Improvements in the Construction of Cocks or Taps.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 29th June, 1839-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Cocks or Taps.
I WILLIAM BRADLEY of No. 18 Collegiate Crescent Broomhall Park Sheffield in
the County of York Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to bo
as follows:
The object of my improvements is to render Ball Taps more efficient in their action
and less liable to get out of order, by preventing the present rapid destruction of the
faces of the valves and also of the leather or other material used, for the purpose of
making them watertight-which has hitherto been caused by the gradual closing of
the valves-whereas by this invention they are made to open automatically and
instantly to their fullest extent whenever a certain quantity of water has been
withdrawn from the cisterns which they supply-and also to close automatically
instantly & completely whenever the water so supplied rises to a certain height in the
said cisterns.
In carrying out my invention I prefer the following way from amongst many which
this way of doing it suggests or leads to-I add two arms to the upper part of the
opposite end of the lever to which the ball is usually attached-I next provide two
clicks suspended upon a common centre placed over the arms upon which centre
I also place a rocking lever actuated by a second ball and upon that end of this lever
which is nearest to the clicks I place two pins for the purpose of alternately liberating
the two clicks as the water rises or falls in the cistern, the said clicks being brought
into their holding positions again either by gravity or springs-I also for the purpose
of preventing concussion attach an air chamber either to the Tap or to the pipe which
supplies the water thereto-The air in which chamber acts as a cushion for the
moving water to rush against and so lose its force, when the flow is suddenly stopped.
Dated this 25th day of September 1888.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Cocks or Taps.
I, WILLIAM BRADLEY 18, Collegiate Crescent Broomhall Park, Sheffield, Yorkshire
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:-
The object of this invention is to render ball-taps more efficient in their action,
and to prevent the present rapid destruction of the faces of the valves, and also of
the leather or like material used to keep them watertight, hitherto caused by or due to
the gradual closing of the valves.
Now according to my invention the valve is opened automatically and instantly
whenever a certain amount of water has been withdrawn from the cistern which it
is arranged to supply, and when the water in the cistern again reaches a certain
height, the valve is closed instantly and completely.
The annexed sheets of drawings illustrate my invention, carried out in two different
ways.
Šimilar letters of reference indicate similar parts in any of the figures in which
they occur.
Fig. 1. is a side elevation of a ball tap made according to my invention, in its
closed position.

page_text: Fig. 2. a sectional side elevation of the same tap, represented in its open position.
Fig. 3. a side elevation of a ball tap made according to my invention shown partly
in section.
In carrying my invention into practice according to the arrangement shown in
Figures 1 and 2 I make the ball lever A, with two arms A1 and A2 the extreme end
of each arm being formed to act as a catch, and I joint the said lever to the body of
the tap at B, so that the lower part of the arm A which is suitably shaped for the
purpose, passes through the plunger P and causes it to open or close as the case
may be.
Two supports Care carried upwards, and upon a common centre I fix two pawls or
catches D, and E, also a second ball lever F, which at its joint end is so constructed
with shoulders G adjusting screws, or their equivalent devices arranged to liberate
alternately the two pawls or catches D and E, when the lever F is alternately raised
and lowered by the rise and fall of the water in the cistern.
The plunger or valve P is provided at its front end with a face of leather or like
elastic material preferably attached to a sliding block H, which may be supported by
a strong spiral spring S if desirable, but this may be dispensed with.
To avoid concussion in the pipes when the Tap is closed, I may fix an air chamber
or vessel on the tap communicating with the interior, but I prefer to construct the
body of the tap with a chamber such as I, formed by the space between the contracted
valve seating J, and the partially closed end K, or otherwise formed, but always
having a smaller entrance than the exit as shown, this arrangement is found to
answer well in practice, and prevent concussion.
When the water in the cistern has risen and raised the ball lever A to the position
shown in Fig. 1, the arm A is forced back until the catch or pawl E, either by its
gravity, or by the help of a spring, drops into the position shown, and holds the valve
firmly in its closed position, and
As water is withdrawn from the cistern, the ball lever F, descends, but the lever A
is supported by the catch E, in the position shown in Fig. 1. when the lever F,
reaches its lowest point or nearly so, its shoulder G, comes into contact with and so
releases the catch E, from A2, allowing lever A to drop and the valve to open
instantly to its full capacity.
This position is shown in Fig. 2, and it will be seen that the arm A¹ has fallen to
such a position that the catch D, has engaged with it, and will prevent the rise of
ball lever A until the lever F has risen sufficiently to bring the front side of its
shoulder G in contact with and liberated the catch Ď; when this is effected the ball
lever A. is instantly raised and the valve shut.
A second arrangement showing how my method of opening and closing the valve
instantly, instead of gradually, at the moment when the Cistern is either emptied or
filled as the case may be, illustrates how I may dispense with certain parts described
and used in the former arrangement, without departing from the spirit of my
invention.
In this arrangement I use only one ball lever A, and prefer to construct it in two
parts, A and M, attaching the lower part A to the upper part M by a toggle joint L.
which will admit of a considerable movement of the lower part with the floating ball
before it will act upon the upper part, which operates the plunger P, in the manner
as before described.
The top part of M is provided with a small antifriction roller N, and above the
said roller, and resting upon it is a lever O, jointed to the tap at R, and either suitably
weighted, or acted upon in a similar-manner by a spring.
On the said lever 0, I form a retaining projection Q. or an equivalent device,
against the ends of which the roller N, engages and is held when at the open and
closed position of the valve,, in the drawing it is shown open, and the dotted lines
indicate the position of the roller when the valve is closed.
When the ball and lever A rise with the influx of water, no action of the tap
takes place until the toggle joiut closes at the top side, the pressure of the lever then

page_text: comes upon the roller N, and eventually raises the lever O, and permits the part M,
to pass quickly to the end of its travel as indicated, closing the valve, and being held
in that position by the retaining projection Q.
The reverse movement opening the valve, takes place when the water is withdrawn
to its lowest level.
Although I have described and shown two methods of carrying out my invention,
it will be obvious that mechanical details may be further varied, and the same result
arrived at, and I therefore do not bind myself to such precise details, the principle
of the invention being to close or open the valve instantly, in contradistinction to
gradually and slowly, and when the water in the cistern has reached its highest or
its lowest point or thereabouts, and to accomplish this without concussion in the
pipes.
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-A Ball Tap constructed to open the valve immediately the water in the cistern
reaches its lowest level or thereabouts, and to close the valve immediately the said
water rises to the desired level, substantially as hereinbefore described for the purpose
specified.
2-A Ball Tap constructed with two ball levers A and F, with arms A¹ and A³,
retaining catches E and D, and plunger P, working together in combination for the
purpose specified, substantially as herein before described, and shown in Figs. 1 and 2
of the annexed drawings.
3-A Ball Tap as claimed in the foregoing claims in combination with an air
chamber or vessel, or having a chamber I with a contracted opening K, for preventing
concussion, substantially as described.
4-A Ball Tap constructed substantially as hereinbefore described and as shown in
Fig. 3 of the drawings.
D