Improvements in or relating to the Seats of Pedestal and other Waterclosets, said Improvements being also applicable for other analogous purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 12th May, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Seats of Pedestal and other
Waterclosets, said Improvements being also applicable for other
analogous purposes.
I, WILLIAM FRANCES TOLMIE of 19 Marshall Street, Edinburgh, in the County
this
of Midlothian, North Britain, Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in or relating to the seats of pedestal and
other water closets said improvements being also applicable for other analogous
purposes and has for its object improved means for automatically keeping the scat
up or open upon its hinge, the arrangement being such that when the seat is
required it is closed down but when it is not in use it automatically returns to its
normal position that is to say up or open. In the carrying out of my invention I
employ a spiral spring preferably in a position midway between the two hinges of
the seat.
The spiral spring is contained within a brass or other barrel which is
mounted horizontally within a hole made to fit in the back board or haffit of the
closet seat.
The spring abuts the back or closed end of the barrel and at the front
or open end of the barrel abuts the inner side of a piston which fits the barrel
closely, preferably air tight. The outer side of the piston is connected by a link to
a bracket piece fitted to the edge of the seat. When the seat is pressed down it
compresses the spring within the barrel and when the seat is released after use, the
compressed spring in its expansion forces up the seat again to its normal position.
I may if desired make the action of the seat automatically actuate the water flush;
this I do by providing the piston with a rod or spindle which passes through the
centre of the spring and extends out through the back end of the barrel; to the
end thus protruding I fix, by screwing preferably, a cam or disc. The said cam or
disc actuates trigger to which the flush chain is attached. The said trigger is
preferably in the form of a bell crank pivoted to a bracket fixed at the back of the
back board of the closet seat; the one arm of the said bell crank is actuated by
the cam of the piston spindle, the other arm of the crank has attached to it the
flush chain. The action of this part of the apparatus is as follows. As the seat is
lowered the end of the spindle is forced out and in so doing the cam is forced under
and behind the trigger and on the seat returning to its upright position by the
expanding of the spring, the cam is drawn back and in this movement it engages
with the trigger and actuates it and thus gives the necessary pull of the flush chain.
In order that the spindle may not get worn I envelop it in a hollow tube so that
the tube can be turned round as required in order to present a fresh wearing surface,
or the tube may be reversed for the same purpose; for the same purpose I prefer
to make the cam which actuates the trigger somewhat eccentric so that wear may
be taken up by giving a turn to the eccentric. In order to adjust the strength of
the spring as may be required I form a screw thread upon the part of the spindle
adjacent to the back of the piston and I provide upon it a nut; the one end of the
spring is secured to this nut, and the other end of the spring is connected to the
inner side of the back end of the barrel, so that by simply taking out the connecting
link between the piston and the fixed bracket of the seat and giving the piston a
turn an increased or reduced tension may be given the spring.
My said invention is also applicable to desks and the like in order to automatically
keep the flap or lid open; in this case the spindle hereinbefore referred to may be
dispensed with.

page_text: .
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Seats of Pedestal and other
Waterclosets, said Improvements being also applicable for other
analogous purposes.
I, WILLIAM FRANCES TOLMIE, of 13 Marshall Street, Edinburgh, in the
County of Midlothian, North Britain, Carpenter, 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 which relates to improvements in or relating to the seats of
pedestal and other waterclosets, has for its object to provide means for automatically
keeping up or open the seat upon its own hinge, and the arrangement is such that
after the seat has been freed from weight when down it automatically rises up to
its normal position and in doing so pulls the valve cord or wire and so causes the
flow of water to take place.
But in order that my said invention may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the
accompanying drawings, throughout which the same reference letters denote similar
parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevation my arrangement as applied to an ordinary pedestal
closet and
Figures 2 and 3 are sectional elevation shut and elevation open of my
improvements.
Referring to the said drawings I employ a spiral spring A, and I mount it within
a brass or other metal barrel B, placed horizontally in the back board or haffit C
of the closet seat D, preferably in such a position as to be nearly midway between
the seats' hinges, though at the same time sufficiently to the one side so as to keep
clear of the water supply pipe E from cistern. The said spring A works inside the
barrel B which is preferably air tight so as to prevent the ammonia or other gases
injuring the spring A, and the spring is kept from revolving by means of its rear
end which abuts against the rear end of barrel B, being formed with a pin or
projection a which engages with a hole or recess 6 in the end of the barrel, and also
by its front end being formed with a similar pin or projection a¹ which engages
with a hole or recess. formed in an adjustable ring or collar F which is capable of
being screwed backwards or forwards on the screw of the spindle G, so as to
regulate the tension or strength of the spring A. The back end of said spindle G
passes through a hole or opening formed in the rear end of the barrel B and is
provided with a cam or eccentrically mounted washer g¹ and binding nut ; while
the front end is provided with a piston g', which works backwards and forwards in
the barrel B, and is made air tight by means of a leather or other washer 9 which
is held in position as desired by means of the binding washer or collar y' which
works on the screw g. The piston g' is provided on its front end with two snugs or
projections 9 so as to enable the one end of a link H being attached, the other end
of said link being similarly attached to a bracket piece J secured to the edge of the
seat D as shown, so that on the seat D being closed or down as shown in Figures 1
and 2 the pistong is forced inside the barrel B, and the spring A compressed, and
on the seat D being released from its weight the spring A owing to its expansion
causes the seat D to open or rise up as shown in Figure 3, and to remain in such
position until put down again.
}
In order to make the automatic opening action of the seat D, actuate the water
supply, I mount a pivotted lever or trigger K behind the haffit C of the seat; the
said trigger is preferably shaped somewhat after a bell crank having two arms;
the upper one k. of which is connected to the end of the valve chain or cord L
through the medium of the adjustable link k¹; the other or lower arm is actuated
by means of the cam or eccentric washer g¹ on end of spring spindle G, in the

page_text: following manner; -on the seat being shut down the cam or washer g' passes back
and underneath the lower arm k³ of trigger, K, where it remains until the seat is
raised up by the spring A which also causes the cam or washer g¹ to pull the lower
arm through an arc of a circle in a forward manner, and so pull down the cord or
chain L and open the valve, until the cam or washer gl has passed clear of the end
of the triggers' lower arm which then falls into its normal position again by
means of the weight of the valve and thus shuts off the supply of water.
The wear of the lower arm may be taken up by means of altering the position
of the cam or washer gl on end of spindle G, also the tension of the spring A, may
be varied at will by simply disconnecting the spindle piston g' and link H, and
giving the spindle a turn or more in the desired direction.
It is to be understood that the spring arrangement may also be used without the
trigger arrangement.
My said invention is also applicable to other kinds of closets as well as pedestal,
and it may also be applied to desks, chair seats and the like so as to automatically
keep the flap, lid, or chair seat, open as may be required.
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 :-
1st. In water closet seats and the like the arrangement, construction and mode of
mounting the spring, whereby the seat is automatically raised, substantially as
described and shown in the annexed drawings.
2nd. The spring arrangement in combination with the trigger arrangement
whereby the Hush of water is automatically effected when the seat is raised,
substantially as described and shown in the annexed drawings.
Dated this 11th day of Mov 1809
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.