An IMPROVED REGULATING VALVE FOR THE DELIVERY OF SPECIFIC QUANTITIES. OF GAS, WATER, OR OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Rothwell, of Hampstead Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Gas Engineer, for the Invention of "An
IMPROVED REGULATING VALVE FOR THE DELIVERY OF SPECIFIC QUANTITIES.
OF GAS, WATER, OR OTHER FLUIDS."
Sealed the 4th August 1868, and dated the 8th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Rothwell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th February 1868.
I, PETER ROTHWELL, of Hampstead Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED REGULATING VALVE FOR THE DELIVERY OF
SPECIFIC QUANTITIES OF GAS, WATER, OR OTHER FLUIDS," to be as follows :-
This Invention is intended to be used in connection with an ordinary
tap or valve, and is for the purpose of regulating the specific quantity
of gas, water, or other fluid which passes through the tap or valve,
even though the latter should always be opened to its fullest extent.
The improved regulating valve consists mainly of a conical plug fitted
in a conical scat in a chamber which is bored throughout, and fitted

page_text: between the delivery pipe and the ordinary tap, or in some cases
beyond the latter. The plug is provided with a flange having its outer
edge milled, by means of which it can be turned round on its axis in
the scat (or, if preferred, it may be turned round by means of a lever
or handle, or formed like a nut and turned by a key). The plug is
bored partially from cach end, but these holes do not meet, so that
there is no communication through the centre of the plug. At the
bottom of each hole is drilled a hole at right angles (or nearly so) to
the former, and leading out through the side of the plug, so that both
the passages from the ends of the plug open out at the same side of
the plug, and near to each other. A small portion of the metal
between these two openings is then to be removed, so as at all times
to leave a slight communication between the two passages. The conical
seat fits closely to the plug, excepting at one place where a recess is
cut in the former in such a manner and of such a form that when
the openings in the plug are opposite to the recess the full amount of
gas or other fluid can pass from one opening in the plug direct to the
other, but when the latter is slightly turned the amount passing
through is diminished accordingly. When the plug is turned further
so that the openings do not come opposite to the recess, then the gas
or other fluid can only pass through the slight communication above
mentioned, and hence only the smallest quantity passes through the
valve. Hence it will be seen that by opening or closing this valve
more or less a continuous supply of any specific quantity can be
delivered, notwithstanding that the ordinary tap may be opened to its
fullest extent.
It will be evident that instead of the seat being a fixture and tho
conical plug capable of being turned therein as above described the
latter may be fixed and the former made so as to turn thereon.
It will be also understood that the same effect may be produced by
forming channels or grooves in the working surfaces of taps or valves
of any other form, the valve or tap so channeled or grooved being used
as a regulating valve or tap only and employed in connection with a
stop valve or tap of the ordinary form.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Rothwell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
ROTHWELL, of Hampstead Road, in the County of Middlesex, Gas
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Peter Rothwell, Her special licence
that I, the said Peter Rothwell, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Rothwell, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thercafter 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 "AN IMPROVED
REGULATING VALVE FOR THE DELIVERY OF SPECIFIC QUANTITIES OF GAS, WATER,
OR OTHER FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Peter Rothwell, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals,
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 Peter Rothwell, 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 in writing, and on reference to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to say:―
This Invention is intended to be used in connection with an
ordinary tap or valve, and is for the purpose of regulating the
specific quantity of gas, water, or other fluid which passes through
the tap or valve, even though the latter should always be opened to
its fullest extent. The improved regulating valve consists mainly of

