IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR, AND IN RAISING AND FORCING WATER AND Anwh 7730
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Macintosh, of North Bank, Regent's Park,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR, AND IN RAISING AND FORCING WATER AND
Anwh
7730
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Macintosh at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th October 1860. .
I, JOHN MACINTOSH, of North Bank, Regent's Park, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR, AND IN RAISING AND FORCING WATER AND
OTHER FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for compressing
air, and in raising and forcing water and other fluids. For these purposes in
constructing apparatus for compressing atmospheric air and other aeriform
bodies, flexible elastic tubes are employed of a gradually decreasing diameter,
the thickness of the tubes being preferred to be uniform, so that the strength
of the tube increases as it diminishes in diameter, and these tubes are progres-
sively compressed, commencing with the end of the largest diameter and
finishing at the end of the smallest diameter. It is preferred that the pressing
instruments should be in the form of rolling bodies, but this is not essential.
In constructing apparatus for raising water and other fluids by compressed air,

page_text: flexible pipes made of waterproof fabrics or materials are employed, such
pipes being strengthened by longitudinal and transverse cords or bindings,
when necessary, both for conveying the compressed air to the vessel in the
shaft or other source of supply, and also for conveying the water from such
vessel to the point of delivery. The vessel, which is immersed in the water in
the shaft or other source of supply, is arranged with valves at the lower part
which open inwards, so that when the interior of the vessel is not filled with
compressed air the water flows freely into the same and fills it, and by filling
such vessel with water a float therein is raised, which opens the valve for per-
mitting the compressed air to flow into the vessel, and thereby to displace the
water therein, the water flowing up through the pipe, which rises to the point
of delivery. A valve is applied at the lower end of such ascending pipe, and
the lower end of such pipe comes near the bottom of the vessel. When the
water in the vessel has been forced out or displaced by the compressed air, the
float in the vessel by its descent opens the valve into the outer atmosphere,
and the valve to the compressed air pipe is closed, when the water will again
flow into and fill the vessel.
When apparatus is constructed to work by exhaustion in place of pressure,
then a succession of vessels is employed one below the other, according to the
depth of the source of supply from the point of delivery. These vessels are
each connected to an air pipe, from which the air is continually removed by
any suitable means; each vessel is provided with a float and a communication
with the outer atmosphere, together with suitable valves to close the passages
to the exhaust pipe and to the outer atmosphere; and each vessel is connected
with the one above it by a suitable pipe, so that when the vessel is full of
water, and the passage to the atmosphere is opened, the pressure of air acting
on the water in a vessel causes the water to ascend into the vessel above,
which at that time is vacuous. The working of this combined apparatus is as
follows-Supposing the air to have been exhausted from the series of vessels,
the water will rise into and fill the lowest one, and so soon as the filling is
accomplished the float therein will have risen and opened the valve to the.
atmosphere and closed the valve to the exhaust pipe; the water by the pres-
sure of the air will rise up the tube, which ascends from near the bottom of
the lower vessel to the bottom of the next above it, and will fill that vessel
when the float in the lowest vessel by descending will cause or allow the valve
to the atmosphere to close, and the valve to the exhaust pipe will be opened,
and water will again flow from the source of supply into the lowest vessel, and
in this manner the apparatus of each of the vessels acts till the water is raised
into and from the succeeding vessels to the point of delivery.

page_text: I would state that although other forms of valves may be used, I generally
prefer those which consist of gratings having flexible materials thereon, which
are opened by rolling up the flexible materials.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Macintosh in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MACINTOSH, of North Bank, Regent's Park, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Macintosh, Her special licence that I, the said John Macintosh,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Macintosh, 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 Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR, AND IN RAISING AND FORCING WATER
AND OTHER FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Macintosh, 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 months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Macintosh, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for compressing
air, and in raising and forcing water and other fluids. For these purposes, in
constructing apparatus for compressing atmospheric air and other aeriform
bodies, flexible elastic tubes are employed of a gradually decreasing diameter

page_text: the thickness of the tubes being preferred to be uniform, so that the strength
of the tube increases as it diminishes in diameter, and these tubes are pro-
gressively compressed commencing with the end of the largest diameter, and
finishing at the end of the smallest diameter. It is preferred that the pressing
instruments should be in the form of rolling bodies, but this is not essential.
In constructing apparatus for raising water and other fluids by compressed air,
flexible pipes made of waterproof fabrics or materials are employed, such pipes
being strengthened by longitudinal and transverse cords or bindings, when
necessary, both for conveying the compressed air to the vessel in the shaft or
other source of supply, and also for conveying the water from such vessel to
the point of delivery. The vessel which is immersed in the water in the shaft
or other source of supply is arranged with valves at the lower part, which
open
inwards, so that when the interior of the vessel is not filled with compressed air
the water flows freely into the same and fills it, and by filling such vessel with
water a float therein is raised, which opens the valve for permitting the com-
pressed air to flow into the vessel, and thereby to displace the water therein;
the water flowing up through the pipe, which rises to the point of delivery.
A valve is applied at the lower end of such ascending pipe, and. the lower end
of such pipe comes near the bottom of the vessel when the water in the vessel
has been forced out or displaced by the compressed air, the float in the vessel
by its descent opens the valve into the outer atmosphere, and the valve to
the compressed air pipe is closed, when the water will again flow into and fill
the vessel.
When apparatus is constructed to work by exhaustion in place of pressure,
then a succession of vessels is employed, one below the other, according to the
depth of the source of supply from the point of delivery. These vessels are
each connected to an air pipe from which the air is continually removed by
any suitable means; each vessel is provided with a float and a communication
with the outer atmosphere, together with suitable valves to close the passages
to the exhaust pipe and to the outer atmosphere, and each vessel is connected
with the one above it by a suitable pipe, so that when the vessel is full of water
and the passage to the atmosphere is opened, the pressure of air acting on the
water in a vessel causes the water to ascend into the vessel above, which at
that time is vacuous.
The working of this combined apparatus is as follows:-Supposing the air
to have been exhausted from the series of vessels, the water will rise into and
fill the lowest one, and so soon as the filling is accomplished the float. therein
will have risen and opened the valve to the atmosphere and closed the valve-
to the exhaust pipe; the water by the pressure of the air will rise up the tube,

page_text: which ascends from near the bottom of the lower vessel to the bottom of the
next above it, and will fill that vessel, when the float in the lowest vessel by
descending will cause or allow the valve to the atmosphere to close, and the
valve to the exhaust pipe will be opened, and water will again flow from the
source of supply into the lowest vessel, and in this manner the apparatus of
each of the vessels acts till the water is raised into and from the succeeding
vessels to the point of delivery.
I would state that although other forms of valves may be used, I generally
prefer those which consist of gratings having flexible materials thereon, which
are opened by rolling up the flexible materials.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim generally
the use of flexible tubes with rolling or pressing surfaces as a means of forcing
air, cylindrical tubes having before been so used, but the peculiarity of the first
part of my Invention consists in the employment of tapering flexible tubes
constructed and applied as herein described, neither do I claim the raising or
forcing of water or other fluids by means of compressed air.
The peculiarity of the second part of my Invention consists in the application
of flexible tubes in the manner herein described in place of metal pipes or
tubes. And, lastly, I make no claim to the raising of water or other fluids
by vacuum from one level to another, neither do I claim the separate parts of
the apparatus herein described for that purpose.
The peculiarity of the third part of my Invention consists in raising water
and other fluids from one level to another by a succession of apparatus com-
bined as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Macintosh, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JOHN MACINTOSH. (L.S.)