Improvements in Waste-preventing Taps or Valves.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 14th July, 1892-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Waste-preventing Taps or Valves.
I, WALTER BROWN HARVEY DRAYSON, of 2 Newgate Street, in the City of
London, Sanitary Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
to be as follows:-
21
This invention relates to what are known as "waste-not taps or valves in
which the outlet passage is closed automatically by means of an obturating plug
sliding in a socket or thimble, or by means of an obturating socket or thimble
sliding on a plug, so that no more than a given quantity of liquid can be drawn off
by one operation of the tap or valve.
But
It has been customary heretofore to screw the beforementioned socket or thimble,
or the plug as the case may be, into the casing of the tap or valve, and to operate
the same by means of a spindle which forms a prolongation of the said socket or
thimble, or of the plug, and passes through a stuffing box to the outside of the
tap or valve where it is fitted with a crutch or other suitable turning device.
in some cases the socket or thimble, or the plug, is not screwed into the casing
but is free to slide therein, and the aforesaid spindle, after passing through a stuffing
box, is adapted to be raised or lowered by means of a lever, the outer end of
which is weighted so that when it is released the said weight has a tendency to
cause the outlet orifice of the tap or valve to be automatically closed by the said
socket or thimble, or the said plug. In cases however where the pressure of the
liquid is comparatively great, it is found that after the lever has been lowered,
the valve thereby closed, and the lever released, the pressure of the liquid gradually
raises the socket or thimble or the plug (as the case may be) which is connected
to the spindle, and with it the weighted lever. Before the tap or valve can be
again opened, it is necessary to first force down the weighted lever with considerable
pressure in order to force the socket or thimble down over the plug, or the plug
down in the socket or thimble as the case may be, and then to again raise the
lever in order to open the outlet. This tendency to force the weighted lever
upwards is due to the pressure of the liquid acting upon the lower surface of the
socket or thimble (or the plug), which lower effective surface is greater than
the upper effective surface by the area of the spindle which passes through the
stuffing box.
According to my present invention instead of passing the spindle of the socket
or thimble, or the plug, through a stuffing box, I enclose such spindle entirely
within the tap or valve casing and provide a spring arranged to act on the
actuating socket or thimble, or on the actuating plug as the case may be, so as to
press the same constantly towards the outlet valve-seat. An internal operating
lever is mounted on an axis passing transversely across the tap or valve body or
casing and the end of this lever takes into a slot in or otherwise acts upon the
actuating socket or thimble, or the plug. One end of the aforesaid axis passes
through a stuffing box to the outside of the tap or valve body or casing and is
there provided with a lever handle. It will now be understood that on moving
the external lever handle in one direction the internal lever operates the actuating
socket or thimble or the plug in opposition to the pressure of the aforesaid spring,
and that immediately the external lever is released the spring presses the obturating
socket or plug against the outlet valve seat and prevents the further passage of
water, at the same time returning the external and internal operating levers to
their normal positions. On the other hand if the lever be held continuously in
the open position, the passage of more than the prearranged quantity of liquid at
that operation of the tap or valve is prevented by the gradual fall of the obturating

page_text: plug or socket closing the outlet as soon as that quantity of liquid or thereabouts
has passed.
Then when the lever is released, the spring is free to press the
socket or thimble down over the plug, or the plug in the socket or thimble, there
being in this case no tendency for the liquid pressure to raise the parts, because the
pressure on the upper surface is equal to that on the lower by reason of the
suppression of the spindle passing through the stuffing box.
In order to regulate the action of the aforesaid spring on the spindle and socket
or thimble, or the plug as the case may be so as to prevent concussion I sometimes
employ a cup leather or piston in connection with such parts and a bye-pass
fitted with a regulating valve or other similar device in such a manner that when
the external lever is released, the liquid on one side of such cup-leather or piston
shall be allowed to escape more or less slowly through such bye-pass to the other
side thereof and the said cup-leather or piston and the parts connected therewith be
thereby allowed to descend gradually and without concussion.
I prefer to arrange the operating parts with a certain amount of lost motion
to allow of the external handle or lever being moved somewhat without giving
motion to the socket or plug, whereby the objectless meddling with the handle by
children or others does not cause wear and tear of the important parts of the tap
or valve.
Dated thie 15th day of October 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Waste-preventing Taps or Valves.
I, WALTER BROWN HARVEY DRAYSON, of 2 Newgate Street, in the City of
London, Sanitary Engineer, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying sheet of drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:-
This invention relates to what are known as "waste-not" taps or valves in which
the outlet passage is closed automatically by means of an obturating plug sliding in
a socket or thimble, or by means of an obturating socket or thimble sliding on a
plug, so that no more than a given quantity of liquid can be drawn off by one
operation of the tap or valve.
It has been customary heretofore to screw the beforementioned socket or thimble,
or the plug, as the case may be, into the casing of the tap or valve, and to operate
the same by means of a spindle which forms a prolongation of the said socket or
thimble, or of the plug, and passes through a stuffing box to the outside of the
tap or valve where it is fitted with a crutch or other suitable turning device.
But, in some cases, the socket or thimble, or the plug, is not screwed into the
casing but is free to slide therein, and the aforesaid spindle, after passing through
a stuffing box, is adapted to be raised, or lowered, by means of a lever the outer
end of which is weighted so that, when it is released, the said weight has a tendency
to cause the outlet orifice of the tap or valve to be automatically closed by the
said socket or thimble, or the said plug. In cases however where the pressure of
the liquid is comparatively great, it is found that after the lever has been lowered,
the valve thereby closed, and the lever released, the pressure of the liquid gradually
raises the socket or thimble, or the plug, (as the case may be) which is connected
to the spindle, and with it the weighted lever. Before the tap or valve can be
again opened, it is necessary to first force down the weighted lever with consider-
able pressure in order to force the socket or thimble down over the plug, or the

