IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Shanks, of Barrhead, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Sanitary Engineer, for the Invention of
** IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH WATERCLOSETS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Shanks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th November 1871.
I, JOHN SHANKS, of Barrhead, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Sanitary Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for “ IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH WATERCLOSETS," to be
as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its objects to prevent waste of water, to
simplify and cheapen the water supply apparatus of waterclosets, and to
render the apparatus convenient in application and not liable to get out
of order.

page_text: One modification of the improved arrangements is well suited for
situations where the water cannot be supplied by a pipe. The seat
casing or part of it is formed into a cistern, with the closet details
within it, and is filled periodically. A separate chamber is formed at
the bottom of the cistern, and has inlets for the water at its bottom
whilst its top is closed, excepting that there is a hole for the passage of
a rod connected to the closet handle, and that there is a pipe leading
from it to the basin. The rod has a disc or plate set loosely on it, and
retained by a head or nut at its bottom end. The chamber fills with
water from the cistern, and on the handle being drawn up the disc forces
the most of the water up the pipe and into the basin. On the handle
being let go the rod at once descends through the disc, this latter
following slowly as the water gradually passes between its edges and the
sides of the chamber to its upper side. Thus the flushing action cannot
be repeated without some interval, which will check waste.
Where a service pipe is available, the cistern may be filled by means
of the usual float cock. The arrangement is applicable with ordinary
valveless closets, and also with any kind of valve closet when a service
pipe is available, the float cock being then made with two nozzles, one
discharging into the cistern and the other into the basin so as to supply
the latter after the valve is closed. An important advantage of the
arrangement is that no part of the apparatus need be higher than the
closet seat. In cases however where it may be more convenient the
water supply details may be fitted apart from the seat, and either at the
same or a higher level.
In a second modification, applicable with or without a service pipe,
there are two chambers with their discs or plates similar. to the one
herein-before described, the rods being connected to opposite ends of a
lever, so that on the handle being drawn up the contents of one chamber
are thrown into the basin at the same time that the basin valve is opened
and the other disc is depressed. The disc depressed is made with a valve
or valves to allow the water beneath it to pass to its upper side; and
when the handle is lowered again the main basin valve is closed, and the
contents of the second chamber are thrown into the basin to fill it up to
the desired height. This modification is also applicable either at the
level of the seat or at a higher one.

page_text: In a third modification, applicable at any level not lower than three or
four inches above the top of the seat, a dish with a raised external rim
is substituted for the disc or plate, and instead of the chamber an open-
topped pipe projects up to the overflow level through an opening in
the bottom of the dish. This pipe leads to the basin, and when the
handle is raised the dish is lifted up until the bottom is flush with the
top of the pipe, whereupon the water in the dish runs into the pipe and
thence into the basin.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Shanks in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SHANKS, of Barrhead, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Sanitary
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, 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 me, the said John Shanks, Her special licence

page_text: that I, the said John Shanks, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Shanks, 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
AND CONNECTED WITH WATERCLOSETS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Shanks, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, 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
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Shanks, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its objects to prevent waste of water, to
simplify and cheapen the water supply apparatus of waterclosets, and to
render the apparatus convenient in application and not liable to get out
of order. And in order that my said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a
Sheet of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and
representing various modifications of apparatus embodying my improve-
ments. In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to
mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of one modification of my improved
arrangements, which is well suited for situations where the water cannot
be supplied by a pipe. The seat casing 1 (or it may be part of it) is
formed into a cistern, with the closet basin 2 and other details within it,
and is filled periodically. A separate chamber 3 is formed at the bottom
of the cistern 1, and has inlets 4 for the water at its bottom, whilst its
top is closed, excepting that there is a hole for the passage of a rod 5

page_text: connected to the closet handle 6, and that there is a pipe 7 leading from
the chamber 3 to the basin 2. The rod 5 has a disc 8 set loosely on it,
and retained by a conical head 9 on its bottom end. The chamber 3
fills with water from the cistern, and on the handle 6 being drawn up
the disc 8 forces the most of the water up the pipe 7 and into the
basin 2. On the handle 6 being let go the rod 5 at once descends to the
bottom, moving through the disc 8, and this latter follows more slowly
as the water gradually passes through its central aperture and between
its edges and the sides of the chamber to its upper side. Thus the
flushing action cannot be repeated without some interval, which will
check waste.
"
Where a service pipe is available the cistern may be filled by means
of the usual float cock. The arrangement is applicable with ordinary
'cottage" or valveless closets, and also with any kind of valve closet
when a service pipe is available, the float cock being in such cases made
with two nozzles, one discharging into the cistern and the other into the
basin, so as to supply the latter after its valve is closed. An important
advantage of the arrangement is that no part of the apparatus need be
higher than the closet seat. In cases however where it may be more
convenient the water supply details may be fitted apart from the seat,
and either at the same or a higher level.
In a second modification, which is shown in vertical section in
Figure 2, and which is applicable with or without a service pipe, there
are two chambers 3, 13, with their discs or plates 8, 18, similar to the
one berein-before described, the rods 5, 15, being connected to opposite
ends of a lever 10, so that on the handle 6 being drawn up the contents
of one chamber 3 are thrown into the basin 2, at the same time that the
basin valve is opened and the other disc 18 is being lowered. The
disc 18 depressed acts as a valve, so that the water gets to its upper side;
and when the handle 6 is lowered again the main basin valve is closed,
and the contents of the second chamber 13 are thrown into the basin to
fill it up to the desired height. This modification is also applicable
either at the level of the seat or at a higher one.
In a third modification, shown in vertical section in Figure 3, and
applicable at any level not lower than three or four inches above the
00
12

page_text: the disc or plate (8), and instead of the chamber (3) an open-topped
pipe or trunk 23 projects up to the overflow level through an opening in
the bottom of the dish. This pipe or trunk 23 leads by a smaller pipe 7
to the basin (2), and the dish 28 is connected by a handle 12 to a
lever 10, which last is connected to the closet handle in any ordinary
way, so that when the closet handle is raised the dish 28 is lifted up
until its bottom becomes flush with the top of the pipe or trunk 23,
whereupon the water in the dish runs into the pipe and thence into the
basin.
In a fourth modification two dishes are used like the one 28 described
as in the third modification, and are connected to the opposite ends
of a lover, and act in the same way as the discs 8, 18, in the second
modification.
A further improvement, applicable to arrangements of the kind
described as the first and third modifications when placed above the
closet, and also to some existing kinds of water supply apparatus for
closets, consists in applying an inlet chamber or trunk 23, as shown in
Figure 3, in connection with the water pipe 7 leading to the basin, and
putting a diaphragm or projecting rim, or a pipe 27, in such chamber,
with a small hole in the bottom, so that whilst a portion of the water
charged into the chamber or trunk 23 passes at once down the pipe 7,
some is retained and passes down afterwards more slowly through the
small hole in the bottom of the pipe or diaphragm 17.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to
the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The arranging or combining together of the parts of water supply
apparatus for waterclosets, substantially in any of the improved modes
herein described or delineated.
2. The transferring of water from a cistern to a closet basin by means
of a loose disc worked by the closet handle in a chamber supplying
itself from the cistern, and arranged substantially as herein-before
described.

page_text: 3. The transferring of water from a cistern to a closet basin by means
of a dish with a hole in its bottom to work on a pipe or trunk which
receives the water on the dish being raised to its top, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Shanks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN SHANKS. (L.S.)