AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING PNEUMATIC PRESSURE AS MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Like of the firm of Haseltine Lake
"
& Co. Patents Agents Southampton Buildings, London for an Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING PNEUMATIC
PRESSURE AS MOTIVE POWER A communication to him from abroad by
George V. Sheffield, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th September 1882.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings, London, AN IMPROVED METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS
FOR, UTILIZING PNEUMATIC PRESSURE AS MOTIVE POWER." [A communication to him
from abroad by George V. Sheffield, of the City and State of New York, United
States of America.]
The objects of this invention are to produce andmaintain a vacuum in a
suitable vessel or vessels connected by means of pipes with a motor situated at
any desired distance from the said vessel or vessels in such a manner that the said
motor may be operated by atmospheric pressure as hereinafter described, also to
provide a motor of special construction for utilizing such pressure.
According to the said invention I provide storage tanks from which the
atmospheric air is exhausted by means of suitable air-pumps driven by any fixed
power, such as a steam engine or a water or wind mill, and pipes connecting these
pumping engines with the said storage tanks which pipes may be of any desired
length, as for instance, the pumping apparatus, may be at Niagara falls, and the
storage tank in New York, From these storage tanks service pipes will lead to
the engine or motor where the power thus generated and stored is to be used.
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide a storage tank or tanks
from which the atmospheric air is to be exhausted by any suitable pumping device,
and which may be placed in any desired locality, i.e. adjacent to the pumping or
air exhausting machinery, or adjacent to the motor by which the vacuum pressure

page_text: is to be utilized, but I prefer to place the said storage tank near the motor by
which the pressure is to be utilized, as thereby a more steady movement of the
motor may be produced.
The air pump or exhauster by which the air is exhausted from the tank or tanks,
may be any
suitable air-pump, either rotary or reciprocating, and it may be driven
by any suitable power, but my purpose is to economize the cost of producing this
vacuum by operating the pump or exhauster on a large scale, so as to produce the
power at the least possible expense per horse power, or by placing the said
pump in some locality where natural forces such as wind or water power may be
utilized.
The said storage tank or tanks, (for there may be several connected together) are
preferably constructed in cylindrical form, so as to secure the greatest economy of
construction combined with the most absolute freedom from loss by leakage. They
may be placed above or below the ground, but it will probably be preferable to
settle them in the ground, thereby securing stability without expensive foundations.
They may be made of cast iron. These tanks or reservoirs will be attached to the
pump by a pipe.
The service pipe leads from the said tank or reservoir to the motor and this
service pipe may be for a single motor, or a large or main pipe with several
branches leading to several motors. The latter mode of construction is the
preferable one, as it is intended to erect large works, to place the motors of
different persons in connection therewith. A motor made according to my
invention and which may be advantageously used consists chiefly of a cylinder, a
rotary piston, and a valve. The atmospheric air enters the said cylinder through
the opening of the valve, and striking one of the wings of the piston carries it
around until the pipe leading from the tanks is reached, when the air thus
introduced through the valve will escape into the said pipe, and through it into the
vacuum tanks, and then another portion of air will be passing through the open
part of the valve, and acting on the other of the wings of the piston, until the
escape is reached, and so on, the operation of the motor will be repeated and
continued.
It is obvious that this method of utilizing a vacuum may be easily applied to
any suitable motor, equivalent to that above described, whether the motor be
rotary or reciprocating, so long as the vacuum is utilized in combination with the
normal atmospheric pressure on the other side of the piston to propel the piston
forwar 1.
It is not necessary that the vacuum in the tank or tanks should be perfect, a
partial vacuum, being all that is required for the purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th March 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings London "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS
FOR, UTILIZING PNEUMATIC PRESSURE AS MOTIVE-POWER." A communication to
me from abroad by George V. Sheffield, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America
The objects of this Invention are to produce and maintain a vacuum in a
suitable vessel or vessels connected by means of pipes with a motor situated at any
desired distance from the said vessel or vessels in such a manner that the said
inotor may be operated by atmospheric pressure as hereinafter described; also to
provide a motor of special construction for utilizing such pressure
According to the said Invention I provide tanks from which the atmospheric air
is exhausted by means of suitable air-pumps driven by any fixed power, such as a
steam engine, or a water or wind mill, and pipes connecting these pumping engines
with the said tanks, which pipes may be of any desired length, as for instance, the
pumping apparatus may be at Niagara Falls, and the vacuum tanks in New York.
From these vacuum tanks pipes lead to the engine or motor which is to be driven
by the atmospheric pressure.
In the accompanying Drawing.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus for producing and maintaining
a vacuum, and
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a motor, to be driven by atmospheric
pressure.
The tank or tanks from which the atmospheric air is to be exhausted by any
suitable pumping device may be placed in any desired locality, i.e. adjacent to
the pumping or air exhausting machinery, or adjacent to the motor by which the
vacuum is produced, but I prefer to place the said vacuum tank near the motor
which is to be driven, as thereby a more steady movement of the said motor may
be produced.
The air pump or exhauster B, by which the air is exhausted from the tank or
tanks A, may be any suitable air-pump, either rotary or reciprocating, and it may
be driven by any suitable power, but my object is to economize the cost of
producing this vacuum, by operating the pump or exhauster B on a large scale, so
as to incur the least possible expense per horse power, or by placing the said
pump B in some locality where natural forces such as wind or water power may
utilized.
The said vacuum tank or tanks A, (for there may be several connected together)
are preferably of cylindrical form, and of cast iron, so as to secure the greatest
economy of construction combined with the most absolute freedom from loss by
leakage. They may be placed above or below the ground, but it will generally be
preferable to fix them in the ground, thereby securing stability without expensive
foundations. The tanks A are attached to the pump B by the pipe C. The pipe D
leads from the said tank A to the motor E, Figure 2; this pipe D may be for a
single motor, or a large or main pipe with several branches leading to several
motors. The latter mode of construction is the most preferable as a large vacuum
may be maintained at one place, and pipes lead therefrom to various points.
The motor E as shown in the Drawing, consists chiefly of a cylinder e, a rotary
piston e¹, and a valve e². The atmospheric air enters the said cylinder e through

page_text: the opening of the valve e², and, striking one of the wings of the piston e¹, carries it
around until the pipe leading to the vacuum tanks is reached, when the air which
entered through the valve e² will escape into the said pipe D, and through it into
the vacuum tanks A, then another portion of air will be passing through the
open part of the valve e², and acting on the other of the wings of the piston e',
until the escape at D is reached, and so on; the operation of the motor will thus be
continuous.
It is obvious that this method of utilizing a vacuum may be easily applied to
any suitable motor, whether the motor be rotary or reciprocating, so long as the
vacuum is utilized in combination with the normal atmospheric pressure on the
outside of the piston, to propel it forward.
It is not necessary that the vacuum in the tank or tanks should be perfect, a
partial vacuum being all that is required for the purpose.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim;
First. The utilization of atmospheric pressure as and for the purpose specified,
by means of apparatus substantially as herein described.
Second. The apparatus consisting of a tank or tanks with suitable means for
producing a vacuum or partial vacuum therein, and one or more pipes attached
thereto and extending to a suitable motor or motors in which the normal
atmospheric pressure, in connection with the vacuum, is used as a motive force.
Third. The motor E, consisting of a rotary piston c¹ travelling in a closed
cylinder e and actuated by atmospheric air admitted to the said cylinder through
a valve e 2 and escaping therefrom through an outlet pipe D into a vacuum tank or
tanks A, substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Sixth day of March in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.