Year: 1887

page_text: I, JAMES WILLIAM SMALLMAN, of Nuneaton, in the County of Warwick, and Brixton,
in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to waste-preventing valves of the diaphragm type, the valve-
spindle being actuated by means of a suitable lever.
Many attempts have been made to invent a valve of this description that would,
under any circumstances, prevent a current of water flowing from the supply-pipe
beyond a reasonable period. So far as I am aware, no such valve has hitherto been
produced.
According to the present invention, this end is easily accomplished in the following
manner -The chamber into which the volume of water above the diaphragm is
permitted to flow (hereinafter called the air-chamber) is provided with two orifices, an
upper one for air and a lower one for the escape of water. These orifices are closed
by a suitable supplementary valve before the passage between the chamber above the
diaphragm (hereinafter called the water-chamber) and the air-chamber is open; it is,
therefore, possible for the air-chamber as well as the water-chamber to contain water
at a pressure equal to the pressure in the supply-pipe, and, when such is the case,
impossible for water to flow past the diaphragm. The compressed air and the water
in the air-chamber are liberated when the air-hole and the escape orifice are again
open.
I prefer to carry out this invention in the following way :-On the valve-spindle I
place two valves, the lower one serving to close the passage between the water-chamber
and the air-chamber when the lever is in its normal position, and the upper one
cutting off the communication between the two chambers when the lever is raised to
the extreme limit. The valve-spindle is capable of sliding through the lower valve for
a certain distance (or the latter is provided with a boss for entering the passage
between the water-chamber and the air-chamber) in order that the air-hole and the

page_text: escape-orifice may be closed before the passage is open between the water-chamber
and the air-chamber. If only a single flush be desired, the upper valve may be
dispensed with. Parallel with the valve-spindle and along-side the air-chamber and
the water-chamber, I arrange a plunger-valve for controlling the air-hole and the escape-
orifice. The upper extremity of this plunger-valve is connected with the lever either
directly or by means of a link.
Instead of a plunger-valve for controlling the air-hole and the escape-orifice, an
annular valve within the air-chamber and secured to the valve-spindle by means
of a central boss may be employed; or a plug-valve arranged in a plane at right
angles to the plane in which the lever works may be used if preferred.
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page_text: Improvements in waste-preventing valves.
I, JAMES WILLIAM SMALLMAN, of Nuneaton, in the County of Warwick, and Brixton,
in the County of Surrey, 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 relates to waste-preventing valves of the diaphragm type.
Many attempts have been made to invent a valve of this description that would,
under any circumstances, prevent a current of water flowing from the supply-pipe
beyond a given period. So far as I am aware, no such valve has hitherto been
produced.
According to the present invention, this end is easily accomplished in the following
manner-The outlet or outlets from a chamber (hereinafter called the air-chamber)
provided for the reception of the overflow from the chamber next the diaphragm
(hereinafter called the water-chamber) is or are closed before the passage between the
said chambers can be opened. It is, therefore, possible for both the chambers, when
the said passage is kept open or partially open, to contain water at a pressure equal to
the pressure in the supply-pipe; and, when such is the case, impossible for water
to flow past the diaphragm-valve.
The accompanying drawing represents in vertical section a valve constructed in the
way in which I prefer to carry out the present invention. On the valve-spindle a,
which is preferably operated by a lever e, I place two valves 6 and 61. The former
serves to close the passage c¹ between the water-chamber e and the air-chamber d when
the valve-spindle a is in the normal position, and the latter cuts off the com-
munication between the two chambers when the said spindle is moved to the extreme
limit. An annular valve 62 is provided for temporarily closing the escape-orifice fin
the air-chamber d; the said annular valve forming part of the valve b¹. Owing to the
intervention between the two valves 6 and 6₁ of the distance-piece g, which is formed
with two bosses g³ ³ to enter the passage c', the latter cannot be opened until the
escape-orifice has been closed by the valve 6. The distance-piece g is maintained
centrally in the passage referred to by means of the wings or guides g¹.
The action of the mechanism is as follows:-When the parts are in the normal
position, the pressure of the water in the supply-passage h is transmitted through the
time-hole (the effective area of which may be regulated either by means of a valve
or a set-screw) to the water in the water-chamber c, which, by acting on the com-
paratively large area of the diaphragm l, closes the diaphragm-valve m, and thus cuts
off the communication between the supply-passage and the outlet-passage n.
Whilst the escape-orifice f is being closed by the valve 62, the boss g³ is being removed
from the passage c', until, when the escape-orifice has been fully closed, the boss g
ceases to obstruct the passage c', which is thereupon opened for the purpose of
liberating the water contained in the chamber c, in order that the water in the
supply-passage may, by forcing opening the diaphragm-valve m, flow into..the

