IMPROVEMENTS IN URINALS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Beresford of the firm of Beresford and Company
of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Silversmiths and Electro Platers.
for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN URINALS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Beresford at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th April 1882.
JAMES BERESFORD of the firm of Beresford and Company of Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Silversmiths and Electro Platers "IMPROVEMENTS IN
URINALS."
My invention has reference to folding urinals that is to urinals in which the
basin or body of the urinal turns upon a joint so that when not in use it can be
raised into a vertical position and made to seat itself in a recess in the vertical
wall of the room in which it is situated or in the case to which it may be fitted
My said invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of the said
urinals in the manner herein after described, whereby a stream of water is made
to flow over the whole of the interior of the basin of the urinal when it is depressed
into a horizontal position for use the water being shut off when the basin is raised
into a vertical position
The basin is so suspended and counter balanced that when after use it is raised
through a small angle it takes automatically the vertical position and shuts off the
water supply.
The parts are constructed and arranged in the following manner
The basin or body of the urinal is made preferably of metal and turns upon
two pivots one of which is hollow
The top edge of the basin is tubular and is in connection with the hollow pivot.
A slot running along the underside of the tubular edge of the basin delivers a
thin sheet of water all round the interior of the basin when it is depressed into a
horizontal position. The water is supplied in the following manner. At the back
of the wall or side of the case to which the basin is attached and at a higher
level than the basin is a closed vessel or inoasurer. This ineasurer is connected at
DQ11

page_text: top with a water cistern and at bottom to a pipe proceeding downwards and
opening into the hollow pivot described. Both the connections of the measurer
have stopcocks which are joined by a connecting rod so that when one is open the
other is closed. A counterbalance weight is connected at top with the stopcocks
described and at bottom with an arm or lever attached to the solid pivot of the
basin.
The action of the parts is as follows:- -When the basin is in its raised position
the stopcock between the measurer and water cistern is open and the other stop-
cock closed. The said measurer fills with water which is retained therein until
the urinal is next used. On depressing the basin of the urinal for use the stopcock
between the measurer and cistern is closed and that between the measurer and
basin opened and the water in the measurer passing out of the slot described
around the edge of the basin washes the interior of the said basin during use.
Should the person using the urinal neglect to raise the basin after use there is no
waste of water occasioned by his carelessness as only the measure full of water
is delivered. The counterbalance weight is so connected with the arm or lever
of the basin that on lifting the basin after use through a small angle it auto-
niatically takes its closed or vertical position the two stopcocks being so operated
upon that the measurer is again filled with water ready for use on the next
-depression-of-the-basin-of-the-urinal

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Beresford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th October
1882.
1
JAMES BERESFORD of the firm of Beresford and Company of Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Silversmiths and Electro Platers
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
URINALS."
My invention has reference to folding urinals; that is, to urinals in which the
basin or body of the urinal turns upon a joint so that when not in use it can
be raised into a vertical position and made to seat itself in a recess in the vertical
wall of the room in which it is situated, or in the caso to which it may be fitted.
My said invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of the said
urinals in the manner hereinafter described whereby a stream of water is made
to flow over the whole of the interior of the basin of the urinal when it is
depressed into a horizontal position for use, the water being shut off when the
basin is raised into a vertical position. The basin is so suspended and counter-
balanced that when after use it is raised through a small angle it takes automatically
the vertical position and shuts off the water supply,
The parts are constructed and arranged in the following manner.
The basin or body of the urinal is made preferably of metal and turns upon
two pivots, one of which is hollow. The top edge of the basin is tubular and is in
connection with the hollow pivot. A slot running along the underside of the
tubular edge of the basin delivers a thin sheet of water all round the interior of
the basin when it is depressed into a horizontal position. The water is supplied
in the following manner. At the back of the wall or side of the case to which the
basin is attached and at a higher level than the basin is a closed vessel or measurer.
This measurer is connected at top with a water cistern and at bottom to a pipe
proceeding downwards and opening into the hollow pivot described. Both the
connections of the measurer have stopcocks which are joined by a connecting rod
so that when one is open the other is closed. A counterbalance weight is con-
nected at top with the stopcocks described and at bottom with an arm or lever
attached to the solid pivot of the basin. The action of the parts is as follows:-
When the basin is in its raised position the stopcock between the measurer and
water cistern is open and the other stopcock closed. The said measurer fills with
water which is retained therein until the urinal is next used. On depressing the
basin of the urinal for use the stopcock between the measurer and cistern is closed
and that between the measurer and basin opened and the water in the measurer
passing out of the slot described around the edge of the basin washes the interior
of the said basin during use. Should the person using the urinal neglect to raise
the basin after use there is no waste of water occasioned by his carlessness as only
the measurer full of water is delivered. The counterbalance weight is so connected
with the arm or lever of the basin that on lifting the basin after use through a
small angle it automatically takes its closed or vertical position, the two stopcocks
being so operated upon that the measurer is again filled with water ready for use
on the next depression of the basin of the urinal.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in front elevation and Figure 3 in back elevation, a
folding urinal constructed according to my invention, the basin being represented
raised out of use in Figure 1 and depressed into a horizontal position for use in
Figure 2.; Figure 4 represents a side elevation of the urinal and Figure 5 a vertical,

