IMPROVEMENTS IN WASTE WATER PREVENTER CISTERNS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Philip Preston, John Theodore Prestige,
Edwin James Preston, and William Alfred Prestige, trading under
the Firm of Josiah Stone and Company, of High Street, Deptford,
in the County of Kent, Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Philip
Preston, John Theodore Prestige, Edwin James Preston, and
William Alfred Prestige at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd July 1871.
We, FREDERICK PHILIP PRESTON, JOHN THEODORE PRESTIGE,
EDWIN JAMES PRESTON, and WILLIAM ALFRED PRESTIGE, trading
under the Firm of Josiah Stone and Company, of High Street, Dept-
ford, in the County of Kent, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASTE WATER PREVENTER
CISTERNS," to be as follows:
-
This Invention consists of a combination of a cistern with one inlet
ball or float valve leading from the source of supply to the interior of

page_text: cistern, and one outlet valve placed in the bottom of cistern, so con-
structed and arranged that in drawing off water from the cistern the
inlet valve leading from the source of supply is perfectly closed before
the outlet valve can commence to be opened. This result has been to
a certain imperfect extent already attained in other single waste water 5
preventer cisterns already made, but it is quite possible in the case of
such cisterns, except where a spring is used, which is very objectionable
and liable to get out of order, to have the inlet and outlet valves partially
opened at one and the same time, allowing a great waste of water to
occur, but in our Invention the construction and arrangement of parts
are such that no such opening of both valves and consequent waste can
occur..
In carrying out our Invention we employ a box or cistern of sufficient
capacity to contain the maximum quantity of water required to be used
at one operation. To the inside of said cistern near the top we attach
a ball or float valve communicating with the source of supply, and in
the bottom of cistern we fit an outlet or discharge valve. We also fit a
handle or lever so as to work the apparatus.
ball or float valve
seat the pressure of
back of the valve
One marked feature in our apparatus is that the
is constructed so that when the valve rests upon its
water from the source of supply is exerted on the
and keeps it on its seat without the aid of the ball being required, and
also so that after the valve has rested upon its seat the ball stem and
ball can be raised a certain required distance to enable the discharge
valve to be opened without in any way disturbing the ball valve. This
may be done in several ways, but the manner we prefer is to fit a valve
upon a stem, which stem slides freely in a socket which is connected at
its upper end to the ball stem, and so arranged that when the ball valve
rests upon its seat the socket can slide up and down a certain distance
without affecting the valve, but by means of a pin which we pass
through the valve stem and fit in suitable grooves in the socket as soon
as the certain distance referred to is traversed, the valve is governed by
the rising and falling of the ball.
It will thus be seen that when the water from the source of supply
flows into the cistern it raises the ball and gradually closes the valve
until it reaches a certain point, when the pressure on the back of the
valve forces it to its seat and holds it there, while by means of the
sliding socket the ball stem can be raised sufficiently high to allow

page_text: the discharge valve to be opened so that the water can run out after
the ball valve is perfectly closed. In order to so raise the ball stem
after the inlet valve is closed, we employ a handle or lever so arranged
that while it is opening the outlet valve at the bottom of cistern it at
the same time raises the ball stem and ball.
As soon as the water has run out of the cistern by releasing the
handle or lever the discharge valve is closed, and the ball stem and ball
drop, thus opening the inlet or ball valve and allowing the water to
refill the cistern as before described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Philip Preston, John Theodore Prestige,
Edwin James Preston, and William Alfred Prestige in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 20th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
PHILIP PRESTON, JOHN THEODORE PRESTIGE, EDWIN JAMES PRESTON,
and WILLIAM Alfred Prestige, trading under the Firm of Josialı
Stone and Company, of High Street, Deptford, in the County of Kent,
Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Frederick Philip Preston, John Theodore
Prestige, Edwin James Preston, and William Alfred Prestige, Her special
licence that we, the said Frederick Philip Preston, John Theodore
Prestige, Edwin James Preston, and William Alfred Prestige, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Frederick Philip Preston, John Theodore Prestige, Edwin James Preston,
and William Alfred Prestige, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASTE WATER PREVENTER
CISTERNS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Frederick

page_text: Philip Preston, John Theodore Prestige, Edwin James Preston, and
William Alfred Prestige, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or one of us, our or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calender months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Frederick Philip Preston, John.
Theodore Prestige, Edwin James Preston, and William Alfred Prestige,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to the combination in a cistern of one inlet
ball or float valve leading from the source of supply to the interior of
cistern, and one outlet valve placed in the bottom of cistern, so con-
structed and arranged that in drawing off water from the cistern the
inlet valve leading from the source of supply is perfectly closed before
the outlet valve can commence to be opened. This result has been, to
a certain imperfect extent, already attained in other single waste water
preventer cisterns already made, but it is quite possible in the case of
such cisterns, except where a spring is used, which is very objectionable
and liable to get out of order, to have the inlet and outlet valves
partially open at one and the same time, allowing a great waste of
water to occur; but in our Invention the construction and arrangement
of parts are such that no such opening of both valves and consequent
waste can occur.
In carrying out our Invention we employ a box or cistern of
sufficient capacity to contain the maximum quantity of water required
to be used at one operation. To the inside of said cistern near the top
we attach a ball or float valve communicating with the source of supply,
and in the bottom of cistern we fit an outlet or discharge valve. We
also fit a handle or lever so as to work the apparatus.
One marked feature in our apparatus is that the ball or float valve
is constructed so that when the valve rests upon its seat the pressure
of water from the source of supply is exerted on the back of the valve
and keeps it on its seat without the aid of the ball being required, and

