Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 22nd Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd Mar., 1887.
I, JOHN MARSON LAMB of 119 Finchley Road South Hampstead in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing Flushing tanks either automatic or on the
waste preventing principle whereby any given quantity of water can be discharged at
a time through a self acting valve. In constructing an Automatic Flushing tank to
discharge the whole contents at a flush-I make the self acting valve with either one
or more air bulbs or floats according to the required depth of water over the valve.
I make the bottom of the tank with a well in which is fixed the valve seating containing
a cross bar with a centre hole to receive one end of a guide tube which is fixed
perfectly upright and securely held by a stay rod across the top of the tank. The
guide tube being hollow acts as an air tube through the water into the discharge pipe
and at the same time a guide for the valve and air float or floats. The valve is made
with a hole through the centre into which I fix another tube large enough to slide
freely up and down the guide tube. I then make to fit over the valve tube one or
more air floats of any suitable shape and size. These air floats are made with a tube
through them to slide freely over the valve tube and are kept in their respective
positions by clips fixed round the outside of the said valve tube. I also make one or
more grip levers according to the size of the tank and the resisting power of the
floats. These levers are fitted at the long end with a float and with a pivot hole near
the short end, which end is made at a suitable angle to give a firm grip on the guide
tube by the depressing weight of the floats to which additional weights can be added
when necessary. The Grip levers are held in position by cotter pins or screws through
a cruich mount suspended or attached to the stay bar that supports the guide tube or
they can be supported on rods across the tank. When two or more Grip levers are
used they can be attached to a ring float instead of seperate floats. The action is as
follows The Valye and air floats being on the tube which slides up and down the
guide tube. When the tank is empty the weight of the valve and floats cause the valve
to close up on the seating and at the same time the Grips slip over the valve tube on
to the guide tube by the weight of the floats attached to the long end of the levers.

page_text: The water then fills the tank over the valve floats untill it rises high enough to act on
the Grip floats which it raises and thereby releases the Grip from the guide tube and
leaves the valve tube free to escape. The submerged air floats instantly rise and carry
with it the valve thereby allowing of the discharge of the water. The valve and floats
following the decending water untill it closes up the opening when the Grips again
fall into their place ready for the next charge. I use the additional air float on the
valve tube for the purpose of relieveing the bottom submerged float from the resistance
of the weight of water. I fix the clip a suitable distance from the top of the valve
tube, so that the top float rises up to the clip with the water and is not therefore
subject to any very great submergement. The top float thereby acts principaly as the
raiseing body while the bottom float acts as the closeing body. By raiseing the clip
which regulates the bottom float, any given quantity of water can be discharged from
the tank without emptying the whole contents. I can make the Grips act in various
ways either directly or indirectly through seperate pivoted levers or I can make them
to act on the valve tube instead of the guide tube. And I can also make the valve
portion with only a short guide rod held in position from the top of the tank, and
another guide attached to the valve projecting through the discharge pipe at the
bottom of the tank and the bottom float fixed to the valve and what I call the valve
tube not fixed to the valve and the top and bottom float attached together by chains
for raiseing the valve. But I prefer the first mentioned method as thereby I get a
more certain action and less suction on the valve. When makeing these tanks as water
waste preventors I use the valve and submerged float and the Grip lever with a
weighted end instead of a float, so that by raiseing the weight by means of a chain and
lever arm the Grip is released which allows the submerged float to raise the valve and
discharge the contents after which it closes up the opening as before described, the
supply being arranged by a suitable ball valve attached to the tank.

page_text: I, JOHN MARSON LAMB of 119 Finchley Road South Hampstead in the County of
Middlesex Engineer 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 :-
This invention consists in constructing flushing tanks either automatic or on the
waste preventing principle whereby the contents or a part of the contents can be
discharged at a Hush through a valve which is actuated by a submerged air chamber
or chambers working up and down a central guide air tube and held firmly in
position by a grip lever or grips made self releasing by air float ends, or with a
weighted end when used for waste preventing cisterns.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a sectional view of an automatic flushing tank
with two lever grips although I can make it with one or more grips according to require-
ments. a, is the tank constructed by preference with a well hole in any convenient portion
of the bottom to receive the valve and seating b, the valve seating with cross bar to
receive the bottom end of the guide air tube d, the top end of the guide tube is held in
position by the cross bridge C, J a tube of larger diameter to slide easily up and down the
guide tube, this tube can either be bushed at the ends or closed in to reduce the friction,
the valve 1, is fixed to the bottom portion of the tube J, M, the bottom air chamber which
can be made of any suitable shape and either fixed to or left to move free on the
tube J. This chamber floats on the top of the water and regulates the closing of the
valve during the discharge of the water. The amount of the water to be retained in
the tank depends upon the height of this retaining air float from the valve N, the top
air chamber of any suitable shape is also made to ride freely on the tube J, between
the clips K. K. The top clip is fixed on the tube at a given height so as to allow the
air chamber N. to rise with the water sufficiently high to give lifting power to raise
the valve and bottom air chamber without being subject to too great a weight of
water in submergement, e, the crutch mount with regulating screws securely fixed on
the bridge C, ff. the two jaw pieces through which the grips, g. g. are pivoted. It
will be seen that the action is as follows as the water rises in the tank it covers the
air chamber M, and the air chamber, N. rises with the water up to the top clip K. and
then becomes submerged the water rises up to the air floats, h. h. which are attached
to the Grips and release the grips from the tube J, when instantly the air chamber N.
raises the valve as indicated by the dotted lines of valve land air chambers M' and N¹
when the water is partially discharged the air float M. supports the valve and tube J.
until it closes up when the Grips immediately fall into their place and keep the valve
closed ready for the next charge.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a waste preventing cistern constructed with one Grip g.
having a weighted end instead of a float end, a, the tank b the valve seating, C. the
bridge, d the guide air tube, e the adjustable set screw mount, f the grip jaw, g the
grip lever, the starting finger, J the sliding tube, K the clip, the valve, M the

page_text: submerged air chamber which is here shown made in one deep vessel to act for raising
and closing instead of with two air vessels as shewn in Fig. 1, N the feed ball cock.
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 construction of automatic and waste preventing flushing tanks with a direct
opening and closing valve actuated by submerged air chamber or chambers substan-
tially as hereinbefore described.
2. The construction of tanks with a direct air tube passing through the valve supported
by a top stay or bridge and the attachment of an adjustable mount to receive the grip
jaws and the grips substantially as described in reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 of the
annexed drawings.
3. The combined arrangements of the sliding tube and valve to. carry the air
chamber substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The construction of the adjustable grips with either float or weighted ends as
herein before described as set forth in reference to Fig. 1. and Fig. 2. of the annexed
drawings.
5. The general construction of automatic and starting flushing tanks with valve
actuated by submerged air chamber or chambers wherein the quantity of water to
discharge can be set at less than the contents of the tank substantially as hereinbefore
described and set forth.
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