appar
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 12th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 7th Apr., 1887.
I, WALTER THOMAS RAMSDEN, of 177 Kingsland Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for bottling beer, and preserving
the same in a brilliant condition, in connection with a certain Patent granted to
Edmund Richard Southby and myself No 1567% and application No 12,13685.
In this Specification the word "beer" is intended to include that and all other
fermented drinks.
My improved apparatus consists of the following succession of vessels and com-
bination of parts :-
No. 1. A cask or other vessel, which may be made of wood, copper, or other
suitable material, and which is provided with a coil of pipe for heating and cooling
the contents of the vessel, by means of steam or hot water, and cold water or brine
passing through the pipe, and also a stirrer for agitating and equalising the temperature
of the liquid.
This vessel is further provided with a pressure gauge. A safety valve, a thermometer,
and one or more cocks at the lower and upper ends. In this vessel the beer is heated
and cooled. It is advantageous to use more than one of these vessels, which I call
No. 1, because it is that into which the beer is first passed. Sometimes I heat the
beer in one of such vessels, and cool it to about 60° Fahr., more or less, and then
transfer it to another similar vessel; in which it is cooled to about the freezing.
point, or a little below, say to 30° or 32° Fahr.
No. 2. One or more filter or filters, through which the beer is passed in order to
render it perfectly brilliant, when it is at the above low temperature.
No. 3. A vessel in which the filtered beer is charged with carbonic acid gas in the
usual manner, but the gas must be of the purest quality, and as free as possible from
any traces of uncombined oxygen.
In order to insure the absence of uncombined oxygen from the carbonic acid
I sometimes pass the latter through a scrubber or purifier containing a deoxidising
material such as the proto carbonate of iron.
No. 4. A bottling apparatus, by means of which the beer is bottled under pressure
from vessel No. 3 and which I construct as follows:
A cast iron frame mounted on legs, with a gun metal nose piece bolted thereto. In
this is fitted a rubber collar with a taper conical spring, into which the neck of the
bottle is forced, to make a tight joint, as usual. The bottle is laid in a sliding carriage
at the angle of about 20°, so that it can only fill to about one third in the neck; and
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page_text: in this position it is forced against the collar.-The beer inlet is situate in the corking
tube, just above the rubber collar, so that the beer runs down the lower side of the
neck of the bottle, and thus fills without frothing. A vent tube is taken from the top
of the corking tube, and is connected with a pipe having a globe in connection with
its vertical portion about 4" diameter. This pipe is continued to vessel No. 8 which
is hereinafter described; from the side of the same corking tube, is taken a pipe for
connecting the vacuum vessel No. 7, and which pipe is fitted with a cock or valve.
Thus these three connections are all open to the inside of the bottle, and shut from
the outside atmosphere. The cork is then driven half way down the corking tube.
It will thus be seen that it is possible to place a bottle in the carriage and force it
against the collar, then the cork is driven half way down, the vacuum cock is then
opened and a vacuum formed in the bottle. The cock is then shut and the vent tube
opened the bottle is then filled with gas at the pressure equal to that pressing on
the beer. The beer valve is next opened and the beer flows in quietly, and without
frothing,
:
The valves on the vent and beer pipes are then closed and the cork driven into
the bottle.
No. 5. A force pump, by which the carbonic acid is compressed into the various
vessels.
No. 6. A vessel in which carbonic acid is stored, so that it may be taken therefrom
at an uniform pressure through pipes, first to the casks in which the beer is stored, in
order to transfer the beer, without its coming in contact with the air, from the storage
casks, vats &c., to the heating and cooling vessels: secondly, to force the beer from
those vessels, through the filter or filters, into the vessel in which it is charged with
carbonic acid gas. The carbonic acid gas from this vessel is also used to transfer the
beer from the heating to the cooling vessel, if more than one vessel is used for these
purposes, or to transfer any beer from any one vessel to another, while the beer is
being subjected to my patent processes.
No. 7. A vessel in which as perfect a vacuum as possible is maintained, and which
is connected, as before described, with the bottling apparatus.
No. 8. A vessel, placed above the level of the bottling apparatus, and charged with
carbonic acid, and which communicates with the bottling apparatus as before described.
