Improvements in Flushing Cisterns.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th June 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flushing Cisterns.
I, JOHN MATHER of 387 and 389 Station Road Bamber Bridge near Preston
Lancashire, Plumber &c., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improvements consist in making syphon-cisterns in such a way that no valves
are required in the flushing arrangements and at the same time permitting an over
flow to be used in accordance with water companies rules.
I am aware that valveless syphon cisterns have been constructed whose action
depends on the sudden raising of the water level in the cistern above the level of
the syphon bend by plunging in bodies of large volume or some such means, but so
far as I know, waste-preventing overflows cannot be used with such cisterns. This
defect arises from the necessity of placing the level of such overflow below the
bend of the syphon if waste is to be prevented, which arrangement causes the
overflow to act a little at every discharge of the cistern.
To overcome the difficulty I make the syphon of alterable shape so that the bend
is normally above the level of the overflow; to discharge the cistern the bend is
depressed below the water level.
One convenient way of doing this is to construct the syphon of flexible material
(such as india-rubber) which permits of the bend being depressed by the "pull "
and raised again on release, either by counterweight, spring, buoyancy, or other
means. It will however be readily understood that the same object may be effected
in various ways.
To prevent waste of water due to the "pull" being kept down, arrangements are
usually provided by which the water supply is cut off until the "pull" is released.
Dated this 14th day of September 1893.
JOHN MATHER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flushing Cisterns.
I, JOHN MATHER of 387 and 389 Station Road Bamber Bridge near Preston
Lancashire, Plumber and Decorator, 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:-
(1.) My improvements consist in making syphon cisterns in such a way that no
valves are required in the flushing arrangements, and at the same time permitting
an overflow to be used in accordance with water companies rules.
(2.) I am aware that valveless syphon cisterns have been constructed whose
action depends on the sudden raising of the water level in the cistern above the
level of the syphon bend by plunging in bodies of large volume, or some such means,
but so far as I know, waste-preventing overflows cannot be used with such cisterns.
This defect arises from the necessity of placing the level of such overflow below
the bend of the syphon if waste is to be prevented, which arrangement causes the
Since writing my
overflow to act a little at every discharge of the cistern.
Provisional Specification I have learned that valveless cisterns with double syphons
have been made which permit of an overflow being used, but they are open to
several obiections.

page_text: (3.) My way of overcoming the difficulty is to make the syphon of alterable shape
so that the bend is normally above the level of the overflow; to discharge the
cistern the bend is depressed below the water level.
(4.) One convenient way of doing this is to construct the syphon of flexible
material such as indiarubber, which permits of the bend being depressed by the
pull" and raised again on release, either by a counterweight, spring, buoyancy, or
other means.
66
(5.) In the accompanying sheet of drawings I show a cistern constructed in
accordance with my invention. Fig. 1 gives an elevation (partly in section), Fig. 2
a plan, and Fig. 3 a transverse section through the flexible syphon. In all these
figures the water level (where shown) is indicated by W L, the overflow by O, the
pull chain by C and the syphon by FG. The syphon here shown consists of two
parts viz. a flexible tube F fixed to a nozzle N (Fig. 3) in the bottom of the
cistern, and a bent tube G attached to the upper end of F. It will be readily
understood that if the chain C (Figs. 1 & 2) which is attached to an arm A fixed
to the bend B of the syphon, is pulled, the bend B can be depressed below the level
of the water into the position shown dotted at C'A' B₁ F¹ G' (Fig. 1), and the
discharge started. On releasing the chain the flexible tube again returns to its
normal position by virtue of its elasticity. To give the tube sufficient springiness
I usually construct the tube F of rubber with a steel spring embedded in it.
(6.) It will be evident that the details of the syphon may be varied considerably
without departing from the essential nature of my invention. For example I
sometimes make the tubes G and F in one piece of flexible material.
(7.) Again instead of using a long inverted U-shaped syphon I sometimes
employ one of circular shape. For example instead of attaching the bent tube G
(Fig. 3) to the flexible tube F, the latter is extended by the addition of a circular
C piece turned on its side thus the left hand end being open and the right hand
end attached to F. The open end is below the water level whilst the middle of
the C is normally above that level. The plane of the syphon is approximately the
same as that of the pull chain, and the connection between them such that pulling
the chain bends the tube thus bringing the middle part of the C below the water
level and starting the discharge.
(8.) In cases where the length and breadth of the cistern are insufficient to
permit any one of the above mentioned arrangements being used I sometimes
make the tube G larger than F and put them concentric. Tube G is closed at the
top and F open thus forming a syphon. The arrangements are such that when the
chain is pulled, the flexible tube F is compressed vertically until its upper end
comes below the water level and the discharge commenced. This modification is
particularly useful where sufficient flushing capacity can only be obtained by using
a deep cistern of small dimensions in plan.
Having thus 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. A valveless flushing cistern with flexible syphon as and for the purposes
herein described.
2. A valveless syphon cistern with syphon partly of flexible material as described
in § (5) and shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3.
3. The use of valveless syphon cisterns with syphons of flexible material as
described in §§ (6) and (7).
4. The use of valveless syphon cistern with flexible syphon operated by being
depressed vertically as described in § (8).
Dated this 14th day of June 1894.
JOHN MATHER.