Improvements in and relating to Water-closets.
Year: 1894

page_text: ate of Application, 8th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Water-closets.
I, EUGENIE ELISA LEFEVRE, of 21 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris, in the
Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to water-closets and comprises an automatic regulator valve
which enables the basin of the water-closet to be supplied with the desired quantity
of water obtained directly from the water-pipe of the town so that the pressure in
this pipe will be utilized.
This improved regulator valve dispenses with the use of flushing valves, thus
obviating the inconveniences arising therefrom. Its arrangement is of the simplest
kind, and the place which it occupies below the seat is extremely small; during the
occupation of the seat it gives a small jet of water which slightly moistens the
basin and prevents any adherence to the sides of the latter; it supplies the flushing-
water to the basin in an automatic and sure manner, that is to say without
occupying the attention of the person who leaves the seat, contrary to what takes
place with the reservoir flushing apparatus; and it also enables the quantity of
flushing water supplied in each operation to be regulated at will.
A regulator valve constructed according to my said invention has a cylinder
divided interiorly by a partition pierced with a central opening into two com-
partments, one of which has an inlet pipe and the second an outlet pipe. The inlet
pipe is designed to be connected with the water pipe of the town, while the outlet
pipe is connected by a suitable pipe with the basin.
The bottom of the aforesaid cylinder is closed, whilst the top is provided with a
stuffing box giving passage to a rod, upon which are mounted two valve discs in
the interior of the cylinder. These two valve discs bear alternately upon the said
partition which serves 'them as a seat. In the state of rest a spring, interposed
between the stuffing-box and a button at the end of the valve rod, causes the first.
or lower valve disc to bear upon the seat. The second or upper valve disc
possesses a packing disc which, enables it to play the part of a piston in the second
or upper compartment of the cylinder.
This second compartment possesses a small cock or a simple gauged opening
designed to put it in direct communication with the atmospheric air and to serve as
a regulator, as hereinafter set forth.
For operating this cock the lid of the seat is articulated by hinges and bears.
upon the said button on the valve rod. The pipe connecting the water pipe of the
town with the inlet pipe of the regulator valve may have a gauge cock.
In the state of rest the lower valve disc, under the action of the said spring,
bears upon the valve seat and intercepts all communication between the pipe of the
town and the basin. The pressure of the water is utilized for producing a tight
joint.
The lowering of the lid by the weight of the person who takes his place thereop
causes the simultaneous displacement of the lower and upper valve discs, the latter
bearing upon the valve seat and intercepting also the communication between the
pipe of the town and the basin. However during this change of valve discs
passage is given to a certain quantity of water sufficient for moistening the sides
of the basin and obviating the adherence of matter upon the latter; at the same

page_text: time the upper compartment of the cylinder above the second valve disc is filled
with air through the said cock.
When the occupant of the water-closet leaves the seat the two valve discs will
be free to again occupy their original position, but they reach it only gradually by
reason of the volume of air which has previously been introduced above the second
valve disc and inust be forced out so that there will pass from the water pipe to the
basin a volume of water proportional to the time employed by the valve discs to
return to their original position, such time being regulated by the degree of opening
of the cock hereinbefore referred to.
The supply of water may thus be varied for example from one litre to ten litres,
and it might be continued if the cock were completely closed.
This cock may be regulated once for all for a given supply. In the place of the
cock I may only use a gauged hole suitably protected for obviating the introduction
of dust.
The dimensions of the automatic regulator cock are variable and so is also the
nature of the materials employed in its construction. In like manner the forms are
not absolute. As regards the installation near the basin it may be effected by any
suitable means which may be varied with each kind of seat.
In a modification of my automatic regulator valve the before-mentioned packing
disc is removed from the upper to the lower valve disc. A small conduit puts the
lower part of this packing disc in direct and constant communication with the water
pipe of the town for the purpose of causing the closing of the lower valve disc
under the pressure of the water. This modified apparatus operates under conditions
similar to those of the arrangement herein before set forth.
Dated this 8th day of November 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
improvements in and relating to Water-closets.
1, EUGENIE ELISA LEFEVRE, of 21 Boulevard Poissonnière Paris, in the
Republic of France, 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 :—
My invention relates to water-closets and comprises an automatic regulator valve
which enables the basin of the water-closet to be supplied with the desired quantity
of water obtained directly from the water-pipe of the town or main so that the
pressure in this pipe will be utilized.
This improved regulator valve dispenses with the use of flushing valves, thus
obviating the inconveniences arising therefrom. Its arrangement is of the simplest
kind, and the place which it occupies below the seat is extremely small; during
the occupation of the seat it gives a small jet of water which slightly moistens the
basin and prevents auy adherence to the sides of the latter; it supplies the flushing-
water to the basin in an automatic and sure manner, that is to say without occupying
the attention of the person who leaves the seat, contrary to what takes place with
the reservoir flushing apparatus; and it also enables the quantity of flushing water
supplied in each operation to be regulated at will.
In order that the construction, arrangement and operation of this apparatus may
be properly understood I will describe the same by way of example with reference
to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the regulator-cock in its normal position or
state of repose.

