IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS OR STOP-COCKS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Breeden, of the Firm of J. and W. Breeden
and Booth, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufac-
turers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS OR STOP-COCKS."
Sealed the 23rd April 1869, and dated the 23rd February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Breeden at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd February 1869.
I, JOSEPH BREEDEN, of the Firm of J. and W. Breeden and Booth, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,. Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS OR
STOP-COCKS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of taps
or stop-cocks for liquids and fluids in the following manner :-The body

page_text: of the tap is made in two halves or parts joined together by flanges,
the said body having internally the general figure of a hollow cylinder.
The entrance pipe opens into the. lower half or part and the exit pipe
into the upper half or part of the body. A circular disk of strong and
hard leather is inserted and fixed between the flanges of the two parts
of the body of the tap, the said disk constituting a diaphragm extending
across the middle of the said body. This diaphragm has two or other
number of perforations in it, through which the liquid or fluid passes, and
on the lower side of the said diaphragm is fixed a metal strengthening
plate having openings in it coincident with those in the diaphragm. In
the upper half of the body is a plug, the lower portion of which is of
the same diameter as the body, and works closely but freely therein.
The upper end or stem of the plug passes out at the top of the tap and
is provided with a handle or with a lever for giving a rotatory motion
to the plug. The lower end of the plug bears upon the upper side of
the leather diaphragm and has holes in it similar in size, shape, and
position to those in the diaphragm. When the plug is turned so as to
bring the openings in the plug over those in the diaphragm communi-
cation is opened between the entrance and exit pipes of the tap, and
liquid or fluid may pass through the tap. When the plug is so turned
that the openings in it no longer coincide with those in the diaphragm
the tap is closed. The stem of the plug has a shoulder, between which
and the top of the body washers of leather are placed so as to prevent
the escape of liquid or fluid at the handle of the tap. The pressure of
the liquid or fluid upon the diaphragm keeps it in close contact with
the bottom of the plug, and hence the greater the pressure the more
closely will the diaphragm be held against the bottom of the plug. By
means of a stop on the plug motion in either direction is limited.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Breeden in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BREEDEN, of the Firm of J. and W. Breeden and Booth, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in. the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine,, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Breeden, Her special
licence that I, the said Joseph Breeden, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Breeden, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should. at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to 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 TAPS OR STOP-COCKS," upon. the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Joseph Breeden, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, 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 I, the said Joseph Breeden, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of taps
or stop-cocks for liquids and fluids in the following manner :-The body
of the tap is made in two halves or parts joined together by flanges, the
said body having internally the general figure of a hollow cylinder.. The
entrance pipe opens into the lower half or part and the exit pipe into
the upper half or part of the body. A circular disk of strong and hard
leather is inserted and fixed between the flanges. of the two parts of the
body of the tap, the said disk constituting a diaphragm extending across
the middle of the said body. This diaphragm has one or more per-.
forations in it, through which the liquid or fluid passes, and on the lower
side of the said diaphragm is fixed a metal strengthening, plate having
In the upper
an opening in it coincident with that in the diaphragm..
half of the body is a plug, the lower portion of which is of the same

page_text: diameter as the body, and works closely but freely therein. The upper
end or stem of the plug passes out at the top of the tap and is provided
with a handle or with a lever for giving a rotatory motion to the plug.
The lower end of the plug bears upon the upper side of the leather
diaphragm and has a hole in it similar in size, shape, and position to
that in the diaphragm. When the plug is turned so as to bring the
opening in the plug over that in the diaphragm communication is
opened between the entrance and exit pipes of the tap, and liquid or fluid
may pass through the tap. When the plug is so turned that the opening
in it no longer coincides with that in the diaphragm the tap is closed.
The stem of the plug has a shoulder, between which and the top of the
body washers of leather are placed so as to prevent the escape of liquid
or fluid at the handle of the tap. The pressure of the liquid or fluid
upon the diaphragm keeps it in close contact with the bottom of the
plug, and hence the greater the pressure the more closely will the
diaphragm be held against the bottom of the plug. By means of a
stop on the plug motion in either direction is limited.
.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, and Figure 2 in longitudinal
vertical section a tap or stop-cock made according to my Invention, the
said tap or stop-cock being open for the passage of liquid or fluid;
Figures 3 and 4 represent the tap or stop-cock closed, the plug being
represented in section in Figure 3 and in clevation in Figure 4;
Figure 5 represents an elevation, Figure 6 a plan of upper side, and
Figure 7 a horizontal section of the plug separately; Figures 8 and 9
are plans of one part of the body of the tap, and Figure 10 is a plan of
the other part of the body; Figures 11 and 12 are parts of the tap, as
herein-after explained. The same letters of reference indicate the same
parts in each Figure of the Drawings.
a, b, are the two parts or halves of the body of the tap joined together
by the flanges a, b. The entrance pipe c opens into the lower part b
and the exit pipe d opens into the upper part a of the body. Between
the two parts or halves a, b, of the body of the tap and fixed by the
flanges a, b, is a strong and hard leather disk e, the said disk con-

