Improvements in Valves or Cocks Operated by Ball-float or otherwise.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1899-Accepted, 22nd July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Valves or Cocks Operated by Ball-float or
otherwise.
I, ALFRED ERNEST MARKWICK, M.I.M.E., of Karachi, in the Province of Sind, in
the Empire of India, 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:—
This invention relates to improvements in valves or cocks operated by ball-
float or otherwise, and the main objects in its design are simplicity of construction
and small cost without decrease in efficiency for withstanding high pressures as
compared with more complicated and costly valves or cocks.
I will now proceed to describe my invention in detail with the aid of the
accompanying sheets of drawings illustrating several modifications of it, and in
which:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation; the section being taken on a
vertical plane passing through the middle of the valve chamber, the float rod,
float and valve being in elevation.
Figures 2 and 3 are front and side elevation respectively of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of a modification wherein the float lever works
parallel to the valve box.
Figure 5 is a front elevation of Figure 4; the ball end of the float lever being
broken off for convenience of illustration.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a similar arrangement to that
shewn in Figures 4 and 5, but constructed to operate with the ball-float lever at
right angles to the valve chamber.
Figure 7 is a section taken on the line 7--7 of Figure 6.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate respectively in front and side sectional elevation a
further modification wherein the screw-threaded plunger or carrier is operated
by pressure upon a spring-supported rod through the medium of a slot-and-pin
crank motion.
Figure 10 is a side elevation of valve and float-lever, the latter being prolonged
beyond the point of junction with the valve and provided with a counter-poise.
Figure 11 illustrates in front elevation a still further modification in the
method of operating the valve, wherein the lever is shortened and horned at the
end to engage in a pin or stud on the valve plunger or carrier, and
Figure 12 is a detached side elevation of the horned lever, shewing that the two
horns are not in the same plane.
My invention is what may be termed a full-way ball-cock or valve, containing
no obstruction in the way of valve spindle as in most equilibrium and like ball-
cocks. The same action may be applied to self closing cocks with the introduction
of a weight or spring for closing.
As will be seen from these drawings the invention consists essentially in a cock
or valve, more particularly suitable for the control of the passage of water through
a pipe or other conduit, in which the usual valve spindle threaded on the ball-

page_text: float lever and having a soft plug in its end which is pressed against and released
from the inlet orifice automatically by the action of the float lever, is replaced
by a sliding piston which carries the valve, the said piston being automatically or
otherwise advanced to bring the valve up to the inlet orifice to close the same,
and retracted to open it, by means of two spirally curved slots made in the valve
casing near the nose thereof, in which slots works the valve end of the ball-float
or other lever which end is itself secured to the outer extremity of the said
piston. Or, instead of the curved slots with float lever working therein, the
piston may have one or more deep screw-threads formed on its exterior surface
and the valve casing be provided with one or more fixed pins projecting into the
trough of the said threads to serve as its guide and fulcrum. The remainder of the
invention consists in several modifications in the method of and means for operat-
ing the piston both automatically by the usual float and by hand, or by mechanical
ineans.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 these represent the valve or ball-cock complete
when formed with curved slots in the casing and operating lever working in the
nose of the casing and at right angles to the cock. is the end of the valve which
is screwed into or connected to the service pipe or source of supply, 6 is the valve
casing or shell, c is the inlet orifice and d is the outlet. e is a piston preferably but
not necessarily hollow, to be strong with a minimum weight of material. It will
be seen that the wearing surfaces are large as compared with cocks of usual
makes. This piston is plain on its exterior surface and fits slidably in the bore
of the valve shell b. It has a central deep cylindrical hole f in which is lodged
the spindle g of the valve h which latter may be of india-rubber, leather or any
other like or suitable material. The valve end of the float rod or lever i is secured
to the outward end of the piston e by the screw j, and k is the ball-float on the
other end of the lever . The valve end of the said lever works in the curved
slots and . These slots lie in the trace of an imaginary helical thread or worm
in the nose of the shell or casing of the valve, that is to say these slots are of
spiral form and cut in the casing on opposite sides thereof and the end of the
lever passes through these slots from side to side of the casing as shewn; the
said lever end being somewhat twisted to accommodate itself to the contour of the
slots down and up which it rides. m is a rib or raised edge extending along the
slots and simply to furnish a broader bearing surface for the rod i against
the edges of the said slots.
From the above description it will be seen that the lever i actuated by the level
of the water in the reservoir or tank, through the medium of the ball-float k,
works up or down as the case may be in a vertical plane at right angles to the
valve or cock, and simultaneously in a lateral direction caused by the riding
up or down the curved slots 1, 11, thus thrusting in or withdrawing the valve
more or less against its seat at the inlet orifice c. It will be seen clearly from
Figure 1 that the valve and its spindle g, when the valve is wide open or fully
"on" leave a perfectly clear thoroughfare down for the water to pass from the
inlet down the outlet channel d and in fact there is nothing whatever obstructing
the entrance to this latter channel, which is one of the advantageous features of
this invention. The horizontal dotted lines in Figure 2 indicate the position of
the operating lever when the valve is fully closed, and the arrow of course
indicates the direction in which the said lever moves. Should it be deemed
necessary for the operating lever i to work in front of the valve, this could be
done by shortening the said lever sufficiently to allow of a second lever to work on
the end of it with a long slot to accomodate it in its lateral and forward
motions. This of course still retains a lever working in the nose of the cock, but
not necessarily. with the ball float at the extreme end of it or even on it at all:
This modification is not shewn in the drawings.
In Figures 4 and 5 the lever i is secured by means of the screw j¹ to a projec-
tion n on the side of the valve body and has a long slot o in which rides a curved
guide-pin p secured to the outer end of the piston e. This piston may be either