page_text: a conical plug fitted in a conical scat in a chamber which is bored
throughout and fitted between the delivery pipe and the ordinary tap
or in some cases beyond the latter. The plug is provided with a
flange having its outer edge milled, by means of which it can be
turned round on its axis in the scat (or if preferred, it may be turned
round by means of a lever or handle or formed like a nut and turned
by a key). The plug is bored partially from each end, but these
holes do not meet, so that there is no communication through the
centre of the plug. At the bottom of each hole is drilled a hole at
right angles (or nearly so) to the former and leading out through
the side of the plug, so that both the passages from the ends of the
plug open out at the same side of the plug and near to each other.
A small portion of the metal between these two openings is then to
be removed, so as at all times to leave a slight communication
between the two passages. The conical seat fits closely to the plug
excepting at one place, where a recess is cut in the former in such
a manner and of such a form that when the openings in the plug
are opposite to the recess, the full amount of gas or other fluid can
pass from one opening in the plug to the other, but when the
latter is slightly turned the amount passing through is diminished
accordingly. When the plug is turned further, so that the openings
do not come opposite to the recess then the gas or other fluid can
only pass through the slight communication above mentioned, and
hence only the smallest quantity passes through the valve. Hence
it will be seen that by opening or closing this valve more or
less a continuous supply of any specific quantity can be delivered
notwithstanding that the ordinary tap may be opened to its fullest
extent.
It will be evident that instead of the seat being a fixture and the
conical plug capable of being turned therein as above described, the
latter may be fixed and the former made so as to turn thereon.
It will also be understood that the same effect may be produced
by forming channels or grooves in the working surfaces of taps or
valves of any other form, the valve or tap so channelled or grooved
being used as a regulating valve or tap only and employed in
connection with a stop valve or tap of the ordinary form.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "An
Improved Regulating Valve for the Delivery of Specific Quantities of

page_text: Gas, Water, or other Fluids," I will now proceed to describe more in
detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be
distinctly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings
illustrativo thereof, and have marked the same with figures and
letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof, that is to say :—
In the Drawing my improved regulating valve is shown applied to
an ordinary gas burner and so constructed that the conical plug is a
fixture, and the seat or body of the valve turns thereon.
Figure 1 is an exterior view of the valve; Figure 2 is a vertical
section of the same showing the conical scat or chamber turned in
such a position that the maximum amount of gas is allowed to pass
through; and Figure 3 is a similar view with the chamber in such
a position that only the minimum amount of gas can pass through.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken through about the line A-B,
in Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a face view of the conical plug detached.
In this instance (which is shown as an example merely) the conical
plug a, a, is shown as a fixture, being cast in one piece with the
screw socket b, b, by means of which it is attached to the end of an
ordinary gas supply pipe above or beyond the usual stop tap. The
burner or nipple c, c, is scrowed into the upper end of the conical
plug a, a. The latter is bored out centrally from both ends as
at d, d, leaving a small portion of solid metal at about the middle of
its length. At the inner end of each hole d, d, a hole e, e, is drilled
at right angles thereto, both of the latter opening out at the same
side of the plug close to each other, and a small portion of the metal
between these two openings is removed so as to leave always a slight
communication between the two passages, as seen clearly at Figures 3
and 5. The conical seat or chamber ff, which is bored out conically,
so as to fit closely to the plug a, a, is slipped thercon and secured
by means of the screwed collar or nut 9, 9, so as to be capable of
turning a portion of a revolution round the plug.
It will be seen at Figures 2 and 4 that at one portion of the
interior of the chamber f. f, there is formed a recess h, h, and it will
be evident that when the chamber is turned so that this recess is
fully opposite to the openings e, e, as seen at Figures 2 and 4, there
will be a full communication between these openings, and hence the

page_text: maximum amount of gas will be allowed to pass to the burner, and
upon turning the chamber round on the conical plug this amount
will bo gradually diminished until the solid portion of the chamber
covers both openings e, e, as at Figure 3, when the minimum amount
only will be allowed to pass through. Thus it will be evident that
by turning this regulating valve more or less only a specific quantity
of gas can be consumed, notwithstanding that the ordinary tap may
be turned on to its fullest extent.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention
for "An Improved Regulating Valve for the Delivery of Specific
Quantities of Gas, Water, or other Fluids," together with the manner
in which the same is to be or may be performed, or carried into
practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I do not desiro
to limit myself to the precise form and arrangement of regulating
valve shown in the Drawing, and above particularly described, as the
same may be varied considerably without departing from the principal
or characteristic features of my Invention, but I claim the construction
and adaption of a regulating valve for gas, water, or other fluid to
be used in connection with the ordinary tap or valve, substantially in
the manner and for the purposes herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Rothwell, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Fourth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
BRISTOW HUNT,
Solicitor and Patent Agent,
1, Serle St.
Lincoln's Inn.
PETER ROTHWELL. (L.S.)