IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OR PASSAGE OF FLUIDS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Johnston, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OR PASSAGE OF
FLUIDS."
Sealed the 22rd April 1858, and dated the 23rd February 1858:
J
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Johnston at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd February 1858.
I, WILLIAM JOHNSTON; of Glasgow, int the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Merchant, do hereby declare, the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS POR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OR PASSAGE OF
FLUIDS," to be as follows, that is to say:
"This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of valvular
contrivances of the flexible portion class. Under one modification, by which
the Invention may be practically carried out, the' body of the valve or con-
trolling apparatus consists of a main tubular shell somewhat resembling a
common stop-cock. This shell is formed interiorly in two separate and
distinct sections of fluid passage ways. These two sections are divided by a
transverse or lateral partition at the part of the shell which is surmounted on
its upper side by a horizontal disc face piece of large diameter. In the centre
of this disc face there is an elevated annular working face, the aperture in
which forms the fluid way from the inlet portion or section of the main shell,
this opening being between the interior partition and the entering end of the
main shell. Immediately outside the elevated annular working face there is

page_text: a second opening in the disc forming a thoroughfare into the front section of
the main shell, this opening being to the front of the interior partition. Upon
the outer portion of the large disc face there is fitted a cupped disc or piece
of any suitable flexible material, as caoutchouc, for example, having a cir-
cumferential flange, by which it rests on the disc face. The opening or recess
in this cupped flexible piece or partition thus embraces or covers both the
openings herein-before described, that is to say, both that in the elevated an-
nular face, and that through the disc external to the annular face; this flexible
cup thus forms the means of communication between the two apertures in
the main shell. Over the flexible cup there is screwed down to the disc flange
a correspondingly cupped or concave cover piece of metal, bored through at its
centre to receive the upper spindle or tail piece of a vertically-acting pressure
piece of metal, the lower end of which is formed with a flat disc for
bearing upon the convex top of the flexible cup. The cover is also formed
with a pair of parallel pillars to carry the working stud of an acting
eccentric lever for working the valve or stop-cock. This eccentric. lever
is so centred upon its stud, that when the lever handle is turned over
to one side horizontally, its greatest line or extent of eccentricity is down-
wards, thus pressing down the internal presser piece before described. This
downward pressure forces down the eccentric cup upon the clevated annular
face upon the disc beneath, and shuts off all communication between the two
sections of the main shell, stopping the flow through of any fluid. When
the lever is turned over to the other side the eccentric releases the flexible
cup and the top of the latter rises of itself, thus opening up the thoroughfare.
The working lever is marked "open" and "shut," in reverse ways, so that one
of these words only can be read at once, so as to indicate clearly the.condition of
the parts. The flexible cup piece can be actuated in various other ways with
a similar result: When a lever handle.is.used, as herein-before described, the
parts may be so. arranged as that, when the lever is vertical, the valve shall be
closed, and when put down to either side it shall be open; or the reverse of
these arrangements may be adopted.
.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters:
Patent; bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our Lord i
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of. Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Johnston, Her special licence. that I, the said William Johnston;
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Johnston, my 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 APPA-
RATUS FOR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OR PASSAGE OF FLUIDS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Johnston, my execu..
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their bands 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
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Johnston, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures' marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of valvular
contrivances of the flexible partition class. In one modification, under which
the Invention may be practically carried out, the body of the valve or con--
trolling apparatus consists of a main tubular shell, somewhat resembling a
common stop-cock. This shell is formed interiorly with two seperate and;
distinct sections of fluid passage ways. These two sections are divided by a.
partition at a part of the shell which is surmounted on its upper side by a.
horizontal disc face piece of large diameter. In the centre of this disc face
there is an elevated annular disc working face, the aperture in which forms
the fluid way from the inlet portion or section of the main shell, this opening.
being between the interior partition and the entering end of the main shell...
Immediately outside the elevated annular working face there is a second
opening in the disc, forming a thoroughfare into the outlét section of the main.
shell, this opening being to the front of the interior partition. Upon the.
outer portion of the large disc face there is fitted a cupped piece of any

