IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BATHS AND WATERCLOSETS."
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Francis France, of Wigan, in the
County of Lancaster, Plumber, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BATHS AND WATERCLOSETS.""
Scaled the 14th June 1870, and dated the 31st December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Francis France
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st December 1869.
I, THOMAS FRANCIS FRANCE, of Wigan, in the County of Lancaster,
Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BATHS AND WATERCLOSETS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention is designed principally with a view of preventing the
water from being raised or escaping over the sides of the bath or closet
and falling upon the floor beneath and thus causing the rotting or decay
of the floor, beams, and joists thereof, as well as damage to and
discoloration of the ceiling, mouldings, and walls of the room, staircase.
or other place beneath.
The Invention consists, mainly, in casting or otherwise forming round
the top edge of the bath or closet a trough, gutter; or channel,

page_text: the outer edge of which is somewhat higher than the inner edge thercof
or of the bath or closet itself, and in providing such trough, gutter, or
channel with a waste pipe in connection with the ordinary discharge
pipe of the bath or closet, so that any water which may escape over the
top edge of the bath or closet may be caught in the trough, gutter, or
channel and carried off by means of the waste pipe before mentioned
in connection with the ordinary discharge pipe of the bath or closet,
or the water escaped into the trough, gutter, or channel may be carried
off by the waste pipe before mentioned into another course. This waste
pipe leading to the discharge pipe will act as an air pipe, also for the
discharge pipe. The ordinary wooden frame or capping round the top
edge of the bath or closet will act as a cover to the trough, gutter, or
channel above mentioned, and instead of being fixed as usual it may be
provided with hinges so that it can be raised up when required for the
purpose of cleaning out the trough, gutter, or channel. It will be evident
that when the trough, gutter, or channel is affixed to a bath or closet
the ordinary overflow pipe of a bath or closet may be dispensed with,
but if desired one or more notches may be made in the top edge of
the bath and a corresponding notch or notches in the inner edge of
the trough, gutter, or channel, to conduct the overflow of water to the
waste pipe. The form of the gutter may be varied, and it may be cast
or formed of one piece with the bath or closet itself or if applied to old
baths or closets it may be made separate and soldered or otherwise affixed
thereto. The gutter may be of lead, zinc, iron, or other metal or
material. This arrangement is applicable to baths and closets of all
descriptions and sizes, and would be particularly useful if applied to ship
baths or closets, as the water disturbed by the movement of the vessel
would be caught in the trough, gutter, or channel, and conveyed away
by the waste pipe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Francis France in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th June 1870.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Francis France, Her special
license that I, the said Thomas Francis France, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Francis
France, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BATHS AND WATERCLOSETS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Francis
3 France, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and scal, 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 Thomas Francis France, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is
to say):-
This Invention is designed principally with a view of preventing the
water raised or escaping over the sides of the bath or closet from falling
upon the floor beneath, and thus causing the rotting or decay of the
floor, beams, and joists thereof, as well as damage to and discoloration
of the ceiling, mouldings, and walls of the room, staircase, or other
place beneath.
The Invention consists mainly in casting or otherwise forming round
the top edge of the bath or closet a trough, gutter, or channel, the
outer edge of which is somewhat higher than the inner edge thereof
or of the bath or closet itself, and in providing such trough, gutter, or
channel with a waste pipe in connection with the ordinary discharge
pipe of the bath or closet, so that any water which may escape over the
top edge of the bath or closet may be caught in the trough, gutter, or

page_text: channel, and carried off by means of the waste pipe before mentioned in
connection with the ordinary discharge pipe of the bath or closet, or the
water escaped into the trough, gutter, or channel may be carried off by
the waste pipe before mentioned into another course. This waste pipe
leading to the discharge pipe will act as an air pipe also for the
discharge pipe. The ordinary wooden frame or capping round the top edge
of the bath or closet will act as a cover to the trough, gutter, or channel
above mentioned, and instead of being fixed as usual it may be provided
with hinges so that it can be raised up when required for the purpose of
cleaning out the trough, gutter, or channel. It will be evident that
when the trough, gutter, or channel is affixed to a bath or closet the
ordinary overflow pipe of a bath or closet may be dispensed with, but if
desired one or more notches may be made on the top edge of the bath
and a corresponding notch or notches in the inner edge of the trough,
gutter, or channel to conduct the overflow of water to the waste pipc.
The form of the gutter may be varied and it may be cast or formed of
one piece with the bath or closet itself, or if applied to old baths or
closets it may be made separate and soldered or otherwise affixed thereto.
The gutter may be of lead, zinc, iron, or other metal or material.
This arrangement is applicable to baths and closets of all descriptions
and sizes, and would be particularly useful if applied to ship baths
or closets as the water disturbed by the movement of the vessel would be
caught in the trough, gutter, or channel, and conveyed away by the
waste pipe. The gutter is applicable also to wash-hand basins, lava-
tory tables, foot pans, and all vessels used for bathing and washing
purposes.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for " Improve-
ments in the Construction of Baths and Waterclosets," I will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to
be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that
the same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof :-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawings represents a plan view of a bath
constructed according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the
same; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section; Fig. 4, a transverse section
through about the line A, B, in Fig. 1; and Fig. 5, a similar section

page_text: through the line C, D, in the same Figure. a, a, is the bath; b, b, the
trough or gutter to receive the water raised or splashed over the
sides of the bath whilst bathing, the outer edge of which trough is
slightly higher than that of the bath itself; c, c, is a pipe to convey
such water as may overflow into the trough or gutter into the ordinary
waste pipe d, d; this pipe c, c, also serves the purpose of the ordinary
overflow pipe for the bath by cutting or otherwise forming a notch
or notches in the edge of the bath, as shown at e, e, Figs. 1 and 5;
ff. Fig. 4, is the ordinary wooden frame or capping of the bath, which
instead of being a fixture as usual I provide with hinges at 9, g, so that
it may be raised up at any time for cleaning out the trough or gutter b, b,
and I make the under side of this frame with beads or drip mouldings
h, h, to prevent the splashing or flowing over of the water.
Fig. 6 shows a section of the basin of a valve watercloset with the
trough or gutter applied for the reception of any water that may flow
over the top of the basin owing to the stopping up of the trap or any
other derangement of the working parts of the closet; a, a, being
a pan or basin; b, b, the trough or gutter; c, c, a trapped pipe to
convoy the overflow of water from the trough or gutter either into the
soil pipe beneath the closet or to any other convenient place; i, i,
is the ordinary arm or inlet pipe for supplying the basin with water.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that
I claim as my Invention, the application or adaptation to baths and
waterclosets of a trough or gutter round the upper edge in connection
with a pipe for carrying away the overflow water, substantially in
the manner and for the purposes herein-before more particularly set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Francis France, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-ninth day of June,
dnight hundead and anwan