page_text: also so that after the valve has rested upon its seat the ball stem and
ball can be raised a certain required distance to enable the discharge
valve to be opened without in any way disturbing the ball valve. This
may be done in several ways, but the manner we prefer is to fit a valve
upon the stem, which stem slides freely in a socket which is connected
at its upper end to the ball stem, and so arranged that when the ball
valve rests upon its seat the socket can slide up and down a certain
distance without affecting the valve, but by means of a pin which we
pass through the valve stem and fit in suitable grooves in the socket,
as soon as the certain distance referred to is traversed the valve is
governed by the rising and falling of the ball.
It will thus be seen that when the water from the source of supply
flows into the cistern it raises the ball and gradually closes the valve
until it reaches a certain point, when the pressure on the back of the
valve forces it to its seat and holds it there, while by means of the
sliding socket the ball stem can be raised sufficiently high to allow
the discharge valve to be opened, so that the water can run out after
the ball valve is perfectly closed. In order to so raise the ball stem
after the inlet valve is closed, we employ a handle or lever so arranged
that while it is opening the outlet valve at the bottom of cistern it at
the same time raises the ball stem and ball.
As soon as the water has run out of the cistern, by releasing the
handle or lever the discharge valve is closed, and the ball stem and ball
drop, thus opening the inlet or ball valve and allowing the water to
refill the cistern as before described.
The Invention will be well understood by referring to the accom-
panying Drawings, in which a cistern with our Invention applied is
represented.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, A is the cistern; B is the inlet or supply valve
communicating with the source of supply; C is the outlet or discharge
valve at the bottom of the cistern; D is the valve stem, lever, and
counterbalance weight for operating the valve C; E is the ball or float
for operating the inlet valve B; F is the overflow pipe; K is a slot in
the stem of discharge valve, in which slot the stem of ball valve rises
and falls.
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of inlet or supply valve B, which is an
equilibrium valve and constructed so that when the valve G rests upon

page_text: .
its seat the pressure of water from the source of supply is exerted on
the top or back of the valve and keeps it on its seat without the aid
of the ball being required. We make this valve with a stem H fitted
with a projecting stud, which stem works freely in a sliding socket I,
on the upper end of which is a cupped leather J, and attached to this
socket is the ball stem and ball. In this socket also is a slot corre-
sponding with the projecting stud on the valve stem H. By means of
this arrangement when the valve G has been carried on to its seat by
the pressure of water from the source of supply, the socket can slide
up and down. the valve stem a certain distance without affecting the
inlet valve, but as soon as the required distance is traversed the ends
of the slot in socket catch the projecting stud on the valve stem H
and cause the inlet valve to be governed by the rising and falling of
the ball.
When the water from the source of supply flows into the cistern it
raises the ball E and gradually closes the valve B until it reaches a
certain point, when the pressure on the top or back of the valve forces
it on to its seat and holds it there, while by means of the sliding
socket above referred to the ball stem can be raised sufficiently high to
allow the discharge valve C to be opened so that the water can run out
of the cistern after the ball valve B is perfectly closed. The handle
or lever D is arranged so that while it is opening the valve C at the
bottom of cistern, it at the same time raises the ball stem and ball E.
As soon as the water has run out of the cistern by releasing the
handle or lever D the outlet valve C is closed, and the ball stem and
ball E drop, thus opening the inlet or ball valve B and allowing the
cistern to be refilled with water as before described.
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of another description of inlet or supply
valve which we sometimes use and which answers the same purpose as
the one described in Figure 4. It consists of two pistons or cupped
leathers on one spindle operated by the ball stem and ball, the lower
piston having suitable feathers to guide it into the cylinder when it
is raised to allow of the water passing from the inlet to the outlet of
tap B. This arrangement allows, as in Figure 4, of the inlet valve
of the cistern being perfectly closed before the outlet valve of same is
commenced to be opened, and so that it is impossible to have the inlet
and outlet valve of the cistern open or partly open at the same time.

page_text: And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as
our Invention,—
Firstly. The combination of apparatus in a cistern for controlling the
supply and escape of water thereto and therefrom in the manner
described and shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the Drawings.
Secondly. The modification of valve apparatus shown in Figure 5,
when used in cisterns in combination with the other appliances, sub-
stantially as described and shown.
In witness whereof, we, the said Frederick Philip Preston and
Edwin James Preston, for ourselves and on behalf of the said
John Theodore Prestige and the said William Alfred Prestige,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twentieth day of
January One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
FREDERICK PHILIP PRESTON. (L.S.)
EDWIN JAMES PRESTON.
(L.S.)