page_text: plug down in the socket or thimble, as the case may be, and then to again raise
the lever in order to open the outlet. This tendency to force the weighted
lever upwards is due to the pressure of the liquid acting upon the lower surface
of the socket or thimble (or the plug) which lower effective surface is greater
than the upper effective surface by the area of the spindle which passes through the
stuffing box.
In the drawings hereto annexed
Figure is a vertical sectional elevation taken on line 1-1 of Figure 2 of a
< waste-not" tap
constructed in accordance with my present invention, and Figure 2
is a sectional plan of same taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.
According to my present invention, instead of passing the spindle or stem A of
the socket or thinible B through a stuffing box, I enclose such spindle A entirely
within the tap or valve casing and provide a compression spring D arranged
to bear at its upper end against the cover C¹ and to press at its lower end on the
shoulder formed by the part A' of the spindle or stem A and thereby on the
actuating socket or thimble B so as to press the same constantly towards the outlet
valve seat E. An internal operating lever F is mounted on an axis G passing
transversely across the tap or valve body or casing C and the end of this lever
takes into a slot H in the part A¹ of the spindle A or otherwise acts upon the
actuating socket or thimble B. One end of the aforesaid axis G turns in a
bearing I in the casing C and the other end passes through a stuffing box J to
the outside of the tap or valve body or casing and is there provided with a lever
handle or with a turning knob K. It will now be understood that on moving the
external lever handle, or the turning knob K, in the direction of the arrow in
Figure 1, the internal lever F raises the spindle or stem A A' and with it the
actuating socket or thimble B in opposition to the pressure of the aforesaid
spring D, drawing up with the socket or thimble B the plug L contained therein,
and that immediately the external lever or the turning knob K is released, the
spring D presses the spindle A A¹, the socket B, and the obturating plug L down
so that the latter closes against the outlet valve seat E and prevents the further
passage of water, the external lever or the knob K and the internal operating
lever F returning at the same time to their normal positions. On the other hand
if the lever F be held continuously in the elevated or open position, the passage of
more than the prearranged quantity of liquid at that operation of the tap or valve
is prevented by the gradual fall of the obturating plug Lin the socket or thimble B
and the closing thereby of the outlet E as soon as that quantity of liquid or there-
abouts has passed. Then when the lever F is released, the spring D is free to press
the socket or thimble B down over the plug L, there being in this case no tendency
for the liquid pressure to raise the parts, because the pressure on the upper surface
of the spindle A A' and socket or thimble B is equal to that on the lower by reason
of the spindle not passing through a stuffing box. Instead of the socket or thimble
being carried by or formed at the lower end of the spindle A A' it may be made
to form the obturator, the lower end of the spindle A A' being adapted to form
the plug which fits into the said socket or thimble as will be readily understood by
persons conversant with this kind of "waste-not" tap.
In some cases a weight may be substituted for the spring D.
In order to regulate the action of the spring D on the spindle and socket or
thimble, or the plug, as the case may be so as to prevent concussion, I sometimes
arrange the spindle or a part thereof in a cylinder and employ a cup leather or
piston in connection with such part and a bye-pass fitted with a regulating valve or
other similar device in such a manner that when the external lever or other
actuating device is released, the liquid on one side of such cup-leather or piston is
allowed to escape more or less slowly through such bye-pass to the other side of
such cup-leather or piston and the said cup-leather or piston and the parts con-
nected therewith are thereby allowed to descend gradually and without concussion.
This last described arrangement is similar to that employed in many waste-preventing
devices and 1 make no claim to it in connection with my present invention but

page_text: merely point out that it may be used therewith in cases where concussion is liable to
be produced through the sudden action of the spring.
I prefer to arrange the operating parts with a certain amount of lost motion to
allow of the external handle or lever being moved somewhat without giving motion
to the socket or plug, whereby the objectless meddling with the handle by
children or others does not cause wear and tear of the important parts of the
tap or valve.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First. In a waste-preventing tap or valve of the kind herein referred to,
arranging the spindle or stem which actuates the obturating plug, socket or thimble
so that the said spindle is contained wholly within the casing and cover of the tap
or valve whereby its upper and under surfaces are subjected to the same liquid
pressure, as herein before described, and illustrated in the drawings.
Second. In a waste-preventing tap or valve of the kind herein referred to, the
combination with a spindle or stem which actuates the obturating plug, socket
or thimble and is contained wholly within the casing and cover, of a spring or
weight also contained within the casing and cover, and of an internal actuating lever
operated from outside the casing, arranged and operating as hereinbefore described,
and illustrated in the drawings.
ம்
W. B. H. DRAYSON,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.
W. B. H. DRAYSON,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.