IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS PROVISIONAL
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ira Dimock, of 97, Cheapside, in the City of
London, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ira Dimock at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th September
1867.
I, IRA DIMOCK, of 97, Cheapside, in the City of London, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
TO BE USED FOR BOILING EGGS, AND FOR LIKE PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to apparatus to be used for boiling eggs and like
purposes which will indicate or give notice when a given degree of combined
time and temperature has been arrived at, and which when used for boiling
eggs will remove them from the boiling fluid if required when cooked.
My Invention consists in placing a fluid which will expand by heat in a
case, and in surrounding such case by another case so as to leave an air cavity,
or with some substance which is a slow conductor of heat. The quantity of
liquid in the case, the extent of the cavity for air, or the thickness of the
slow heat conducting substance is so proportioned that when used, say, for

page_text: boiling eggs the liquid within the instrument will have attained a given
degree of expansion by the time the eggs are properly cooked, and this will
be the case whether the eggs are placed in cold or boiling water.
My Invention also consists in shewing the degree of expansion in the fluid
within the case above referred to by causing it to ascend a glass stem from
the case, or by causing it to act upon a piston in a cylinder, or act upon a
diaphragm, which piston or diaphragm is made to transmit the motion to a
pointer or indicator, or to a latch or catch which holds a hammer and allows
it to strike a bell, or which catch holds a spring or weight and releases it so
as to allow it to lift a frame in which the eggs are placed from the boiling
water when the fluid has expanded to the given extent. I prefer to construct
the apparatus in the form of a small cylinder of metal which is placed within
another larger cylinder so as to leave a space or cavity for air all round the
sides and bottom. The "inner cylinder or case is closed at its lower end, and
its upper end is covered with an india-rubber diaphragm, which can be
expanded outwards into a tube connected with and extending upwards from
the cylinder; within the tube a plug or piston fits loosely so as to slide up
and down, but not turn round, and into this piston the lower end of the rod is
made to screw, the upper end of which has a catcb secured to it, the head of
which is formed so that the rod can be screwed in or out of the piston to
adjust the apparatus for different degrees of combined time and temperature
to give soft medium or hard boiled. The catch upon the rod holds up a
hammer (which also forms a handle) until the rod is pushed up by the
expansion of the fluid, which forces out the elastic diaphragm against the plug
or piston, and consequently lifts the rod or catch and releases the haminer,
which falls against and strikes upon a bell attached to the tube above
mentioned. The apparatus above described can be used when steam, heated
sand, and other material is used for cooking eggs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ira Dimock in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, IRA
DIMOCK, of 97, Cheapside, in the City of London, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Ira Dimock, Her special license that I, the said Ira Dimock, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ira
Dimock, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR BOILING EGGS, AND FOR LIKE PURPOSES," upon the:
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Ira Dimock, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal 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 I, the said Ira Dimock, 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
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to apparatus to be used for boiling eggs and like
purposes which will indicate or give notice when a given degree of combined
time and temperature has been arrived at, and which when used for boiling
eggs will remove them from the boiling fluid if required when cooked.
My Invention consists in placing a fluid which will expand by heat in a'
case, and in surrounding such case by another case so as to leave an air
cavity, or with some substance which is a slow conductor of heat. The
quantity of liquid in the case, the extent of the cavity for air, or the thickness
of the slow heat conducting substance is so proportioned that when used, say, .
for boiling eggs the liquid within the instrument will have attained a given
degree of expansion by the time the eggs are properly cooked, and this will be
the case whether the eggs are placed in cold or boiling water.
My Invention also consists in shewing the degree of expansion in the fluid.
within the case above referred to by causing it to ascend a glass stem from
the case, or by causing it to act upon a piston in a cylinder, or act upon a
diaphragm, which piston or diaphragm is made to transmit the motion to a
pointer or indicator, or to a latch or catch which holds a hammer and allows
it to strike a bell, or which catch holds a spring or weight and releases it so
as to allow it to lift a frame in which the eggs are placed from the boiling

