a
wooden disc P mounted on a pivot and situated in a receptacle forming part of
the recipient D. On the disc is fixed a curved tube of glass open at one end and
closed at the other and containing a drop of ether and a body of mercury. If the
heat of the recipient exceeds a determined limit the ether is volatilised in pushing
the mercury, which is displaced, and causes the disc P to turn. The cap d is
raised and thus allows the hot gases to pass through D', so that a cooling is effected
and the water of the recipient D resumes its normal temperature.
If portions of the water are transformed into steam they escape by the pipe d¹.
The feed is effected from the small receptacle d and pipe di
On both sides of the casing A are formed hinged doors a¹ for the introduction
into the cases of the drawers which are to contain the eggs to be hatched. These
drawers E, the bottoms of which are pierced with a number of small holes, rest
upon the edge of the sides e, which serve to isolate the pipes C from the other
part. In the middle of the casing, between the two drawers, is situated a passage
formed by two partitions e¹ of greater height, for forcing the hot air, coming from
the conduit B, to spread over the egg drawers. The pipes C which are situated
in the central passage are immersed in a vessel F containing water so
sufficiently moisten the air. At the upper part of the side walls of the casing
are formed holes all for the exit of the light gases produced by the incubation.
as to
The casing is closed at top by covers & G provided with glass panes permitting
the watching of the incubation. In the middle part I have provided two small
swing doors H, which open automatically for regulating the temperature in the
following manner:-
In each of the egg drawers and upon a suitable support I establish a disc of
wood oscillating on its axis and carrying a tube of mercury similar to that which
is adapted to the recipient O and operating in the same manner. I should state
that this disc with tube does not form part of this invention inasmuch as it is
known.
I connect one point of the disc to the edge of one of the doors H by means of a 5
small chain, so that when the disc turns by the displacement of the mercury it
causes the door H to oscillate and open! so as to allow the interior of the casing to

page_text: be freshened up to the moment when the temperature shall have come back to its
normal point. A weight N sliding on a threaded rod n fixed to the door H enables
the centre of gravity of the latter to be altered and thus to make the regulator
more or less sensitive.
Behind the doors a¹ are situated thin boards O which, during the normal work-
ing, are vertical and have for their object to force the hot air to rise for spreading
over the eggs; it is necessary to turn them down when the egg drawers are to be
removed or replaced. For this purpose, a small crank handle o is acted upon
provided with stopping studs, situated outside the casing. To this board is
attached a small chain, which also produces the oscillation, for the same purpose, of
the support s of the thermometer.
Instead of the thermo-syphon above described for the heating of the air, I
can, in small installations, employ a system of stove with hot air, that is to say
that, by means of a lamp or other source of heat, I heat the tubes through which the
air passes which is to enter the incubator, while the products of combustion are
expelled to the outside by means of a tube constituting a chimney.
As will be seen therefore, there is in my apparatus nothing but pure air which
arrives over the eggs or the chickens, which produces its own draught by the fact
that there is heat in the incubator and that it escapes thence with the gases pro-
duced by the incubation through the holes a and all in drawing in the cold air
from the outside.
By the combination of the regulator adapted to the recipient D, which prevents
the water from rising beyond a certain temperature, with those which are situated
in the egg drawers, which open the small swing doors when the temperature of
the casing tends to rise, obtain a perfect uniformity of temperature in my
incubator.
Moreover, the hot air on being spread over the eggs, as much over the sides as
the middle, I obtain thus a temperature very uniform in all the points of the
drawers E and consequently all the eggs will be in the same condition.
It will be evident that the arrangement of the pipes C of the thermo-syphon for
heating the air entering the incubator can be varied; thus the end C through
which the water passes back to the heater can be situated in the middle compart-
ment, together with the inlet end, and the other parts of the pipe can be led
from the inlet pipe in the middle compartment round the sides of the incubator,
at the upper part thereof, and then back to the exit pipe in the middle com-
partment. Also the egg drawers, instead of being horizontal as shewn might be
arranged slightly inclined towards the middle compartment.
Also, instead of having a separate regulator for opening each of the doors H, a
single regulator might readily be arranged to open both, or the regulator P
that works the valve d of the heater might also be arranged to work one of the
doors H. Also, the trough F containing the water for moistening the air in the
incubator, might be situated in one or more of the side compartments containing
the pipes C instead of in the middle compartment.
In the middle part of the cover of the incubator, at the side of the doors H, are
situated two holes tt, which serve to introduce the air which has operated in the
incubator into a drying apparatus placed above. This consists of a flat rect-
angular casing T Figure 5 provided with a cover and on the bottom of which are
mounted two small chimnies th th which correspond to the holes tt.
By this means the hot air, instead of reaching the chickens from below, which
is defective, enters from above and thus gives the best results.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. An incubator in which the pure air coming from the outside is led into con-
duits where it is heated by a thermo-syphon or by a hot air stove, whence it
passes into the incubator, while the gases coming from the source of heat cannot

page_text: enter the same, and the gases produced by the incubation are expelled therefrom
without being able to re-enter the same, as herein described and for obtaining
the advantages stated.
2. For obtaining the result stated in the first claim, the arrangement of incu-
bator comprising conduits leading to the external air, which conduits enclose the
tubes of a thermo-syphon, the water of which is heated in a recipient placed
exterior to the incubator in such a manner that the gases of combustion cannot
penetrate into the latter, the sides of the incubator being pierced with holes for
the escape of the gases whether light or heavy, produced in the incubator, and
regulators being provided for preventing the water from rising above a determined
temperature and for preventing the hot air within the incubator from rising
above the desired temperature, substantially as above described with reference to
the accompanying drawing.
3. In an incubator such as is referred to in the second claim, the combination
of a regulator serving to raise the cap of the recipient in which the water of the
thermo-syphon is heated for allowing the overheated gases to escape, and
regulators of the same system serving to open doors in the cover of the incubator
for cooling the air therein if it should rise beyond a certain degree of temperature,
substantially as described with reference to the drawing.
4. The combination of the incubator claimed in 2 with a drying apparatus placed
above and heated by air coming from the incubator, which air passes through
chimmies so as to arrive upon the chickens from above, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of September 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.