IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS AND VALVES, AND IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF REGULATING THE PASSAGE OF FLUIDS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Sudbury, of Halsted, in the County of Essex,
and Samuel Wright, of Clare, in the County of Suffolk, Gas Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS AND VALVES, AND IN THE
METHOD OF WORKING THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF REGULATING THE PASSAGE OF
FLUIDS"
Scaled the 7th November 1854, and dated the 20th July 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Sudbury and Samuel
Wright at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Peti-
tion, on the 20th July 1854.
I, JOHN SUDBURY, of Halsted, in the County of Essex, and I, SAMUEL
WRIGHT, of Clare, in the County of Suffolk, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS AND VALVES, AND
IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF REGULATING THE PASSAGE
or FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
Our improvements in taps and valves refer to such taps and valves as open
by moving or rising parallel from the seat to which they are fitted. In valves
so fitted the opening and closing of the passage is very sudden, by reason of a
slight lift of the valve disclosing a large area of passage. This sudden stoppage

page_text: and opening of the passage we have found particularly objectionable in taps
or valves which regulate the flow of water or other fluid by means of a ball
valve or tap, as preventing the perfect action of the tap, and being attended
with considerable wear and tear.
Our improvement consists in so arranging the passage of the valve that the
opening and closing shall be gradual without making any alteration in the
movement of the valve. For this purpose, we extend a solid piece of metal
from the under side of the valve, which piece fills up the passage in the seat,
but allows the valve to rise freely from its seat.
To provide a passage for the fluid, we cut angular notches in the piece of
metal in the direction of motion of the valve. The depth of the angular
notches as they approach the valve decrease and disappear altogether, while in
the opposite direction they are cut as deeply as possibly to ensure the required
passage. Thus, when the valve first rises, although considerable opening
exists between the valve and its seat, the thoroughfare is restricted, according to
the passage afforded by the grooves before mentioned.
The further motion of the valve from its seat encreases the area of passage
through the grooves until the greatest passage is obtained. The opening and
closing of the passage will be more or less gradual, according to the form
of the grooves; other forms of passages may be substituted for the grooves
in the filling piece before mentioned, whereby to restrict and regulate the
thoroughfare through the valve.
Our improvements in working valves for regulating the passage of fluids
refers more particularly to regulating the passage or supply of gas, which we
effect by means of a small gas receiver or holder, which is floated in water or
other suitable fluid; it is subject internally to the pressure of the gas, and
according as the gas is at a greater or less pressure, the gas receiver rises or
falls, and becomes more or less immersed. The receiver of the regulator is
suitably connected with the valve through which the supply of gas has to pass,
so that when the pressure increases the passage is diminished, and when the
pressure is decreased an opposite effect is produced, and thereby regulates the
supply of gas.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Sudbury and Samuel Wright in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th January 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SUDBURY, of Halsted, in the County of Essex, and I, SAMUEL WRIGHT, of Clare,
in the County of Suffolk, Gas Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Sudbury and Samuel Wright, Her special licence that we, the
said John Sudbury and Samuel Wright, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Sudbury and Samuel Wright,
our 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 TAPS AND
VALVES, AND IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF REGULATING
5 THE PASSAGE OF FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Sudbury and Samuel Wright, by an instrument in writing under our
hand and seal, should particulaly 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 we, the said John Sudbury and Samuel Wright, do
hereby declare the nature of our 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 Sheet of Drawings
0. hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, (that is
'to say):
Our improvements in taps and valves refer to such taps and valves as open
by moving or rising parallel from the seat to which they are fitted. In valves
so fitted the opening and closing of the passage is very sudden, by reason of a
5 slight lift of the valve disclosing a large area of passage. This sudden
stoppage and opening of the passage we have found particularly objectionable
in taps or valves which regulate the supply of water or other fluid by means of a
ball valve or tap, as preventing the perfect action of the tap, and being attended

page_text: with considerable wear and tear. Our improvement consists in so arranging
the passage of the valve that the opening and closing shall be gradual, without
making any alteration in the movement of the valve. For this purpose, we
extend a solid piece of metal from the under side of the valve, which picce
fills up the passage in the seat, but allows the valve to rise freely from its scat.
To provide a passage for the fluid, we cut angular notches in the piece of
metal in the direction of motion of the valve. The depth of the angular
notches as they approach the valve decrease and disappear altogether, while in
the opposite direction they are cut as deeply as possible to ensure the required
passage. Thus, when the valve first rises, although considerable opening exists
between the valve and its scat, the thoroughfare is restricted, according to the
passage afforded by the grooves before mentioned. The further motion of the
valve from its seat increases the area of passage through the grooves, until
the greatest passage is obtained. The opening and closing of the passage
will be more or less gradual, according to the form of the grooves; other
forms of passages may be substituted for the grooves in the filling place before
mentioned, whereby to restrict and regulate thoroughfare through the valve.
Our improvements in working valves for regulating the passage of fluids
refer more particularly to regulating the passage or supply of gas, which we
effect by means of a small gas receiver or holder, which is floated in water or
other suitable fluid; it is subject internally to the pressure of the gas, and
according as the gas is at a greater or less pressure the gas receiver rises and
falls, and becomes more or less immersed. The receiver of the regulater is
suitably connected with the valve through which the supply of gas has to pass,
so that when the pressure increases the passage is diminished, and when the
pressure is decreased an opposite effect is produced, and thereby regulates the
supply of gas.
Fig. 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents a side elevation of a ball
tap constructed according to our Invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section
of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse section on a, a, Fig. 1; while Figs. 4 and 5
represents the plug or valve of the tap separately, on an enlarged scale; Fig. 6
represents a section of a tap constructed according to our improvements to be
actuated by hand. b, b, is the barrel of the tap, which is furnished with a seat
or face c, against which the valve or plug d is forced, which stops the passage
of the fluid. Ball taps heretoforo constructed on this plan have been subject
to considerable objection, on account of the sudden stoppage of the passage
that takes place when tho valvo d nears its seat c, by reason of a small
amount of motion in the valve disclosing a large area of passage. The ball
lever, being subject to the motion of, the fluid in the cistern, continues to open

