IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Jackson Chapman, Agent, and Thomas
Rose, Gentleman, both of Oxton, in the County of Chester, for the
ΤΟ ΠΟΥ ΠΡΑΠΤ
VE
WALPACAGGGGC
ALL
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Jackson Chap-
man and Thomas Rose at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th May 1866.
We, THOMAS JACKSON CHAPMAN, Agent, and THOMAS ROSE, Gentleman,
both of Oxton, in the County of Chester, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATERCLOSETS,”
to be as follows:-
A watercloset which shall occupy small space, be certain in its action, not
be liable to get out of order, and prevent waste of water is much wanted,
particularly in large towns. Our Invention, which relates to that class of
waterclosets provided with moveable seats, secures these amongst other
advantages. The space wherein the enclosing case of the watercloset is or is
to be placed is constructed or fitted water-tight and made to act as the water
cistern. The connections to the water supply and sewer are made by tap and

page_text: trap in the usual way. The seat when pressed down by the weight of a
person sitting thereon lifts a weight from a flexible bag made of stout india-
rubber or other material, placed in the cistern and near the bottom or other
rigid part thereof, and allows it to fill through a tube or otherwise with
water. When a person removes from the seat the weight presses on the
flexible bag and forces its contents through a pipe into the pan or hopper so
as to flush and empty it. The water contained in the flexible bag is the only
quantity that can be used until the seat is again depressed for a sufficient
time to allow the bag to fill. To the bottom of the pan or hopper a balance
pan is fitted, so that when the weight of matter therein is increased beyond
the balance point the said balance pan trips and empties itself into the sewer
trap. Around the bottom of the said balance pan there is a space for water,
so that at all times, even after tripping or emptying itself, there is a sufficient
quantity of water therein to make a "water seal" and prevent the rising of
noxious effluvia, and this in addition to the ordinary sewer trap. Of course a
valve is provided to prevent the water from being forced back from the
flexible bag into the cistern.
If it be desired that a closet constructed as described should act noiselessly,
then two flexible bags could be used, the one to fill into the other, and the
weight for one be removed whilst the weight for the other was added by the
ordinary movements of the moveable seat and use of the closet.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Jackson Chapman and Thomas Rose in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 12th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
JACKSON CHAPMAN, Agent, and THOMAS ROSE, Gentleman, both of Oxton, in
the County of Chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Jackson Chapman and Thomas Rose, Her special license
that we, the said Thomas Jackson Chapman and Thomas Rose, our ex-
ecutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas
Jackson Chapman and Thomas Rose, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to

page_text: 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATER-
CLOSETS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas
Jackson Chapman and Thomas Rose, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our,, 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 we, the said Thomas Jackson Chapman, and
Thomas Rose, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly de-.
scribed and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
A watercloset which shall shall occupy small space, be certain in its action,
not be liable to get out of order, and prevent waste of water is much wanted,
particularly in large towns. Our Invention, which relates to that class of water-
closets provided with moveable seats, secures these amongst other advantages.
The space wherein the enclosing case of the watercloset is placed is con-
structed or fitted water-tight and made to act as the water cistern. The
connections to the water supply and sewer are made respectively by tap and
trap in the usual way. The seat when pressed down by the weight of a.
person sitting thereon lifts a weight from a flexible bag made of stout india-.
rubber or other material placed in the cistern and near the bottom or other.
rigid part thereof, and allows it to fill through a tube or otherwise with water..
When a person removes from the seat the weight presses on the flexible bag
and forces its contents through a pipe into the pan or hopper, so as to flush
and empty it. The water contained in the flexible bag is the only quantity
that can be used until the seat is again depressed for a sufficient time to allow
the bag to fill. To the bottom of the pan or hopper a balance pan is fitted so.
that when the weight of matter therein is increased beyond the balance
point the said balance pan tips or empties itself into the sewer trap..
Around the bottom of the said balance pan there is a space for water, so that
at all times, even after tipping or emptying itself, there is a sufficient quantity
of water therein to make a "water seal" and prevent the rising of noxious
effluvia, and this in addition to the ordinary sewer trap. Of course a valve
is provided to prevent the water from being forced back from the flexible bag
into the cistern.

page_text: If it is desired that a closet constructed as described should act noiselessly
then two flexible bags would be used, the one to fill into the other, and the
weight for one bag be removed, whilst the weight for the other was added by
the ordinary movements of the moveable seat when the closet was used.
That the relative positions, proportions, and details of the several parts
constituting our watercloset may be readily seen and understood we have
attached hereto a Sheet of illustrative Drawings.
Fig. 1 represents a perspective view, the seat being removed; Fig. 2, a
vertical longitudinal, that is from front to back, section through the pan or
hopper; Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section, also through the pan or hopper ;
and Figs. 4 and 5, vertical sections of taps, and valves. Like letters denote
the same parts in all the views.
A is the cistern made of cast iron or other suitable material and supplied*
with water through the ball tap or valve B, shewn clearly in Fig. 4, where a
is the ball and its lever; b, the stem connected to a and carrying the valve c,
the seating for which latter is formed in the closed chamber d, whereinto the
supply pipe e from the main or elsewhere is connected. C is a frame of
cast iron or other material supported or borne on pivots or their equivalents
at f, and whereon the seat D rests; E is a box with a nozzle or termination
at g, formed so as to be easily connected to the syphon pipe or stench trap
leading to the sewer. Into the top part of E the pan or hopper F is tightly
fitted;
G is the tipping pan which is balanced over the fixed pivot h by the
weight. Around G there is a space; to contain a sufficient quantity of
water to seal the bottom of F at all times; the water enters thereto through
the small openings marked k; it is not discharged on the tipping of G, the
openings not being large enough to allow it all to escape. After tipping the
water runs out of j and makes the seal or air-tight joint mentioned. To the
back part of C, which is heavier than the front part, the weight H is jointed
at . When the closet is not in use the said weight H presses on the flexible
bag I made of india-rubber, waterproof canvas, or other material. Water is
supplied to I through the ball valve m and pipe n, shewn on an enlarged
scale by Fig. 2. In Fig. 2 the weight H is represented as pressing on I,
forcing water therefrom through the pipe o, and discharging it at the rose
piece p into the pan or hopper F; the ball of the valve m is therefore resting
close against its seating so as to prevent the water from being forced back
into A. When the seat D is depressed at the front by the weight of a
person sitting thereon, H is lifted up from I, I, is thereby allowed to fill with
water through m, n, but when the pressure is removed and the front part
allowed to rise II descends on I and forces the water contained in it through

page_text: o at p. Thus it will be seen the only water which can be obtained to flush
the closet at one time is the quantity contained in I. By fixing the seat the
water cannot be made to flow as is the case in many waterclosets. When
the pan G becomes so filled as to overbalance the weight i it tips and empties
itself automatically.
Although the apparatus described and shewn works, comparatively speaking,
silently, still to obtain a perfectly noiseless closet we use the parts H, I, m, n,
in duplicate, and make the one flexible bag deliver into the other. In this
arrangement the flexible bag which first receives the water fills or is full when
the closet is not in use. When the closet is in use it delivers into the second
flexible bag, and this latter, immediately after a person rises from the seat,
discharges the water into the pan or hopper.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention, we
would have it understoood that what we claim is, the construction, arrange-
ment, and combination of parts for the purpose set forth, substantially as
herein described and shewn on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Jackson Chapman and Thomas
Rose, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Ninth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-six.
In the presence of
JOHN T. KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
THOMAS JACKSON CHAPMAN. (L.S.)
THOMAS ROSE.
(L.S..)