Year: 1885

page_text: I GEORGE HENRY ELLIS, of the Patent Porous Carbon Company, 23 Wormwood
Street, in the city of London, Sanitary Engineer do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of a portable and convenient apparatus
for sprinkling or distributing carbon, dried earth or sifted asbes or other disinfecting
or deodorizing material either in the form of powder or grains in water closets,
earth closets, common privies, night commodes children's stools and the like.
For this purpose I construct the apparatus of a cylindrical box or case of such
a size that it can be introduced into the usual opening or hole in the closet or the
like;
the said box or case is intended to contain the carbon or other disinfecting or
deodorizing material and is provided with a bottom perforated with a number of
holes; the top of the box or case is of a larger diameter than the box or case itself
and is removeably fixed thereto by screws or other suitable means; the said top
(provided with a covering or packing as hereinafter described) rests on the top of
the seat of the closet or the like when the apparatus is in use; below the perforated
bottom of the box or case I pivot a false bottom or plate having holes corresponding
with those in the bottom of the box or case; the said plate is operated by partially
rotating a knob or handle in the centre of the top of the apparatus; by this means
the holes in the bottom of the box or case and false bottom or plate respectively
are brought opposite each other and a quantity of the carbon or other material
allowed to fall from the apparatus; a suitable spring is provided for rotating the
perforated false bottom or plate in the opposite direction so as to normally keep
the holes in the box or case closed and a stop is provided to limit the extent of
rotation of the said false bottom or plate; an opening closed by a slide or door is
formed in the box or case to allow of the apparatus being charged with the
disinfecting or deodorizing material; in order to prevent the powdered or granulated
carbon or other material from being deposited on the edges of the seat of the
closet or the like I provide a packing which is preferably made of sheet india
rubber or it may consist of a strip of baize or other suitable material; when the

page_text: packing is made of material other than india rubber the lower edge is attached to
a rigid ring which bears upon a flange formed round the side of the box or case;
the upper edge is provided with a hem through which is passed a strip of elastic
or the like which fits in a groove in the periphery of the top of the apparatus; by
this means the strip of material is stretched around the side of the apparatus and
will cover or protect the edges of the seat when the apparatus is introduced
into the opening or hole in the closet or the like; it will be obvious that when
the packing is made of india rubber the said wire ring and hem will not be
required; a rim or Hange is formed on the bottom of the box or case on which
rim the apparatus stands when not in use thereby avoiding the risk of the
perforations becoming choked.
By rotating or partly rotating the apparatus and thereby causing the india
rubber or other packing to sweep over the top and edges of the opening in the
closet the parts brought in contact will be kept clean.

page_text: Purposes.
I GEORGE HENRY ELLIS, of the Patent Porous Carbon Company, 23 Wormwood
Street, in the city of London, 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 relates to the construction of a portable and convenient apparatus
for sprinkling or distributing carbon, dried earth or sifted ashes or other disinfecting
or deodorizing material either in the form of powder or grains in water closets,
earth closets, common privies, night commodes, children's stools and the like.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 is an
elevation and figure 2 a plan of an apparatus constructed according to my
invention for use with closets, commodes and the like for deodorizing and dis-
infecting purposes, figure 3 is a transverse section of figure 1. and figure 4 is a
plan of the underside of the apparatua. Similar letters in all the figures represent
similar parts.
My improved apparatus is constructed of a cylindrical box or case a, for con-
taining the carbon or other disinfecting or deodorizing material and which is of
such a size that it can be introduced into the usual opening or hole in the seat of
the closet or the like; b, is the bottom of the box a, perforated with a number
of holes c, c, c, as clearly shewn in dotted lines at figure 4; d, is the top of the box
or case which is of larger diameter than the box or case a; e, e, are screws by
which the box or case a, and top d, are secured together and which can be easily
removed to allow of access to the interior of the apparatus; f, is a false bottom or
plate below the perforated bottom of the box or case a, and fixed to the spindle or
rod g, passing through the centre of the box or case a; h, h, h, are holes in the
plate f; these holes are clearly shewn in full lines in figure 4, and as will be seen
they correspond in size and number with the holes c, in the bottom b, of the box
or case a; i, is a knob or handle in the centre of the top of the apparatus for
partially rotating the plate f, as hereinafter described; the said knob or handle is
fixed to the upper end of the spindle or rod g; j, is a spring for rotating the plate f
in the opposite direction so as to normally keep the holes c, in the box or case a,
closed as shown in figure 4; the said spring is fixed in a recess a¹, between the
top d, of the apparatus and a disc b¹, fixed inside the box or case a, and bears
against a projection or arm c³, fixed on the spindle g; k, k, are stops between which
the projection or arm c³, moves and which in this manner serve to limit the extent
of rotation of the plate f; l, is a slide or door covering the opening in the box or
case a, through which the apparatus is charged with the disinfecting or deodorizing
material; m, is a packing made of a strip of sheet india rubber for preventing the
said material from being deposited on the edges of the opening or hole in the seat

page_text: of the closet or the like; n, is a flange formed round the side of the box or case a,
against which the lower edge of the packing m, bears and o, is a groove in the
periphery of the top d, of the apparatus in which the upper edge of the packing m
fits; by this means the strip of sheet india rubber m, is stretched around the side
of the apparatus and will cover or protect the edges of the seat when the apparatus
is introduced into the opening or hole in the seat of the closet or the like; p, is a
rim or flange on the bottom of the box or case a, on which rim or flange the
apparatus stands when not in use thereby avoiding the risk of the perforations
becoming choked.
To make use of an apparatus of this construction a supply of powdered or
granulated carbon or other suitable disinfecting or deodorizing material is first
introduced into the box or case a, through the opening therein closed by the slide
or door l, the packing m, being previously removed from the apparatus; to allow
of this being done the packing m, is then replaced as shewn in figures 1 and 3;
the apparatus is then lifted by the knob or handle i, and the lower end is
introduced into the hole or opening in the seat of the closet or the like the
packing m, covering the edges thereof and the top d, resting on the packing m; on
the surface of the seat; the relative positions of the holes c, and h, in the bottom b,
of the box or case a, and in the plate f, respectively will be those shown in figure 4
and the holes c, will be therefore closed; the knob or handle i, is then turned in the
direction indicated by the arrows in figure 2, and the holes c; and h, will be brought
opposite each other and a quantity of the carbon or other material allowed to fall
from the apparatus; the knob or handle being released the openings c, will be
again closed and the apparatus can then be removed.
By rotating or partly rotating the apparatus and thereby causing the packing m,
to sweep over the top and edges of the opening in the closet the parts brought in
contact will be kept clean. When the packing m, is made of material other than
india rubber such for example as baize the lower edge is attached to a rigid ring
which bears upon the flange. n, formed round the side of the box or case; the
upper edge is provided with a hem through which is passed a strip of elastic or
the like which fits in the groove o, in the periphery of the top of the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The combination of parts forming the improved portable apparatus for use with
closets, commodes and the like for deodorizing and disinfecting purposes substan-
tially as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 12th day of November 1885.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, 40
Agent for the Applicant.