page_text: "
water when the fluid in the said " case has expanded to the given extent.
Though a liquid has been mentioned as the medium through which heat is
transmitted to the eggs to be cooked, yet the apparatus will act when the eggs
are exposed to the action of steam, or a hot bath of sand, or other suitable
substance.
The manner in which my Invention is carried into effect is illustrated by
the Figures upon the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a stand or frame containing apparatus for
boiling eggs according to my Invention, where the expansion of the liquid is
shewn through a glass stem; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation; Fig. 3 a plan,
and Fig. 4a plan section below the line A, B, Fig. 2, of an apparatus
according to my Invention which rings a bell when the eggs are sufficiently
cooked; Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation, Fig 6 a plan section below the line
C, D, Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 a partial plan above the line E, F, Fig. 5, of another
arrangement of apparatus for boiling eggs which rings a bell when they are
sufficiently cooked; Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of apparatus which lifts
the eggs out of the boiling water when sufficiently cooked and rings a bell
at the same time. All the Figures are drawn full size.
In each modification there is a stand (a) having an open frame (a¹) around
it forming receptacles, each of which will hold one egg. The stand or frame
when the eggs are in it is placed in a pan containing water which will cover
the eggs when the stand rests upon the bottom of the pan, consequently
the apparatus and the eggs carried by it will be subjected to the same degree
of heat and for the same duration of time. If after using the apparatus it is
again required care should be taken to place it in cold water, or in some cool
place, so that it will have attained the ordinary atmospheric temperature
before it is again used. In the apparatus shewn by Fig. 1 a vessel of glass
is employed having a bulb. (b) and a stem (6'), the bulb (6) and part of the
stem being filled with pure water, having a little colouring matter (such a
cochineal) added so that it can be easily seen in the stem. The bulb (6) is
surrounded and protected by a metallic case (c,) and there is a space left for
air between the bulb and the interior of the case. The bulb may be coated
with slow heat conducting material, but I prefer to use the case (c). The
bulb of the instrument is of a size adapted to the average size of hens' eggs,
larger eggs take longer to cook than small eggs, and if the instrument is to be
used for cooking eggs of much larger size than the average of hens' eggs, it will
have to be graduated accordingly, or an index will have to be used which cau
be slided up and down the stem to a given extent. The stem or index is gradua-
ted by experiment, but when one standard instrument is obtained other instru-

page_text: ments may be marked from it by placing both the standard and the instrument
to be marked in beated water at the same time, and noting upon the instrument
to be marked the height of the fluid in its stem at the moment when the fluid in
the standard arrives at each point of its scale. In constructing the apparatus
shewn by Fig. 1 or those shewn by the other Figures of the Drawings
(herein-after described) my object is not to cause the liquid within the bulb (b)
or case to attain the same temperature as the egg, but to cause the fluid
within the bulb or case to begin to expand when heat is first applied, and to
continue to expand while the heat is operating, the rapidity of expansion
depending upon the degree of heat combined with the time such degree of
heat is acting, consequently the instrument will act truly, whether the operation
is performed by quick or slow boiling.
The apparatus shewn by Figs. 2, 3, and 4 gives notice when the eggs are
sufficiently cooked by ringing a bell. 6 is a flat cylindrical case; its bottom
is made strong, and with a hollow receptacle (63) to receive a coat of slow
heat conducting material, such as plaster of Pairs. The upper surface (6³) of
the case (6) is made of thin metal having circular corrugations same as
aneroid barometers. The interior of the case (6) is filled with pure water
or with three parts of pure water and one part of alcohol by measure. The
expansion of the liquid in the case will force outwards the metallic diaphragm
(6), which acts upon a spindle or rod (d) arranged to slide vertically in the
frame (a). This spindle screws through a nut (d) which has a flat side that
comes against the frame (a), and is thus prevented from turning round. The
nut (d) acts upon the under side of a hook or latch (d) having its fulcrum
upon the frame at (d³), and this book bolds back a hammer (e) connected with
a piece (f) centred upon the frame at (f¹). The piece (f) has a catch or pro-
jection (f) upon which the hook (d) takes hold, and it has also a projection (f)
to which the hammer is attached, which projection is acted upon by a spring (ƒ)
attached to the frame which gives the striking movement to the hammer (e)
when the catch (d) is lifted. There is also a handle (f") from the part (f) and
a fixed handle (f) so that by pressing the handle (f) towards the handle (ƒ)
the hammer (e) will be withdrawn from the bell, the spring (f') charged, and
the hook (d) will latch, and thus the instrument is instantly made ready for
use. The instrument is adjusted by screwing the spindle (d) up or down, and
when adjusted any degree of cooking, be it light, medium, or hard boiled,
can be obtained by placing the pointer (d³) upon the upper end of the
spindle (d) to the mark upon the index, which is a circular plate (a¹)
forming part of the handle (a) by which the apparatus is carried.

