Improvements in Flushing Tanks and Water-waste Preventors for Railway Carriage and analogous Lavatories.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 14th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flushing Tanks and Water-waste Preventors for
Railway Carriage and analogous Lavatories.
We, JOHN LEVICK, of Alma Street, Aston, near the City of Birmingham,
Metal Spinner and WILLIAM DAWSON of The Birches, Saltley, Birmingham
aforesaid, Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Our invention relates to flushing tanks and water-waste preventors for railway
carriage and analogous lavatories.
Heretofore the flushing operation in such lavatories has been performed wholly
through the medium of the direct weight of a column of water released from
an elevated tank situated some distance above the pan or the like to be flushed.
Our invention has for its object, primarily, a flushing tank provided with
a syphonic delivery whereby the flow of the water delivered on flushing is greatly
accelerated.
In carrying out our improvements in connection with a railway carriage lavatory
tank an enclosed box shaped casing is taken, having a removable cover or lid, to
the underside middle of which is attached a hanging cylinder or bell, open at the
bottom and enclosed at the top and taking concentrically over, and with its lower
open end coming near to the bottom of, an erect stand pipe directed through the
middle of the bottom of the casing and with the open end of the upper part of
the said stand pipe coming within a short distance of the underside of the cover,
whilst the lower end of the stand pipe opens into a well or box chamber leading to
the downpipe, whose entrance is made into an up-standing V-sectioned valve
seating, upon which a lower valve, carried by an upright stalk working through
guides and passing through the bottom of the casing, comes.
The upper end of the stalk is necked and terminated by a collar which normally
abuts against the inside top of a middle gap or opening made at the lower frame
The neck of this
end of an upright. rod directed in a line with the said stalk.
stalk passes through the bottom of the frame as a guide, whilst disposed between
the top of the lower valve and the bottom of the casing and surrounding the stalk,
is a coiled spring.
a
About three-eighths of an inch play is allowed between the top of the stalk and
the bottom of the gap of the frame, so as to admit of the valve rising when the
lever (which passes horizontally through a stuffing box in the side of the casing
and has a crank or arm engaging with the aforesaid upright rod) is raised.
Thus the upright rod has an opening through its middle, or is provided with
pair of lugs, within or between which, the end of a cranked arm, carried by an
axis passing through a stuffing box in the casing and having an operating lever
at its outer end, engages.
The upright rod has fitted to its upper end a loose valve, which comes against
a V-sectioned outstanding valve seating (alike unto the seating already described)
situated at the outlet end of a pipe leading from the water supply cistern, whilst
situated above a guide bracket through a hole in which the said upright rod
passes, is a stop collar and disposed between this stop collar and the loose top
valve and encircling the rod is a coiled spring adapted to take the said top valve
up to its seating and close the supply of water to the tank on the lever being

page_text: raised, so that the raising of the lever opens the lower valve and closes the
upper one.
The bottom of the casing, immediately above the well, has a hole or piercing,
through which air from the said well escapes upwardly on the filling of the same,
and so also has the top of the casing, which is open to the atmosphere.
OPERATION.
Assuming that the lower valve is upon its seating and that the upper valve is
open, water then flows into the tank and also into the well and fills up both the
tank and well, whilst the air entrapped escapes through the opening in the top of
the casing and also ascends up the stand pipe in consequence of the dripping of
water through the hole in the bottom of the casing into the well.
By lifting the lever the upright rod is raised bodily and the upper valve is taken
up to its seating and kept there by the spring, thus cutting off the supply of water
to the tank. The lifting of the rod also picks up the lower valve by the bottom
of the frame taking hold of the collar in its upward movement, and at the same
time the spring of the lower valve is compressed. The water contained within the
well or supplementary chamber and stand pipe now rushes down the down-pipe and
by its motion displaces the air therein and creates a partial vacuum, which causes
the water in the cylinder or bell surrounding the stand pipe (and which forms the
short leg to the syphon) to rise whereby the syphonic action is set up and
accelerated flushing effected.
By now liberating the lever the lower valve is closed by the falling of the
upright rod consequent upon the play between the collar and frame at the lower
end, when the upper valve falls from its seating and water enters the tank, syphon
and well.
We wish it to be understood that instead of employing a syphon of the con-
struction described we may employ a syphon of the bent tube or other well-known
type.
Instead of employing a lever and stuffing box for starting the flush, we may
employ an ordinary pull attached to one end of a lever, whose other end bas a cord
or chain connected to the upright rod.
The application of our invention (which is adapted to be used in connection with
water supplies having no ball valves) to other analogous flushing appliances differs
in no essential respect from its application to the flushing tank of a railway
carriage lavatory as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 20th day of Mor 1805
JOHN LEVICK,
WILLIAM DAWSON,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicants.
