IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES FOR SERVING MUSTARD
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Murdoch Napier, of York Road, Lambeth, in
the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES
FOR SERVING MUSTARD."
Sealed the 22nd November 1867, and dated the 24th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Murdoch Napier
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th May 1867.
I, JAMES MURDOCH NAPIER, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPLIANCES POR SERVING MUSTARD," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in appliances for serving
mustard. It is well known that the mode now in use for serving mustard is
by means of a spoon or such like instrument, by which the mustard is taken from
the vessel or "mustard pot" in which it is contained in a state ready for use
and placed directly on the food, or on to the plate upon which the food may be
placed, or otherwise, according to circumstances and to the fancy of the
individual using the same.
My Invention consists in appliances or apparatus for serving mustard
by forcing it through an orifice in lieu of the present inconvenient mode
of serving it by means of a spoon. The pressure necessary to force the

page_text: mustard through the orifice may be applied upon a plunger or piston acting
upon the mustard, and the quantity so forced out may be regulated by causing
the pressure to cease, or by closing the orifice or channel connected therewith,
or by otherwise arresting the discharge of the mustard. The required pressure
may be given each time the mustard is served by the person serving it, or a
pressure exerted by a spring, weight or other power may be employed, and
means be provided for the person serving the mustard to open and close the
orifice or channel leading to it, at discretion, or otherwise control the power
employed and regulate the quantity of mustard discharged. More than one
orifice may be used through which to force the mustard.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Murdoch Napier in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MURDOCH NAPIER, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Murdoch Napier, Her special licence, that I, the said James Murdoch
Napier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Murdoch Napier, my 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 and 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPLIANCES FOR SERVING MUSTARD," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I; the said James Murdoch Napier, 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 1, the said James Murdoch Napier, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention,. and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in appliancess for serving
mustard. It is well known that the mode now in use for serving mustard is
by means of a spoon or such like instrument, by which the mustard is taken from
the vessel or "mustard pot" in which it is contained in a state ready for use and
placed directly on the food or on to the plate upon which the food may be
placed, or otherwise, according to circumstances and to the fancy of the
individual using the same.
My Invention consists in appliances or apparatus for serving mustard by
forcing it through an orifice in lieu of the present inconvenient mode of serving
it by means of a spoon. The pressure necessary to force the mustard through.
the orifice I apply upon a plunger or piston acting upon the mustard, and the
quantity so forced out may be regulated by causing the pressure to cease,
or by closing the orifice or channel connected therewith. The required
pressure may be given each time the mustard is served by the person serving
it, or a pressure exerted by a spring, weight or other power may be employed,
and means be provided for the person serving the mustard to open and close
the orifice or channel leading to it, at discretion, or otherwise control the
power employed and regulate the quantity of mustard discharged. More than
one orifice may be used through which to force the mustard.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus constructed according to my
Invention. It consists essentially of a cylinder a, it may be of metal or other
material, it should be smooth and truly formed interiorly, it carries at its lower
end a pipe or spout a¹ for the escape of the mustard; b is a piston within the
cylinder a, it may have a packing of soft material applied to it, but this is not
necessary if it is fitted with tolerable accuracy; 61 is a rack attached to the
piston, it passes through the cover c of the vessel a, and gears with a pinion
carried by a small axis & mounted on this cover; on the same axis is also a
ratchet d', into the teeth of which a pawl mounted on the lever e takes,
this le is centred at e¹ to a standard on the cover c, and its outer end e³
form a finger key, by depressing which the axis d is turned partly round, and
the piston forced down a short distance so as to cause the mustard to issue
at the end of the pipe or spout a; f is a coiled spring under the lever c,

page_text: which spring after the lever has been depressed, and as soon as the pressure is
removed, raises it ready to be again acted upon. The cover c in this arrange-
ment may screw on to the top of the cylindrical vessel a, and be removed for
the purpose of filling the vessel with mustard from time to time. Figure 2
is a vertical section of another arrangement in which the mustard is caused
10 issue simply by pressure on the top of the piston or plunger b; in this case
the vessel a may conveniently be of earthenware and the plunger of wood
with a packing ring of cork, which however is not represented in the Drawing.
Any other suitable materials may be used, and the plunger may be made
hollow for the sake of lightness. Figure 3 is a vertical section of an arrange-
ment like that shown at Figure 1, except that the piston is bere connected
turn independently of it; the
with a screw stem, which, however, is able to
stem passes through a tapped hole in the cover, so that by turning the screw
the piston is forced down. Figure 4 is a vertical section of an apparatus in
which the piston b works upwards, and the pipe or spout a¹ is at the top of
the vessel a. Underneath the piston is a coiled spring 9 tending constantly
to force it upwards, but it is restrained by the screw h which passes through
the bottom, and is retained to it by collars; the screw has a head ' fixed to
it, by turning which the piston is allowed to ascend when it is desired that
the mustard shall issue, or in place of using the coiled spring 9 the piston
may be forced upwards by the screw h. In this arrangement the top of the
vessel is removed for filling. Figure 5 is a vertical section of an apparatus
which differs from Figure 4 in that no screw is used to restrain the piston
which the spring presses upwards, but in place thereof a valve i is employed
to close the delivery spout, and when the issue of the mustard is desired, this
valve is depressed off its seat by placing the finger on the stud at the top of
the valve stem; a coiled spring brings the valve on to its seat again as soon
as the pressure is withdrawn. Figure 6 is a vertical section of an apparatus
somewhat similar to Figure 5, but in this case the coiled spring under the
piston in place of bearing on the bottom of the vessel a rests on the bottom
of a spring box g', which is capable of being raised by a screw when the
elasticity of the spring has elongated the spring box g¹ to the extent allowed
by the pin and slot g³ and 93, so that in this arrangement the spring is
compressed from time to time by the aid of the screw and gives out its force
against the piston, keeping up a constant pressure until the extreme range
allowed in the spring box has been arrived at, when it must be again com-
pressed by means of the screw, and so on until the whole of the mustard is
expelled. Figure 7 is a vertical section of an apparatus adapted to carry two
or more spouts; they pass out of the bottom of the vessel a and are fitted with

page_text: valves as in Figures 5 and 6, except that here the valves work horizontally; b
is the piston, it is made with a handle so that it may readily be taken out when
it is desired to supply mustard to the vessel; i is a weight placed on the piston
to give the pressure required. Figure 8 shows on a smallar scale an apparatus
which may be used to fill apparatus such as those shown at Figures 5 and 6.
It consists of a cylindrical vessel k, it may be of earthenware or other
material, it has a passage in it terminating at a socket made to fit the
delivery nozzles of the serving apparatus; 7 is a piston within the vessel, it can
be pushed down forcibly by a hand lever m. The lever m and the bracket
which carries it, and which is fixed to the side of the vessel k, are shown
detached and turned one quarter round. To fill the serving apparatus the
delivery nozzle is applied to the socket at the end of the passage k¹ and
the piston being forced down it expels the mustard from the vessel k up the
delivery spout of the serving vessel and past the valve therein and so the
serving vessel is filled.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Murdoch Napier, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.