page_text: Figs. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate another instrument for ringing a bell when the
eggs are sufficiently cooked, which I prefer to use, being less in bulk and
more simple in construction than the instrument shewn by Figures 2, 3, and 4.
This instrument consists of an inner cylindrical case (6) closed at its lower
end and resting upon another case (c) (as shewn) of larger diameter, so as to
leave a space for air. The upper end of the cylindrical case (b) is closed by
an india-rubber diaphragm (6%), and this is secured by a cap (c) which screws
upon the outer case (c) and also secures the flange of a vertical tube (c). Within
this tube a plug or piston (d') is fitted, which can slide freely up and down in
the tube (c), but is prevented from turning round by a pin (9) fixed in the side
of the tube (c) and passing into a slot in the plug or piston (d¹). The lower end
of a spindle (d) is made to screw into the plug or piston (d'), and the upper
end of this spindle slides through a bush (h) fixed in the tube (c), and around
the spindle (d) a helical spring (k) is placed, one end of which acts against the
bush (h), and the other end against the plug or piston (d'). To the upper end
of the spindle (d) a boss (d³) is secured, which is recessed upon its under
side so that it may form a catch all round for the hook (f) of the hammer (c)
to take hold of, this hammer being placed on a fulcrum (f) in a slot in the
bush (h) which comes opposite a slot in the side of the tube (c). The
hammer (e) falls by its own weight, but it is assisted in its descent by a
spring (f) acting upon a tail part from the bammer lever, which spring is
secured to the inside of the tube (c). The hammer (e) is intended to form
a handle to lift the instrument by, so that the act of lifting will cause the
incline upon the hammer lever to act upon the incline around the boss (d³)
and force the spindle (d) upwards until the incline surfaces can pass, when
the weight of the spindle (d), and other attached parts, and the force of
spring (k) will cause the spindle (d) to descend so as to hold the hammer (e)
in the position shewn by Fig. 5. Another boss (1) forming a screw head is
also attached to the upper end of the spindle (d) by a screw (1); this is
milled upn the edge, so that it can be turned when required, and the index
marks are placed upon the upper face (as shewn in Fig. 7), and there is a
pointer (*) upon the hammer lever, by which to set the index. There are
vertical grooves in the side of the boss part (1), one for each mark upon the
index, and a screw (1) is passed through the side of the tube (c), the point
of which will enter one of the slots. By pulling the head (1) upwards until
the end of the screw (P) comes opposite a groove (P) passing round the boss
the head (1) can be turned as required until the point of the screw comes
opposite the groove corresponding to the mark upon the index to which the

page_text: instrument is to be set. The index is secured when adjusted by a pin in the
head (), which passes into a hole in the boss (d²). The bell (e) is fixed upon
the exterior of the tube (c), as shown.
Fig. 8 shows an instrument which will lift the eggs out of the water and
ring a bell. In many respects it is similar to the instrument last described;
namely, as to the cases (6 and c), the india-rubber diaphragm (6), the plug
or piston (d), the spindle (d), bush (h), and helical spring (k); but in
respect to the index pointer (d), and bell (e), and handle (a³), it is similar
to those parts in the instrument shown by Fig. 2. Around the exterior of
the tube () a helical spring (m) is placed, and enclosing this spring a short
tube (m) is fixed, as shewn, and upon the exterior of this tube (m²) another
tube (m) is fitted, which is attached to or forms part of a boss (m³)
arranged to slide freely upon the upper part of the exterior of the tube (c).
The spring (m) acts upon the under side of the boss (m³), and is sufficiently
strong when allowed to lift the tube (m²), the frame (a), and the
by it (as shewn in dotted line).
eggs carried
When the instrument is to be used the frame or tube (m²) is pressed down
until the ends of a catch (d) which is on a fulcrum (d) in a slot in the
bush (h) comes against a notch in the top of the boss (m³). This catch (d)
has a small spring (d*) attached to it, which constantly acts to force the
catch (d) through the slot in the tube (c) so as to catch upon the boss (m³)
and hold down the tube (m²). There is an incline shoulder (d) upon the
spindle (d), which acts upon the tail of the catch (d) when the spindle rises
sufficiently, and thus releases the catch and allows the spring (m) to lift the
tube (m) and frame (a¹) and the eggs carried by it, and at the same time the
boss (m) will strike against the bent lever of the hammer (e) (which falls by its
own gravity) and kicks it against the bell (e). The boss (m³) fits the tube (c),
and the tube (m³) fits the tube (m³), so that a partial vacuum is formed within
the tube (m) to check a too rapid ascent of the tube and frame (a¹) carrying
the eggs.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into effect, and claim as my Invention for boiling eggs
and for like purposes,―
Firstly. The use of a fluid in a vessel surrounded by a slow heat-conducting
material or an air cavity, as herein-before described and illustrated by reference
to Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The use of a fluid in a case arranged to act upon a piston or
diaphragm which will transmit movement, so as to release a catch and ring a
bell, release a catch, and allow a spring or weight to lift the eggs out of the

page_text: boiling fluid and ring a bell if required, as herein-before described and illustrated
by the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination and arrangement of the mechanism or apparatus
forming the instruments herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ira Dimock, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.
IRA DIMOCK. (L.S.)