page_text: and shut the valve when it ought to close, and the large area of passage dis-
closed permits a strong rush of the fluid, and thereby continues the agitation
in the cistern, preventing the entire closing of the passage for some time, and
subjccting the tap to a considerable amount of wear and tear. To obviate
this, we apply a solid cylinder of metal e to the face of the valve, which is large
enough to nearly fill the passage of the seat c. In this cylinder e we cut a
number of V grooves f, so as to afford as much passage as possible at the end
of the cylinder or plug e, farthest from the valve face. The grooves f, f, are
cut less deep as they near the valve face, and disappear altogether some little
distance from that point. The valve is furnished with an india-rubber cr
leather, t, facing, and is mounted on a stem, moving in suitable guides h, 1,
and connected to the ball lever i by link k, while the lever i moves freely on
its fixed fulcrum I, and actuates the valve, by moving up and down with the
alteration of level of the fluid in the cistern or other receptacle in the ordinary
manner.
When the ball m is quite down, the cylinder e is nearly withdrawn from
the seat c, as represented in the dotted lines, affording a large area of passage.
When the ball begins to rise the passage begins to close gradually and regu-
larly, the V grooves f, f, passing within the seat c, produce a contraction,
which is spread over the whole rise of the ball, and does not subject the
valve to any sudden jerking motion. On the grooves passing entirely
within the seat c, a small passage still remains around the solid part of the
plug, but which becomes entirely stopped when the valve d approaches to
touch its seat c.
Instead of V grooves cut in a solid cylinder e, as described, the cylinder
may be tubular, and have holes bored through at different distances from the
face of valve for the passage of the fluid, which would enter through the
open end next the supply. This improvement is also applicable to other taps
with advantage to prevent concussion in shutting off taps where there is
pressure. Fig. 6 represents a section of a tap adapted for any ordinary
purpose. The parts of the tap before described recurring in this Figure,
are represented by the same letters of reference, and will be readily, under-
stood.
A spring n is for the purpose of closing the valve, in which it is assisted by
the pressure of the fluid; the tap is opened by pressing back the stem of the
valve by the projecting thumb knob o. The arrangement of the tap may be
varied, according to the purpose for which it is required, and the character of
the fluid to be passed. These taps being equally applicable for gas and for
steam passage, and where a very gradual issue or stoppage of steam is required,

page_text: it may be readily obtained by producing the V grooves f, f. (or their equivalent)
of length to ensure the slow opening of the passage desired.
Our improvements in actuating valves for regulating the passage of fluids
refers to a self-acting regulator for regulating the passage of gas or other
fluids. Fig. 7 represents an external view, and Fig. 8 a longitudinal section,
A is
of the gas regulator, fitted to a pipe or main for the supply of gas.
the channel through which the gas passes; on this I affix a cup or
chamber B, having a pipe C rising up its centre. The space D is filled
with water or other fluid, and an inverted chamber or holder E is placed
therein. The inlet gas has free access to the holder E by pipe C. The
holder is suspended from the lever F, moving on a fixed fulcrum at G.
The lever F is jointed to another lever H, mounted on a fixed fulcrum at I.
This lever is connected with a valve K, such as before described, and which
will not require any further description. The pressure of gas, taking effect
upon the interior upper surface of the gas holder, elevates that instrument more
or less, according to the pressure. When the pressure of gas in the inlet M
becomes excessive, the holder E is raised, which acts on the valve K, through
the intervention of the levers F and H, so as to partially close the passage,
and so reduce the supply of gas; and again, when the pressure in the inlet M
is reduced, the holder E falls, and consequently an increased opening of the
valve passage takes place, and thus conduces to maintain a uniform pressure
in the supply pipe at N. L is a small cup, for the purpose of holding shot or
other material for the purpose of regulating the preponderance of the gas holder,
and so regulating the pressure of the gas. In order to keep the opening
through which the lever H enters the gas main tight, I secure a piece of india-
rubber tube P, by binding round the stem of the lever at 1, and round the neck
of orifice at 2, which at the same time permits free movement of the. lever.
Fig. 9 represents a section of another arrangement of gas regulator, differing
from the formner, inasmuch as the connections between the holder and the
valve are all external.
The holder, water cup, main, and valve are all as before described; but in
this case the holder H is connected to the valve K by a rod R, which actuates
a bell crank lever S, the lower arm of which takes into the stein of the valve
K. The valve K is actuated according to the pressure of the gas on the
'interior of the holder E, as before described, and so regulates the passage of
the
gas. T is a light bridge to form a guide for the upper end of rod R to
sustain the holder E in the centre of the cistern B. There being fewer
moving parts in this last arrangement, it is better adapted for small regulators,
as this is little friction to overcome.

page_text: Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we would have it understood that what we claim is,-
First, constructing taps or valves with the arrangement of plug for
reducing the area of the passage as the valve approaches its seat, as before
described.
Secondly, we claim the arrangement of apparatus shown and described at
Figs. 7, 8, and 9, for the purpose of regulating the passage of gas and other
fluids.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Sudbury, have hereunto set my
hand & seal, this Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
WILLIAM CLARK,
Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.