Improvements in or applicable to Water Closets.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 22nd July, 1896-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Water Closets.
I DANIEL HURST of 11 Gilda Brook Road, Eccles in the County of Lancaster,
Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to improvements in or applicable to water closets.
One part of my said invention relates to the construction combination and
arrangement of the valves for controlling the flow of the water to the flushing
cylinder or cistern and thence to the closet.
According to this part of my said invention (which is more particularly applicable
to those water closets in which the supply of water is controlled automatically by
the weight of a person using the closet) I provide a pair of valves in a suitable
casing so constructed as to permit of ready access to and removal of the valve.
The valves bave a common valve spindle so as to move simultaneously with each
other. The valve spindle may be adjustable for the purpose of varying the
distance apart of the valves. The lower of the said pair of valves when closed
against a suitable seating prevents access of water to the part of the casing leading
to the closet. The upper valve which acts as a back pressure valve is also provided
with a seating in such a position that when the lower valve is closed the upper
valve is open and vice versa. The water from the main supply is admitted through
the upper valve when open and thence passes to the flushing cylinder or cistern.
When the lower valve opens the upper valve closes and cuts off the main supply of
water while permitting the descent of the water from the flushing cylinder or
cistern.
The lower valve is preferably provided with a rubber or other buffer.
Suitable levers links springs weights or other mechanism (so combined as to
operate when pressure is put on the seat or removed) is used for opening and
closing the valves.
Another part of my said invention consists in applying to the underside of the
wooden seat (which usually covers the closet pau) cushions or pads which take
against and fill up the space between the rim of the pan aud the seat. Passages
for air are provided in order to enable air to pass to a ventilator shaft arranged at
or near the back of the closet for the purpose of withdrawing noxious fumes.
Another part of my said invention relates to the flushing cylinder or cistern.
The latter is provided with the usual floating ball valve which closes when the
cylinder is full and thus prevents the further admission of water. In addition to
the ball valve (which I prefer to place at one side) I use in combination with the
cylinder an air vessel or receptacle into which the water enters so as to compress
the air contained in the air vessel. On the opening of the flushing valve the force
of the expanding air in the said air vessel will augment that of the falling water
and enhance its effect in cleansing the closet.
Dated this 12th day of February 1896.
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M. Inst. C.E.,
70 Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: and is connected therewith in the usual manner. The valve spindle d is hollowed
to receive the stalk c of the upper valve to such a depth that it may rise so far as
to nearly touch the seating a before lifting the valve stalk c. On the stalk c
being lifted the upper valve a rises and permits water to flow from the water
main to the branch e leading to the flushing cistern P (Fig. 1). When the
weight of the person is taken away the valve spindle d falls and opens the valve at
being aided by the weight s. On this happening the pressure of the water supply
in the main closes the upper valve a. The water in the flushing cylinder now
descends along the branch e through the lower valve and thence along the
branch n to the closet pan.
The stalk or spindle c of the upper valve is screwed into the valve a and by
this means the distance apart or the lift of the upper valve a iu proportion to
that of the lower valve may be regulated to suit the conditions of the water pressure
in any particular case. The valves are faced with rubber leather or other suitable
material for such purpose.
I prefer to make the facing m of the valve al of india rubber of considerable
thickness and to form a somewhat deep rim on the valve seating a. The object
of this is that when the pressure of the water in the flushing cistern P reaches a
certain point the valve al will be thereby depressed to such an extent as will
allow the upper valve a to descend under the pressure of the main supply and
thus to close the valve a and cut off the water from the main. The thick rubber
and deep rim enable this action to take place without permitting the escape of
flushing water through the lower valve.
On the spindle d under the lower valve al a collar a of indiarubber or other
elastic material is used to act as a buffer on the descent of the lower valve so
as to minimise the shock. Similar elastic buffers are provided at j on the ends of
the crossheadh where it comes into contact with the seat. The crosshead is
screwed on the spindle d so that its position may be varied to suit seats of different
heights.
Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4-P is the flushing cistern which may be of any
convenient shape. I prefer the shape shown in the drawing which permits of strong
yet simple construction and which at the same time lies conveniently against a
wall over and behind the closet. The lower pipe e communicates with the valve
box B. At the upper part of the, cistern is a ball valve r for the escape of air.
The ball is of rubber or such material as will rise with the water and taking
against an upper seating will close and prevent egress of water. Should the
ball valve refuse to act from any cause the water will pass up the air pipe along
the branch to the fume shaft w whence it will descend to the closet pan. A bend
in the branch presents an obstacle to the ready passage of noxious fumes from
the shaft te to the pipe.
On the flushing cistern I fix one or more air vessels t which are inoperative until
the cistern is nearly full of water. When however the ball valve closes the water
pressure from the main causes the water to rise in the air vessels and to compress
the air contained therein. On the opening of the flushing valve a' the force of the
expanding air in the air vessels t on the water will augment that due to gravity
and thus the effect of a greater fall is obtained. An important advantage accruing
from the use of these air vessels is that without raising the flushing cistern to a
great height above the closet a very rapid rush of water is obtained for the purpose
of flushing the pan. On the underside of the seat k I fix flexible pads or cushions
which (with the exception of the spaces u¹ left for air passages) fill up the interval
between the rim of the pan and the seat. Leading from a socket wat the back
of the rim of the pan is a branch pipe w', leading to the fume shaft to.
closet is in use air is drawn through the spaces ul across the pan to the branch
pipe w' and thus the noxious fumes in the pan are withdrawn by the shaft w. In
some cases I may connect the flushing pipe n by a branch n' to the fume shaft w so
that noxious fumes may also be withdrawn through the lower flushing pipe a instead
of through the branch we' or both outlets may be used in combination.
When the

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described improvements in self flushing closets substantially as
described and shown.
2. In a self flushing water closet the combination of the flushing cistern and the
valves for automatically controlling the flow of water to the cistern and thence to
the closet pan operated by the oscillation of the seat substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown.
3. The combination with the flushing cistern of a water closet of an air valve
which automatically closes when the water reaches any desired height and one
or more air vessels in which air is compressed during the subsequent continued
ascent of the water substantially as and for the purpose set forth and shown with
reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
4. For controlling the supply and action of the water in a water closet the
combination of the back pressure main water valve a the stalk c the flushing valve a
and the valve spindle d having a crosshead / the whole operated by the rising and
falling of the seat substantially as and for the purpose set forth and described with
reference to Figures 2 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In a water closet the pads n of flexible material between the seat and the rim
of the pan having air inlets such as u¹ in combination with a ventilating shaft w
communicating with the interior of the pan for the purpose of inducing a current
of air through the pan and removing noxious fumes therefrom substantially as set
forth and shown in Figures 1 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The combination with the flushing valve a¹ of a buffer a substantially as and
for the purpose set forth and shown with reference to Fig. 2.
7. For automatically operating the water supply and flushing valves of a water
closet oscillating levers k having their fulcrums about midway as at 2 so that as
the fore part of the seat is depressed the rear part is elevated in combination
with a crosshead ha valve rod à and a weights substantially as set forth and shown
in Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1896.
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M. Inst. C.E.,
70 Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.