Improvements in Apparatus for Filtering Liquids or for Preparing Extracts from Substances.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filtering Liquids or for Preparing
Extracts from Substances.
1, MARIE JOSEPH EUSEBE VASSEL of No. 23 Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris,
France do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of apparatus for rapidly filtering
liquids in closed vessels, wherein the air is exhausted from the receiving chamber
below the filter and is forced into the space above the liquid to be filtered. The said
apparatus can also be transformed at will into an exhausting apparatus with intermittent
or continuous circulation and it may be employed for preparing extracts, such as
for making coffee.
For these purposes according to one arrangement the apparatus consists of three
parts; a vessel containing the filtering medium and the liquid to be filtered, a
recipient for the filtered liquid and a small air pump which may conveniently consist
of a caoutchouc ball having an inlet and an outlet valve, such as those used for
spraying apparatus and the like, the inlet valve being made to communicate by a
tube with the recipient for filtered water &c. while the discharge valve communicates
with the top of the filtering vessel. Thus on charging the filtering vessel with
suitable filtering material and with liquid to be filtered, and then working the air
pump, the air will be exhausted from the recipient and will be forced into the filtering
vessel, thus producing a considerable difference of pressure in the two vessels, whereby
the liquid will be forced rapidly through the filtering medium. The suction pipe
may either communicate with a branch at the side of the recipient, or, when the
mouth of the latter is closed by a cork or stopper through which the tubular lower
end of the filtering vessel passes, the suction tube of the pump can also be passed
through such cork; by providing such suction tube with an extension passing down--
to the bottom of the recipient, the apparatus will be made alternately to force the
liquid through the filtering medium, or through a layer of material from which an
extract is to be produced, and then to withdraw the liquid from the recipient and force
it back into the upper vessel, to be again forced through the filter or other material,
and this operation, can be repeated as often as desired.
The upper orifice of the filtering vessel may be closed by a cork or stopper, which
is held down against the internal air pressure by a suitable fastening, such as two
lugs secured on the neck of the vessel by a band passing round the neck, and a
cap. fitting on top of the stopper, and having lengths of chain that are hooked on to
the said lugs. A perforated conical cup may be placed over the inner opening of
the tubular lower end of the filtering vessel, for retaining the filtering medium or
other material.
The upper vessel may, instead of directly receiving the filtering medium and liquid,
constitute a chamber into which is fitted a funnel containing the said materials, the
chamber being closed by a cap secured in an air tight manner either by the above
described fastening or by screwing on to a caoutchouc washer, or by other suitable
-means.
According to another modification of the filtering vessel for affording a large filtering
surface, it consists of a cylindrical receptacle closed at top by a hermetically fitting
cover and having near its lower end a perforated plate secured by a ring fitting the
sides of the vessel, on which plate is placed a filter of paper, felt, asbestos cloth, or
other suitable material. The underside of the vessel is provided with a nozzle adapted
to fit into the neck of a bottle or other recipient, and having within it two passages
one of which communicates with the underside of the perforated plate while the other
opens into a side branch on the nozzle to which is fitted the suction tube of the

page_text: pump, the delivery tube of which passes airtight through the cover.
This filtering
vessel can be conveniently provided with a lateral lug adapted to slide up and down
on the upright of a stand. The cover can be secured by screws, the ends of which
are tapered and without threads, so as to readily fit into the screw-holes under the
cover. The suction and delivery openings of the vessel can be simply connected by
a tube without a pump, so as to cause the air simply to circulate through the filtering
vessel and recipient.
According to another modification in which a bellows is used as the forcing medium,
the nozzle of this carries a vertically rising tube at the upper end of which is a box
connected on one sirle to a tube communicating with the recipient, and on the other
side to a tube communicating with the filtering chamber. The said box has a
rotatable plug containing two passages having respectively a suction and a delivery
valve. According as this plug is turned into one position or another, these valves are
made to communicate with the before mentioned tubes in such manner that either the
bellows is made to withdraw air from the recipient and force it into the filtering
vessel, or the converse. The top of the filtering vessel is also connected with the
bottom of the recipient by a second tube, provided with a stop cock, and a cock is
provided in the communication between the filtering vessel and the recipient.
