IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carter, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Boat Builder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATERCLOSETS."
Bealed the 3rd August 1869, and dated the 10th February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th February 1869.
I, JOHN CARTER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Boat
Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, of the following arrangement of the
parts of waterclosets for the purpose of preventing the escape of offensive
effluvia from the said waterclosets:-Underneath the ordinary basin with
its moveable bottom or pan I place a second basin having a moveable
bottom or pan, the moveable bottom of the said second basin being
brought into its raised position by a counterbalance weight or spring.
The axis of the moveable bottom of the second or lower basin is so

page_text: connected by a chain or otherwise with the axis of the moveable bottom
of the upper or ordinary basin that the raising of the moveable bottom
of the said upper or ordinary basin causes the depressing of the moveable
bottom of the lower basin. The depressing of the bottom of the upper
basin permits the bottom of the lower basin to be closed by the action of
the counterbalance weight or spring. By this arrangement when one of
the basins is open at its bottom the other is closed, so that there is never
a continuous communication opened between the drain of the water-
closet and the apartment in which the watercloset is situated, and the
escape of any offensive effluvia from the said drain is prevented. I
prefer to enclose both the upper and lower basins in an air-tight metallic
or other case.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the following improvements in
waterclosets, which improvements are especially applicable to ships'
waterclosets:-Instead of making the moveable bottom of the basin close
on the outside of the opening in the bottom of the basin I make the
edge of the said opening of considerable thickness, and form therein a
groove, the edge of the moveable bottom being so shaped that when
raised it enters and fills up the said groove. In order to make the
moveable bottom fit more accurately in the groove described a washer of
india-rubber or other soft material may be put in the said groove. By
this arrangement the inconvenience which arises from the escape of
water (during the rolling or motion of the ship) into the basin and on to
the seat of the watercloset is avoided.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Carter in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CARTER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Boat Builder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Carter, Her special licence that I, the said

page_text: John Carter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Carter, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS,"
upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Carter, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Carter, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is. to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, firstly, of the following arrangement of the
parts of waterclosets for the purpose of preventing the escapo of offensive
effluvia from the said waterclosets:-Underneath the ordinary basin with
its moveable bottom or pan I place a second basin having a moveable
bottom or pan, the moveable bottom of the said second basin being
brought into its raised position by a counterbalance weight or spring.
The axis of the moveable bottom of the second or lower basin is so
connected by a chain or otherwise with the axis of the moveable bottom
of the upper or ordinary basin that the raising of the moveable bottom
of the said upper or ordinary basin causes the depressing of the moveable
bottom of the lower basin. The depressing of the bottom of the upper
basin permits the bottom of the lower basin to be closed by the action
of the counterbalance weight or spring. By this arrangement when
one of the basins is open at its bottom the other is closed, so that there
is never a continuous communication opened between the drain of the
watercloset and the apartment in which the watercloset is situated, and
the escape of any offensive effluvia from the said drain is provented. I
prefer to enclose both the upper and lower basins in an air-tight metallic
or other case.

