WATER- CLOSETS OF IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION
Year: 1873

page_text: 2 LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Blundell, George Thomas Blundell, and
James Walter Blundell, all of Limehouse, in the County of Middle-
sex, Engineers and Coppersmiths, for the Invention of "WATER-
CLOSETS OF IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION.”
3
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Thomas Blundell, George
Thomas Blundell, and James Walter Blundell at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition and Declaration, on
the 25th March 1873, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
5 Law Amendment Act, 1852."
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
BLUNDELL, GEORGE THOMAS BLUNDELL, and JAMES WALTER BLUNDELL,
all of Limehouse, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers and Copper-
smiths, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "WATERCLOSETS
OF IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant
unto us, our executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that we are the
true and first Inventors thereof, and that the same is not in use by any
other person or persons to the best of our knowledge and belief.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Blundell, George Thomas
Blundell, and James Walter Blundell, do hereby declare that the
following Complete Specification, under our hands and seals, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement
and accompanying Drawing (that is to say) :-
Firstly. In constructing waterclosets with these improvements we
sometimes place a crank or cranks on the spindle of the valve or pan
at the bottom of the closet basin, and connect this crank or cranks
by a connecting rod or rods to a rod which is attached to the closet
handle. We also connect the spindle or plug of the water-supply
valve or cock with the rod attached to the closet handle, either by
using a connecting rod or rods, or by a lever or other suitable mechanical
arrangement. We so arrange the various parts that when the valve
or pan at the bottom of the closet basin, and the water-supply valve
are both shut, the centro lines of the connecting rods of both valves
are nearly in one plane, and consequently the forces tending to open
the water-supply valve, and those tending to open the valve at the
bottom of closet basin are in opposition, both valves as a consequence
being locked shut. The weight of the closet handle and rod attached
thereto, or any other weight may be caused to act upon those ends
of the connecting rods which are furthest from their respective valves,
for the purpose of more securely keeping the centre lines of the said
connecting rods in or near a plane. We prefer to cause the forces
tending to open the water-supply valve to be greater than those tending
to open the valve or pan at the bottom of closet basin, either by making
the water-supply valve of suitable area for the head of water to give
the required force, or by using a weight or spring or other suitable
mechanical contrivance.
Secondly. Instead of the arrangement described above we sometimes
cause the rod which is attached to the closet handle, or a guide block

page_text: attached to or forming a part of the said rod, to work in or upon a
suitable guide or guides; which guide or guides may be either a
fixture or moveable. When we make the guide or guides a fixture
we connect the apparatus for opening the water-supply valve or cock
to the rod attached to the closet handle, or to the guide block upon
tho said rod we also attach the connecting rod or rods from the
crank or cranks on the spindle of the valve or pan at the bottom
of the closet basin to the said rod, or to the guide block upon it,
and we make a part of the guide bar or bars of such form that
when the closet handle is pulled the end or ends of the connecting
rod or rods from the crank or cranks on the spindle of the valve or
pan at the bottom of the closet basin which are connected to the
rod attached to the closet handle, or to the guide block upon the
said rod describe arcs of circles which have for their centres the pins
in the cranks by which the opposite ends of the connecting rods
are connected to the said cranks. By these means the water-supply
valve is opened, whilst the valve or pan at the bottom of closet
basin is not yet opened. We make the other part of the said guide
bar or bars of such form that by continuing to pull the closet handle
the valve or pan at bottom of closet basin is opened. By means of
this arrangement the water-supply valve is always opened sooner
and closed later than the valve or pan at the bottom of closet basin,
and both valves when shut are locked in that position.
When we
make the guide or guides moveable we connect the apparatus for
opening the water-supply valve or cock to the said guide or guides,
and we make the forces tending to open the water-supply valve greater
than those tending to open the valve or pan at the bottom of closet
basin in any of the ways herein-before mentioned, and we connect
the connecting rod or rods from the crank or cranks on the spindle
of the valve or pan at the bottom of the closet basin to the rod
attached to the closet handle, or to the guide block upon the said
rod. The closet handle being pulled the rod attached thereto with
the guide block upon it is moved in or upon the guide or guides,
and because the forces tending to open the water-supply valve have
been made greater than those tending to open the valve or pan at
the bottom of the closet basin, as herein-before described. When
the end of the connecting rod attached to the rod of the closet
-handle or to its guide block is moved in consequence of the closet

page_text: handle being pulled the force upon the water-supply valve opens that
valve and moves the guide or guides. By a suitable arrangement
we prevent these guides or guide from being moved further than to
properly open or shut both the water-supply valve or cock and the
valve or pan at the bottom of closet basin. The water-supply valve
or cock being opened by continuing to pull the closet handle, the rod
attached to it is pulled, and by means of the connecting rod or rods
the valve or pan at the bottom of the closet basin is opened. By
reversing the motion of the closet handle the said pan or valve is first
shut and after it the water-supply valve or cock is shut.
Thirdly. In any of the above arrangements we can connect the
spindle of the valve or pan at the bottom of closet basin directly
to the connecting rod by passing the said spindle through a suitable
stuffing box in the chamber containing the valve or pan, and in this case
there will be no need of the cranks mentioned in the description of the
aforesaid arrangements.

page_text: necting rods 6 and e, and of the rod c are shown by the dotted lines
fff, respectively.
In Fig. 2, 6 is a connecting rod from the spindle a of the valve of
closet basin; c is the rod attached to the closet handle; d is a con-
necting rod from c to the lever e of the water-supply cock f. The
lever e is provided with stops g, g', to prevent its being moved too far
in either opening or shutting; h is a spring which prevents the closet
valve from being opened until the water-supply valve has been opened.
In Figs. 3, 4, 5, A is the rod attached to the closet handle; B is
the guide block upon it; C is the fixed guide; D is the lever for
opening the water-supply valve; E is the connecting rod from the
crank F of the valve at the bottom of closet basin. Part of the
guide C is curved at c¹ to the arc described by E from the point e¹.
The dotted lines G, H, show the positions of E and F when the closet
and water-supply valves are both open.
In Fig. 6, A is the rod attached to closet handle%; B is the guide
block upon it; C is the moveable guide; D is the spindle of the
water-supply valve connected to C; E is the connecting rod from
the crank F on the spindle of valve of closet basin to the guide
block G forming part of the rod A; H is a spring which may be
used to ensure the opening of the water-supply valve before that of
the valve of closet basin when the head of water against the former
is of small power; I is a stop on the guide C to prevent the water
valve being jammed too closely in shutting.
Having described the nature of our said Invention, and the method
of performing the same, we would have it understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the exact details herein enumerated, as these may
be modified without departing from our Invention; but what we claim
is,―
"
Firstly. Constructing waterclosets in which the motion of the closet
handle is communicated to the valve or pan of the closet basin by
means of a connecting rod, and by a "connecting rod we mean a
piece of mechanism similar to that marked 6 in Figs. 1 and 2, and E
in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. One or more connecting rods may be used.

page_text: Secondly. The improved arrangement and combination of parts of
waterclosets, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by
the Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Blundell, George Thomas
Blundell, and James Walter Blundell, have hereunto set our 5
hands and seals this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
Tnos. WILKINS,
Patent Agent,
THOMAS BLUNDELL.
(L.S.)
GEORGE THOMAS BLUNDELL. (L.s.)
JAMES WALTER BLUNDELL.
(L.S.)
52, Gracechurch Street,
London,
E.C.