page_text: section of the same, the basin in both Figures being in its depressed position;
Figure 6 represents in elevation and Figure 7 in vertical section the urinal with
the basin in its raised position; Figure 8 represents a horizontal section of the
basin and the hollow and solid pivots on which it turns, drawn to a larger scale.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the drawings.
a is the basin of the urinal turning on the pivots b. c which are fixed to the
basin and work in bearings in the plates d d. The said plates d, d are fixed to
the vertical support or wall e carrying the case f into which case the basin, when
raised, fits. The pivot b is hollow and resembles the plug of a tap the water way
in the said hollow pivot or plug being by the lowering and raising of the basin put
in communication with or cut off from the water supply pipe g. The top inner
edge a² of the basin a is tubular (see Figures 5 and 7) and is connected with the
hollow pivot b which opens into the pocket 62 at the side of the basin (see
Figure 8) and the said pocket opens into the tubular edge a². The said tubular
edge a² of the basin is perforated on its inner sido and when the basin is turned
into a horizontal position for use the said tubular edge delivers a series of jets of
water all round the interior of the basin for flushing the same; or a fine slot may
be made in the inner side of the tubular edge a² for delivering a thin sheet of
-water instead of jets.
The water supply pipe g is in connection at h with the bottom of a closed vessel
or measurer and the top of the said measurer k is connected at i with the pipe
which passes to the cistern or other source of supply. The connections at h, i
constitute the barrels of stop cocks, the plugs h², of the said stopcocks being
jointed by the cranked arms m² m³ to the connecting rod m weighted with a
weight m. The bottom of the weighted rod m is connected by the cranked
arm m³ to the solid pivot a fixed to the basin a. The taps or stop cocks h. h³; i. 2ª
are so arranged that when the basin a is in its raised position, the tapi, is open
-and-the-other-tap-h.h-is-closed; and when the basin a is in its horizontal position,
the tap h, h² is open and the other tap 2, is closed as hereinafter particularly
explained. The weight m* counterbalances or nearly counterbalances the basin a
so that when the basin after use is raised through a small angle it takes
automatically the vertical or closed position and shuts off the water supply to the
said basin.
In the bottom of the case into which the basin a, when closed, fits is an
escape pipe through which the mixture of flush water and urine emptied into
the case passes to the sewer, the horizontal junction of the basin a being pro-
tected from the back flow of the liquid emptied into the case f by the horizontal
strip p (see Figures 5 and 7).
For the purpose of facilitating the filling and emptying of the measurer ka
perforated cap q is fixed on the top of the measurer. In this cap is a float valve r
and a valve seats (see Figure 5). While the measurer is being filled with water
from the cistern, the said measurer is open for the escape of air but when the
measurer is filled the rising of the float valve r causes it to seat itself on the valve
seats and close the said cup, the valve again opening as the measurer is emptied
of its contents.
I will now describe the action of the parts:-
When the basin a is not in use it is raised into the vertical position represented
in Figures 1, 6 and 7, the said basin fitting into the fixed case f. When the
basin is in this position the top stopcock i, is between the measurer and the
Water supply cistern is open and the bottom stop-cock hand the hollow pivot or
plug bare closed and the measurer fills with water which is retained therein until
the urinal is next used.
In order to use the urinal the basin a is depressed into the horizontal position
represented in Figures 2. 4. 5 and 8. By this motion of the basin the water way
in the plug or hollow pivot c is opened and the weighted connecting rod m is
raised. By the raising of the said rod m the stopcock i, 2 between the measurer k

page_text: and supply cistern is closed and the stopcock h, h between the measurer & and
the basin a is opened and the water in the measurer descends by the pipe g to tho
hollow pivot c through which it passes into the tubular edge a of the basin a and
escaping through the slot or holes in the said edge a washes or flushes the interior
of tho said basin during use. Should the person using the urinal neglect to raise
the basin a after use, there is no waste of water occasioned by his carelessness as
only the measurer k full of water is delivered. On raising the basin a after use
through a small angle it is automatically closed by the action of the counter-
balance weight m, the two stopcocks h, hi, 2 being operated upon by the
connecting rod m in the manner herein before described so that the measurer is
again filled with water ready for use on the next depression of the basin a.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention
of "Improvements in urinals."
First-The combination with folding or horizontally pivotted basins of urinals,
of a vessel or measurer for holding a measured quantity of the flushing water to be
supplied to the said basins, the said measurer being interposed between the cistern
or other source of supply and the basin substantially as bereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly-Making one of the horizontal pivots on which the folding basin turns,
hollow or tubular as described and illustrated and connecting the measurer to the
said basin by means of a down pipe and the said hollow pivot; and the
combination with the said hollow pivot of the tubular perforated or slotted inner
edge of the basin for flushing the interior of the basin when depressed for use
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Thirdly-The construction and combination of parts herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for opening, when the basin is depressed
into a horizontal position for use, communication between the filled measurer and
the basin and at the same time cutting off communication between the supply
cistern and the measurer and for effecting the reverse operation so as to cut off the
supply to the basin and permit of the filling of the measurer when the basin is
raised into a vertical position substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said James Beresford have hereunto set my
hand and seal this sixteenth day of October in the year of Our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
JAMES BERESFORD
(L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW