IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER OR OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Long, of 22, Aylesbury Street, Walworth,
in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER
OR OTHER FLUIDS."
Sealed the 19th August 1870, and dated the 23rd May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Long at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd May 1870.
I, ALFRED LONG, of 22, Aylesbury Street, Walworth, in the County
of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY
OF WATER OR OTHER FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
.
The object of the Invention is to regulate the flow and control the
supply of water or other fluids so as to avoid or greatly reduce waste.
For this purpose according to one arrangement the seat of the valve
of a cock or tap is formed of india-rubber, which I prefer to be tubular,
or other suitable flexible or elastic material cut or otherwise formed

page_text: truly on the inside to receive the valve, which may be of a conical,
spherical, or other suitable form. The stem of the valve or of the
support thereof is connected to a cross piece of a tube or other external
part or parts capable of moving on the outside of the outlet passage, and
which serves as a handle or means by which to open the valve, which
when the hand is removed is immediately closed again by its own weight,
and this closing is further secured by the pressure of the fluid.
As
According to another arrangement, which is particularly applicable
in place of the ordinary ball taps, the valve, which is by preference of a
spherical form, is contained in a chamber and rests on a stage or platform
carried by the upper end of a spindle which passes through a passage
into a float chamber and at its lower end is connected to the float.
the float is raised it raises the valve progressively into a line with the
passage for the supply of the water or other liquid and against an india-
rubber or other suitable flexible or elastic seat to close that passage by
the pressure of the liquid or otherwise to cause a valve to close the
passage of supply. The passage to the float chamber is surrounded by
an india-rubber or other suitable elastic seat in order that the passage
may be closed by a conical or other suitably formed part of the float or
stem thereof when that rises against it. Or the conical or other suitably
shaped part of the stem or float is formed of india-rubber or other suitable
elastic material to rise against the end of a tube of metal or other material
to close it on the rising of the float.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Long in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd November 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
LONG, of 22, Aylesbury Street, Walworth, in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third year
of Her. reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Alfred Long, Her special licence that I, the said

page_text: Alfred Long, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Alfred Long, 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 MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OR
CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER OR OTHER FLUIDS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Long, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Alfred Long, 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 :-
The object of the Invention is to regulate the flow and control the
supply of water or other fluids so as to avoid or greatly reduce waste..
For this purpose according to one arrangement the seat of the valve
of a cock or tap is formed of india-rubber, which prefer to be tubular,
or of other suitable flexible or elastic material cut or otherwise formed
truly on the inside to receive the valve, which may be of a conical,
spherical, or other suitable form. The stem of the valve or of the
"
-
support thereof is connected to a cross piece of a tube or other external
part or parts capable of moving on the outside of the outlet passage,.
and which serves as a handle or means by which to open the valve,
which when the hand is removed is immediately closed again by
its own weight, and this closing is further secured by the pressure
of the fluid.
According to another arrangement, which is particularly applicable in
place of the ordinary ball taps, the valve which is by preference of a
spherical form, is contained in a chamber and rests on a stage or platform
carried by the upper end of a spindle which passes through a passage
into a float chamber, and at its lower end is connected to the float.
As the float is raised it raises the valve progressively into a line with

page_text: the passage for the supply of the water or other liquid, and against an
india-rubber or other suitable flexible or elastic seat to close that passage
by the pressure of the liquid, or otherwise to cause a valve to close the
passage of supply. The passage to the float chamber is surrounded by
an india-rubber or other suitable elastic seat, in order that the passage
may be closed by a conical or other suitably formed part of the float or
stem thereof, when that rises against it; or the conical or other suitably
shaped part of the stem or float is formed of india-rubber or other suitable
elastic material to rise against the end of a tube of metal or other
material to close it on the rising of the float.
But that the Invention may be better understood, I will, by the aid
of the accompanying Drawings, proceed to describe means pursued by
me in carrying the same into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews by a sectional view an arrangement of cock or tap
according to my Invention with the valve thereof down, closing the
passage for the flow of water or other fluid through the apparatus;
Figure 2 is an external side view of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an external
side view of the same, taken at a right angle to that of Figure 2;
Figure 4 shews an upper side view; and Figure 5 an under side view
of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 6 is an internal plan view by the upper
part d, e, of the apparatus being removed; Figure 7 is another vertical
with the valve
sectional view; and Figure 8 an external view of the same,
raised in position to admit of the flow of water or other fluid through it.
In each of these views the same letters are employed to indicate
corresponding parts.
a is the valve, which though shown of a conical form may be of other
suitable form; b is the valve seat which is obtained by the use of a
cylindrical or tubular piece of suitable flexible or clastic material, and
I prefer india-rubber for the purpose. This piece of cylindrical or tubular
rubber bis applied at its lower end on to the upper end c¹ of the tubular
passage c, and is there made secure when necessary by a binding of
wire or other suitable material, whilst the upper portion of the cylinder
or tube b is cut or otherwise formed truly to receive the valve a; dis
the passage from the source of supply to the chamber e above the valve.
As shewn the tube c, c', forms part of the screw cap e², which is screwed
into the parts forming the chamber e and passage d, a suitable washer