This pipe to the bottling apparatus I generally connect with No. 8 near its upper end.
A second small pipe connects the bottom of No. 8 with the top of No. 3.
This pipe is provided with a cock which must be closed at all times except when
the beer is being bottled. I sometimes place a check valve in this pipe so as to
provent any gas passing from No. 8 to No. 3. A flow of carbonic acid gas will pass
constantly from No. 3 to No. 8 while the beer is being bottled, provided the carbonic
acid gas is kept steadily at one pressure during the operation. This uniform pressure
is maintained in No. by keeping the pump No. 5 in operation, and allowing the
excess of carbonic acid to flow back through a safety valve to the gas holder or
reservoir No. 6.
No. 9. A vacuum pump, capable of maintaining a very perfect vacuum connected
with No. 7, or the vacuum vessel; this pump must be kept in operation the whole
time the bottling is proceeding.
In starting the apparatus great care is taken to fill it with carbonic acid as free as
possible from uncombined oxygen. I find that the most simple and efficacious method
of accomplishing this object is to first fill the various vessels with water, and then to
expel the water by forcing carbonic acid gas into the same.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bottling Beer and other Fermented Drinks.
I, WALTER THOMAS RAMSDEN of 177 Kingsland Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying drawings:
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for bottling beer, and preserving
the same in a brilliant condition, in connection with certain patents granted to
Edmund Richard Southby and myself Nos. 15678 and 1213685.
In this Specification the word "beer" is intended to include that and all other
fermented drinks.
My invention consists in the use of a combination of vessels and apparatus and a
succession of processes in and by which the beer is heated, cooled, filtered, bottled,
preserved from contact with the atmosphere, and rendered permanently brilliant ; and
the following is a description of the same.
No. 1. (Fig. 1) A cask or other suitable vessel of ordinary construction, formed of
wood, copper, or other suitable material, and which is fitted with a coil of pipe 6 for
alternately heating and cooling the contents of the vessel, the heating being effected
by means of steam or hot water, and the cooling being effected by means of cold
water or brine passing through the pipe.
This Vessel No. 1 is also fitted with a stirrer d for agitating and equalising the
temperature of the liquid. The vessel is further provided with a pressure gauge e, a
safety valve, a thermometer g, and one or more cocks and at the lower and
upper ends. In this vessel the beer, drawn from the cask a, is heated and cooled. It
is advantageous to use more than one of these vessels, which I call No. 1, because it is
that into which the beer is first passed..
Sometimes I heat the beer in one of such vessels, and cool it to about 60° Fahr.
more or less, and then transfer it to another vessel of similar construction, in which it
is cooled to about the freezing point, or a little below, say to 30° or 32° Fahr.
No. 2. (Fig. 1) One or more filter or filters, through which the Beer is passed, in
order to render it perfectly brilliant, while it is at the above low temperature of 30°
or 32° Fahr.
No. 3. A Vessel in which the filtered Beer is charged with carbonic acid gas in the
usual manner, but it is important that the Gas should be of the purest quality, and as
free as possible from any traces of uncombined oxygen.
In order to insure the absence of uncombined oxygen from the carbonic acid,
I sometimes pass the latter through a scrubber or purifier x (Fig. 2) containing a
suitable deoxidising material such as the proto-carbonate of iron, from which the gas
t is the
is drawn by the rotary pump w (Fig. 2) and forced into the Gasometer v.
generator of carbonic acid gas, u being the pipe for filling the same with vitriol and
water, and other suitable ingredients; s is a handle for actuating the stirrer.

page_text: No. 4. A bottling apparatus, a plan view of which is shewn in Fig. 3; by means of
which the beer is bottled under pressure from Vessel No. 3 and which bottling
apparatus I construct as follows:-
A cast iron frame, mounted on legs, with a gun metal nosepiece. 10 bolted thereto.
