Year: 1889

page_text: CHARLES WILLIAM (COOPER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the City of
Brooklyn, County of Kings, and State of New York, United States of America,
Manufacturer, 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 :-
In the manufacture of leather from hides, or of glue from skins or scraps,
it is frequently necessary to treat said hides, skins or scraps in a bath of water,
or other liquid, either for the purpose of removing dirt or impurities therefrom,
In the washing
or for the purpose of chemically treating the said articles.
operations referred to, or in the chemical treatment of the said hides, skins or scraps,
it is generally desirable to constantly or occasionally agitate the water, or other
liquid, in which they are contained, and stir the mass, so as to occasion the presenta-
tion of every part of the hide, and of every piece of the skins or scraps treated, to
the action of a bath or to the chemicals therein contained or to the action of a gas
forced into the said bath, and it is also desirable, in processes for the washing of, or
the removal of impurities from, hides, skins or scraps, to cause every part of the
surface of each of said articles to come into contact with other pieces of the mass in
order that the impurities on their surfaces may be mechanically removed thereby.
Heretofore in the washing and chemical operations incident to the treatment of hides,
skins or scraps, various mechanical devices have been employed to agitate the mass
but most of these devices have been open to the objection that they have involved the
use of complicated heavy and expensive apparatus, and the use of costly machinery
for the transmission of the necessary power.
The object of my invention is to provide a method by which hides, skins or scraps,
in a bath of water or other liquid may, for the purposes above described, be thoroughly,
conveniently and cheaply treated, and, generally stated, it consists in feeding air or
suitable gas, into and at or near the bottom of, a vessel containing the material to be
treated, whereby in the ascent of the air or gas through the body of the liquid, the
hides, skins or scraps contained in said liquid are completely and thoroughly as to all
their parts exposed to the action of said liquid or to the action of the gas so fed into
the tank, and are also rubbed one against the other, all of which results are highly
advantageous in preparing the articles specified for the uses to which they are
ultimately applied.

page_text: •
Apparatus by the use of which my method may be practiced is shown in the
accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure is an elevation partly in section of an apparatus by which my method
may be practiced with convenience, and efficiency.
Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of apparatus.
Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of an apparatus.
Figure 4 is a central sectional elevation of still another modified form of apparatus.
Figure 5 is a detail view of a system of air or gas pipes suitable for employment in
connection with the apparatus shown in the drawings.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
In the apparatus shown in figure 1, A is a containing vessel or the inner vessel of
the apparatus, shown as a cylindrical tank, provided with a slatted or perforated
bottom B, and with liquid escape openings a at or near its top. The liquid escape
openings, as well as the openings in the slatted bottom, are of such size as to prevent
the escape of the hides, skins or scraps treated and to only permit of the escape of the
liquid in which they are contained. A is a second tank, termed herein the enclosing
tank, which as to its sides and bottom surrounds and encloses the inner tank. The
relative size of each of the two tanks is such that an annular space C of a given area
is formed between the two walls, and a space D between the bottoms, of the tanks.
The tank A is supported within the tank Ax in any preferred manner, conveniently
by being superimposed upon trusses or supporting bars E extending across the
interior of the tank A× near the bottom thereof. Qis a pipe leading from any
desired source of liquid supply and discharging into the tank A. X is a cock by
which the liquid contents of the tanks may be drawn off. F is an air or gas pipe
entering the tank A* at or near the bottom thereof, extending nearly across the
same, and provided with a system of transverse, or other, branch pipes which lie
beneath and within a space co-extensive and coincident with the perforated bottom
of the tank A, and are provided with a number of escape orifices. G is an air or
gas force pump from which the pipe F leads.
The operation of the apparatus in the practice of my method will be readily
understood. The tank A is about half filled with the hides, skins or scraps to be
treated, and the tank A* is filled to the proper level with water or other liquid.
The pump G being put into operation, air or gas as the case may be is forced through
the pipe F and its branches, escapes at the outlet orifices ", rises through the
slatted bottom B of the tank A, and causes the ebullition of the contents of the
tank A and the thorough and intimate contact of the liquid and the hides or skins.
By means of the liquid inlets and outlets the water contained in the tanks A
and A is permitted to freely circulate from one to the other, thus the process is
facilitated.
It is obvious that many constructions of apparatus characterized by diversity of
form but by unity of principle, might be devised to carry out my method. Thus, for
instance, in figure 2, 1 have shown the inner tank A as rectangular and so
constructed within the tank A× that the side and end of the latter serve as the side
and end of the former, the liquid escape outlets a being formed in but one side of
the vessel A. They may, however, if desired, he formed in the end of said vessel.
Figure 3 of the drawings illustrates a square exterior tank A*, within which the
interior tank A is shown as mounted upon pedestals a*, and as provided with the
usual slatted bottom B, and also with a slatted roof or lid L in lieu of the escape
outlets a of figure 1.
a conical
In figure of the drawings is shown a form of apparatus embodying
exterior tank, and a conical interior tank the upper end of which fits within
and is secured to the upper end of the outer tank. The bottom and sides of
the inner tank are slatted so that the liquid escape outlets extend from its top to its
bottom.
In the apparatus shown in Figure 4 the hides or skins to be treated, and liquid,
having been placed therein, the gas or air being forced into the bottom of the tank
through the perforated pipes, which, it is to be remembered, cover only an area

page_text: co-extensive with the slatted bottom of said tank, rises vertically within that portion
of the tank included between the dotted lines a-b and c-d, shown in said figure,
and causes the ascent of the mass undergoing treatment, the air or gas is freed on
reaching the surface of the tank, whereupon the liquid flows toward that part of the tank
exterior to the part contained between said dotted lines, returns to the bottom of
the tank, and re-enters the slatted tank at a point below the material undergoing
treatment.
It is to be understood that while in the claims I refer to the introduction of air
to the mass contained in a tank to elevate it,--the word is not to be understood
in a literal sense but is to be taken as signifying not only air, but gases of any
character.
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. The method of agitating or treating hides in liquid, which consists in subjecting
said hides in a receptacle, through orifices in the sides or bottom of which the said
liquid may flow in and out from a common liquid reservoir, to the action of currents
of air introduced within and at or near the bottom of said receptacle, as specified.
2. The method of treating hides, or glue scraps, in water or other liquid, in the
chemical treatment thereof, or for the removal of impurities therefrom, which consists
in feeding air, or a suitable gas, into, and at or near the botton of, a vessel containing
the mass to be treated, in such manner as to cause the hides or scraps treated to be
agitated in contact with each other, and, at the same time, to cause the water or
liquid in said vessel to the flow or circulate from the upper part of said vessel to the
lower part thereof and under the hides or scraps therein, as specified.
Dated this 9th day of February 1889.