When using this apparatus for making extracts froin substances contained in the
filtering vessel, this is first charged with the substance and filled with liquid, and the
cock in the second communicating tube being closed while that in the connection
between the two vessels is open, the plug containing the valves is turned into such a
position that on working the bellows, air is withdrawn from the recipient and forced
into the filtering vessel, whereby the liquid is forced down into the former.
this has been completed, the position of the said plug, as also that of the two cocks is
reversed whereupon, on working the pump, the liquid will be forced from the recipient,
through the communicating tube into the upper vessel, and the first described operation
is then repeated.
When
In the above described arrangement the reversable plug with the valves can be
dispensed with, the two valves being either adapted to the bellows nozzle itself or in
the upright tube, while the tabes connecting the valve chambers with the upper and
lower vessels are arranged so as to be readily disconnected and connected in the
reverse manner so as to establish the communications above described.
According to another construction, the filtering medium, or material from which
extract is to be obtained, is enclosed in a receptacle which is separate both from the
*vessel containing the liquid to be treated and the recipient, such receptacle being
provided with a tapering nozzle at each end for fitting the necks of such vessels, which
may be bottles centrally in the receptacle is a tube extending through both nozzles,
which also contain passages establishing communications between the receptacle and
the two vessels.
The said tube contains an admission and a delivery valve, and between these is a
branch passage passing through the side of the receptacle and having attached thereto
a caoutchouc ball or other pump. The apparatus having been connected at the one end
to the neck of a vessel filled with liquid, and at the other end to an empty vessel, the
compression of the caoutchouc ball will force the air contained therein through the
admission valve into the vessel filled with liquid, thereby forcing the latter through
the material in the receptacle and into the empty vessel, while on allowing the ball
to expand, a portion of the air will pass from the last named vessel into the ball, which
air is then again forced into the charged vessel, and so on.
According to a modification of this construction, the valves are not contained in a
tube within the receptacle for the material but are on the ends of tubes passing through
the nozzles, and having lateral branches to which are connected tubes at each end of a
caoutchouc ball, or the latter may have a single tube with two branches connected to
the branches of the nozzles. The receptacle may be provided with filtering or porous
diaphragms on which the material to be treated rests, or it may be more or less filled
with filtering material.
According to a further modification of this construction; adapted more particularly

page_text: to photographic purpose, the filter receptacle, made of ebonite, porcelain or other
suitable material, is formed of two flanged discs, the flanges of which fit into each
other, so as to form a shallow chamber between the two discs, which are secured
together in an air tight manner by clamps, a caoutchouc packing ring being placed
between the flanges. A perforated or porous diaphragm is also secured between the
flanges, and upon this diaphragm is placed a disc of filtering paper or asbestos cloth.
The discs are provided at their outer sides with nozzles constructed with branch tubes
as previously described.
For connecting the two branches with the caoutchouc ball a union piece is employed
having three branches, one of which is connected to the ball, while the other two are
connected to lengths of flexible tubing that are in their turn connected to the branch
tubes of the nozzles. The suction and delivery valves may be formed in the flexible
tubing instead of on the nozzles.
In applying the invention to apparatus for making coffee or other infusions the top
vessel containing the ground coffee and water has a chamber formed or fixed at its side,
containing the suction and delivery valves, and between these a branch pipe to which
a caoutchouc ball is attached.
The suction valve communicates with a three-way cock, which, in one position,
establishes a communication between the suction valve and a pipe or passage leading
down to the bottom of the coffee pot, while in another position it closes this com-
munication and opens one with the outer air.
The upper vessel being charged and the spout of the coffee pot temporarily closed
by a stopper, the caoutchouc ball is compressed, whereby air is forced up into the
upper vessel, thereby forcing the water through the coffee, and the strainer on which
it rests into the coffee pot. On allowing the ball to expand again, the coffee that has
passed in is drawn up again through the suction tube into the valve chamber, so that
on again compressing the ball it is forced into the upper receptacle again, and so on
until the coffee is sufficiently extracted. The before mentioned cock is then turned so
as to allow the outer air to be drawn in through the suction valve and forced through
the delivery valve into the upper vessel, so as to force the coffee extract finally down
into the coffee pot.
