Improvements in the Construction of Sanitary Utensils for Bedrooms, Dry Earth Closets, and House Slops.
Year: 1893

page_text: "Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1893
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Improvements in the Construction of Sanitary Utensils for Bedrooms,
Dry Earth Closets, and House Slops.
I, JOHN HERN, of 30 Bourke Street, Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria,
Hygienist, 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 :-
of
This invention relates to the improvement of the upper portion of a certain
class of sanitary utensils in which it is eminently necessary to hermetically seal the
lid to the utensil in order to prevent pollution of the atmosphere by the escape
objectionable odours and of deleterious gases from the contents of such utensils.
The utensils referred to are of several kinds.
'
First, there are the soil pans of dry earth closets which usually are never
hermetically covered except when the pan is being removed, and which have never
had this invention applied thereto as a means of keeping the air of such closets
pure and wholesome. In large cities where the dry earth system of closets prevails
the extreme offensiveness of the open top of the pan is not the worst feature for
disease has been admittedly produced also.
"
'Secondly, the ordinary "chamber vessel or bedroom utensil with its open top
is either greatly restricted in usefulness or if under special circumstances it be used
for receiving certain waste products it becomes highly insanitary and may cause
extreme discomfort all for want of a suitable top such as this invention provides.
In the case of infectious diseases the use of sanitary utensils containing this inven-
tion will tend materially to enable the utensils to be easily kept free from
infectiousness. Again in the case of utensils in the form and that are used as slop
pails but which are provided with a rim or seat of wood to enable them to be used
as a commode this invention is also adapted.
Slop-pail-commodes with an air tight cover have been previously devised but
not containing the improvements which will now be clearly explained.
In this invention the sanitary receptacle when large is preferably made entirely
of metal but the rim which forms the seat may be of wood, earthenware or other
material with a lip or edge of the same material or of metal for the purpose
explained below. When small as in the case of bedroom utensils it may be
entirely of earthenware with an earthenware cover. No claim is made however to
any special material. The rim can in all cases be easily lifted off or put on and
thus can be more easily disinfected or can be destroyed at small cost and replaced
when required by a new one, or can be kept for the use of the same person
according to circumstances different persons using different rims with the same
utensil.'
The rim is always to be taken off before the contents of the vessel are emptied
and it is thus always kept from what is in the present day a common source of
objection to vessels of this kind where the rim is not so easily removed or not
movable at all.
-Referring now. to the accompanying sheet of drawings
Figure 1 shows a view of a sanitary pail containing this invention part of the
pail being shown broken away so as to exhibit a vertical section.
Figure 2 shows a bedroom utensil containing the same invention but with the
lid and seating ring removed;
Figure 3 shows a lid aforesaid and Figure 4 the seating ring aforesaid.
1
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page_text: Figure 5 shows a modified form of the vessel shown in Figure 2 this modifi-
cation having a cover and water seal but dispensing with separate seating rim.
In all figures like letters of reference indicate like parts.
It will be understood that the vessels may be square or oval or of other shape
the seating ring alone remaining preferably circular whilst its lip or fitting edge
will take the shape of the vessel.
A shows the vessel the upper edge being shown by X: B shows an annular
chamber formed around the top of said vessel.
'C shows a seating rim have a lip or edge D of slightly. larger diameter than
the vessel's edge X by which the rim may be securely placed resting on the top
edge of X, of A. as seen in Figure 1.
The rim should have the lip D sufficiently on the outside that the rim itself
will extend inwardly from the vessel's edge X.
E is the cover which is larger in diameter than the rim but is smaller than
the annular edge of B so that the cover will fit into the annular space and entirely
enclose the top of the vessel and the seat also the whole presenting an appearance
in no way suggestive of unpleasantness.
To provide against the escape of any gases of the vessel under the lower edge.
of E it will be sufficient to place a very small quantity of water or other liquid
shown by O in the annular chamber.
In Figure 1 the side of E is shown to be perforated at G with a number of
holes said perforated parts being however protected from direct communication.
with the outer air by a plate H.
The plate H as shown in Figure 3 is soldered down on all sides except at the
base. The object of this detail is to enable the cover to be easily lifted without.
causing the water or liquid in the annulus to bubble or be violently agitated as it
would if there were no parts as G, H and if the cover were lifted vertically whilst
kept horizontal. The details G, H may be omitted where it is desired to simplify
the construction of the cover or there may be substituted a series of holes all close
to the lower edge of the cover and around said edge. The object of having said
holes all close to the lower edge is to enable the use of a very small quantity of
water to cover the holes and form a perfect seal.
If the water or liquid used is small in quantity all liability to sloppiness and
objectionable spilling is prevented and this is a great advantage.
The use of a water or liquid seal for restraining the passages of gases has been
known before and is not claimed here. I use it merely as an element of sanitary
receptacles possessing the particular and novel construction here described.
In the case of bedroom utensils Figure 2 this utensil is also modified as shown
in Figure 5 by making the upper edges flat and wide so as to allow comfortable
sitting and enable the separate rim C to be dispensed with. Instead of the annulus
being large as in the drawings Figure 2 it may be a mere circular groove as shown
in Figure 5. In this modification the whole utensil and cover are preferably of
earthenware..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In. sanitary utensils of the kinds as described the general combination and
arrangement of parts of the improved top consisting of the edge X the annulus
as B the removable inwardly extending seat or rim as C having a lip as D and
the cover as E adapted to be sealed by water or other suitable liquid at. O sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. A sanitary receptacle lid as. E having combined therewith a series of perfora-
tions as G and covering plate as H substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
3. A sanitary "chamber vessel" or bedroom utensil having its upper seating, edges

page_text: widened and provided with an annular recess or groove as shown in Figure 5 in
combination with a lid having an edge adapted to enter such recess and be sealed
by a small quantity of liquid substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 17th day of January 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.