In this is fitted a rubber collar with a taper conical opening, into which the neck 11
of the bottle 12 is forced, to make a tight joint, as usual. The bottle is laid in a
sliding Carriage, at an angle of about 200, so that it can only fill to about one third of
the neck; and in this position it is forced by a pinion, working in the rack 13, against
the Collar. The beer inlet 14 is situate in the corking tube, just above the rubber
collar, so that the beer runs down the lower side of the neck of the bottle, and thus
fills without frothing. A vent tube 15 is taken from the top of the corking tube, and
it is connected with a pipe having a globe of about 4 inches diameter in connection
with its vertical portion. This pipe is continued to vessel No. 8, (hereinafter described).
From the side of the same corking tube a pipe 16 is taken for connecting the vacuum
vessel No. 7; and which pipe is fitted with a cock or valve. Thus these three
connections are all open to the inside of the bottle, and shut from the outside
atmosphere. The cork is then driven half way down the corking tube.
It will thus be seen. that it is possible to place a bottle in the carriage and force it
against the collar; then, the cork being driven half way down, the vacuum cock 16 is
opened, and a vacuum formed in the bottle. The cock 16 is then shut and the vent
tube 15 opened, whereby the bottle becomes filled with gas at a pressure equal to that
pressing on the beer. The beer valve 14 is next opened and the beer flows in quietly
and without frothing.
No. 5. A force pump, by which the Carbonic acid gas is compressed and forced into
the various vessels above and hereinafter mentioned.
No. 6. A Vessel in which Carbonic acid gas is stored, so that it may be taken
therefrom at an uniform pressure through pipes; first, to the casks in which the beer
is stored, in order to transfer the beer (without its coming in contact with the air),
from the storage casks vats &c., to the heating and cooling vessels: secondly, to force
the beer from those vessels, through the filter or filters, into the vessel in which it is
charged with carbonic acid gas. The carbonic acip gas from this Vessel No. 6 is also
used to transfer the beer from the heating to the cooling vessel, if more than one vessel
is used for these purposes, or to transfer beer from any one vessel to another, while
the beer is being subjected to my patent processes.
No. 7. A Vessel in which as perfect a vacuum as possible is maintained, and which
is connected by ordinary pipes, with the bottling apparatus.
No. 8. A Vessel, placed above the level of the bottling apparatus, and charged with
carbonic acid gas, and which communicates with the bottling apparatus as before
described. The pipe leading to the bottling apparatus, I generally connect with No. 8
near its upper end at r. A second small pipe connects the bottom of No. 8 with the
top of No. 3. This pipe is provided with a cock q which must be closed at all times,
except when the beer is being bottled, so as to prevent any gas passing from
No. S to No. 3.
I sometimes place either an equilibrium valve or a check valve in this pipe.
A flow of carbonic acid gas will pass constantly from No. 3 to No. 8, while the beer
is being bottled, provided the carbonic acid gas is kept steadily at one uniform
pressure during the operation. This uniform pressure is maintained in No. by
keeping the pump No. 5 in operation, and allowing the excess of carbonic acid gas to
flow back through a safety valve to the gas holder or reservoir No. 6.
No. 9. A vacuum pump (not shown) capable of maintaining a very good vacuum,
connected with No. 7, or the vacuum vessel; this pump must be kept in operation the
whole time the bottling is proceeding.
In starting the apparatus great care is taken to fill the vessels with carbonic acid
gas, such gas being as free as possible from uncombined oxygen. I find that the
most simple and efficacious method of accomplishing this object, is to first fill the
various vessels with water, and then to expel the water by forcing carbonic acid gas
into the same,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The method of preserving beer in a permanently brilliant condition by heating,
cooling, filtering, charging with carbonic acid gas, and bottling; and the method
and means of preserving the same from contact with the atmosphere, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. In the preservation of beer as aforesaid, the use and application of the several
vessels and apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In the preservation of beer as aforesaid; the method of insuring the absence of
uncombined oxygen from the carbonic acid, by passing the latter through a scrubber
or purifier containing a suitable deoxidising material such as the proto-carbonate of
iron, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The use and application of the succession of processes, substantially as and for
the purposes aforesaid.
5. The general arrangement and combination of vessels and other apparatus, and
the method of applying the same to the purposes aforesaid, together forming my
improvements in bottling beer and other fermented drinks, substantially as herein-
before described.