Improvements in Automatic Flushing Syphon Cisterns.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 2nd Oct.,
1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Flushing Syphon Cisterns.
I, JAMES MARSH, of No. 477 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, in the Colony of
Victoria, Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to what are known as syphon cisterns for flushing urinals
drains and the like and its object is to provide a cistern of this kind which can be
relied on to automatically discharge its contents at any desired intervals of time.
To facilitate a clear understanding of the invention I will describe it with the
aid of the accompanying drawings in which.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and
Figure 2 a plan of an automatic flushing syphon cistern constructed according
to my invention whilst
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, illustrating the
different positions of the operating floats, or balls, hereinafter described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures.
A represents a cistern of a size sufficient to hold the necessary quantity of
water for effective flushing purposes, and fitted with a syphon B and starting
bell or cover C. These are preferably constructed substantially as described in
the specification accompanying my former application for Letters Patent No. 13086
dated 27 May 1897.
The present invention relates to the means used for automatically starting the
action of this syphon although it will be readily understood that it can be used for
starting any other kind of syphons in automatic flushing syphon cisterns.
D represents an ordinary screw down stop cock, or valve, whereby the flow of
water into the cistern A may be regulated according to the length of the intervals
required between each discharge or flush.
According to my present invention I mount a spindle E in bearings in the
sides of the cistern A so that the said spindle extends across the said cistern, and
I fit the said spindle with a projecting arm F the outer end of which is hook
shaped and is arranged to engage with an eye or loop c¹ on the starting bell C.
The inner end of the arm F is provided with a boss or sleeve f which is mounted
loosely upon the said spindle E. This sleeve is formed with a bayonet slot fl
and the spindle E is provided with a short projecting lug e projecting up
engaging with said slot so as to limit the movements of the spindle within the
sleeve.
and
Upon the spindle E are also mounted two ball floats G and H the latter of which
is arranged to hang almost immediately below the said spindle as indicated in
Figures 1 and 2 (and in dotted lines in Figure 3) so that the water will have no
tendency to act upon the said float H in such a manner as to cause it to rotate
the spindle E. The arm of the ball G however is also mounted upon the spindle E
by means of a sleeve g which is also provided with a slot g' through which the
arm h of the ball H is screwed into the said spindle. This slot g¹ allows a

page_text: improvemerovo or 11.000000
certain amount of upward movement for the ball G without affecting anything]
else.
The operation of this arrangement is as follows: Assuming the cistern A to be
almost full of water then the ball or float G will be in the position indicated in
Figure 1 and the end of the slot g' will come into contact with the arm of the
ball or float H which float will move from underneath the spindle E. As soon as
it is sufficiently out of the vertical to be raised by the water the projection e
will come into contact with the end of the bayonet slot f¹ in the sleeve f of the
arm and therefore the said arm will be raised together with the starting bell C,
the effect being to break the air-lock in the syphon and thus start it. There will
then be a sudden rush of water, which will effectually flush the urinal, drain, or
the like, until the cistern is empty when the balls G, and H, will return to their
lowest positions as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3. The ball G will then
gradually be raised by the rising water as the cistern is refilling until it causes
the ball H to pass the centre line when the starting bell will be again raised and
the operation repeated. It will thus be seen that the number of times per day
that the flushing cistern is automatically filled and emptied will depend upon the
time taken to refill the cistern after each operation and as this can be regulated
by means of the valve D it follows that the apparatus can be set to flush as often
or as seldom as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of any said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is -
First. The herein described automatic flushing syphon cistern consisting of the
various parts constructed, arranged, and operating, substantially as, and for the
purposes herein before described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Second. In an automatic flushing syphon cistern the combination with a starting
bell, or cover, (such as E) of a pair of floats or balls (such as G H) one being
used to cause the other to pass a vertical line from the spindle an which it is
suspended and the said other float or ball being used for raising the said starting
hell or cover substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Third. In an automatic flushing syphon cistern a ball, or float, (such as G,)
having a sleeve or boss (such as g) fitting loosely upon a spindle (such as E) the
said sleeve being formed with a slot through which the arm, of another ball or
float (such as H) is passed into the said spindle substantially as, and for the
purposes herein before described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Thirteenth day of July One thousand eight hundred and ninety-
Coven
JAMES MARSH.