Another construction of the improved filtering apparatus is as follows: The filtering=
and receiving chambers are constructed as flanged rectangular boxes bolted together.
The filtering chamber has projecting into it an inner box, two sides of which are at
a small distance from the sides of the outer box, and through the sides of the former
are passed a number of small open ended tubes of filtering material such as porous
porcelain, so that the water or other liquid charged into the filtering vessel passes into
the said tubes through their open ends and filters through their sides into the
interior of the inner box, from which it flows through an open side into the recipient
below.
The filtering vessel and recipient have branch tubes for connection with a circulating
pump of any of the constructions above described, or merely with a connecting tube
for the circulation of air.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filtering Liquids or for Preparing
Extracts from Substances.
I, MARIE JOSEPH EUSEBE VASSEL, of No. 23 Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris,
France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved construction of apparatus for rapidly filtering
liquids in closed vessels, wherein the air is exhausted from the receiving chamber

page_text: below the filter and is forced into the space above the liquid to be filtered. The
said apparatus can also be transformed at will into an exhausting apparatus with
intermittent or continuous circulation, and it may be employed for preparing extracts,
such as for making coffee.
I shall describe apparatus for these purposes referring to the accompanying
drawings.
As shown in Fig. 1 the apparatus consists of three parts; a vessel A containing
the filtering medium and the liquid to be filtered, a recipient B for the filtered
liquid, and a small air pump C which may conveniently be in the form of a
caoutchouc ball 6 with its valves at a a, such as is used for spraying apparatus and
the like. The inlet communicates by a tube with the recipient B, and the outlet
communicates with the top of the filtering vessel A. Thus on charging the filtering
vessel with suitable filtering material and with liquid to be filtered, and then working
the pump C, the air is exhausted from the recipient B and is forced into the filtering
vessel A, producing a considerable difference of pressure in the two vessels so that
the liquid is forced rapidly through the filtering medium. The suction pipe, instead
of communicating with a branch at the side of B as shewn in Fig. 1, may pass as
shewn in Fig. 2 through a cork or stopper through which the tubular lower end of
the filtering vessel A passes.
By extending the suction tube c down to the bottom of the recipient B the pump
is made to draw liquid and force it through the filtering medium, or through a layer
of material from which an extract is to be made, and thus a circulation of the liquid
through the filter or other material, can be maintained as long as desired.
The upper orifice of the filtering vessel A may be closed by a cork or stopper,
which is held down against the internal air pressure by a suitable fastening, such as
two lugs Fig. 6 secured on the neck of the vessel by a band e Figs. 3 and 5 passing
round the neck, and a cap fitting on the stopper and held by chains g, Fig. 4, hooked
on the lugs g. A perforated conical cup d Figs. 7 and 8 may be placed in the lower
mouth of the filtering vessel A for retaining the filtering medium
material.
or other
As shewn in Fig. 9 the upper vessel instead of receiving the filtering medium and
liquid, may be a chamber i enclosing a funnel h containing the said materials, the
chamber being closed by a cap secured in an air tight manner either by the
above described fastening or by screwing it on to a caoutchouc washer, or by other
suitable means.
The filtering vessel A may be arranged as shewn in Fig. 10 for affording a large
filtering surface, being made as a cylindrical receptacle closed at top by a hermetically
fitting cover D and having near its bottom a perforated plate E secured by a ring j.
A filter of paper, felt, asbestos-cloth, or other suitable material may be placed on the
plate E.
At the bottom of the vessel there is a nozzle n adapted to fit into the neck of a
bottle or other recipient, and having within it two passages, one of which m com-
municates with the vessel under the perforated plate E, and the other has a side
branch to receive the suction tube of the pump, the delivery tube of which passes
airtight through the cover D. As shewn in Fig. 11, this filtering vessel can be con-
veniently provided with a lateral lug adapted to slide up and down on the upright
of a stand. The cover can be secured by screws, the ends of which are prolonged
without threads and tapered as shewn in Fig. 12, so that they can be easily entered
into the screw holes without having to feel for them. The nozzle n can be inserted
in the mouth of an ordinary bottle as recipient. The suction and delivery openings
of the vessel can be simply connected by a tube without a pump, so that air may
circulate through the filtering vessel and recipient.