page_text: Figure 2 shows a similar view of the regulator cock at the moment of its
operation.
Figure 3 shows to a smaller scale its arrangement by the side of a basin below
the seat.
Figures 4 and 5 represent views, similar to those of Figures 1 and 2, of a
modification of the regulator cock.
Figures 6 and 7 represent another modification of the regulator cock.
The cock thus represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings
comprises a cylinder or casing A A¹ divided interiorly by a partition a provided
with a central opening into two compartments, one A of which has an inlet pipe b
and the second A' an outlet pipe 6. The inlet pipe 6 is designed to be connected
with the water pipe of the town, while the outlet pipe 6' is connected by a suitable
pipe with the basin as shown in Figure 3.
The bottom of the aforesaid cylinder A A¹ is closed, whilst the top is provided
with a stuffing box a' giving passage to a rod C upon which are mounted in the
interior of the cylinder two valve discs e and c¹. These two valve discs bear
alternately upon the said partition a which serves as a seat. In the state of rest
a spring d, interposed between the stuffing-box a' and a button c² at the end of the
valve rod C causes the lower valve disc c Figure 1 to hear upon the seat. The
upper valve disc e' possesses a packing disc e which enables it to play the part of a
piston in the upper compartment A' of the cylinder.
The compartment A' is provided with a small cock for a simple gauged opening
designed to put it in direct communication with the atmospheric air and to serve
as a regulator, as hereinafter set forth.
For operating this cock the lid D of the seat is articulated by hinges and bears
upon the said button 2 on the valve rod C. The pipe connecting the water pipe of
the town with the inlet pipe 6 of the regulator valve may have a gauge cock g
inserted therein.
The operation of the improved valve is as follows:-
In the state of rest the valve disc c, under the action of the said spring d, bears
upon the valve seat a Figure 1 and intercepts all communication between the pipe
of the town or the main and the basin. The pressure of the water is utilized for
producing a tight joint.
The lowering of the lid D by the weight of the person who takes his place
thereon causes the simultaneous displacement of the valve discs e and c¹ the latter
bearing upon the valve seat and intercepting also the communication between the
pipe of the town and the basin. However, during this change of valve discs
passage is given to a certain quantity of water sufficient for moistening the sides of
the basin and obviating the adherence of matter upon the latter; at the same time
the compartment A' of the cylinder above the valve disc c is filled with air
through the said cock f.
When the occupant of the water-closet leaves the seat the two valve discs c
and c¹ will be free to again occupy their original position, but they reach it only
gradually by reason of the volume of air which has previously been introduced
above the valve disc c and must be forced out so that there will pass from the
water pipe to the basin a volume of water proportional to the time employed by
the valve discs to return to their original position, such time being regulated by the
degree of opening of the cock f.
The supply of water may thus be varied for example from one litre to ten litres,
and it might be continued if the cock f were completely closed.
This cock may be regulated once for all for a given supply. In the place of the
cock I may only use a gauged hole suitably protected for obviating the introduc-
tion of dust.
In the modification of my automatic regulator valve shown in Figures 4 and 5
the packing disc e is removed from the upper disc c¹ to the lower disc c. A small
conduit m puts the lower. part of this packing disc e in direct and constant

