Improvements in Filtering Apparatus for Purifying Water and other Liquids.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 4th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th Mar., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Filtering Apparatus for Purifying Water and
other Liquids.
I, PROSPER AUGUSTE MAIGNEN, of 32 Saint Mary at Hill, in the City of London,
Filter manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in filters used for the purification of water or
other liquids, and consists in the construction and combination of parts, so as to be
readily interchangeable for combination to suit various purposes, also in the relative
position, of the parts, and filtering frame to the current of liquid to be filtered, which
is caused to pass upwards or sideways through the apparatus, and thus is peculiarly
suitable to filtration direct from a water main or from any other source of water. On
shutting off the supply to the filter there is no drip from the outlet of the filter, whilst
in all other filters which attach to the tap, a drip pan is necessary, moreover this
arrangement allows the filter to be put on the delivery end of a ball tap in a cistern,
so that when the cistern is full the supply to the filter is shut off and there is no pressure
on the filter, and it allows water to be aerated as it flows out in the outlet, this would be
impossible with a downward filter. It further affords such a height of egress for the
filtered water or liquid as enables a bottle or other vessel to be placed with ease below
the egress tap or nozzle; and at the same time requires a minimum head of water.
The body of my filter I construct of one or a series of duplicate cylindrical oval
square oblong or other shaped shells, which may be closed by covers and suitably
jointed as follows:-
Where the shell is provided with a flange, the joint may be made by bolts or clamps
upon packing placed between the flanges, or in a groove in either flange.
Where thin or flexible metal is used for the shell, the ends of the shell may be
flanged so as to make a joint on the washer and are backed by a stiff flange or angle
piece, the soldering of which is thus prevented from contact with the water or liquid.
The connections for the joints may be in the form of one or more clamps or bolts to
close two or a series of covers.
In the simplest combination of parts my filter case consists of one of these cylindrical,
square, oblong or other shaped shells closed at the top and bottom by movable or fixerl

page_text: cover. To the upper one is affixed permanently or detachably one or more filtering
frames of sufficiently rigid but suitably open construction upon which is stretched and
secured a filtering cloth of asbestos or other textile fabric. The entry for the unfiltered
water or liquid if supplied from a water main or other source at pressure will be
through the lower end or side, the supply of filtered water or liquid being taken from
an orifice in the upper plate communicating with the interior or interiors of the filtering
frame or frames. The upper orifice for filtered water or liquid in this case need not
have any tap or cock as a cock provided in the lower supply pipe serves to cut off
and check the supply of filtered liquid from the discharge orifice. A finely powdered
or pulpy filtering medium is mixed with the unfiltered water or liquid therein, so as to
become deposited upon the pores of the aforesaid filtering cloth. The space between
the filtering frame or frames and outer casing may be filled with powdered or granular
charcoal or both.
In the second modified form of my filter two of the aforesaid shells may be combined
together, and closed at the top and bottom with a cover as aforesaid, and provided
between the two chambers with a diaphragm, carrying the filtering frame or frames
suspended in the lower chamber, which may be filled with coarse and fine charcoal
apart or mixed and thus form a filtering chamber as before described, the supply being
from the under end or cover. The upper chamber in this case forms a filtered water
or liquid reservoir and is provided at the top cover with an air pipe with or without a
valve. The supply of filtered water or liquid may be withdrawn through this upper
chamber at will by means of a tap provided in the lower part of the reservoir or by
syphon in the centre of the reservoir. The supply pipe is also fitted with a cock as
heretofore.
The third modified form of my filter may be constructed from three or more of the
aforesaid cylindrical chambers, divided by intermediate partitions, and top and bottom
covers, with orifices as heretofore. The supply pipe is introduced at the bottom cover
or side, and the lower chamber in this case may be fitted with a series of perforated
trays with charcoal, or other filtering medium between them, suited to catch and arrest
a large proportion of any matter held in suspension by the liquid to be filtered. This
chamber may also be provided with an outlet pipe from the bottom by which it may
be cleansed by a reversal of the filtering flow or a flow or flush of liquid or steam or a
combination of any of these operations. The central compartment is provided with
filtering frame or frames suspended from the second partition plate so as to form a
filtering chamber as heretofore described. The upper chamber, communicating with
the interior of the aforesaid filtering frame or frames forms a reservoir of filtered liquid
and is provided with an air pipe with or without a valve. The aëration may be further
increased by a suitable air passage in the egress pipe or tap. The supply of filtered
liquid may be withdrawn by a tap from the upper chamber.