page_text: being employed to keep these parts tight, but this arrangement may be
varied. The stem a¹ of the valve a passes downwards, and at its lower
end it is connected to the cross bar f¹, which is formed in or applied to the
tube f which is free to be moved on the outside of the lower portion of
the tube c, and the tube f is formed with an enlargement f to facilitato
manipulation with it, so that by raising the tubef by the fingers or
otherwise the valve a will be raised, and on releasing the tube f, that
tube will descend by its weight, and in such movement the valve a
will fall to its seat to close the passage through the tap or cock. It
will be evident that in place of raising the valve a to open it by means
of an external tube as thus described, a lever or other means acting
externally may be employed, and that although the tap or valve is
shewn to be screwed into the supply passage, such part may be formed
to be driven into the reservoir or channel therefrom or be otherwise
applied.
Figure 9 shews by a sectional view an arrangement of parts such as
described, adapted for use as a substitute for the ordinary "ball tap."
In this case the same letters are used to indicate corresponding parts to
those just referred to; but it will be observed that the tendency of the
valve is by its weight and that of the float applied to it to remain open.
In this case the valve in closing acts upwards, and the stem a' is applied
to the opposite end of it to that just described, and it passes through a
passage e formed for it in a cap e² applied to the chamber e to the
float in the chamber es applied to the cap e². In use this chamber e³
will be applied in the cistern' to be filled, and in order that the valve or
other liquid supplied to such cistern may freely flow into such chamber e³
this chamber es is formed with an opening et in it at its lower or other
suitable part, so that as the supply to the cistern through this tap rises
therein it will also rise correspondingly in the chamber e³, and cause the
float a² to rise therein until it closes the passages by the valve and stem.
The passage for the stem a¹ through the cap e² is formed with a neck e³,
upon which is applied a piece of tubular india-rubber or other suitable
elastic material which is secured at one end.. by binding or otherwise
if necessary on to that neck e³, and its other end is cut or formed truly
to fit against the conical portion a³ of the stem a', and thereby close any
passage in that direction.

page_text: valve open, whilst in Figure 9 the float is shown raised closing the
valve.
Figures 11 and 12 show by two sectional views another arrangement
of parts according to my Invention applicable for use in place of the
ordinary ball taps. These two views are alike, except that Figure 11
shows the valve in position closing the passage of supply, and Figure 12
shows the valve lowered out of the way of closing the passage, so that
the supply may freely flow through the cock or tap.
In this case d is the passage from the supply, and h the delivery;
i is the spherical valve, which by acting on the flexible and clastic
scat b, which is formed and applied as already described, tends to close
the passage for the flow of the liquid. through the cock or tap when,
as shown by Figure 11, it is brought into a line with that seat. The
valve i rests on the platform or stage j carried by the stem j', which
passes through a passage formed for it in the cover e² similarly provided
to that already described to the float j' in the chamber e³; and in this,
as in the last case, when the water or other liquid rises in the reservoir
being supplied so as to raise the float j2, and with it the platform or
stage j, and so as to bring the valve into a line with the valve seat.
Whilst there is pressure of water or other liquid in the passage d the
valve seat will be closed, and the supply will be stopped until by the
quantity of water or other liquid in the reservoir being reduced the
float again descends to admit of the valve coming from its scat for a
free passage through the cock or tap. In place of the platform j being
connected directly to the float there may be intervening links, levers, or
other suitable means.
The conical or other suitably shaped part of the stem or float may be
formed of india-rubber or other suitable clastic material to rise against
the end of a tube of metal or other material to close it on the rising of
the float.
Having thus described my Invention and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise arrangements of parts as shewn and
described, as these may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of my Invention; but what I do claim in apparatus for
regulating the flow and controlling the supply of water or other
fluids is

page_text: First. The method of forming the scats of valves of india-rubber or
other suitable flexible or elastic material, substantially as described;
also I claim the means of action on the valve to open it, substantially as
described in respect of Figures 1 to 8.
Secondly. I claim the method of supporting and acting on a spherical
or other suitably formed valve by a float, substantially as described, in
respect of Figures 11 and 12; also I claim the closing the passage by
the stem of the valve or valve support by means of the parts a³ and 9,
substantially as shewn and described in respect of Figures 9, 10, 11,
and 12.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Long, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
ALFRED LONG.
(L.S.)