As shewn in Fig. 13 a bellows F may be used for forcing. From its nozzle a
tube t leads to a box p connected on one side to a tube leading to the recipient B
and on the other side to a tube n leading to the filtering chamber A. The box p
shewn in section by Fig. 14 has a rotatable plug with two passages and g fitted
with suction and delivery valves. According as this plug is turned into one position

page_text: or another these valves are made to communicate with the tubes n and vin such
manner that the bellows either withdraws air from B and forces it into A, or
conversely. The top of the filtering vessel A is also connected with the bottom of
the recipient B. by a second tube o provided with a stop cock, and a cock ris
provided in the communication between A and B.
In applying this apparatus for making extracts, the upper vessel A is charged
with filtering medium, the substance to be extracted, and liquid, and properly
stoppered.
The cock being open and closed the plug in p is turned into such a position
that on working the bellows air is withdrawn from B and forced into A whereby the
liquid is forced down into B. When this has been completed, the position of the
plug and of the two cocks is reversed, and then, on working the bellows the liquid is
forced from B into A, after which the operation can be repeated.
The reversible plug with its valves may be dispensed with, the valves being either
adapted to the bellows nozzle or to the tube t, the tubes connecting the valve chambers
with A and B being arranged so as to be readily disconnected, and re-connected so as
to establish the communications above described.
According to another construction, shewn in Figs. 15 and 16, the filtering medium
or material from which extract is to be obtained is enclosed in a receptacle a separate
from the vessel containing the liquid to be treated and also from the recipient, and
provided at each end with a tapering nozzle c¹ and e² for fitting the necks of the
vessels, which may be bottles. Centrally in c is a tube y oxtending through both
nozzles, which also contain passsages a² a³ establishing communications between x
and the two vessels.
The tube y contains an admission and a delivery valve, and between these there is
a branch passage a¹ passing through the side of c and having a nozzle b¹ for attaching
a caoutchouc ball or other pump. This apparatus being connected at the one end to
the neck of a vessel filled with liquid, and at the other end to an empty vessel, the
working of the caoutchouc ball forces the air from the latter into the former, forcing
the liquid through passages a² a² through the material in the chamber a on its way
to the other vessel through a³ a³.
Figure 17 shews a modification in which a pump_H_is_used_instead of an elastic=
ball A is the filtering vessel containing the filtering medium I and liquid J and B
is the recipient.
Fig. 18 is a section and Fig. 18 bis a sectional plan shewing the invention applied
for making coffee or other infusions. The upper vessel A, containing the ground
coffee and water, has at its side a chamber containing the suction and delivery
valves and between these a branch h to which a caoutchouc ball can be attached.
The suction valve communicates with a three way cock e¹, which in one position
establishes a communication between the suction valve and a pipe o leading to the
bottom of the coffee pot B while in another position it closes this communication and
opens one with the outer air. Paper or other filtering medium is placed on a
diaphragm and secured by a ring.
The upper vessel being charged and closed by a cover K, also, the spout of the
coffee pot being temporarily closed by a stopper, the caoutchouc ball is worked forcing
air into A and thus forcing the liquid through the coffee, and the strainer on which it
rests into the coffee pot B. By still working the ball, the coffee that has passed into B
is drawn up again and forced into A, and so on until the coffee is sufficiently extracted.
The cock e is then turned so that air is drawn from without and forced into A,
forcing the coffee extract finally down into B.
Fig. 19 is a section of a pocket filter adapted to receive filtering paper, or porous
carbon, and applicable to separate supply and receiving vessels. L is a cylinder open
at both ends provided with screw covers and having at each end a perforated
diaphragm on which is placed the paper or felt, the other filtering substances being
held in L between the diaphragms. The covers are made with plug nozzles e
through which are formed double conduits h and h' communicating respectively with
the supply and the receiving vessels and passages to lateral branches, such as leading

page_text: to a caoutchouc ball, these passages being governed by suction and discharge valves
which may be at the ball, or there may be a discharge valve at g². The lower
diaphrgm may be of porous earthenware or ceramic material. The action of this
filter is similar to that of Fig. 15.