page_text: of the form or type shewn in Figures 1, 2 and 3, or as shewn in Figures 6 and 7
wherein the external surface of the piston has threads or a worm formed on it
which, acting in conjunction with three guide studs or pins q causes the up-and-
down motion of the float lever to be transformed into the backward-and-forward
one of the piston and valve.
It will be understood at sight of these Figures 4 and 5 that as the lever i rises
or is raised, the bottom edge of the slot o rubs against the under side of the
curved guide-pin praising it and thereby causing it to turn or rotate the piston
to which it is firmly attached by means of the screw j. The dotted lines in the
figures in question indicate the positions of the moving parts when the lever i is
raised to its highest position.
In Figures 6 and 7 the piston or carrier e is provided with screw-threads
constituting a worm r, and three pins or studs q fixed in the shell 6 of the cock
project inwardly far enough to nearly touch the bottom of the said threads, the
said pins forming a guide and fulcrum for the worm r to work against so as
to impart to the piston e the desired forward and backward travel. In these
Figures 6 and 7 it will be noticed that the end of the float lever is secured
direct to the end of the piston or carrier e, and that the said lever works in a
vertical plane at right-angle to the cock or valve body. Thus the practical
effect of the action of this modification is identical with that obtained by the
modification illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the threads on the piston c
corresponding to the helically curved slots 1, in the shell b, and the guide
pins or studs q corresponding to the guiding edges of the curved slots 1, 1.
In Figures 8 and 9 the piston e has a pin w fixed in its outer end the
extremity of this pin w projecting into a horizontal slot y formed in the lower
end of a vertical rod u the upper end of which passes through a box t and
through the centre of a helical springs contained in the said box.
A collar integral with or fixed upon the upper part of the rod u serves to
confine the spring s in a compressed condition between the said collar and
the bottom of the box t, and thus always tending to keep the rod u up and
consequently the valve closed. is a thumb-button or knob on top of rod u for
convenience of pressing down the said rod by hand.
It will be understood that downward pressure upon the rod u causes the upper
edge of the slot y to press on the pin fixed in the end of the piston e which
latter being provided with the threads and the guide pins and confined in the
casing b, is thus forced to make a simultaneous rotary and backward movement,
opening the valve.
In Figure 10 is illustrated a special provision regarding the ball-float lever i
and it consists in the said lever being prolonged to any suitable distance beyond
the point where it passes through or is connected to the cock and providing
the said prolongation with a counterpoise ; and the object of this is to render
the cock an equilibrium one so that the ball-float can exert its whole energy
due to its buoyancy, against the pressure of the water, less of course the amount
of weight necessary to cause the float to drop as the water recedes. This counter-
poised lever may be bent if necessary to suit circumstances.
In Figure 11 the float rod i is shewn provided with hooks or horns v, v¹, on
its end projecting beyond the pivot point. These horns as the lever moves
up or down come in contact with a pin w fixed in the outer end of the piston or
piungere and so carry round with them the said piston, the screw-threads on
the latter causing it to simultaneously move longitudinally in one direction
or the other accordingly.
The horned end of the lever in question is not flat or in one plane, but one of
the horns is bent outwards or laterally somewhat from the other to allow for the
different positions of the pin w due to its rotary travel in addition to its longi-
tudinal displacement. This will be clearly understood from Figure 12 wherein
,, are the horns, and it can be seen at a glance that they are not both in the
same plane. 2 is a weight to accentuate the perfect closure of the cock.

page_text: 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: --
-
1. In a valve or cock, the combination with the valve casing, of spirally
curved slots in the sides of the said casing, as and for the purpose described
and illustrated.
2. In a valve or cock, the combination with the valve casing, of spirally
curved slots in the sides of the said casing and a lever passing through said
slots at right-angles to the casing, and means for securing the lever in position,
as and for the purpose described and set forth.
3. In a valve or cock, the combination with the valve casing, of spirally
curved slots in the sides of the said casing, a piston fitted slidably within said
casing, and a lever secured direct to the outer end of said piston and passing
transversely through said slots, as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
4. In a valve or cock, the combination with the valve casing, of spirally
curved slots in the sides of the said casing a piston fitting slidably within said
casing, a valve and spindle carried by the said piston, and a lever passing
transversely through the slots and secured direct to the outer end of the piston,
as and for the purpose described and illustrated.
5. In a valve or cock, the combination with the valve casing of a piston bearing
the valve proper, spiral threads or worm on the external surface of the piston, a
lever pivotally jointed to and parallel with the said casing, a slot in the said
lever and a guide pin secured direct to the outer end of the piston and working
in the slot in the lever, substantially as and for the purposes described and
illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In a valve or cock, the combination with the valve casing, of a piston bearing
the valve proper, spiral threads or worm on the exterior surface of the piston,
studs fixed in the said casing projecting into the trough of the said threads, and
a lever secured direct to the outer end of the said piston, substantially as and
for the purposes described and illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
7. In a valve or cock of the ball-float type, the combination with the float-
lever, of a counterpoise on the end of the said lever beyond the point at which
the lever is connected to or passes through the valve, substantially as and for the
purpose described and set forth.
1000
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.