IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR REGULATING AND CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF LIQUIDS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John William Powell, of 70, East Lane, Ber-
mondsey, in the County of Surrey, Brass Founder, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR REGULATING AND CONTROLLING
THE SUPPLY OF LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 3rd June 1878, and dated the 10th April 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John William Powell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th April 1878.
I, JOHN WILLIAM POWELL, of 70, East Lane, Bermondsey, in the
County of Surrey, Brass Founder, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR REGULATING AND CON-
TROLLING THE SUPPLY OF LIQUIDS," to be as follows, that is to say :—
This Invention consists in an improved construction of valves chiefly
applicable for regulating and controlling the supply of water to water.
closets, but also applicable for regulating the supply of or drawing off
liquids for other purposes.

page_text: By my improved construction of valves when the valve is raised it
remains open for a certain time, and is so constructed that it shall not
be kept open longer, whereby only a certain quantity of water or
liquid can be supplied or drawn off at one time, thereby preventing
waste.
To carry out my Invention where the valve is placed in a cistern over
the pipe supplying a watercloset, I employ an ordinary valve and seat,
the valve having a spindle on its under side; on this spindle is fixed a
cup leather fitting and working in a vacuum chamber fixed in the valve
seat and projecting into the pipe through which the water is to be 1
supplied; the valve is preferably made hollow and filled with lead to
increase its weight. Over the valve I fit a cap or short tube closed at
the top and furnished with a spindle passing through and working in a
bridge or frame on a ring screwed over the valve seat or otherwise
suitably fixed; the upper end of the spindle is connected by a wire or 1
chain to the crank over the cistern by which such valves are usually
operated.
I sometimes find it convenient to employ a vacuum chamber placed
above the valve instead of below it as herein-before described, by which
arrangement I am enabled to dispense with the cap over the valve; in 2
this case the valve has a spindle at the top which passes into the said
chamber and is provided at its end with cup leathers or a plunger; the
chamber is connected to the crank over the cistern.
By a modification the valve may be arranged so that it can be applied
under the seats of waterclosets; it can also be employed to replace an 2
ordinary cock or tap where only a certain quantity of water or liquid is
required to be drawn off at a time.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John William Powell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WILLIAM POWELL, of 70, East Lane, Bermondsey, in the County of
Surrey, Brass Founder, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John William Powell, Her special licence that I,
the said John William Powell, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John William Powell, 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
VALVES FOR REGULATING AND CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF LIQUIDS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John William Powell, 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 William Powell, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereto
annexed and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:-
This Invention consists in improvements in the construction of valves,
chiefly applicable for regulating and controlling the supply of water to
waterclosets, lavatories, and urinals, but also applicable for regulating
the supply of or drawing off liquids for other purposes; and relate to
that class of valves in which, when the valve is raised, it remains open
for a certain time and cannot be kept open longer, whereby only a certain
quantity of water or liquid can be supplied or drawn off at one time
thereby preventing waste.
To make my Invention better understood, I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1
is a plan, Figure 2 an elevation, and Figure 3 a section of an ordinary

page_text: round valve for supplying water to a watercloset, with my improvements
applied thereto; Figures 4, 5, and 6, plan, elevation, and section shewing
my improvements applied to a spindle valve; and Figures 7, 8, and 9,
plan, elevation, and section shewing my improvements applied to an
ordinary round valve for the supply of a pan or valve closet. Similar
letters in all the Figures represent similar or corresponding parts.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3 a represents an ordinary round valve, and 6
the seat of same; on the top of the valve a is fixed the lower end of a
jointed spindle or rod c; the upper end of this spindle or rod c is pro-
vided with a pair of cup leathers d, d, which pass into and work air-tight
in the cylinder e, which I call a vacuum or water chamber; the
chamber e passes through and can move freely in a hole in the top of
the casing f of the valve; g, g³, are the covers of the cylinder or
chamber e ; the rod or spindle o passes through the lower cover g¹; the
top part of the spindle or rod c is hollow, and communicates by means
of a small hole just below the cup leather with the interior of the
chamber e; a ball or shot is placed in the hollow part of the spindle,
thereby forming a ball or shot valve; is a small hole through the side
of the cylinder; the shot valve and the hole h serve for the passage of
the water and air, as herein-after described; i, weight on valve a; j,
weight on the chamber e. The seating 6 of the valve is formed with a
female screw k at the bottom for screwing over the supply pipe of the
watercloset, urinal, or lavatory in the usual manner; 1, boss on the
cover g of the cylinder e for attaching the same to the wire of the
ordinary ball lever, by which the valve is actuated.
The action of the valve is as follows:-The chamber e being raised (by
the ball lever being actuated in the usual manner), will raise with it
'the valve a, which when raised will then descend slowly through the
action of the weight i and of the water, which will enter the upper part
of the chamber e through the hole h, and also from the bottom of the
chamber through the shot valve. When the valve a has reached its
seating the cup leathers d, d, will be nearly at the bottom of the
chamber e, and the space in the chamber e above the cup leathers will
be nearly full of water. The chamber e will then be carried downwards
by its weight j, the cup leathers forcing the water slowly out of the
cylinder e through the hole h. The weight ; is made sufficiently heavy
to prevent the valve a remaining open for a longer time than is necessary
to allow the required quantity of water to pass down the outlet pipe.

page_text: By this arrangement it will be seen that the valve a after being raised,
as herein-before described returns to its seat, and cannot be again raised
until the chamber e falls back to its normal position, thereby preventing
the valve being kept raised, and consequently preventing waste of water
in case of the ball lever not acting, or from neglecting to shut down the
handle actuating the ball lever, or otherwise.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 shew the same arrangements applied to an ordinary
spindle valve, the chamber e working in the bridge m instead of in the
casing f. The action is similar to that herein-before described for
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 shew my improvements applied to a valve for a
pan closet. a is an ordinary round valve, and 6 the seating of same
placed over the outlet from the cistern as usual. Over the valve and
seating is screwed the cylinder A, the cover B of which is cast with a
small cylinder or tube O, in which works the jointed rod or spindle o of
the valve a; n, cup leather on the rod c, working water-tight in the
cylinder C; D, pipe from the cylinder A to the ordinary service box; e
is the vacuum chamber, which in this case is placed at the side of the
valve instead of above it, as in Figures 1 to 6. d is a cup leather
working water-tight in the chamber e, and fixed in the lower end of the
rod d¹; o, valve in the rod d², and o¹, seating of same; E, weighted lever
pivotting at F, and to which the upper ends of the rods c and dª are
jointed; p, cock to allow of the escape of the water from the chamber e;
G, guide for the lever E.
The action of this valve is as follows:-When the valve is closed, as
shewn in the Drawing, the water from the cistern can pass freely down
the tube O and through the pipe D into the service box, as shown by
the arrows. If the lever E be raised by pulling the handle usually
employed in pan closets or by other suitable actuating mechanism, the
valve a will be raised, and the cup leather n rising with it will pass into
the tube C, the water from the service box can then pass down the
outlet pipe; but as the cup leather n fits water-tight in the tube O, the
water in the cistern is shut off from the service box. When the lever E
raises the valve a, it also raises the rod d³, valve o, and cup leather d in
the chamber e, the valve o being also slightly raised from its seat o¹, so
as to allow a certain quantity of water to pass into the lower part of the
chamber e. When the lever E is released it will fall slowly into its

page_text: normal position, closing the valve a and opening the passage into the
service box. The speed of fall of the lever E is regulated by the cock P,
and the time occupied by the water in the lower part of the chamber e
in passing through the regulating cock p. By this arrangement, the
valve a being raised, the quantity of water in the service box, and no
more, can pass through the outlet pipe to flush the watercloset, the
raising of the valve shutting off the water from the service box, and
thereby preventing waste of water from the valve being kept raised.
Figures 10, 11, and 12 represent in plan, elevation, and section a ball-
cock with double lever action, which I prefer employing for the supply:
of cisterns furnished with my improved valves.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best means
I am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details of con-
struction herein laid down and shewn, but what I claim is,-
Firstly. The application of a vacuum or water chamber to round,
spindle, shoe, and spring valves, whereby I regulate or control the flow
of water to waterclosets and other places, as herein-before described and
represented in the Figures of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The general arrangement and construction of valve for pan
or valve closets, as herein-before described and represented in Figures 7
8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John William Powell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
W. A. GILBEE,
4, South St.
Finsbury.
J. W. POWELL. (L.S.)