page_text: outlet-passage n.
The flush continues until the valve b¹ cuts off the communication
through the passage c' and the diaphragm-valve m has again become closed through the
chamber c being once more filled, by way of the time-hole k, with water at a pressure
equal to the pressure in the supply-pipe. Whilst the boss g³ is entering the passage c¹,
the escape-orifice is reopened, so that the overflow of water forced from the
chamber c into the chamber d during the first flush may escape. On the return
movement, the escape-orifice fis again closed whilst the boss g³ is withdrawn from the
passage c¹, whereupon the second flush of water takes place and continues until the
passage is stopped by the valve b and the pressure of the water in the chamber c and
the supply-passage is again equalized. Whilst the boss g² is returning into the
passage c, the valve 2 regains its normal position, leaving the escape-orifice / open
for the purpose of permitting the water forced into the chamber d during the second
flush to escape.
If the motion of the valve-spindle a be arrested so that the passage €¹
be kept open or partly open, water would then flow from the chamber c through the
passage until the water in the chambers c and d (being prevented from escaping by
the valve 62) arrives at the same pressure as the water in the supply-pipe, which
would cause the diaphragm-valve m to close and cut off the flow of water through
the outlet-pipe n; whereas, if the escape-orifice were to remain open, continuous
streams of water would flow through the time-hole k and the passage c¹ and past the
diaphragm-valve m aforesaid.
The annular valve &* may be arranged to always obstruct the escape-orifice f except
when the passage c¹ is closed by the valve b. Under such circumstances, the boss g³
may be dispensed with.
Either or all of the valves b, 61, and 63 together with the distance-piece 9 may be
screwed, if preferred, upon the valve-spindle a.
The air-chamber d may, in addition to the escape-orifice f, be provided with an
orifice for the admission of air. This orifice may be under the control of the supple-
mentary valve b'. Or, it may be drilled longitudinally in the valve-spindle a; the
communication with the atmosphere and with the air-chamber taking place through
horizontal holes drilled in the valve-spindle aforesaid. In this case, the packing-gland o
is so arranged as and is of sufficient depth to cover and obstruct the upper horizontal
hole or holes immediately and whilst the valve-spindle is depressed.
If only a single flush be desired, the valve may be dispensed with; the escape-
orifice being primarily closed and subsequently kept closed until the parts resume the
normal position. In this instance, instead of the boss g2 being employed, the valve-
spindle may be arranged to slide through the valve 62, before actuating the same, a
distance corresponding with the depth of the escape-orifice.
Instead of an annular valve 6 within the air-chamber d being used for controlling
the escape of the overflow from the water-chamber c, any other suitable valve (such as
a plunger-valve, a slide-valve, or a plug-valve) connected to the valve-spindle, or to
the lever by which the latter is operated, may be employed.
Instead of the valve being self-contained, as shewn, it is obvious the mechanism
may be subdivided. For example, a valve or valves corresponding with the valve b
or valves 6 and may be arranged to control directly the flow of water from the
supply-pipe; the diaphragm-valve and the supplementary valve acting independently
to prevent waste. I prefer, however, the construction I have illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Instead of employing the time-hole k, which is provided with a regulating valve or
set-screw, for effecting the communication between the supply-passage h and the water-
chamber C, this may be accomplished through a hole drilled longitudinally through the
P used to secure the diaphragm-valve to the diaphragm.
bolt
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
1. The improved waste-preventing valve constructed and operating substantially as
set forth.
2. A waste-preventing valve in which the flow of water past the diaphragm

page_text: valve (m) is stopped by the pressure of the water in the supply-passage (h) transmitted
through a time-hole to the water in a water-chamber (c); the overflow from the latter
being received into a air-chamber (d), the outlet or outlets from which is or are closed
whenever the passage (c) between the two chambers (c and d) is open or partly open,
substantially as described.
3. The supplementary valve 63, or its equivalent, arranged and operating substantially
as set forth.
4. A waste-preventing valve-mechanism of the diaphragm type in which, before
the discharge from the water-chamber takes place, the escape of the said discharge is
temporarily cut off for the purpose of enabling the water-chamber aforesaid, in any
position or way in which the constituent parts of the valve-mechanism may be placed
or operated, to eventually contain water at a pressure equal to the pressure in the
supply-pipe, whereupon the diaphragm-valve is closed and a continuous flow of water
through the outlet-pipe prevented, substantially as described.
Detail:
Q711
CA
1000