page_text: communication with the water pipe of the town for the purpose of causing the
closing of the lower valve disc e under the pressure of the water. This modified
apparatus operates under conditions similar to those of the arrangement herein-
before set forth.
In the modification represented in Figures 6 and 7 the regulator cock comprises a
cylinder or casing A A', divided internally, by a partition a provided with a
central hole, into two compartments, the upper one of which is provided with an
inlet pipe and the lower one with an outlet pipe b¹. The inlet pipe is intended to
be connected to the water pipe of the town or main, whilst the outlet pipe b is
connected by a suitable pipe to the basin of the water closet.
In the interior of this cylinder or casing A A', closed at the top and bottom,
two clack-valves or discs c and c' are mounted on one and the same rod C and so
arranged as to bear alternately upon the partition a which serves as a seat.
The
clack-valves e and c are in rigid connection with the packings e and e¹ respectively
forming pistons in the interior of the cylinders A A'. It will be observed that the
piston el is of a smaller diameter than the piston e and that for this purpose the
portion A¹ of the cylinder or casing is provided with a lining a' which may be
firmly connected to the bottom of the cylinder.
The upper part of the cylinder or casing is provided with a cock serving to
place the same in communication either with the conduit g¹ which has its outlet
orifice in the outlet pipe 6, or with the conduit g communicating with the inlet
pipe b.
The conduits 9, 9' are provided with screws v, v respectively which
allow of adjusting at will the flow of the liquid which passes through the said
conduits.
The conduit m places the bottom part of the piston e in communication with the
outlet pipe connected to the basin. At the end of this conduit is a pipe n
projecting into the said outlet pipe in form of a nozzle so as not to receive the
liquid issuing through the conduit g' which latter lies directly in line with the
conduit m; it is likewise provided with an adjusting screw v².
I will now consider the method of operation of the cock.
In the state of rest, the one or the other of the clack valves c c bears against
the seat a. Suppose, for example, that the clack valve c Figure 6 intercepts the
passage from the inlet pipe b to the outlet pipe b¹. The water pressure of the town
main secures the joint by pressing upon the piston packing e, to which the same
has access through the conduity and the cock ŕ placed in the position indicated in
Figure 6.
When this cork is turned to the extent of 90 degrees that is to say when the
communication between the compartment A and the conduit g is broken and the
communication between the said compartment and the conduit y¹ is established,
then the following effect will be produced:
The pressure, instead of being exerted above the piston packing e, is exerted
from below and forces the clack valve c to rise and consequently to allow the water
to pass through the orifice of the partition a. The amount of water passing
through depends upon the time which elapses between the moment when the clack
valve c leaves the seat and the moment when the clack valve c' on its part bears
against the seat. This time is regulated by a screw which permits of a more or
less rapid flow of the water contained in the compartment A.
When the clack-valve c¹ bears against the seat a the flow of flushing water
is suspended and the pressure which is exerted below the packing e, secures the
tight joint in the manner indicated in Figure 7.
When the cock F is turned through an angle of 90 degrees, that is to say when
the communication is broken between the compartment A and the conduit g',
in order to establish the communication with the conduit g, then the water flows
toward the piston packing e and lowers the clack valve c¹ which latter allows the
water to pass from the inlet pipe b toward the outlet pipe b' up to the moment when
the clack-valve c will in its turn stop the passage. The duration of flow is

page_text: regulated by the screw of the conduit g and also by the screw v2 of the conduit m
which permits the air to enter below the piston packing e¹ and to leave through the
outlet pipe b.
As will be seen the actuation of the regulator cock for the water delivery is
effected by a simple action upon the key or handle of the cock F. The regulator
cock begins to operate when this key or handle is passed from one position to
another.
The dimensions of the automatic regulator cock may be varied at will as may
also the nature of the materials employed in its construction. In like manner the
forms represented in the drawings are not absolute. As regards the arrangement
near the basin it may be effected by any suitable means which may be varied with
each kind of seat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The automatic regulator cock, hereinbefore described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2 for the discharge of water in water closets connected with the
drains, the characteristic features being-
(a) The arrangement of two clack valves or discs on one and the same rod
and bearing alternately and in the contrary direction against a single
seat.
(b) The arrangement of these clack valves in a cylinder having an inlet and an
outlet pipe respectively for the flushing water, the said inlet and outlet pipes
being separated by the seat common to these clack valves.
(c) The arrangement of one of the clack valves to act as a piston and the
arrangement of a chamber above this valve, into which chamber air can be
introduced through a cock f, regulating at the same time its more or less
rapid flow.
2. The arrangement of the apparatus substantially as herein described and
represented in Figure 3 of the drawings for the purpose specified.
3. The modified form of apparatus as herein before described with reference to
Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings.
4. The modified form of apparatus, as herein before described with reference to
Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings.
Dated this Qth dose of su 1905
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.