Improvements in Water Closets.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1898
Improvements in Water Closets.
I, LOUIS EMILE CELESTIN LELU, of 15, Rue du Terrage, Paris, in the Republic
of France, 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:―
This invention relates to an improved construction of water closets in which the
supply of water or antiseptic liquid is controlled by the pressure of the body on
the seat. The water closet is preferably made portable in the form of a chair,
the back of which contains a reservoir for the water or other liquid employed, while
the pan with its seat is fitted under the chair seat which constitute a cover so that
on removing the latter and sitting down on the pan seat, the latter descends
slightly and is thereby made to open a valve in a communicating channel between
the reservoir and the pan, the arrangement of the valve being such that the
water coming from the reservoir is propelled towards the front part of the pan
which it fills up to a certain level, after which it flows off through an overflow
passage in the back part of the pan, into a receptacle placed below the latter.
When the seat and pan are relieved of the weight of the person, they rise,
whereby the supply valve is made to close, while a discharge valve situated near
the former, at the bottom of the pan, is at the same time automatically opened,
allowing the contents of the pan to flow into the receptacle below.
By this arrangement there is provided a continuous circulation of liquid round
the pan, keeping it clean, while the person is seated thereon.
The accompanying drawings shew a water closet constructed according to my
said invention.
Fig. 1 shews a vertical section, Fig. 2 is a plan with the cover removed; Fig. 3
is a section of a modified form of the pan.
The pan A is fixed to a moveable seat B of wood or other material, which rests
on three springs CC C. The bottom of the pan has a central recess Q in which
are two openings closed by valves S S. The valve S, which is the supply valve
for the water, is connected by a pivotted rod 1 to a fixed point E in the tubular
piece F, this connection being so adjusted that the valve S is held tight down on
its seat when the pan is raised up by the springs C.
The discharge valve S¹ is fixed on the end of a rod G which slides through a
tubular guide H fixed inside a tube I, the lower end of which is fixed in the top
of a casing J which contains the receptacle K for the contents of the pan.
The valve S seats upward against its seat on the pan, which seat has a downward
tubular extension projecting loose into the upper end of the tube I; the valve
rod G and valve Si are supported by a helical spring T in such a position as to
be open, as shewn at Fig. 1 when the seat is raised by the springs.
The seat of valve S is connected by a flexible pipe of caoutchouc or other
material N, to the tube F which is also connected at its lower end to the reservoir U
by means of a caoutchouc or other flexible tube M. The overflow passage is
also connected to a tubular branch on the casing J by means of a flexible tube N¹,

page_text: On sitting on the seat B this and the pan descend, compressing the springs C
until the seat rests on the stops P. As the valve S remains stationary, it is thus
removed from its seat and the water enters the pan from the reservoir, first filling
the space Q and then passing through the oblique holes R formed in the plate V
which cause the water to flow towards the front part of the pan. On the other
hand the valve S¹ will be closed upon its seat by the descent of the pan, the valve
being slightly thereby depressed upon its spring T which thus insures its being
held closed. The liquid then rises in the pan until it reaches the overflow pipe 0.
When the seat B and pan A are relieved of the weight, they are raised
again by the action of the springs C, whereby the valve S will close and §¹ will
open, allowing the contents of the pan to be discharged into the receptacle K.
In the modification shewn at Fig. 3, the two valves S and S¹ operate in the same
manner as above described, but instead of S opening directly into the pan, so
that water enters as long as the seat is depressed, it opens into a passage a
which communicates through a valve with a second passage e opening into the
pan A. The valve is connected by a stem d to a float e contained in a compart-
ment that communicates with the pan through a channel g.
Thus when the pan is empty, the weight of the valve and float e. cause the
former to open, so that on the valve S opening and water entering passage a
it will flow through c into the pan.
When the liquid has risen to above the channel g, it will flow into the compart-
ment f, causing the float e to rise and thereby to close the valve, thus preventing
any further escape of water from the reservoir; by this means a saving of water
is effected.
The orifice of channel c is made narrow and tangential to the pan, so that the
water issues as a rapid oblique jet which circulates round the pan. The passage a
is extended downwards and closed by a plug, on the removal of which access can
be gained to the valve b.
Although I prefer to construct my improved water closet portable as described,
and with the water reservoir forming the back of the seat, yet it may also be
fixed, and the water reservoir arranged in any other convenient position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a water closet the combination with a seat and pan that are depressed
by the weight of a person, of a water supply valve arranged so that it is opened
so as to admit water into the pan when the seat is depressed and is closed when
the seat rises, and a discharge valve arranged so as to close when the seat is
depressed and open when the seat rises, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a water closet such as is referred to in the first claim,
of a water reservoir forming the back of the seat, a receptacle below the pan
into which the contents of the latter are discharged, and an overflow passage
also leading into such receptacle.
3. The combination with a water closet pan such as is referred to in the first
claim of a channel leading from the supply valve to the pan and a shut off
valve with float which closes the said passage when the water has risen to the
required level in the pan, substantially as described.
Dated this 16th day of Joust 1800
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.