IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS, FOR. CONTROLLING THE FLOW, OF FLUIDS FOR FLUSHING WATER-
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas King and Robert Varvill, of Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Merchants, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS, FOR. CONTROLLING THE FLOW, OF FLUIDS FOR FLUSHING WATER-
"
Sealed the 22nd August 1862, and dated the 26th February 1862:.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas King and Robert
Varvill at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition
on the 26th February 1862..
We, THOMAS KING. and ROBERT VARVILL, of Liverpool, in the County of;
Lancaster, Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention.for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS FOR FLUSH-
ING WATERCLOSETS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the apparatus immediately in connection with the
cistern containing the flushing fluids, and though applicable to all cisterns,
is especially so in large towns where a small or intermediate cistern is supplied:
from the street mains or from a cistern at an elevation. The object being to
prevent the waste of the said flushing fluids.
To the ordinary connections of the hand lift or pressure seat arrangements,
we joint or otherwise connect a lever which is carried into the cistern and

page_text: balanced or supported on the end of the horizontal plug or barrel of a tap.
fitted to the supply pipe. On the other end of this lever is affixed the float,.
and between the said tap and float is attached a chain or lever which reaches
to or near to the bottom of the cistern,, and operates the out-flow or flushing
valve. The over-flow pipe is cast with the cistern, and communicates with the
flushing or waste pipe in the usual way.
By this arrangement, it will be seen that when the part of the lever outside.
the cistern is acted' on; the float will be raised, the supply tap shut, and the out-
flow or flushing valve opened, but as soon as the lift or pressure seat is left at
freedom, the float falls and opens the supply tap until such time as
is again filled, thus preventing more than the quantity contained in
from being used by one movement..
the cistern
the cistern.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas-King and Robert Varvill, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on, the 25th August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
KING and ROBERT VARVILL, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Mer-
chants, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Thomas King and Robert Varvill, Her-special licence, that
we, the said Thomas King and Robert Varvill, our exccutors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas King and
Robert Varvill, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to timo 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS FOR FLUSHING
WATERCLOSETS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas
King and Robert Varvill, 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

page_text: 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 King and Robert Varvill,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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) :-
This Invention relates to the apparatus immediately in connection with the
cistern obtaining the flushing fluids, and though applicable to all cisterns, is
especially so in large towns where a small or intermediate cistern is supplied from
the street mains or from a cistern at an elevation; the object being to prevent
the waste of the said flushing fluids.
To the ordinary connections of the hand lift or pressure seat arrangements, we
joint or otherwise connect a lever, which is carried into the cistern, and balanced
or supported on the end of the horizontal plug or barrel of a tap fitted to the
supply pipe. On the other end of this lever is affixed the float, and between
the said tap and float is attached a chain or lever which reaches to, or near to
the bottom of the cistern and operates the out-flow or flushing valve. The over-
flow pipe is cast with the cistern and communicates with the flushing or waste
pipe in the usual way.
By this arrangement it will be seen that when the part of the lever outside
the cistern is acted on, the float will be raised, the supply tap shut, and the out-
flow or flushing valve opened; but as soon as the lift or pressure seat is left at
freedom the float falls and opens the supply tap, until such time as the cistern
is again filled; thus preventing more than the quantity contained in the cistern
from being used by one movement.
And in order that this our said Invention may be thoroughly understood
in detail, we have hereunto attached a Sheet of explanatory Drawings, which
we have marked with the figures and letters of reference mentioned in the
following statement of particulars.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal and vertical section of one of our improved apparatus
with, or as part of a small or intermediate cistern; and Fig. 2 is a plan view
of the same apparatus with the cover or lid removed. Like letters denote the
same parts in both views.
a represents the cistern, which may be conveniently placed on a shelf or in
a recess in the wall of a house or other building, the opening or mouth being
closed or covered by a lid 6 fastened by bolts and nuts c; d the water or
flushing fluid, overflow passage, or way cast, or otherwise formed as part of the
'

page_text: cistern, the lower end of which said passage or way communicates with the
out-flow or flushing pipe e by the opening; g the water or flushing fluid supply
tap, the pipe connection for which may be led directly from the street inains
or from another cistern at a greater elevation; h the plug of the said tap to
which the combined float and operating lever i is attached. At or near to ono
end of the said lever there is an aperture or other means of connection at i*,
to which the hand lift pull pressure seat, or other arrangement of closet appa-
ratus is made fast, and if the coupling or jointing gear consists of another lever,
say in the usual vertical position, then it must have a slot or its equivalent
therein, to allow the lever i to be operated by the float for filling the cistern,
we prefer however to make the connection by a chain or rope. At or near the
other end of the said lever is the float j; k is a wire chain attached to the lever i,
and to the outflow valve 7, which latter has a guide m passing through the
straps to bring the said valve properly to its seating o. As shown in the
Drawings the lever i is depressed at the end ix, consequently the float j, the
wire chain k, and valve 7, are raised into position to allow the water or other
flushing fluid to escape by the pipe e to the closet. When the closet is not
being used, and the lever at i* and the connections thereto are allowed to resume
or are placed in their original position, then the float; will descend by its own
weight, open the supply tap, and admit water or other fluid to the cistern for
the next flushing. The opening in the plug of the tap when one of the ordinary
construction is used, or the passage in the tap of whatever kind employed, must
be so arranged that when the lever is acted on sufficiently to open the valve l, the
supply must be shut off, otherwise the great economy of flushing fluid effected
by our apparatus would be frustrated, for the lever i might be moved, the
valve opened, and the said flushing fluid might flow from the supply tap g
through the cistern a by the pipe e in a continuous stream. As before stated,
the only quantity of flushing fluid that can be obtained by one movement of
the pull or other arrangement, is that contained in the cistern.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention,
and how the same may be carried into effect, we would have it understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the exact details and proportions
laid down in the Drawings, as many modifications may be made without
departing from our Invention, neither do we confine ourselves to the use of
our improvements in connection with intermediate or small cisterns only, as
the same arrangement of apparatus may be used in cisterns of different con-
structions and of various sizes, but what we claim as the Invention secured to
us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the arrangement of

page_text: apparatus herein described and shewn in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
operating as set forth substantially with the lever i balanced or resting on the
tap g, connected at or near the end i* to the closet apparatus at or near the
other end of the float j, and coupled at a convenient part to the chain k or
other means for operating the valve l.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas King and Robert Varvill, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-third day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
n the presence of
JOHN THOMSON KING,
Patent Agent,
4, Clayton Square,
Liverpool.
(L.S.)
THOMAS KING.
ROBERT VARVILL. (L.B.)