Improved Apparatus for Preparing Infusions of Tea and Coffee.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1888
Specification Accepted, 15th June. 1888
Improved Apparatus for Preparing Infusions of Tea and Coffee.
I. GEORGE RADFORD WILSON Trading under the Firm of Wilson & Blessley, of
1. Paul Street Finsbury in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
-
These improvements relate to the construction of apparati for preparing infusions
of tea and coffee and consist of constructing such apparati with two separate Chambers
one above the other connected with each other solely by means of a pipe which
extends from within about half an inch from the bottom of the lower chamber to
almost the top of the upper chamber. This upper Chamber is provided and fitted
with a moveablo lid to allow of access into the said Chamber and this lid is pierced
with an aperture at its highest point to allow the escape of steam-a light cap rests
on this aperture to keep in the heat of this upper Chamber but which steam would
easily raise for its escape.
The lower chamber is provided with an opening near the top through which to
pour in water and is fitted with a screw nut. This opening is fixed at some trifling
distance below the top of the lower Chamber so that this Chamber cannot be entirely
filled with water.
In the upper Chamber is provided a moveable cylindrical perforated box to contain
the tea or coffee for the infusion. This box is formed with a lid at its bottom and
to allow of tea or coffee being placed in the box and a tube in its centre traverses the
whole length of this box open at each end to allow of its fitting over the pipe which
rises from the lower Chamber. This box is perforated to allow the boiling water to
come in contact with the tea or coffee for infusion and is provided at its top end
with a downward curved cover plate raised on two short legs, with a handle attached
at the top for removing the whole box.. This box aforesaid fits easily over the pipe
rising from the lower Chamber by means of the tube in its centre and when fully
in position the top of this pipe from the lower Chamber is slightly above the top end
of the box and slightly below the cover plate attached to this end of the box.

page_text: The lower Chamber is provided with a tap to draw off water from this Chamber.
On the same level as this tap another tap is fixed communicating with the upper
Chamber by means of a pipe which traverses the sides of the lower Chamber and
ascends into the lower part of the upper Chamber.-By this means is drawn off the
tea and coffee to be consumed and as the pipe through which it is withdrawn passes
through the lower Chamber the liquids travelling along this pipe are heated according
to the calorics in the lower Chamber through which the pipe passes. This draw
off tap may be placed immediately at the base of the upper Chamber if found more
convenient.
A glass guage is inserted in the upper Chamber to indicate the amount of liquid
therein.
These upper and lower Chambers may be constructed separately and secured
together by means of a screw union joint with levers for tightening same. The whole
construction is placed either upon an openwork frame or short legs to allow of heat
in any form being applied to the bottom of the lower Chamber.
In order that the nature of my said improvements may be more fully understood
I will proceed to describe the several figures on the sheet of drawings hereto annexed
all of which are marked with the like letters to the like parts throughout.
Figure is a vertical section taken through the centre of this improved apparatus
in which A. A. is the lower Chamber and B. B. the upper Chamber and E. E. is the
pipe by which the two Chambers have communication-C is the moveable lid to the
top Chamber. B. B. and H. is the hole in same having the moveable cap K. D. D. is
the moveable cylindrical perforated box to contain the tea or coffee for infusion and
I. I. shews in Section the tube in this box which fits over the pipe E. E.-G is the
downward curved cover plate fitted on short legs M. M. on the top end of this box.
The moveable lid to this box is at the bottom end marked F. and the handle T. for its
withdrawal is fixed to the top of cover plate G-R. is. the aperture through which
water is poured into the lower Chamber and which is hermetically sealed with a screw
nut. XX. is the pipe conducting the liquid from the upper Chamber to the tap N
L. is the openwork frame in which the heat is applied to the bottom of the Chamber A. A
to boil water in the said chamber.
Figure 2 is an Elevation of this Improved Apparatus in which N, N¹, N¹, are taps
from the respective upper and lower chambers and P. P. is the Glass guage and S. S.
are the levers for tightening the screw union joint.
Figure 3 is perspective view with part of the Chamber B. B. laid open to show the
interior.
The action of the infusion of the tea or coffee is obtained as follows:-
The moveable box D. D. is filled with the substance for the infusion and placed in
position over the pipe E. E. which rises in the upper Chamber-the lid C. is then
fitted tight down on to the upper Chamber B. B. the lower Chamber A. A. is filled
with water up to the level of the aperture R. and the screw nut is then screwed on
and the aperture hermetically sealed-Heat is now applied to the bottom of the
Chamber A. A. until ebullition of the water in the Chamber takes place when steam
being formed in the space left above the level of the water in the Chamber—the
boiling water is forced automatically up the pipe E. E. and against the cover plate G
of the box D. D. and descends on to the top and around the sides of the perforated
box D. D. containing the tea or coffee for infusion.-Thus the upper Chamber B. B.
is filled with boiling water and the infusion at once commences and the lower Chamber
is emptied of its water as low down as the pipe E. E. extends and as this is always
fully half an inch from the bottom of the Chamber A. A so a certain amount of water
is always secured on the bottom of this Chamber to prevent any burning of this
bottom from the applied heat beyond-After the complete infusion has taken place
in the upper Chamber B. B. the box D. D. is removed and the liquid in this Chamber
is ready, being withdrawn through tap N¹.
As the improvements herein before set forth are capable of various modifications
without departing from the principle thereof I do not restrict myself to materials,
dimensions or the precise form or placement of the several parts thereof,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to he performed I declare that what I
claim is
1-A pipe which is the only communication between a lower and upper Chamber
through which by means of heat boiling water ascends from the lower to the upper
Chamber and is there discharged over and remains around the substance of which the
infusion is required-all as before substantially set forth.
2-A moveable perforated box for holding the substance for the infusion-
traversed in its centre and for its entire length by a tube to allow of this box being
fitted over a pipe up which boiling water ascends-as before described and set
forth.