IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING Meats and otHER ÅRTICLES OF FOOD IN A Portable Form
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Thompson, of Essex Road, Islington, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRESERVING Meats and otHER ÅRTICLES OF FOOD IN A Portable Form.”
Sealed the 7th April 1876, and dated the 11th October 1975.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Thompson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th October 1875.
I, HENRY THOMPSON, of Essex Road, Islington, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING MEATS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF FOOD IN A
PORTABLE FORM," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain improvements in preserving meats
and other articles of food in a convenient portable form, all contact from
the external air being effectually excluded until it is desired to use the
article or articles thus preserved.
Plates of tinfoil of suitable strength and thickness are laid over
moulds, and pressed into the latter by means of blocks which coincide

page_text: with the interior thereof. The blocks are then removed, and the meats
or other articles of food are introduced in a heated state into the moulds
of tinfoil which have been thus formed, the said meats being in such a
state of division with regard to solid substances as may be necessary or
desirable. Having been allowed to cool the several tinfoil moulds are
hermetically sealed by placing over the same pieces of pasteboard or paper,
or other suitable material, which are then respectively covered with tin-
foil, upon which the edges of the tinfoil of which the moulds are formed
are folded down and attached thereto by means of gluc or other suitable
adhesive material. By these means the air is entirely excluded from
contact with the meats or other substances contained in the moulds,
which may consequently be retained for a considerable period in a pure
and wholesome condition.
to remove
In order to use the food thus preserved it is only necessary.
a portion of the tinfoil, and thus expose the same, or the mould itself
may readily be cut through with a knife, the pieces of tinfoil thus
detached being readily removed.
If desired a plate or stand of cement, glass, carthenware, or other
suitable material may be attached to the bottom of the tinfoil mould
containing the meats, in order to form a bed upon which the latter may
be cut.
When the above mould or case has been completed the whole is
immersed in a mixture of brandy and isinglass, or in any substance or
substances possessing the necessary glutinous qualities for stopping any
holes or apertures which may remain in the tinfoil or other part of the
case.

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Thompson, Her
special licence, that I, the said Henry Thompson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Thompson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING MEATS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF FOOD IN
A PORTABLE FORM," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Henry Thompson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 Henry 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, that is to say :-
Plates of tinfoil of suitable strength and thickness are laid over
moulds adapted for the purpose, and pressed into the latter by means of
blocks which coincide with the interior thercof. The blocks are then
removed, and the meats or other articles of food are introduced in a
heated state into the moulds of tinfoil which have been thus formed,
the said meats or other articles having been reduced to such a state of
division with regard to solid substances as may be necessary or desirable.
The meats or other articles having been allowed to cool the several tin-
foil moulds are heremtically scaled by placing over the same pieces of
pasteboard or paper, or other suitable material, which are then respec-
tively covered with tinfoil, upon which the edges of the tinfoil of
which the moulds are formed are folded down and attached thereto by
means of glue or other suitable adhesive material. By these means the
air is entirely excluded from contact with the meats or other substances
contained in the moulds, and which may consequently be retained for a
considerable period in a pure and wholesome condition.

page_text: In order to use the food thus preserved it is only necesssary to remove
a portion of the tinfoil, and thus expose the same, or the mould itself
may readily be cut through with a knife, and the picces of tinfoil thus
detached easily removed.
If desired a plate or stand of cement, glass, earthenware, or other
suitable material may be attached to the bottom of the tinfoil mould
containing the meats or other substances, in order to form a bed upon
which the latter may be cut.
It should be mentioned that when the mould has been filled and com-
pleted it should be immersed in a mixture of brandy or other spirit and
isinglass, or any other substance or substances possessing the requisite
glutinous qualities for stopping any holes or apertures which may exist
in the tinfoil, or in any part of the same.
Having thus declared and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would observe
in conclusion that what I consider novel and original and therefore
claim as being the Invention secured to me by the said herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is, the method of preserving meats and
other articles of food in a portable form, substantially as herein-before
described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, tho said Henry Thompson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six