IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO CISTERNS FOR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Angus Mackenzie, of Capel Street, Dublin, Plumber,
and Samuel Robinson, of Brunswick Street, Dublin, Foreman Builder,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO
CISTERNS FOR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Angus Mackenzie and
Samuel Robinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 21st September 1867.
We, ANGUS MACKENZIE, of Capel Street, Dublin, Plumber, and SAMUEL
ROBINSON, of Brunswick Street, Dublin, Foreman Builder, do hereby declare
the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE
APPLIED TO CISTERNS FOR PREVENTING. WASTE OF WATER," to be as follows:-
. This Invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of apparatus applicable
either to new or to existing cisterns employed for waterclosets or other
purposes, whereby waste of water is prevented, whilst at the same time
sufficient supply is afforded for effecting a flushing action if required.
In applying our Invention to watercloset cisterns, for example, we construct
inside the cistern at the lowest part thereof a closed chamber of sufficient
guage or capacity to contain the requisite amount of water for one flushing of
the closet. A small aperture is made in the side of this chamber for the
purpose of filling the same from the surrounding water in the cistern, such
aperture being opened by the act of closing the principal valve of the cistern,

page_text: and closed when such valve is opened, a small inlet valve being employed for
that purpose adapted to the aperture referred to. At the bottom of the guage
chamber there is fitted the valve seat and valve opening either into the old
service box or into a supply pipe leading direct to the basin. This valve is
provided with a tubular spindle having a piston working therein, such piston
being connected to a float inside the closed chamber before referred to, and
on the lower part of the piston is formed a valve cap, and on the upper part
of the tubular spindle through which the piston works there is formed a valve
seat, so that when the piston is raised by the float to a given height the
second passage for water (namely, the passage through the tubular spindle) is
closed, and remains closed until by the opening of the principal valve the
chamber is emptied. This piston is further coupled by a wire to the usual
overhead weighted lever, which is connected to the "pull" or handle of the
closet.
The object of the entire arrangement is, first, to admit the full complement
of water in the closed chamber to pass down through the principal valve when
opened; and, secondly, to permit of a certain guaged or regulated quantity of
water sufficient to fill the pan of the closet to descend through the tubular
spindle of the main valve after it has been closed. This latter is the result of
the quantity of water admitted to flow through the small open aperture being
in a certain proportion in excess of the quantity which can pass down through
the tubular spindle or piston valve, and consequently the chamber will in a
short time become nearly full, and the float raised so as to close the inner
valve. This float however is not sufficiently buoyant to open the principal
valve.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Angus Mackenzie and Samuel Robinson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 21st March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ANGUS
MACKENZIE, of Capel Street, Dublin, Plumber, and SAMUEL ROBINSON, of
Brunswick Street, Dublin, Foreman Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Angus Mackenzie and Samuel Robinson, Her special license that we, the

page_text: said Angus Mackenzie and Samuel Robinson, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Angus Mackenzie and Samuel
Robinson, our executors, administrators, or 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 APPARATUS TO
BE APPLIED TO CISTERNS FOR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Angus Mackenzie and Samuel Robinson,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our hand
and seal 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 Angus Mackenzie and Samuel
Robinson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawing, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of apparatus applicable
either to new or to existing cisterns employed for waterclosets or other
purposes, whereby waste of water is prevented, whilst at the same time a
sufficient supply is afforded for effecting a flushing action if required.
In applying our Invention to watercloset cisterns for example, we construct
inside the cistern at the lowest part thereof a gauge chamber of sufficient
capacity to contain the requisite amount of water for one flushing of the
closet. A small aperture is made in the side of this chamber at the bottom
for the purpose of filling the same from the surrounding water in the cistern,
such aperture being opened by the act of closing the principal valve of the
cistern, and closed when such valve is opened, a small inlet valve being
employed for that purpose adapted to the aperture referred to. At the bottom
of the guage chamber there is fitted the valve seat and valve opening either
into the old service box or into a supply pipe leading direct to the basin.
This valve is provided with a tubular spindle having a piston working therein,
such piston being connected to a float inside the closed chamber before referred
to, and on the lower part of the piston is formed a valve cap, and on the upper
part of the tubular spindle through which the piston works there is formed. a
valve seat, so that when the piston is raised by the float to a given height the

