Improved Means for Opening or Closing Valves, Taps, Electric Switches, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1895-Accepted, 29th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Opening or Closing Valves, Taps, Electric
Switches, and the like.
I DANIEL THOMAS BOSTEL of 93 Ebury Street Pimlico in the County of
London Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object a means for quickly opening or closing valves or
taps connected with water or other liquid supply and is principally intended to
supersede where necessary the slow action of the well known "ball cock" but it
may also be applied to other analogous purposes and in carrying said invention
into effect say for a flushing cistern I provide a preferably straight tubular lever
or pipe secured at each end but containing a ball weight or weights free to roll
from end to end or I may use in place thereof mercury or other suitable agent.
I pivot this tubular lever at any convenient point in its length upon a desirable
part of the cistern in such manner that one arm may be connected with a float
resting on the liquid in the cistern and the opposite arm may project therefrom;
the float is attached to a wire or rod passing through a socket or eye at the inner
extremity of the tubular lever such rod being furnished with a stop or block so
that on the water or liquid in the cistern rising to a certain height the stop comes
in contact with the socket or eye and so raises the end of the lever containing the
weight. The weight and size of the float and the valve or other connection are
previously arranged so as to overbalance the weight of the opposite arm and inside
weights so as to bring it below the horizontal position on the falling of the liquid.
As soon as the liquid and float have risen to a certain height the end of the
tubular lever is raised and when sufficiently above the horizontal position
the weights or ball within will run quickly to the opposite end so suddenly
depressing it and as quickly raising the arm through which the rod attached to the
float passes and to which arm I may also attach the connections to valves or taps
to be opened or closed or to electric switches or I may employ the opposite or
outer arm of the lever to make or break contact to say an electric motor employed
to pump liquid into the tank or cistern and thus so arrange the apparatus that the
motor may be suddenly stopped or started.
My invention may be applied to various other purposes.
Dated this 11th day of August 1894.
Improved Means for Opening or Closing Valves, Taps, Electric
Switches, and the like.
I DANIEL THOMAS BOSTEL of 93 Ebury Street Pimlico, Sanitary Engineer
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 has for its object a means for quickly opening or closing valves

page_text: or taps connected with water or other liquid supply and is principally intended to
supersede where and when necessary the slow action of the well known ball cock
but it may also be applied to other analogous purposes.
In describing ny invention I shall refer to a sheet of drawings accompanying
this Specification on which
Figure 1 is a sectional view of my apparatus as applied to a cistern and
controlling an electric switch which is shewn with circuit open.
Figure 2 is a similar view shewing circuit closed.
In carrying my invention into effect say for a flushing cistern I provide a
preferably straight tubular lever or bar A secured at each end and containing
a ball, weight, or weights B free to roll from end to end of the said tube or I may
also use quicksilver or like suitable agent in place thereof.
I pivot the tubular lever A at any convenient point in its length as at C to a
bracket or equivalent D supported from the cistern or wall adjoining or in any
desirable manner and so arranged that one arm E may be connected with a float F
resting on the water or liquid G in the cistern and the opposite arm H may project
over side of cistern J. and away therefrom.
To the float F is attached a wire, rod or the like K passing upwardly and
through a housing or loop L fixed at or near the end E of the lever and having
stops M. M. fixed on it of sufficient size to prevent said rod or wire passing
upwardly or downwardly through loop beyond the range limited by stops M M
aforesaid.
I fix to opposite end of arm H a similar loop or housing L' and suspend therein
by similar stops M' M' a like rod K' the lower end of which O is connected to an
electric switch P or to any mechanism for quickly opening or closing a valve or
the like.
The action is as follows the water in cistern J. Fig. 1 having nearly run off
the upper stop M. has come in contact with the loop L on arm E and thereby has
counteracted the weight of ball B and overbalanced the lever causing the ball B
to commence rolling towards end of arm E, on its arrival the opposite loop L' will
suddenly come in contact with stop M' on rod K lifting it upwardly and also
switch P so closing circuit. In Figure 2. the circuit is shewn still closed although
the water in cistern has been rising until the rod attached to float F has caused the
lower stop M to come in contact with loop L so slightly raising arm E. The ball
has commenced to roll to opposite end and on arrival the loop L' will bear
suddenly on stop M' and the rod moved downwardly so moving switch P and
opening circuit.
I may use an electric switch as described in connection with an electric motor
for pumping liquid into the tank or cistern or I may attach connections to valves
or taps as before mentioned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is-
The combination of a hollow or tubular rocking lever containing a rolling weight
with a float supporting a vertical rod connected to one arm of such lever and an
electric switch controlled by a vertical rod connected to the opposite arm of said
lever substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
10l.נ
1905
POPPLEWELL & Co.,
Agents.