page_text: suitable flexible material, as caoutchouc, for example, having a circumferential
flange, by which it rests on the disc face. The concavity or recess in this
cupped flexible piece or partition thus embraces or covers both the
openings herein-before. described, that is to say, both that in the elevated
annular face and that through the disc external to the annular. face;
this flexible cup thus forms the means of communication between the two
passages in the main shell. Over the flexible cup: there is screwed down
to the disc flange a correspondingly cupped or concave cover piece of metal,
bored through at its centre to receive the upper spindle or tail piece of a
vertically-acting presser piece of metal, the lower end of which is formed to
bear upon the convex top of the flexible cup. The cover. is also formed with
a pair of parallel pillars to carry the working stud of an acting eccentric for
working, the valve or stop-cock. This eccentric is so centred upon its stud,
that when its handle is turned over to one side, so as to be horizontal, its
greatest line or extent of eccentricity is downwards, thus pressing down 'the
internal presser piece before described. This downward pressure forces down
the flexible cup. upon the elevated annular face upon the disc beneath, and
shuts off all communication between the two sections of the main shellp
stopping the flow through of any fluid. When the handle is turned over to
the other side, the eccentric releases the flexible cup, and the top of the latter
rises; thus opening up the thoroughfare. The working handle is marked:
"open"
" and "shut" on opposite sides, so that one of. these words only can be
read at once, such word indicating clearly the condition. of the parts. The
flexible cup piece can be actuated in various other ways with similar.result.
When a lever handle is used, as herein-beforé described; the parts may be so
arranged, that when the handle. is vertical the valve shall be closed, and when
put down to either side it shall be open, or vice versa..
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood and carried
into effect, I have delineated upon a Sheet of explanatory Drawings .hereunto
appended, and shall now proceed to describe sundry modifications of my
improved valvular apparatus. The reference letters on the said Drawings
indicate the same or like parts in the several Figures.
Figs. 1 and 2 on the Sheet of Drawings are longitudinal vertical sections of
a tap embodying one modification of my improvements; and Fig. 3 is a plan.
of the tap shell, from which the moving parts. 'and cover are supposed to be'
removed; Figs. 4 and 5 are longitudinal vertical sections of valvular apparatus
embodying other modifications of my improvements; Fig. 6.is à side elevation,
and Fig. 7 is a plan of my improved flexible partition or cupped. piece. The
shell of the tap represented in. Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is formed with an inlet passage

page_text: A, and an outlet passage B; the former having a circular opening a in the
centre of a disc; face C, Fig. 3; formed on the shell, whilst the latter has
a segmental' opening b in the same disc facé, seperated from the opening of
the former by a slightly raised annular working edge. On the: disc face C:
there is placed a cupped piece D (shown detached in Figs. 6 and 7) of flexible
materiál, such as.caoutchouc, the hollow or concavity of which cupped piece is
over the inlet and outlet openings a, b, allowing the passage of the fluid from
one to the other, when the cupped piece is in its normal condition, that is to say,
unacted upon by external pressure. The flexible cupped piece D is held 'in',
its place. by. a cover E screwed down to the disc. face C through flanges
formed on the cupped piece D. The cover E is formed with a central aperture:
to receive the spindle.of a loose presser piece F, and, with a couple of pillars or
jaws G, which last are formed to receive the axle or pin. H of an eccentric I.
This eccentric I has a handle J, and when it is turned into the position
in which it is represented in Fig. 1, it forces down the pressér piece. F,;
and through it the flexible cupped piece D, causing the latter to close the
opening ȧ, and thus prevent the flow through of the fluid. When the
eccentric I is turned over into the position in which it is represented in Fig. 2,
the pressure is relieved from the flexible cupped piece D which rises from its:
own elasticity and the pressure of the fluid, and. allows the latter. to flow off
by the outlet opening band passage. B. It is preferred, to make the flexible
cuipped piece D with the central part of slightly greater thickness than the
other parts, as shown in the Drawings, but it may be made of uniform thick-
ness if desired. The form of the cupped piece D may also be modified to suit
particular cases. The eccentric I is made with.projecting flanges or stops K,.
which bear against the sides of the pillars G, and prevent the positions of the:
parts from being altered by internal pressure, the eccentric being turned.
slightly beyond its point of greatest éccèntricity when the stop reaches the.
pillars, in consequence of which the upward pressure of the presser piece F
has 'no tendency to turn the eccentric back again. The handle J of the
eccentric is shown:as marked with the word "shut" and "open" on the opposite:
sides, and the one or other of these being upwards indicates that the tap is shut
or open, as the case may be.
.
In the modification represented in Fig. 4, the opening 6 into the outlet.
passage B forms the central opening in the face C, whilst the inlet opening a;
from the inlet passage A is segmental and to one side of the centre; and the
valve is closed directly by depressing the flexible cupped: piece D upon what is
in this case the outlet opening instead of being the inlet opening. The other;
details are the same as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 already described..

