IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Antonio Fedele Cossus, of University Street,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FILTERS."
Scaled the 28th June 1853, and dated the 25th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Antonio Fedele
Cossus at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 25th February 1853.
I, ANTONIO FEDELE Cossus, of University Street, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERS" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of making a cylindrical or other form of
open frame, into the openings of which frame pieces of carefully burned
charcoal (cut across the grain) are fixed, and such frame is fixed within
a close cylinder: into this cylinder the liquid to be filtered comes, and
by preference outside of the framed charcoal; the fluid, as it filters
therefrom, passes into the frame of charcoal, and is run off therefrom.
Or such framed charcoal may be placed in a cistern or other vessel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Antonio Fedele Cossus, in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 8th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ANTONIO FEDELE Cossus, of University Street, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of February, in the
ar of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Antonio Fedele Cossus, Her special
licence that I, the said Antonio Fedele Cossus, my executors,
dministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Antonio
Fedele Cossus, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
ány 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 Inven-
the condition (amongst
IN FILTERS," upon
others) that I, the said Antonio Fedele Cossus, 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.
MPROVEMENTS
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Antonio Fedele Cossus, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
This Invention consists of making a cylindrical or other form of open
frame, into the openings of which frame pieces of carefully burned char-
coal (cut across the grain) are fixed, and such frame is fixed within a
close cylinder; into the cylinder the liquid to be filtered comes, and by
preference outside of the framed charcoal; the fluid, as it filters there-

page_text: 5
from, passes into the frame of charcoal, and is run off therefrom; or such
framed charcoal may be placed in a cistern or other vessel. And in
order that my said Invention may be most fully understood, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure .1, .shows an external view of a filter complete; Figure 2,
shows the filtering frame of the charcoal separately; and Figure 3,
is a horizontal section of the external vessel; Figure 4, shows another
arrangement, differing in form to the preceding one, and wherein the
fluid is applied from an elevated cistern or source; and Figure 5, shows
the filtering frame of charcoal separately. In the first arrangement.the
.fluid is filtered without pressure, and is therefore in an open case; and
in the second arrangement, the fluid to be filtered passes in the same
manner into the interior of the filter, and filters into the interior, but
with pressure by means of an elevated cistern which supplies the filter
by a pipe, as shown in the drawing. The frame into which the sheets
of charcoal are fixed are similar to window frames, and the sheets of
charcoal are fixed therein by Roman or other suitable cement. The
frame in Figure 2, is rectangular, and stands on legs within the outer
vessel. a, is handle by which the framed filter, Figure 2, is raised or
lowered; b, b, are legs; c, is a short tube which enters the socket of the
cock d, by which the fluid may be drawn from the interior of the filter-
ing frame of charcoal; and e, is a cock by which the unfiltered fluid
may be drawn from the outer vessel; f, is an air tube. In Figures 4,
and 5, a, is the handle; c, is a short tube which enters the socket of the
cock d, by which filtered fluid may be drawn from the interior of
the filtering frame of charcoal; and e, is the cock by which the un-
filtered fluid may be drawn off from the outer vessel; f, is an air tube.
In preparing charcoal it is desirable that the wood should be free from
knots; and I prefer to use the wood of the alder tree when the filter is
for oils, but for water and other more readily-passing fluids I generally
use the wood of the Canada poplar; but I do not confine myself thereto,
as other woods may be used. And I cut off slices across the grain of the
wood, about five eighths of an inch thick, and from trees of six or seven

page_text: inches diameter; but these may be varied. These slices I find it
advisable to cut in half before they are charred, otherwise they are
liable to split in charring. These slices I place side by side, edgeways,
in a vertical retort, which is covered over with a plate so as to exclude
the atmosphere, and yet admits of the vapours passing off by lifting the
plate. In this manner the wood is to be well charred, and then allowed
to get cold before the slices are removed out of the retort. And if the
slices are not large enough to cut out squares of the sizes of the open-
ings in the frame, I employ two, three, or more pieces, with a layer of
Roman or other suitable cement between the edges, as well as to fix
them into the openings of the frame.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the shapes of filters shewn and described, as the
forms may be varied without departing from my Invention. But what
I claim is the mode herein described of employing charcoal in the
construction of filters.
In witness whereof, I, the said Antonio Fedele Cossus, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
A. F. COSSUS. (L.S.)
Witness, JOHN EDKINS.