page_text: second passage for water (namely, the passage through the tubular spindle) is
closed and remains closed until by the opening of the principal valve the
chamber is emptied. This piston is further coupled by a wire to the usual
overhead weighted lever, which is connected to the "pull" or handle of the
closet. P
.
The object of the entire arrangement is, first, to admit the full complement
of water in the closed chamber to pass down through the principal valve when
opened; and, secondly, to permit of a certain gauged or regulated quantity of
water sufficient to fill the pan of the closet to descend through the tubular
spindle of the main valve after it has been closed. This latter is the: result
of the quantity of water admitted to flow through the small open aperture,
being in a certain proportion in excess of the quantity which can pass down
through the tubular spindle or piston valve, and consequently the chamber
will in a short time become 'nearly full and the float raised so as to close the
inner valve. This float however is not sufficiently bouyant to open the
principal valve. ".
.:
...)
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose we
shall refer to the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 of which represents a
sectional elevation of our improved apparatus for preventing waste of water,
and Figure 2 is a slight modification of the valve.
A represents a water cistern of the usual or any other construction, in the
interior of which at its deepest part is formed the gauge chamber B, which
has no communication whatever with the surrounding'water in 'the cistern A
excepting through the lateral valvular orifice C near the bottom of the said
gauge chamber. This orifice is opened and closed by the lever valve c, the
tail of which is caused to project underneath the bottom of the main flushing
valve D of the closet (supposing the apparatus to be applied to a watercloset)
so that when that valve is down upon its seat d or closed it will by de-
pressing the tail of the lever valve keep the said valve c open, as shewn in the
Drawing, and' allow free access for the water into the interior of the gauge
'chamber B, the water gradually rising therein until it attains the level of that
in the main part of the cistern A; the gauge chamber will then contain just
sufficient amount of water to effect the proper flushing of the closet. When
the "pull of the closet is raised the valve D will be opened and the water in
the chamber B will be-rapidly discharged either into the ordinary service
box E or direct into the pipe leading to the closet without the intervention of
the service box. F (Figures 1 and 2) is a tube passing through the main
valve and forming the stem or spindle thereof. On the upper end of this

page_text: tube (in the arrangement shewn in Figure: 1) there is screwed a:metal seat:f
which projects inwards round the interior of the tube and forms: a valve seat
for the leather packing g of the piston G to close against when elevated. This
piston (in Figure 1) fits the bore of the tube with sufficient freedom to allow
of the passage of water between the piston and the interior of the tube. The
rod h of the piston also having a sufficient clearance round it to afford egress
for the water down the tube when the piston is in the position indicated by the
Drawing...
J2X
:
In the modification shown at Figure 2 the piston is repluced by a disc
valve G² attached to the bottom of the spindle h, and closing. against the
lower lip or mouth of the tube F, which may be bevelled to ensure a perfect
joint with the leather face of the valve. His a float attached to the piston.
or valve rod h; it should have just sufficient buoyancy to raise the piston/G
or valve G, and thereby close the thoroughfare of the tube.F, but not to
elevate the main valve D. To the top of the piston rod is attached the wire
coupling I, which serves to connect the valve with the ordinary,weighted
lever K, to which the "pull" of the closet is connected by the usual wire or
other connection L. When the water is discharged from the gaage chamber B
the float H descends by its own gravity, opening the passage through the
tube F, and this passage remains open after the main valve has been closed until
the water which again enters the chamber by the valvular inlet orifice C has
risen sufficiently high to buoy up the float, and thereby lift the piston and close
the passage through the tubular valve stem. In the meantime the water which
enters more quickly by the inlet C than it can escape by the tube F has been
simultaneously flowing down through the top of the said tube in Figure 1, or
through the lateral passage k made through the lead weight of the main valve D,
as shewn in Figure 2, which is the arrangement we prefer into the basin of the
closet, and the respective areas of the inlet orifice C and the escape orifice of
the tube F are so regulated as to allow sufficient water to flow into the closet
to replenish the basin or pan before the rising of the float completely stops
the supply. The chamber B thus continues to fill till the water therein finds
its own level, when the apparatus will be ready for use again. It will thus be
evident that for flushing the closet the contents of the chamber B only can
be discharged at one time, however long the pull may be kept elevated,
and that after it is released again no more water will enter the closet than is
absolutely necessary to replenish the copper pan at the bottom basin.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention. and the manner in which the same or may be used or carried
into effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider to be novel

page_text: and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The general construction, arrangement, and combination of apparatus
for preventing waste of water from cisterns, substantially as herein-before
described.
Second. The combination with a cistern of a separate guage chamber pro-
.vided with a valvular inlet from the cistern, and a valvular outlet to.the
closet or other place to be supplied, the whole being arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Third. The combination of a self-acting float valve inside the guage.chamber
with an inlet orifice leading from the cistern into such chamber for the pur-
pose of replenishing the pan of a watercloset with a regulated quantity of
water after the operation of flushing, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Angus Mackenzie and Samuel Robinson,
have to this our Specification set our hands and seals, the Eighteenth
day of March, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
ANGUS MACKENZIE. (L.S.)
SAMUEL ROBINSON. (L.S.)