Improvements in Flushing Tanks and Water-waste Preventors for
Railway Carriage and analogous Lavatories.
We, JOHN LEVICK of Alma Street, Aston, near the City of Birmingham,
Metal Spinner and WILLIAM DAWSON of The Birches, Saltley, Birmingham
aforesaid, Works Manager, 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 :-
1
Our invention relates to flushing tanks and water-waste preventors for railway
carriage and analogous lavatories.

page_text: Heretofore the flushing operation in such lavatories has been performed wholly
through the medium of the direct weight of a column of water released from
an elevated tank situated some distance above the pan or the like to be flushed.
Our invention has for its object, primarily, a flushing tank provided with
a syphonic delivery, whereby the flow of the water delivered on flushing is greatly
accelerated.
In carrying out our improvements in connection with a railway carriage lavatory
tank an enclosed box shaped casing is taken having depending from the underside
of its top a hanging cylinder or bell, open at the bottom and enclosed at the top
and taking concentrically over, and with its lower open end coming near to the
bottom of, an erect stand pipe directed through the middle of the bottom of the
casing and with the open end of the upper part of the said standpipe coming
within a short distance of the underside of the crown of the bell, whilst the lower
end of the standpipe opens into a well or box chamber leading to the down-pipe,
whose entrance is made into an up-standing V-sectioned valve seating, upon which
a lower valve, carried by an upright stalk working through guides and passing
through the bottom of the casing, comes.
The upper end of the stalk is necked and terminated by a collar which normally
abuts against the inside top of a middle gap or opening made at the lower frame
end of an upright rod directed in a line with the said stalk. The neck of this
stalk passes through the bottom of the frame as a guide, whilst disposed between
the top of the lower valve and the bottom of the casing and surrounding the stalk
is a coiled spring.
About three-eighths of an inch play is allowed between the top of the stalk and
the bottom of the gap of the frame, so as to admit of the valve rising when the
lever (which passes horizontally through a stuffing box in the side of the casing
and has a crank or arm engaging with the aforesaid upright rod) is raised.
Thus the upright rod has an opening through its middle, or is provided with a
pair of lugs, within or between which, the end of a cranked arm, carried by an
axis passing through a stuffing box in the casing and having an operating lever at
its outer end, engages.
The upright rod has fitted to its upper end a loose valve, which comes against a
V-sectioned outstanding valve seating (alike unto the seating already described)
situated at the outlet end of a pipe leading from the water supply cistern, whilst
situated above a guide bracker through a hole in which the said upright rod passes,
is a stop collar and disposed between this stop collar and the loose top valve and
encircling the rod is a coiled spring adapted to take the said top valve up to its
seating and close the supply of water to the tank on the upright rod being raised
by the depression of the lever, which thus opens the lower valve and closes the
upper one.
The bottom of the casing immediately above the well has a hole or piercing,
through which air from the said well escapes upwardly on the filling of the same,
and so also has the top of the casing, which is open to the atmosphere.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in longitudinal vertical
section a syphonic flushing cistern for railway carriage lavatories, having a side
lever action and being constructed, arranged and provided with improvements
made according to our invention.
Figure 2 represents a cross section upon the dotted lines a, looking from right
to left.
a is an enclosed casing or flush box, having an opening at in its bottom a², closed
by a well or box chamber b, having a down-pipe outlet 61, and a standpipe inlet c',
to an erect standpipe c, whose upper and open end c², comes within a short distance
of the inside crown or closed top d², of a depending and concentrically arranged bell
or cylinder d, suspended from the inside top a¹, of the enclosed casing a, and with
the lower open end d', coming within a short distance of the bottom of the said
casing. The downpipe connection 61, is, inwardly formed into a V-shaped valve
seating, upon which a bottom valve e, carried at the lower terminal end of a

page_text: stalk e, working through a hole 63, in the top 6, of the box chamber b, passes
and terminates in a head and neck 2, e, the latter working through a hole f¹, in
an upright and vertical rod f, having a loop or frame f2, at its lower end within
which the said head and neck works and gives the necessary play for the connected
together stalk and rod on one valve being closed and another valve being closed as
hereinafter described.
Located between the top of the box chamber and the bottom valve and
encircling the stalk, is a coiled spring 9, whilst formed through the top of the
said box is an air escape hole 65.
Instead of the air escape hole 65, being in the top of the supplementary well, it
may be in the crown of the bell as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1, and
marked with a dotted dr.
The vertical rod f, above the frame part 2, is pierced with a hole f³, wherein
an arm, of an axis h, turned by an outside lever 2, with pull h³, at its outer
end; and returned to its normal position by an inside counterpoised armi h*,
engages.
