IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUSHING TANKS OR VESSELS FOR RECEIVING WATER OR LIQUID AND WHEN FULL AUTOMATICALLY DISCHARGING IT."
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bartholomew of Messrs. Doulton & Co.'s
Sanitary Engineering Works Albert Embankment Lambeth in the County of
Surrey for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUSHING TANKS OR VESSELS
FOR RECEIVING WATER OR LIQUID AND WHEN FULL AUTOMATICALLY
DISCHARGING IT."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bartholomew at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March 1882.
WILLIAM BARTHOLOMEW of Messrs Doulton and Co" Sanitary Engineering
Works Albert Embankment Lambeth in the County of Surrey.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN FLUSHING TANKS OR VESSELS FOR RECEIVING WATER OR LIQUID AND WHEN
FULL AUTOMATICALLY DISCHARGING IT."
This Invention has for its object improvements in flushing tanks or vessels for
receiving water or liquid and when full automatically discharging it.
For this purpose I employ a receiving vessel or tank of metal or pottery ware;
it has a pipe or passage ascending through the bottom and terminating in a trumpet
mouth at some distance from the top of the tank. This pipe is covered within
the tank by a bell which may also be of metal or earthenware. The bell is
supported with its mouth at a short distance from the bottom of the tank so that
there is a free passage beneath it. Below the bottom of the tank the pipe already
mentioned terminates at its lower end in a trumpet mouth and it dips down into
a box or receptacle from which there is an outlet leading (in the case of a flushing
tank) to a drain or to other place where it is required that the liquid should be
delivered. This outlet is so placed that the trumpet end of the pipe is immersed
to some depth in liquid contained in the box or receptacle.
In the operation of the apparatus the pipe and the bell act together as a siphon.
The siphon action is set up when the tank or receiving vessel is full by the escape
of air from the trumpet mouth at the lower end of the pipe. In consequence of
this form being given the escape of the air from the pipe takes place intermittently,
Price G71

page_text: a considerable quantity of air passing away at a time sufficient to start the flow,
and the automatic delivery takes place with certainty when the cistern or receiving
vessel is full however small the entering stream. Thus in this apparatus (which
has no moving parts) the discharge is determined by the disturbance of equilibrium
resulting from the sudden escape of a considerable quantity of air and not by
the sudden inrush of liquid to the cistern or receiving vessel or by the operation of
the liquid in the cistern on floats or moving mechanism as in other flushing tanks
of this class.
When the incoming flow is very slow it is sometimes advantageous to insert a
valve in the ascending pipe immediately beneath the trumpet mouth. This valve
closes by means of a weight and remains closed until the trumpet mouth is full of
water then the weight of the water causes the valve to open and to deliver
sufficient water into the pipe to start the siphon like delivery.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Bartholomew in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd September 1882.
WILLIAM BARTHOLOMEW of Mess™ Doulton & Co Sanitary Engineering Works
Albert Embankment Lambeth in the County of Surrey.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLUSHING TANKS OR VESSELS FOR RECEIVING WATER OR LIQUID AND WHEN FULL
AUTOMATICALLY DISCHARGING IT
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in flushing tanks or vessels for
receiving water or liquid and when full automatically discharging it.
For this purpose I employ a receiving vessel or tank of metal or pottery ware
it has a pipe or passage ascending through the bottom and terminating in a
trumpet mouth at some distance from the top of the tank. This pipe is covered
within the tank by a bell which may also be of metal or earthenware. The bell is
supported with its mouth at a short distance from the bottom of the tank so that
there is a free passage beneath it. Below the bottom of the tank the pipe already
mentioned terminates at its lower end in a trumpet mouth and it dips down into
a box or receptacle from which there is an outlet leading (in the case of a flushing.
tank) to a drain or to other place where it is required that the liquid should be
delivered. This outlet is so placed that the trumpet end of the pipe is immersed
to some depth in liquid contained in the box or receptacle.
In the operation of the apparatus the pipe and the bell act together as a siphon.
The siphon act is set up when the tank or receiving vessel is full by the escape of
air from the trumpet mouth at the lower end of the pipe. In consequence of this
form being given the escape of the air from the pipe takes place intermittently,
a considerable quantity of air passing away at a time sufficient to start the flow,
and the automatic delivery takes place with certainty when the cistern or receiving
vessel is full however small the entering stream. Thus in this apparatus (which
has no moving parts) the discharge is determined by the disturbance of equilibrium
resulting from the sudden escape of a considerable quantity of air and not by the
sudden inrush of liquid to the cistern or receiving vessel or by the operation of the
liquid in the cistern on floats or moving mechanism as in other flushing tanks of
this class.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the flushing apparatus constructed in accordance
with my invention, a is a receiving vessel or tank of metal or pottery-ware, b, is
the portion within the tank of an ascending pipe terminating in a trumpet mouth,
b is the part of this pipe below the bottom of the tank a; it also terminates in a
trumpet mouth. The pipe b is covered by a bell c, which also may be of metal or
earthenware. This bell is supported with its mouth at a short distance from the
bottom of the tank so that there is a free passage beneath it. d, is a box or
receptacle below the tank a into which the pipe 6', dips. The outlet e is situated
some distance above the bottom of the receptacle d, so that water always remains
in the receptacle d and into this water the pipe b' dips.
Figure shews the apparatus in another form, the pipe b itself being bent
downwards in place of being covered by a bell. Its trumpet mouth is channelled
in the manner illustrated by the Figures 3 and 4 which are respectively an

page_text: underside view and a section of the lower end of this pipe. These channels prevent
the end of the pipe becoming uncovered. This is of importance where the tank a
receives fat from a sink which should not be allowed to pass at once into the
drain. The fat floats on the water and remains in the tank.
The channels in the mouth of the bell ensure also a thorough recharging of the
pipe with air.
Figure 5 shews another form in which the fat or other floating matter is kept
back by an outer bell f and this then serves as a support for the bell c.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same I would have it understood that I claim as my improvements
in flushing tanks or vessels for receiving water or liquid and when full automatically
discharging it.
First. The combination of the tank or receptacle a, pipe b, b¹, bell c, and box or
receptacle d.
Second. In an automatic flushing apparatus, the trumpet shaped ends of the
pipe bbwhich cause the siphon like action to be with more certainty obtained.
In witness whereof I the said William Bartholomew have hereunto set my.
hand and seal this twenty second day of September in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
(ST) ZOHIVYO HUVILITY AN