page_text: waterclosets, which improvements are especially applicable to ships'
waterclosets:-Instead of making the moveable bottom of the basin close'
on the outside of the opening in the bottom of the basin I make the
edge of the said opening of considerable thickness, and form therein a
groove, the edge of the moveable bottom being so shaped that when t
raised it enters and fills up the said groove. In order to make the
moveable bottom fit more accurately in the groove described a washer of
india-rubber or other soft material may be put in the said groove By
this arrangement the inconvenience which arises from the escape of.
water (during the rolling or motion of the ship) into the basin and on to
the seat of the watercloset is prevented.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation, Figure 2 in plan, and Figure 3 in
vertical section a watercloset constructed according to the first part of
my Invention, the parts of the closet being in position for use; Figure 4
represents in elevation, and Figure 5 in vertical section the said closet,
the parts being in the position which they respectively occupy after the
bottom of the upper basin has been opened; Figure 6 represents in
vertical section a ships' watercloset constructed according to the first
and second parts of my Invention. The same letters of reference are
employed to indicate the same parts in each of the Figures of the
Drawing.
...
a is the ordinary basin, and 6 is its moveable bottom or pan turning
on the axis or centre c; d is the second basin underneath the said
basin a, and e is the moveable bottom or pan of the said second basin d,
the said pan e turning on the axis or centre f. The two basins a, d, are
enclosed in an air-tight metallic (or other) case 9. Fixed on the axis c
of the pan b of the upper basin is a lever h, h³, the long arm h² of which
is connected by the chain i with the axis f of the pan e of the lower
basin d. On the said axis f is a counterbalance weight k, which when
at liberty to move raises the pan e and closes the bottom of the basin d.
Instead of the weight k a spring may be used. The short arm h of the
lever h, h, is connected by the pin and slot at with the weighted
lever m turning on the centre n on the case g of the closet. This lever
is operated by the rod and handle at p. The said weighted lever m
when at liberty to move acts upon the lever h, h³, and causes it to close
.:

page_text: or raise the pan 6 of the upper basin a and to open or depress the pan e
of the lower basin d, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, in which
Figures the several parts are shown in their normal positions. After the
closet has been used the handle p is lifted, the weighted end of the
lever m is thereby raised and made to act in the manner represented in
Figure 4 upon the lever h, h². The said lever h, h³, thereby moves the
pan 6 on its centre c, and causes the said pan to take the position
represented in Figure 5 and open the bottom of the upper basin a. The
said lever h, h³, when in this position no longer operating on the chain i
and axis of the pan e of the lower basin the counterbalance weight k
(or spring) comes into action, and raising the pan e closes the bottom of
the lower basin d, as represented in Figure 5. The soil is thus removed
from the upper basin a into the lower basin d. On loosing the handle p
the weighted lever m returns to the position represented in Figure 1 and
effects through the lever h, h³, and chain the raising of the pan 6 and
the depressing of the pan e of the lower basin d and the emptying of the
soil from the said lower basin, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3;
the closet is thereby again ready for use. By the arrangement described
and represented the raising of the handle p closes the bottom pan by the
time that the top pan is only partially opened, and the loosing of the
handle p causes the top pan to become nearly closed before the bottom
pan is opened. There is thus never a continuous communication
opened between the drain of the watercloset and the apartment in which
the watercloset is situated, and the escape of offensive effluvia from the
said drain is prevented. In waterclosets made according to my In-
vention the elbow pipe or stench trap used in ordinary waterclosets is
unnecessary. In the bottom edge of the lower basin of the ship's water-
closet, Figure 6, I form an annular groove q, the said edge being made
of considerable thickness for that purpose, and I make the pan e of such
a figure that when raised so as to close the basin d it enters the said
groove q. In the groove q is a washer r of india-rubber or other soft
material against which the edge of the pan e bears. By this means a
water-tight joint is made between the pan and the bottom of the basin,
and the escape of water into the basin through the said bottom of the
basin is prevented. The same arrangement is also applied to the upper
basin. The top edge of the upper basin a of the ship's watercloset may
be turned inwards so as to form an inner flange or rims for the purpose
of preventing the water in the upper basin from passing on to the seat
of the watercloset during the rolling of the ship.

page_text: The arrangement herein described and illustrated in Figure 6 for
preventing the entrance of water into the basin may be applied to
ordinary ships' waterclosets, that is, to ships' closets provided with the
ordinary or single basin and moveable pan or bottom as well as to
waterclosets used in other places.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the improvements in water-
closets herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, the combination of two basins one above the
other, each basin being provided with a moveable bottom or pan,
the said moveable bottoms or pans being so connected together that
when the bottom of one basin is open the bottom of the other basin
is closed for the purpose described, the said basins and parts connected
therewith being constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as
described and illustrated.
Also the combination or arrangement of parts described with reference
to Figure 6 for preventing the escape of water into the basin or basins
and on to the seat of the watercloset from the bottom thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN CARTER. (L.S.)