IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERING, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1875

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Isaac Cooke Thompson, of the Firm of Thompson
and Capper, Chemists, of 4, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERING, AND
IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."-Partly a communication from abroad
by Frederick Clibborn, of Philadelphia, in the United States of
America.
Sealed the 12th May 1876, and dated the 13th November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Cooke Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th November 1875.
I, ISAAC COOKE THOMPSON, of the Firm of Thompson and Capper,
Chemists, of 4, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN
FILTERING, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
66

page_text: consequently not unfrequently ends in servants shirking the filtering
altogether unless well looked after. Now my Invention is designed to
obviate all this by making the filtration automatic; it consists,
1st. Of a chamber of any suitable strong material, but preferably of
enamelled iron. This is connected to the main or other source of water
supply by a cock and screw joint so as to disconnected at pleasure.
The bottom of the chamber is provided with a cock to empty it when
desirable.
2nd. Inside the chamber, and preferably raised above the bottom an
inch or so to allow room for settling, I fix a hollow carbon block or hollow
mass of iron sponge. The hollow in this mass or block consists of a
single chamber surrounded everywhere by the filtering material, except
that at one point a pipe is fixed into the mass and freely communicating
with the central chamber; this pipe is also brought right through the
walls of the surrounding chamber of enamelled iron in a liquid tight
manner, and on the outside is the ordinary service cock.
The mode of working is as follows:-The water entering the outer
enamelled chamber at a considerable pressure forces itself through the
pores of the charcoal. The chamber in the charcoal block being filled
the water escapes out through the cock; being under pressure, and
having a much larger surface to act upon than in ordinary filters, the
water comes through the charcoal and out at the cock in a clear full
stream instead of by drops. It is therefore no more trouble to draw from
the filter than from any other pipe, and if the chamber is boarded off the
domestics might use it for any length of time without knowing that it
was other than an ordinary water supply. By placing it on the main from
the cistern all the cocks in the lower story could be supplied with
filtered water. If it gets choked up, by having both cocks the same
size the filter could be temporarily reversed, which would at once clean
it out or it could be cut off from the water supply, the cock at the
bottom opened, and the exit cock blown through with a pair of
hellows.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Isaac Cooke Thompson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISAAC
COOKE THOMPSON, of the Firm of Thompson and Capper, Chemists,
of 4, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Isaac Cooke Thompson, Her
special licence that I, the said Isaac Cooke Thompson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Isaac Cooke
Thompson, 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 FILTERING, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Isaac Cooke Thompson,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 monthis next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Isaac Cooke Thompson, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings and to the figures and letters of reference marked
thereon.
Household filters, as ordinarily constructed have to be filled for use
and the water runs out slowly drop by drop. This gives trouble, and
consequently not unfrequently ends in servants shirking the filtering
altogether unless well looked after. Now my Invention is designed to
obviate all this by making the filtration automatic; it consists,-

page_text: :
1st. Of a chamber A of any suitable strong material, but preferably
of enamelled iron. This is connected to the main or other source of
water supply by a cock B and screw joint C, so as to be disconnected
at pleasure. The bottom of the chamber A is usually provided with a
cock D to empty it when desirable.
2nd. Inside the chamber A, and preferably raised above the bottom
an inch or so on supports E to allow room for settling, I fix a hollow
carbon block or hollow mass of spongy iron F. The hollow in this mass
or block consists of a single chamber surrounded everywhere by the
filtering material, except that at one point a pipe G is fixed into the
mass and freely communicates with the central chamber. This pipe is
also brought right through the walls of the surrounding chamber A in
a liquid tight manner, and on the outside is the ordinary service cock H.
This cock has the same thread as the screw joint C, and by unscrewing
the cock and this joint (which has a left hand screw at the other end,
and reversing their respective positions the filter can, as afterwards
explained, be made to work backwards and clean itself. The top and
bottom can be secured to the cylindrical body of the outer case in a
variety of ways. I prefer to make a water-tight joint by means of a
leather or india-rubber washer held tight in each groove by the pressure
between the cylindrical body and the top and bottom, caused by stay
bolts J, J. In the supply pipe I usually place a subsidiary sponge
filter K, or rose to prevent grosser impurities entering the filter.
1
The mode of working is as follows:-The water entering the outer
enamelled chamber at a considerable pressure, forces itself through the
pores of the charcoal. The chamber in the charcoal block being filled,
the water escapes out through the cock. Being under pressure, and
having a much larger surface to act upon than in ordinary filters the
water comes through the charcoal and out at the cock in a clear full
stream instead of by drops. It is therefore no more trouble to draw
from the filter than from any other pipe, and if the chamber is boarded
off the domestics might use it for any length of time without knowing
that it was other than an ordinary water supply. By placing it on the
main from the cistern all the cocks in the house could be supplied with
filtered water. If it gets choked up by having both cocks the same
size the filter could be temporarily reversed which would at once clean
it out, (but this is only applicable with a very low head of water,
otherwise you burst the block. A better plan is to cut off the water

page_text: supply, open the cock at the bottom, and blow through the exit cock
with a pair of bellows.
For convenience sake, in filters designed with a view to reversing the
current, I place both entrance and exit cocks at the same level, as
shown in the Drawings. As the water rushing into the charcoal block
and beating always on one place would soon wear a hole in the com-
paratively soft block, I usually construct the block with a metal plate L
opposite the entrance, so as to take the wear caused by the water.
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode known to :
me of carrying it into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
claim as new the use of compressed charcoal or of spongy iron, these
substances being old and well known, nor yet the principle of reversing
the currents or blowing through to cleanse the filter; but what I
believe to be new in the foregoing Specification, and desire to claim
under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The employment in filters of a hollow block of carbon, spongy
iron, or other material having a chemically purifying effect upon water
(and not as in the case of sandstone a mechanical effect only), said block
being immersed in the liquid to be filtered under a head or pressure,
and the water thus forced through the block and drawn out from a pipe.
or other passage connected with the interior chamber or chambers of the
block.
2. The general arrangement of filter, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaac Cooke Thompson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1876.
Witness,
WM. P. THOMPSON,
Patent Agent,
6, Lord Street,
Liverpool.
ISAAC COOKE THOMPSON. (L.S.)