Fig. 20 is a section and Fig. 21 a plan of a modified construction, adapted more
particularly to photographic purposes being made of ebonite, porcelain, or other
suitable material. It consists of two flanged discs M N forming between them a
shallow chamber containing a perforated diaphragm 0 to receive the filtering sheet.
The discs M N are secured together by clamps Figs. 22 and 23 driven on grooves j.
To make their joint air tight, a caoutchouc packing ring is placed between the
flanges.
The discs M N have lateral nozzles z z³ for branch tubes as previously described.
For connecting the two branches with the caoutchouc ball a union piece shewn in
Fig. 24 is employed. It has three branches one P connected to the ball, while the
other two are connected respectively to z and 2¹. The suction valve may be in the one
branch at m' and the delivery valves may be at i¹.
As shewn in the two vertical sections Figs. 25 and 26, the filtering and receiving
chambers A and B are flanged boxes bolted together, with an inner box R, through
the sides of which are passed a number of small open-ended tubes of filtering material
such as porous porcelain. The liquid supplied at passes from A into the tubes
through their open ends and filters through their sides into the recipient B. The vessels A
and B have branch tubes p¹g for connection with a circulating pump which may
have a three way cock so that the filter can be worked under pressure or the vessels A B
may be merely connected by a tube allowing circulation of air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
In apparatus for filtering liquids or for making extracts, the combination with a
vessel containing the liquid to be filtered or treated, and the filtering material or
material to be extracted, of a closed recipient and a pump, bellows, or caoutchouc ball
communicating at the suction end with the recipient, and at the delivery end with the
vessel containing the liquid whereby a difference of pressure can be established
between the two vessels for forcing the liquid through the filter or material to be
extracted, the suction tube being extended to near the bottom of the recipient when
required for forcing the liquid back into the filtering vessel, substantially as herein
.described.
2. In apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claim, arranging the suction
and delivery valves of the pump so that their position relatively to the suction and
delivery pipes can be reversed, and providing an additional communication between
the bottom of the recepient and the top of the filtering material so that the liquid can
at will, either be forced from the filtering vessel into the recipient, or it can be forced
back from the latter into the former, substantially as described with reference to
Figs. 13 and 14 of the drawings.
3. The fastening herein described with reference to Figs. 2 to 6 for securing the
stopper in the filtering vessel.
4. The construction of filtering apparatus described with reference to Fig. 9,
wherein the liquid and filtering material are contained in a funnel within the closed
upper vessel.
5. The construction of filtering apparatus described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11
of the drawings wherein the filtering vessel A is provided with a nozzle for fitting
into the opening of a recipient, such nozzle being provided with a passage m com-
municating with the bottom of the vessel A and a second passage e communicating
either directly with the top of the vessel A or with the suction pipe of a pump, the
discharge pipe of which communicates with the top of the vessel A.
6. The constructions of pocket and photographic filters described with reference
to Figs. 19 to 23 of the drawings.

page_text: 7. The tubular device described with reference to Fig. 24 for connection with the
two branches Z Z' of the filter and with the pump.
8. The use as a filtering medium, of a series of tubes of porous or permeable
material open at both ends and arranged substantially as described with reference
to Figs. 25 and 26 of the drawings.
9. The construction of filtering apparatus wherein a chamber containing the
filtering material or material to be extracted communicates through nozzles C¹ C³ with
two vessels, while a passage y containing suction and delivery valves communicates
both with the said vessels and with a caoutchouc ball or other pump, substantially as
described with reference to Figs. 15 and 16 of the drawings.
10. The several constructions of filtering apparatus or apparatus for preparing
extracts herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein the
air or liquid is withdrawn from the recipient by a pump or caoutchouc ball and is.
forced into the vessel containing the filtering material or material from which an
extract is to be made.
11. The modification of the said apparatus referred to in the preceding claim
wherein the vessel containing the filtering material or material from which an extract
is to be made communicates directly by a passage with the top of the recipient for
the free circulation of air, from one to the other without the use of a pump, sub-
stantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of November 1889
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.