page_text: in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and. 4 the outlet passage is shown as curved
downwards as for a bib-cock, nose-cock, or common tap; both inlet and
outlet passages may, however, be shaped in various ways, and when. the:
apparatus is made as a stop-cock for a continuous piece of piping, the outlet
passage B may be continued in a rectilinear direction as indicated by dotted
lines at L in Fig. 1. In the modification represented in Fig. 5, the inlet and
outlet passages A, B, are shaped to suit a hydrant for street water mains.
In this case, the inlet opening a, is placed centrally, whilst the outlet opening
b, is annular, and extends all round the former.. The flexible cupped piece
D is exactly like and acts precisely as that represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,
already herein-before described, but a screw M is shown for actuating the
presser piece E; this screw being formed with a square end for the application.
of a key to turn it by.
Various contrivances may be used for acting upon the loose presser piece F,
and through it on the flexible cupped piece D, to force the latter against the
fluid pressure in closing the valve, and to release the loose presser piece F,.
and flexible cupped piece D, and allow the elasticity of the latter, and the fluid-
pressure to act in opening the valve; for example, in applying the apparatus to
a water-closet, it may be so arranged that pressure on the seat shall cause the
opening or. closing of the valve. In applying the apparatus to a water-closet,
I prefer to form one side or part of it in the metal body of the water-closet.
My improved apparatus may be further modified by substituting a flexible
partition piece of a flat, or other suitable shape, for the cupped piece D, tho
eccentric I and loose presser piece F being retained; or the eccentric may be:
arranged to act directly on a flexible partition piece of a cupped or other
suitable shape. Or in making ordinary taps, known as bib-cocks, or nose-
cocks, and stop-cocks, having the inlet and outlet passages in a line, a flat
flexible partition may be arranged to be both opened and shut by means of the.
eccentric.
Having particularly described my said Invention; and the manner in which
the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I have now to state that
I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein-before delineated. and
described, and that I do not claim to have invented every separate detail,
herein-before delineated or described, but that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-.
First, the general arrangement or combination of each modification of
apparatus for regulating or controlling the flow or passage of fluids herein-
before described. .

page_text: Second, the application or use, in apparatus for regulating or controlling the
flow or passage of fluids, of a flexible cupped piece such as is herein-before
described, and which directly controls the entire flow, and is depressed against
the fluid pressure in closing the apparatus.
Third, the application or use, in apparatus for regulating or controlling the
flow or passage of fluids, of a flexible cupped partition, such as is herein-before
described, combined with a loose presser piece.
Fourth, the application or use, in apparatus for regulating or controlling
the flow or passage of fluids wherein the passage through is opened by the
elasticity of the partition and pressure of the fluid, of an eccentric, with or
without a loose presser piece acting on a flexible partition of a cupped or
other suitable shape.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Johnston, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch Square, Glasgow.
W JOHNSTON. (L.S.)