Improvements in and relating to Water Closets.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 23rd Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Jan., 1891-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Water Closets.
I, ALBERT ELMENDORF, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in
the City of New London, County of New London and State of Connecticut, one
of the United States of America, Gentleman, 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:-
The invention relates to an improvement in the stand-pipe form of flushing
attachments to water closets for which I in conjunction with Stephen Ayrault
Gardner and Charles Prentis have obtained Letters Patent in England under date
of July 3rd, 1888, No. 9656, and under date of June 4th, 1889, No. 9290, and
consists in a novel construction of the water service or supply valve and flushing
valve; in the manner of connecting the supply valve with the float in the stand pipe
for making it automatic in its action, and in certain details of construction and
arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 represents the improved stand pipe in vertical section, with portions
thereof and of the attachments thereto in front elevation.
Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the flushing connection
of the stand-pipe with the bowl, the latter being shown in part only.
Figure 3 represents a section through the flushing valve chamber, showing the
valve in side elevation.
Figure 4 a side view of the valve and its actuating segment, and
Figure 5 a plan or side view of the valve complete.
Figure 6 represents a section through the supply valve chamber;
Figure 7 the valve detached, and
Figure 8, a plan view of said valve complete.
A, indicates the stand-pipe, which may be of any desired diameter and length,
A', the lower valve chamber extension thereof, made preferably rectangular or
polygonal in form on its outer face for convenience in coupling the supply and
Hushing pipes thereto, and A2, the upper valve chamber connecting the stand pipe
with its ventilating extension in a manner similar to that described in my former
Patents referred to, and also preferably made rectangular in form for the reason
explained. B. is the ventilating pipe connecting the bowl, indicated at, C, with
the ventilating extension or valve chamber, A².
The valve, A is provided with a perforated diaphragm, a, preferably inclined,
as shown, and having a central opening controlled, or covered and uncovered by a
valve, pivoted at one side in the chamber, the pivot, b', thereof extending through
the wall of the chamber and having a lever, 62, fast on one end for controlling the
valve.
The outer end of the lever, 62, has a pull cord, d, connected with it, and
the inner end, extending beyond the pivot, &, is connected by a cord or chain, d,
with the lever, D, actuating the flushing valve, so that when the lever, b², is
vibrated for operating the valve, b, to close the opening in the diaphragm, a, and so

page_text: closing communication between the stand pipe and the ventilating extension thereof,
the flushing valve will by the same operation be opened for flushing the bowl.
The construction of the flushing valve is shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5,
E, indicating a short section pipe, screw-threaded at one end at e, to engage a screw-
threaded perforation in the wall of the valve chamber, A', and suitably formed at
its opposite or outer end for connection with the bowl, C, in any usual manner.
The inner wall of the threaded end of this pipe section is recessed to receive a
packing ring, e', forming an annular seat for the valve, F, and intermediate of its
ends the section E, has a perforated boss, E', on one side, and, opposite thereto, a
spur, , socketed in its inner face, and in said boss and spur a rock shaft, G, is
journaled, secured in place by means of a screw-threaded cap, and suitable
packing, g', as shown, or in any suitable manner.
The valve, F, has a slotted or open rectangular stem, f, formed on its inner face
of a width to fit snugly and slide within the pipe, E, and one wall of the slot in this
stem has a toothed rack, f, formed on it with which the teeth, of a segment, h,
fast on the rock shaft, G, engage for actuating the disc valve, F, and drawing
it snugly down on the packing ring, e¹, or thrusting it outward therefrom.
The shaft, G, has a lever, D, fast on its outer end, connected by a cord or chain d',
with the lever 2, as explained, for opening the valve, a spring, i, of any suitable
form and arrangement, acting on the lever, D, to close the valve, F, when the pull
cord d, is released.
K; indicates a section of pipe or coupling piece forming an inlet valve chamber
and connection between the service pipe and the valve chamber, A. The inner
portion of this coupling piece, k, constituting the inlet valve chamber, is of a greater
diameter than the outer part, , to which the service pipe, K', is connected, and both
are screw-threaded on their outer faces, the latter, k', for receiving the service pipe,
and the part, k, to engage a screw-threaded perforation at 1, or in the side wall
of the valve chamber, A.
The two parts, and of the coupling, K, unite in a flange, 2, which when the
part is screwed in place, abuts snugly against the perforated boss on the valve
chamber or stand-pipe, as shown in Figures 1, 6, and 8.
