IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERING APPARATUS FOR FILTERING WAN ADA TA
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henry Baker, of.Tonbridge, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, and Thomas Woodroffe, of the same Place, Builder,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERING APPARATUS FOR FILTERING
WAN ADA TA
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Henry Baker
and Thomas Woodroffe at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 6th September 1864.
We, THOMAS HENRY BAKER, of Tonbridge, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, and THOMAS WOODROFFE, of the same Place, Builder, do hereby
declare the nature of the said 'Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERING
APPARATUS FOR FILTERING WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS," to be as follows:-
According to one modification of the apparatus we employ a chamber
divided into two parts by a partition extending in an inclined direction from
the upper portion thereof to near its lower portion, where the filtering medium
is suspended between perforated surfaces, and in such manner that the
unfiltered fluid may pass under and rise through the filtering medium into the
compartiment formed for it by the inclined partition, and in order to give a

page_text: large surface for the filtering medium, the area of the compartment for the
filtered fluid increases towards the bottom, where it is the largest. The
filtered liquid is drawn off from just above the filtering medium, and an
opening is formed below that medium by which unfiltered fluid may be drawn
off or the filtering medium cleansed by allowing the filtered fluid to return
back through the filtering medium.
According to another modification we employ a closed chamber, near the
lower part of which is supported between perforated plates the filtering
medium dividing this chamber into two compartments, the upper one for the
filtered fluid and the lower one for the unfiltered fluid, which is supplied from
a suitable reservoir above, and may pass away from this lower compartment
without being filtered when desired by a passage for that purpose, whilst the
filtered fluid is drawn off from above the filtering medium. The outlet from
the lower compartment also admits of the return of the filtered fluid through
the filtering medium for cleansing purposes when the supply to that com-
partment is stopped. We also apply an air vent to tho compartment for the
filtered fluid formed by a syphon tube, one end of which opens into that
compartment, where it is capable of being closed by a valve and float acted
upon by the rising of the fluid therein; the other end of this pipe dips into a
small external vessel of fluid. These chambers with their partitions are by
preference formed of earthenware, slate, stone, or glass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Henry Baker and Thomas Woodroffe in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 6th March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
HENRY BAKER, of Tonbridge, in the County of Kent, Engineer, and THOMAS
WOODROFFE, of the same Place, Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Fler heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Thomas Henry Baker and Thomas Woodroffe, Her special licence that
we, the said Thomas Henry Baker and Thomas Woodroffe, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Henry
Baker and Thomas Woodroffe, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all

page_text: 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FILTERING APPARATUS FOR FILTERING WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Henry. Baker
and Thomas Woodroffe, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of
one of us or them, 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 we, the said Thomas Henry Baker and Thomas
Woodroffe, 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 :-
The object of our improvements is to secure at the time of use a continuous
supply of filtered water, or it may be other liquid adapted for domestic use or
for other purposes, and at the same time to afford facility for readily cleansing
the filtering medium of impurities collected in the course of filtration.
According to one modification of the 'apparatus we employ a chamber
divided into two parts by a partition extending in an inclined direction from
the upper portion thereof to near its lower portion, where the filtering medium
is suspended between perforated surfaces, and in such manner that the
unfiltered fluid may pass under and rise through the filtering medium into the
compartment formed for it by the inclined partition, and in order to give a
large surface for the filtering medium, the area of the compartment for the
filtered fluid increases towards the bottom, where it is the largest. The
filtered liquid is drawn off from just above the filtering medium, and an
opening is formed below that medium, by which unfiltered fluid may be drawn
off or the filtering medium cleansed by allowing the filtered fluid to return
back through the filtering medium.
According to another modification we employ a closed chamber, near the
lower part of which is supported between perforated plates the filtering
medium, dividing this chamber into two compartments, the upper one for the
filtered fluid and the lower one for the unfiltered fluid, which is supplied from
a suitable reservoir above, and may pass away from this lower compartment
without being filtered when desired by a passage for that purpose, whilst the
filtered fluid is drawn off from above the filtering medium. The outlet from
the lower compartment also admits of the return of the filtered fluid through
.

page_text: the filtering medium for cleansing purposes when the supply to that compart-
ment is stopped. We also apply an air vent to the compartment for the
filtered fluid formed by a syphon tube, one end of which opens into that com-
partment, where it is capable of being closed by a valve and float acted upon
by the rising of the fluid therein;..the other end of this pipo dips into a small
external vessel of fluid. These chambers with their partitions are by
preference formed of earthenware, slate, stone, iron, or glass.
But that the Invention may be better understood, we will by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings proceed to describe the means pursued by us.
filtered fluid formed by a syphon tube, one end or which opens to that com
partment, where it is capable of being closed by a valve and float acted upon
by the rising of the fluid therein;..the other end of this pipe dips into a small
external vessel of fluid. These chambers with their partitions are by
preference formed of earthenware, slate, stone, iron, or glass.
But that the Invention may be better understood, wo will by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings proceed to describe the means pursued by us.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a section, Figure 2 a plan view of ono modification of
apparatus according to our improvements, adapted to the filtration of liquids
at a low pressure.
d
b
a, a, is a chamber, which is divided into two parts by the partition 6, and
this partition is, as shown, inclined from the upper part thereof to near its
lower portion, where the filtering medium c is suspended between the
perforated surfaces d and e; apparatus, as shown, may be made of pottery
ware, slate, glass, or other suitablo material; and in order to facilitate manu-
facture and also tho introduction of the filtering media into the chamber c,
we form the bottom a' of the vessel a and tho partition separate from the
other parts, and having applied the filtering medium, we first secure the
partition & by cement or otherwise, and we then apply the bottom a¹ in like
or other suitable manner to prevent the escape of the liquid to be filtered at
that part. When the vessel a is formed of iron or other metal, the bottom
may be secured by flanges and packing. The liquid to be filtered is placed in
the compartment A, and so that it may pass freely under the partition d
which is perforated with numerous small holes to admit of tho liquid rising up
through it, and thence through the filtering media in the chamber c. By this
arrangement a large area is obtained for the action of the filtering medium.
the partitione is provided with holes, in which are placed sponges through
which the filtered liquid finally passes into the chamber B, where it may 'be
drawn off as required through a suitable cock or tapf, whilst unfiltered water
may be drawn off by a cock or tap at 9, which tap may also be used in
cleansing the filtering medium by drawing off the liquid through it from the
chamber B, in which case that liquid will have to pass back through the
filtering medium c, and thereby effect its cleansing.
Figure 3 shows a vertical section, and Figure 4 a horizontal section, of a
modification of apparatus according to our Invention, adapted especially to

page_text: when the liquid to be filtered is under considerable pressure, and in order that
this apparatus may the better resist such pressure we prefer to form it of iron,
which may be galvanized or otherwise coated if desired on the inner surface
so as to avoid any injurious action on the water or other liquid to be filtered.
The liquid to be filtered passes into the lower compartment A by the pipe of
supply h, and thence it rises through numerous holes in the plate d, and
through suitable filtering media c, and then through the sponges in the
openings of the plate e into the upper compartment B, from which it may be
drawn off filtered by a tap at i, or when unfiltered liquid is required it may be
drawn off from the compartment A by the tap j, or upon closing the tap k in
the supply pipo h and opening the tap j the liquid will pass out therefrom by
the tap through the filtering media to effect the cleansing of that media.
The filtering is effected by us by ascension, as we find the filtering media is
thereby less liable to be choked by the impurities contained in the liquid to be
filtered. The filtering media employed may be crushed shell, gravel, charcoal,
sand, sponge, or porous stone, or some of them in combination, according to
the character of the liquid to be filtered. r is an air vent capable of being
closed by a valve carried by the float s.
Figures 5 and 6 show by plan and sectional views a modification of our
improvements applied to the filtration of water on a large scale, as from a
river. In this case 7 represents a portion of a river, the water from which is
allowed to flow by a suitable conduit m into the lower compartment A of the
vessel a, a, and thence up through suitable filtering media c suspended
between the parts d and e, in manner similar to what has already been
explained, into the upper compartment B, from which it flows by a conduit n
into a reservoir o for use. In this case we prefer to form the vessel a of iron
galvanized or otherwise coated, if desired to avoid injurious action on the
water as filtered. The perforated partition & rests on flanged projections a³,
and the edge of the corresponding partition e is packed with rope or other
suitable material to prevent the water passing except through the holes
provided for that purpose in that plate, and when in position the plate e is
retained there by the screw rod p. The conduits m and n are provided with
stop valves or sluices, and when it is desired to cleanse the filtering media or
the lower compartment A, this may be effected by closing the valves or sluices
in the conduits m and n, and then drawing back the liquid from above the
filtering media into the chamber A, and out by a pipe q, in connection with
any suitable pump or other exhausting apparatus.
Having thus described our improvements and means we adopt in carrying
the same into effect, we would have it understood that what we claim is, the

page_text: adaptation or combination of means or apparatus for filtering water and other
liquids, substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Henry Baker and Thomas
Woodroffe, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Sixth day of
March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and 5
sixty-five.