It is obvious that any series of these chambers being all duplicate to one another in
their shells and dividing plates, may be readily combined together to form a series of
separate and successive filtering chambers if desired, the whole of the interior being
readily accessible for cleansing or renewals.
All the forms of my filter may be conveniently combined with a refrigerator in the
form of an external cylinder enclosing the whole and containing ice or other refrigerating
medium between the exterior of the filter case and the interior of the refrigerating
cylinder.
The whole may be conveniently placed on a tray to collect any waste water or liquid
or a jacket of asbestos cloth may be stretched on a frame that holds the cloth at a
distance from the filter so as to produce air space; and this jacket is kept moist by
capillary attraction from a tray or by the dripping of water from the top of the
filter.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Filtering Apparatus for Purifying Water and
other Liquids.
I, PROSPER AUGUSTE MAIGNEN, of 32 St. Mary-at-Hill, in the City of London,
Filter 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 :--
My invention relates to improvements in filters used for the purification of water
or other liquids, and consists in the construction and combination of parts, so as to be
readily interchangeable for combination to suit various purposes; also in the relative
position of the parts and filtering frame to the current of liquid to be filtered, which
is caused to pass upwards or sideways through the apparatus, and this is peculiarly
suitable to filtration direct from a water main or from any other source of water.
This arrangement allows the filter to be put on to the delivery end of a ball tap in
the cistern, so that when the cistern is full, the supply to the filter is shut off, and
there is no pressure on the filter. Or the said filter can be put anywhere in the tank
or cistern, and sometimes it is convenient to dispense with the filter case, causing the
cistern to act as the filter case. In each case it allows the water to be aërated as it
flows out from the outlet. On account of the position and total immersion of the
frames, tendency to accumulate air is obviated, as the flow of the water forces the air
through the outlet. When the filter stands vertically and outside the cistern, the
height of egress for the filtered water or liquid enables a bottle or other vessel to be
placed with case below the egress tap or nozzle.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed, reference being had
to the letters and figures marked thereon. Tike letters refer to like parts throughout
the figures.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are various arrangements of my filter comprising a single part
and a combination of two and three paris respectively.
Figure 4 is a modified arrangement of my single part filter with the case and filtering
frames arranged horizontally,
Figure 5 is a combination of one of my filters and case with a refrigerating
arrangement.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 show the arrangement of my improved filters in cisterns or
tanks for water supply in various modified ways.
The body of my filter I construct of one or a series of duplicate oval, square, oblong,
cylindrical or other shaped shells A, A1, A2, which may be closed by covers BB
suitably jointed. Where the shell is provided with a flange C, the joint may be made
by clamps or bolts upon packing placed between the flanges, or in a groove in either
flange.
Where thin or flexible metal is used for the shell, the ends of the shell may be
flanged, so as to make a joint on the washer, and they are packed by a stiff flange or

page_text: angle piece, the soldering of which is thus prevented from contact with the water or
other liquid. The connections for the joints may be in the form of one or more
clamps or bolts to close two or a series of covers or joints.
In the simplest combination of parts, figures 1 and 4, my filter case consists of one
of these cylindrical, square, oblong, or other shaped shells A, closed at the top or
bottom, or only at the top, by movable or fixed covers B B. To one cover is affixed
permanently or detachably one or more filtering frames D of sufficiently rigid, but
suitably open, construction, upon which is stretched a filtering cloth of asbestos or
other textile fabric. The entry for the unfiltered water or liquid is through the
pipe E, the water or liquid filtering through the frames D D, and thence through the
orifice in the opposite cover, where they may be collected by a trough or pipe FF,
which need not be provided with any tap, as a cock provided in the supply pipe serves
to cut off and check the supply of filtered liquid from the discharge orifice.
An aerating pipe H is inserted into the delivery pipe, so that the filtered water or
liquid becomes automatically highly aërated as it discharges.