The part extends
through the wall of and within the valve chamber or stand-pipe to which it is
secured, and at a point inside thereof is provided with a series of perforations, ³,
arranged in a circle radiating from the central chamber. The inner end of the
part is screw-threaded at, on its inner face to receive the screw-threaded
stem, m of the valve m.
The inner end of the part of the coupling K extends within the chambered
part to form an annular seat, for the valve, m, which is provided with suitable
packing washers, m², adapting it to fit snugly against the scat 5, when operated to
shut off the water supply. Between the valve m and the screw-threaded portion m¹
the valve shank or stem, M, is cut away to permit the free passage of the water to
the perforations, 3, when the valve is opened or withdrawn. The inner end of the
valve stem has a lever, M¹, secured to it located within the stand-pipe, and from
this lever a rod, n, extends up through the stand-pipe and through a guiding
perforation in a bar or perforated diaphragm, n', at the upper end of said pipe..
The upper end of the rod, n, extends within the valve chamber, A, and, when
raised it is just within reach of the swinging end of the valve, b, for a purpose that
will appear.
The rod, n, below the guiding bar or perforated diaphragm, n, has two knobs or
collars, and n³ fast on it, the upper one, n², of which serves to limit the upward
movement of the rod, and between these two knobs, a float, P, is arranged to slide
on the rod. Any suitable form of float may be used, but we prefer to employ one
cylindrical in form, open on its lower end to permit the water to enter and partly
fill it, closed on its upper end to cause the air to be compressed in the cylinder by
the action of the water, and having a central tube, p, fitting and sliding on the
rod, n, between the knobs, n² and n³.
By this arrangement as the water rises to near the top of the stand pipe it lifts

page_text: the float, P, against the knob, n², and acting on the rod to raise it, the lever M',
is vibrated upward and rotates the valve stem and the valve, m, to close it and shut
off the water supply. When the flushing valve is opened and the water falls in the
stand pipe, ordinarily the weight of the rod, n, and of the float, P, falling with the
water and resting on the knob, n, will be sufficient to vibrate the lever, M', for
opening the supply valve, but to ensure the fall of the rod and proper opening of
the supply valve, the ventilator valve, b, as it opens downward, strikes the upper
end of the rod, n, and forces it downward, thereby causing, the opening of the
valve, m.
The positive shutting off of the water supply is regarded as an important
improvement over the comparatively uncertain action of the float valve heretofore
employed by me, and the separation of the flushing and supply valves renders the
action of both more satisfactory than where the two are united, as in my former
Patent referred to.
Hand holes with suitable covers Q, Q, are provided for giving access to the
valves within the valve chambers, A and A where required.
Where the stand pipe employed is a large one and the flushing valve corre-
spondingly large, the latter may be made to serve as a hand hole for the
chamber, A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
:―
1. The combination with a stand-pipe having a ventilating chamber communicating
therewith and a ventilating pipe connecting said chamber with the bowl, of a supply
valve located in the stand-pipe, a flushing valve also in the stand pipe, and a
ventilating valve in the ventilating chamber, the flushing valve and ventilating
valve being connected for joint operation, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the stand-pipe of a water closet flushing apparatus, of a
Hushing valve located inside said stand-pipe, an independent supply valve located in
said stand-pipe, the float and the rod also arranged within said stand-pipe and
connecting said float with the supply valve for automatically opening and closing
the latter, substantially as described.
3. The combination in a water closet flushing apparatus, of the stand-pipe, the
flushing valve interposed between the bowl and said stand-pipe, the independent
water supply valve, the rod connecting said float and valve, and the ventilating
valve arranged to act on said rod for causing the latter to open the supply valve,.
substantially as described.
4. The combination in a water closet, of a stand-pipe having a ventilating
extension and a ventilating valve therein, a ventilating pipe connecting the bowl
with said stand-pipe, the flushing valve and the independent supply valve connected
with said stand-pipe, the float for actuating said supply valve and the ventilating
valve connected to and operated simultaneously with the flushing valve, substantially
as described.
5. The combination with the flushing stand-pipe, of the combined water supply
coupling, valve and valve seat made in two parts, K, and M, the chamber, K,
containing the valve seat, k, and screwing into the stand pipe and the part M,
having the valve m² screwing into the part K, within said stand-pipe and provided
with the lever for actuating it, located within the stand-pipe, the float, and the rod
connecting said lever and float for actuating the supply valve, substantially as.
described.
Dated this 19th der of January 1891
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents..