IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING EFFLUVIA ENTERING TANKS OR CISTERNS FROM THE WASTE PIPE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bishop, Engineer, and Benjamin Bur-
ningham, Builder, both of Pratt Street, Camden Town, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
PREVENTING EFFLUVIA ENTERING TANKS OR CISTERNS FROM THE WASTE
PIPE."
Sealed the 21st April 1868, and dated the 29th October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bishop and
Benjamin Burningham at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 29th October 1867..
We, WILLIAM BISHOP, Engineer, and BENJAMIN BURNINGHAM, Builder,
both of Pratt Street, Camden Town, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR PREVENTING EFFLUVIA ENTERING TANKS OR CISTERNS FROM THE WASTE PIPE,"
to be as follows:-
Our improvements relate to a means of preventing the admission of
effluvia from drains into cisterns by the waste pipe as is commonly the case,.

page_text: and consist in the application for this purpose of a lift valve fitting in a socket
in the bottom of the cistern or tank; this socket communicates with a pipe
for carrying away the surplus water to the closet or drain. The stem of the
valve passes up through a bridge piece and guide attached to the socket, on the
neck of which is fixed a tube supporting a float while the valve is closed, and
until raised by the water when the cistern is full. This float is connected to
the valve stem by means of a rod or chain passing down the tube, the length
of which rod is regulated as desired by means of a nut and screw passing
through the float.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When the float is raised by the
water the valve is raised' off its seat, allowing the water and sediment at the
bottom of the cistern to run away through the socket into the waste pipe; in
this manner the valve is always kept shut when not opened for the escape of
water, and the rise of effluvia from the sewer through the waste pipe is
effectually prevented.
The apparatus may be applied to cisterns now in use by removing the
ordinary overflow pipe and introducing the valve and socket in the orifice in
the bottom of the cistern in its stead; the water will further escape with
greater facility than heretofore on account of the pressure. The float before
mentioned may also be connected with the pull handle of the watercloset
apparatus, so as to raise the valve and supply water thereto when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said William Bishop and Benjamin Burningham in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 29th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
BISHOP, Engineer, and BENJAMIN BURNINGHAM, Builder, both of Pratt Street,
Camden Town, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, 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 William Bishop and Benjamin Burningham, Her special licence
that we, the said William Bishop and Benjamin Burningham, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Bishop
and Benjamin Burningham, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should

page_text: 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 FOR PREVENTING EFFLUVIA ENTERING TANKS OR
CISTERNS FROM THE WASTE PIPE," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said William Bishop and Benjamin Burningham, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said William Bishop and Benjamin
Burningham; 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 Sheet
of Drawings hereunto 'annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
Our improvements relate to a means of preventing the admission of
effluvia from drains entering cisterns by the waste pipe as is commonly the
case, and consists in the application of a lift valve fitting in a socket let into
the bottom of the cistern or tank, which socket communicates with a pipe for
carrying away the surplus water to the closet or drain. The valve stem passes
up through a bridge piece and guide attached to the socket, a tube being
fixed on the neck of this guide supporting a float at the height to which the
water is to rise; this float is connected to the valve stem by means of a rod or
chain passing down through said tube, the length of the rod or chain being
regulated as desired by means of a nut and screw passing through the float.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When the float is raised by the
water the valve is raised off its seat, allowing the water and sediment at the
bottom of the cistern to run away through the socket into the waste pipe; by
this means the valve is always, kept shut when not open for the escape of
water, thus effectually preventing the rise of effluvia, from the sewer or other
conduit.
The apparatus may be applied to cisterns now in use by removing the
ordinary overflow. pipe and inserting the valve socket in the orifice at the
bottom of the cistern; the water will also escape with greater facility than

page_text: :
heretofore on account of the pressure. The float may further be connected
with the lift handle of the watercloset apparatus so as to raise the valve and
supply water thereto when required.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Our Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 of
which shows a sectional elevation of our apparatus employed for closing the
waste pipes of cisterns to prevent the admission of effluvia from drains.
a is the lift valve fitting into a socket or seat 6 in the bottom A of the
cistern, as seen; the valve a is attached at the lower end of an upright
stem c by a screw and nut, said stem being fitted to rise and fall in a bridge
piece or guided bolted to the socket b. The stem c is attached to the lower
end of a rod, wire, or chain e extending upwards to a suitable height in the
cistern, and connected at top to a float f. The length of the rod or chain e
is regulated by a screw nut 9 mounted on the upper end of said rod passing
up through the float. The float f is further supported in the cistern by a
tube h mounted on the bridge or guide d, the length of which is regulated
according to the height the water is required to reach in the cistern before
raising the lift valve by means of the float, as shown dotted in Figure 1, for
opening a communication with the waste B, and allowing of the escape of the
surplus water; in this manner the waste pipe will be effectually closed by
the valve at all times except for the escape of water, as described, and so
prevent any introduction of effluvia by that means of communication.
Figure 2 shows an elevation of the cistern valve as connected with the pull
handle of a watercloset apparatus by means of a wire i attached above to one
rend of a counterbalanced oscillating lever & supported by a bracket l, or other-
wise, from the side of the cistern A; the weighted end of this lever k is
attached to the chain m of the float f, which is connected in the same manner
as before with the lift valve and parts, except that the pipe h supporting the
float is dispensed with in this case. The valve is raised for supplying water
from the cistern to the pipe nin communication with the watercloset by
'means of the wire i, as before mentioned, while the float f attached thereto
also serves to regulate the height of water in the cistern by raising the valve
as before; in this manner all effluvia is completely shut off and prevented
from entering the cistern by the valve.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the prevention of effluvia

page_text: entering tanks or cisterns by the waste pipe by the application thereto of
valve apparatus operated by means of a float, as herein-before described.
We also claim the improved float valves, illustrated in the Drawings,
arranged and applied in the manner and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bishop, for myself and on
behalf of the said Benjamin Burningham, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM BISHOP. (LS.)