page_text: stituting a diaphragm extending across the middle of the body of the
tap. The disk e is shown separately in Figure 12. The said diaphragm
is supported and strengthened by the metal disk or plate funder it as
represented, the said disk being dropped into a depression in the part b
of the body. The disk or plate f is represented separately in Figure 11.
In the plan, Figure 8, of the part a of the body of the tap the said
disk or plate f is shown upon the diaphragm e; but in the plan, Figure 9,
of the said part a the said disk or plate and diaphragm are removed so
as to exhibit the bottom of the plug. The disk or plate f is fixed in its
place and prevented from rotating by means of a pin or stud b on the
part 6 of the body (see Figure 10) engaging with a hole f* at the edge of
the disk or plate, as represented. The said diaphragm e has an opening
or perforation g in it, through which the liquid or fluid passes, and the
strengthening plate f has a similar shaped opening or perforation / in
it coincident with the opening g in the diaphragm e. i is the plug
working in the upper part a of the body of the tap. The lower end or
disk of the said plug is of the same diameter as the interior of the
part a of the body and works closely but freely therein, as seen in the
sections. The face of the bottom or disk of the plug bears against
the upper side of the diaphragm e, and the said disk has a perforation
or opening similar in size, shape, and position to that in the
diaphragm e. The plug is hollow, and its sides are perforated, as
represented, to allow of the free passage of liquid or fluid through it to
the exit pipe d. The plug i is turned by a lever k (or handle) fixed at the
upper end of its stem, and the escape of liquid or fluid between the stem
and the upper part of the body of the tap is prevented by the washer/
situated between a shoulder on the stem and the inner side of the part a
of the body. When the lever k is turned so as to bring the opening in
the plug opposite the openings g, h, in the diaphragm e and strength-
ening plate the tap is opened, as illustrated in Figure 2, and the
liquid or fluid passes from the entrance pipe c through the openings h,
g, 3, and hollow plug i to the exit pipe d, as indicated by the arrows in
Figure 2. By turning the lever k half a rotation the opening in the
plug
no longer coincides with the opening g in the diaphragm e, and the
tap is closed by an unperforated part of the plug being brought over the
opening in the diaphragm, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. On the
plug i is a stop m (see Figures 4 and 6), by which its motion in either
direction to open or close the tap is limited. This stop m on turning

page_text: the plug comes against one or other of two projections made at opposite
points in the upper part or half a of the body.
By an examination of the Drawing it will be seen that the liquid or
fluid enters the tap below the diaphragm e, and by its pressure against
the said diaphragm and its, strengthening plate keeps the said diaphragm
in close contact with the bottom, of the plug, and hence the greater the
pressure the more closely will the diaphragm be held against the bottom
of the plug
Figure 13 represents in section a modification of the last-described
tap, the said modification being specially fitted for controlling the
passage of hot water. Figures 14 and 15 are parts of the same.. In this
arrangement I use a diaphragm e of vulcanized india-rubber instead of
leather, and instead of making the bottom of the plug i work directly
on the upper side of the diaphragm I interpose between the said
diaphragm and plug a metal disc n incapable of rotation, against the
upper face of which metal disk the bottom of the plug bears, as. re-
presented. The metal disk n has an opening p in it which coincides
with the opening g in the diaphragm e. The disk is represented.
separately in Figure 15, and is fixed in the upper half or part a of the
body by means of the tooth or projection q engaging in a recess in the
said upper half a, as seen in the plan Figure 14. I make the disk n and
the plug i,, of dissimilar metals, the disk being made by preference of
gun metal. The action of the tap, Figure 13, is the same as that herein.
first described.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as.
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my In-
vention; but I claim as my Invention, the improvements in taps or
stop-cocks herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying.
Drawings, that is to say, the construction and combination or arrange-
ment of the perforated diaphragm e (with or without a perforated
strengthening plate) and perforated plug i, 3, bearing directly on the
said diaphragm or upon a metal disk above the said diaphragm, for the
purpose of controlling in the manner described the passage of liquid or
fluid through the tap or stop-cock, the said diaphragm being pressed

page_text: closely against the said plug by the pressure of the liquid or fluid
entering the tap or stop-cock, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Breeden, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Fourteenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOSEPH BREEDEN. (L.S.)