A finely powdered or pulpy filtering medium is mixed with the unfiltered water or
liquid, so as to become deposited upon the pores of the aforesaid filtering cloth. The
space between the filtering frames and the outer casing may be filled with powdered
or granular charcoal or both.
I may apply this simplest combination of my filter in various ways to cisterns,
either direct to the hall tap R, of a cistern, as in figure 6, an aërating pipe H being
applied to the egress F of the filtered water or liquid. Or, I may dispense with the
outer case of my filter (Fig. 7), utilizing the cistern S for that purpose, the filtering
frames DD being connected up direct to the egress pipe F, which is provided with
an aerating pipe H as before described. Or, as in figure 8, I may apply the com-
bination filter as described and illustrated in figure 3 to the bottom of a cistern S, the
filtered water chamber A2 being supplied with an aerating pipe H as aforesaid.
In the second modified form of my filter, figure 2, two of the aforesaid shells A A¹
may be combined together, and closed at the top and bottom with covers as aforesaid,
and provided between the two chambers with a diaphragm G, the upper cover B
carrying the filtering frame or frames so suspended in the upper chamber. The
lower chamber may be filled with coarse and fine charcoal, apart or mixed, and thus
form a filtering chamber as before described, the supply being from the pipe E from
the under end or cover or from the side.
The filtered water or liquid is collected by the pipe F, which is provided with an
aerating pipe H as before. The supply of filtered water or liquid may be withdrawn
from this supply pipe F through this filter at will by means of a tap provided in the
supply pipe E.
The third modified form of my filter, figure 3, may be constructed from three or
more of the aforesaid chambers A, A1, A2, divided by intermediate partitions GG,
and top and bottom covers B B, with orifices as heretofore. The supply pipe E
is introduced at the bottom cover or side, and the lower chamber in this case may
be fitted with a series of perforated trays L, with charcoal or other filtering medium
between them, suited to catch and arrest a large proportion of any matter held in
suspension by the liquid to be filtered. The lower chambers of my filters may be
also provided with an outlet pipe M from the bottom, by which they may be
cleansed by reversal of the filtering flow, or a flow or flush of liquid or steam or
air or a combination of any of these operations. In my third combination, figure 3,
the middle compartment is provided with a filtering frame or frames D attached to
the second partition plate, or secured on the upper diaphragm by thumb screw
or wedges, so as to form a filtering chamber as heretofore described.
The upper
or highest chamber communicating with the interior of the aforesaid filtering frame
or frames, forms a reservoir of filtered liquid, and is provided with an air pipe, with
or without a valve. Or the same aerating pipe applied to the egress pipe for the
filtered liquid, as in figures previously described, may be used alternatively or in
addition to the aforesaid aerating pipe.
It is obvious that any series of these chambers, being all duplicate to one another

page_text: in their shells, and dividing plates, may be readily combined together to form a series
of separate and successive filtering chambers if desired, the whole of the interior being
readily accessible for cleansing or renewals.
All the forms of my filter may be conveniently combined with a refrigerator, as in
figure 5, in the form of an external cylinder enclosing the whole, and containing
ice or other refrigerating medium between the exterior of the filter case A and the
interior of the refrigerating cylinder N.
The whole may be conveniently placed on a tray P, to collect any waste water or
liquid, or a jacket of asbestos cloth Q may be stretched on a frame, that holds the
cloth at a distance from the filter, so as to produce air space, and this jacket may, be
kept moist by capillary attraction from the liquid in the tray P, or by the dripping of
water from the tap.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. The combination of an immersed upwards or sideways flow filtering frame filter
with an outer casing, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
2nd. The combination of an immersed upwards or sideways flow filtering frame
filter with water main, ball tap, or egress pipe of cistern, substantially as and for the
purposes specified.
3rd. The combination with the egress tube of such filtering frame filter of an
aerating pipe, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
4th. The construction of a filter by combining interchangeable cases, diaphragm,
filtering frames and subsidiary parts either in triplicate or duplicate, substantially as
and for the purposes specified.
5th. The combination of any series of so constructed filters, substantially as and for
the purposes specified.
6th. The combination of such a filter with a refrigerating case and subsidiary parts,
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.