Im. PROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ross, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Brass Founder, for the Invention of “Im.
PROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS."
Scaled the 5th November 1872, and dated the 9th May 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ross at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th May 1872.
I, WILLIAM Ross, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
3 Britain, Brass Founder, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS," to be as follows, that
is to say:
This Invention has for its object to secure economy in the cost of
waterclosets, and in their consumption of water, with durability and
> non-liability to derangement.
In apparatus made with the improvements there is a vertical pipe
at one side of the basin into which pipe an inclined branch lends
from the bottom of the basin. Just below the junction of the branch
a ring of rubber is fitted in the vertical pipe to act as a valve scat, and

page_text: the valve is a rounded conical ring, by preference of brass, fixed at the
bottom of a cast-iron tube made of a size to work easily up and down
in the vertical pipe. When this valve is down the top of it is level
with the intended overflow level. The water is supplied through a
regulator valve of the kind described in the Specification of Letters 5
Patent obtained by the present applicant, and dated 27th March 1857,
(863), the casing of such valve being fixed at the side of the vertical
pipe with its relief outlet inside that pipe. This relief outlet is closed by
a small pad of rubber in a cranked piece, which is encountered by a ring
or flange on the tube of the main discharge valve when this valve is 1
lifted by the closet handle. The water runs whilst the handle is held
up, and on its being lowered the valve closes with sufficient slowness
to allow of the basin being filled up to the desired height.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Ross in the Great Seal Patent Office on 1
the 8th November 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
Ross, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Brass
Founder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her?
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Ross, Her special licence that I,
the said William Ross, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or 2
such others as I, the said William Ross, 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, a
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Ross,
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 a

page_text: 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 Ross, 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 object to secure economy in the cost of
waterclosets, and in their consumption of water, with durability and
non-liability to derangement.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing
watercloset apparatus as made with my improvements.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a vertical section showing my improved
main discharge valve, with the parts in connection, and Figure 2 is a
side elevation. The same reference numerals are used to mark the same
parts in both Figures.
In apparatus made with my improvements there is a vertical pipe 1
at one side of the basin 2, into which pipe an inclined branch 3 leads
from the bottom of the basin 2. Just below the junction of the branch
3 a ring 4 of rubber is fitted in the vertical pipe to act as a valve seat,
and the valve is a brass cone 5 fixed at the bottom of a cast-iron tube
or hollow plunger 6, made of a size to nearly fill but at the same time
work easily up and down in the vertical pipe 1. When this plunger
valve 5, 6, is down the top of it is level with the intended overflow
level, and excess of water passes off down through the plunger. Tho
water is supplied by a surface pipe 7 through a regulator valve 8, 9,
of the kind described in the Specification of Letters Patent obtained by
me, and dated 27 March 1857 (No. 863), the casing 10 of such valve
being to the side of the vertical pipe 1 with its relief outlet 11 inside
that pipe. This relief outlet 11 is closed by a small pad of rubber in a
cranked piece 12 suspended by a pin, and which is encountered by a ring
or flange 13 on the tube or plunger 6, and held shut when this plunger
is down. The inlets and outlets 8, 9, of the regulator valve communi-

page_text: cate with a chamber of a hemispherical shape, having within it a hollow
hemispherical cup 14 of vulcanised rubber. The inside of the rubber
cup 14 is in communication with the water inlet 8 by a passage 15,
which can be regulated by a screw plug 16. When the plunger valve
5, 6, is lifted and the outlet 11 thereby allowed to open, the pressure 5
inside the rubber cup 14 becomes reduced, and the cup collapsing allows
the water to flow off to the basin by the outlet 9. On the plunger
valve 5, 6, being again lowered the rim 18 makes the piece 12 close
the small outlet 11, and the rubber cup 14 gradually fills and finally
closes the passage 9 to the basin, but not before sufficient water flows 1
into the basin to fill it to the proper height. The plunger valve 5, 6,
is drawn up by means of a rod 17 and the usual closet handle 18.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do
not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, 1
but that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the combining together and arranging of the valve details of watercloset
apparatus, substantially in the improved manner herein described and
delineated.
1
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ross, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
2
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
WILLIAM ROSS. (L.s.)