Above the opening in the said vertical rod is a stop collar f, and between it
and a loose valve 5, having a slight vertical play on the end fº, a coiled
spring f, is disposed. The end of the rod carrying the valve works in a
guide k¹, above the valve seating k², formed at the end of a pipe k, leading to the
water supply.
m is an air pipe fitted to the top of flush box or enclosed casing, wherethrough
air escapes when water is admitted into the said flush box. The upper end of the
said pipe is at a higher level than the top of the water supply cistern.
OPERATION.
Assuming that the lower valve is upon its seating and that the upper valve is
open, water then flows into the tank and also into the well and fills up both the
tank and well, whilst the air entrapped escapes through the opening in the top of
the casing and also ascends up the standpipe in consequence of the dripping of
water through the hole in the bottom of the casing into the well.
By pulling down the lever the upright rod is raised bodily and the upper valve
is taken up to its seating and kept there by the spring which is compressed, thus
cutting off the supply of water to the tank. The lifting of the rod also picks up
the lower valve by the bottom of the frame taking hold of the head or collar in
its upward movement, and at the same time the spring of the lower valve is also
compressed. The water contained within the well or supplementary chamber and
standpipe now rushes down the down-pipe and forms as it were, a water piston
which displaces the air therein and creates syphonic action, which causes the
water from the cistern to rise up the inside of the bell and down the standpipe,
whereby an accelerated syphonic action is set up and flushing effected, which
continues so long as the pull of the lever is held down and until the cistern
is empty.
By now liberating the pull, the lever is caused to resume its normal position by
the counterpoised arm and the lower valve is closed by the force of its spring
which is admitted consequent upon the play between the valve stalk and rod
whilst the upper valve falls from its seating and water enters the tank, syphon
and well.
Figure 3 represents an elevation of an upright flushing cistern provided with
our improvements and with the rod and stalk carrying the valves operated by a
counterpoised lever mounted upon the top of the flush box.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of Figure 3 upon the dotted lines.
Figure 5 represents a railway carriage lavatory fitted. with our improvements,
and.
Figure 6 is a plan of the same.
In Figures 3 and 4. a is the flush' box, b the well, b¹ the outlet, b² the valve

page_text: seating, is the standpipe, d the bell or cylinder and k the inlet. ¹ is the bottom
valve and i the top valve mounted on a rod and stalk j, and e, constructed alike as
described in the first arrangement, and operated by a pull h³, through a counter-.
poised lever h2, 14, fulcrumed at h³ to the top of the flush box, and connected to
the top of the valve rod j, at j. m is the air outlet from the flush box and 6 the
air hole in the well b.
The dotted lines n, indicate how a side lever arrangement alike as described
in connection with Figures 1 and 2, could be applied to the upright cistera.
Figures 3 and 4.
In Figures 5 and 6, o is a carriage lavatory, fitted with a water closet basin o¹,.
flushed from a cistern a, and with a folding lavatory basin p, obtaining its supply
of water from an elevated tank p', m is the air pipe in connection with the flushing
cistern.
We wish it to be understood that instead of employing a syphon of the
construction described we may employ a syphon of the bent tube or other well-
known type.
Instead of employing a lever and stuffing box for starting the flush, we may
employ an ordinary pull attached to one end of a lever, whose other end has a
cord or chain connected to the upright rod.
The application of our invention (which is adapted to be used in connection,
with water supplies having no ball valves) to other analagous flushing appliances
differs in no essential respect from its application to the flushing tank of a railway
carriage lavatory as hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-.
tion, and in what manner the same. is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. In a syphon flushing cistern and water waste preventor, the combination.
with a syphon located within an enclosed flush box or casing, of inlet and outlet
passages alternately closed by valves and with the outlet valve being located.
within a separate chamber or well, substantially as described and set forth.
Secondly. In a syphon flushing cistern and water waste preventor, the combina
tion with a syphon located within an enclosed flush box, with the standpipe
emptying itself into a separate chamber or well, of valvular means for controlling
the inlet and outlet of water, operated in the way and by the means, substantially
as described and set forth.
Thirdly. In a syphon flushing cistern, connecting the stem of the lower valve.
and the rod of the upper valve together by a sliding connection which admits of
a slight lengthening and shortening of the distances between the ends of the rods.
carrying the valves, substantially as described and set forth.
Fourthly. In syphon flushing cisterns, the general construction, arrangement and
combination of the parts, substantially as and for the purpose described and set.
forth in Figures 1 and 2.
Fifthly. In syphon flushing cisterns, the general construction, arrangement and
combination of the parts, substantially as and for the purpose described and set.
forth in Figures 3 and 4.
Doted this 13th day of January 1896
JOHN LEVICK,
WILLIAM DAWSON,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants..