Improvements in and relating to Closets or Privies.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Closets or Privies.
I, DANIEL O'BRIEN, of Forest Road, Hurstville, near Sydney, in the Colony of
New South Wales, Sanitary Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion 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 closets or privies which are suitable for erection in a
terrace or in series as for schools or other public places to single soil closets or
privies in which a material or compound composed mainly of night soil which is
suitable for use in these closets as a deodoriser and disinfectant and as an absorbent
is preferably designed to be employed.
A closet or privy constructed according to this invention has the usual seat
under which is placed a "separating" pan that is a pan from which the liquid or
urine is allowed to run or flow away either through a separate pipe or chamber on the
side of the pan or through perforations through the bottom of said pan or through
both. At the back of each seat is a hopper containing absorbent and disinfectant
material, the mouth of the hopper taking within the pan in the form of a spreader. The
hinged hopper is connected to mechanism which upon being operated by hand or
by automatic contrivances lifts the hopper backwardly and causes it to recover
itself with a jerk and sudden stop so as to evenly spread the charge of absorbent
centrally upon the deposit in the pan.
The fluid and urine flow down drains (preferably bitumen coated) to a receiver
or tank at a lower level partly or wholly filled with absorbent material. This tank
or receptacle may have an indicator to denote the level of its contents and it is
emptied and recharged with a suitable absorbent as often as desired or may be
found necessary.
The deodorising and disinfectant material preferably used in the hoppers of
these closets consists mainly of night-soil itself which night soil is dried by passing
a current of air through or over it and with this dried night soil the ingredients
in about the proportion as hereinafter stated are thoroughly mixed it being
understood that when the dried night soil is the product of closets in which the
described combination or compound is used the quantities of the additions are
considerably reduced even to the extent of 75 per centum (seventy five) to dried
night soil in quantity to make a ton and a half weight of absorbent. The added
materials and quantities found convenient are as follows:-Ashes eighteen
hundred-weight, ground charcoal five pounds permanganate of potash one and a
half pounds, gypsum one pound, alum two and a half pounds, and izal half an
ounce dissolved in one quart of boiling water sprinkled over the ashes and well
mixed in and these are thoroughly mixed with say ten hundred weight of dry
night soil. This mixture or compound or combination is used as required by
being discharged from the hoppers on to the contents of the pan or by spreading
or in other ways as may be necessary or thought desirable.
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood reference will now
be made to the drawings herewith in which various closets or privies constructed

page_text: according to these improvements are illustrated. Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 are front
view, back view, cross sectional elevation, and sectional plan respectively of a
terrace or series of closets or privies specially suitable for schools and factories and
places of public resort. Figures 5 and 6 are enlarged views of one of the hoppers
showing the method of support. Figures 7 and 8 are sectional plan and elevation
respectively of a pair of closets with independent urine receptacles. Figures 9, 10,
and 11 are two sectional elevations and sectional plan of a single closet. Figures 12,
13, 14, and 15 are two sectional elevations back view and sectional plan of a
portable single closet with automatic distribution of absorbent material.
Figures 16, 17, and 18 are two sectional elevations and sectional plan respectively
of a single closet with portable urine receptacle specially suitable for interiors of
buildings.
Referring to Figures 1 to 6 the building or structure A has a longitudinal
barrier or seat protector A³ and seats A dividing it into two parts. The front part
or division A¹ is subdivided by walls scantlings or other partitions A5 into com-
partments or closets A6 and pans A' are placed under the seats A4 in back part or
division A behind said partition or barrier A³. A hinged or rocking bar B has
bearings B7 in the end walls and at other places across the building in the back
division A³. and it has a lever B¹ placed outside said building for the purpose of
actuating said bar B and this lever is preferably boxed in and secured from inter-
ference. To this hinged or rocking bar B are bolted a series of hoppers B² one
for each closet placed in juxta-position to each receiving pan A. These hoppers
are secured to bar B by bolts and nuts B³ from end plates B secured to the ends of
the hoppers while from the bottom of each hopper a pipe or neck B5 extends
downwardly and terminates in a shoot or spreader B6 taking in its normal position
just above the bucket or pan. These pans or buckets A' rest above a drain or
channel C and each has a urine receiver or chamber A8 with a pipe A9 leading to
said drain or channel. The top back of the pan is cut away as shewn at A10 so as
to give free access to the spreader, B6 to distribute a charge of suitable absorbent
material centrally of the pan. The bottom of each pan is perforated and filtering
material such as charcoal or cinders of from three quarters to one and a quarter
inch gauge placed over the perforations. The filtered liquid from said pans passes
to the drain or channel C₁ communicating by down take C2 to the under ground
receiver or tank C filled or partly filled as required with absorbent material
preferably dry ashes with or without disinfectant and deodoriser which is renewed
at intervals when necessary owing to exhaustion of its absorbent qualities.
For the pans A' it may be found advisable in some cases to substitute bags under
the seats. A and the hoppers B2 and in such event the solid matters would be
removed in such bags and treated as before described for the production of the
absorbent disinfectant compound or combination.
In use the hopper B2 is filled with dry absorbent preferably the deodorising and
disinfectant material such as the combination or compound before described while
also the urine receptacle C is partly filled with absorbent. Now at intervals and
regularly as may be required the teacher or attendant at the closets operates the
lever B so that the hoppers B2 will each strike against the back of the seats A
and so cause a jerk and thus not only bring the front of the respective spreaders
centrally over the contents of the pans A7 but cause said spreaders to discharge
absorbent material over said contents. The pans A7 (or bags in substitution
thereof) receive the solid parts of the excreta from which any moisture percolates to
the drain or channel C¹ through the filtering material therein and the pan and its
contents thus require but a minimum of attention. When necessary these con-
tents are removed and other filtering material placed therein by the attendant
who works in the space A³ which also is used as a store for the stale and for the
fresh material and for the making up of fresh absorbent deodoriser and disinfectant
neither of which materials have offensive odour. The contents of the urine
receptacle or pit C are also removed stored if required and re-dried in this storage
ange
A 2

page_text: Referring to Figures 7 and 8 the hoppers Bª are supported on bars B³ in the
frames I which are let in to the back of the closet wall and have a door D¹ for
access to the pan A7 to the hopper B and to the urine receptacle or pit C. The
pan A is of similar construction to that before described and it rests upon bars El
across the top of the pit C. The distribution of absorbent material from the
hopper B is caused by the user pulling the knob of the chain D to cause the.
necessary movement and jerk with like effect to that before described.
The single closet shewn in Figures 9 to 11 has hopper B³ pan A7 and pit C and
these and other parts are constructed with slight modification from those herein-
before described while their functions and operations are similar. In addition
though there is an iron furnace F with flue F¹ in which the paper after being
used in the closet may be placed and lighted so that it will be burnt instead of
forming part of the contents of the pan.
Referring to Figures 12, 13, 14, and 15 the portable closet is self contained in
its frame I) which rests upon a portable receptacle or pan E made of metal or
stoneware glazed pottery ware or the like and having bars E¹ on which the pan A
(similar construction to those before described) is supported. The riser and the
seat A may be removable or as shewn the frame D has its back formed as a
hinged door D¹ so as to give access to the interior. The hopper B2 is supported
by bar Bs in bearings B and it has connected to it mechanism so that it will
automatically operate upon each use of the seat. The seat A is hinged at G and
is held normally elevated by spring-G¹ and if neccessary or desirable its weight
and the weight of the hopper is counterbalanced. A chain or cord or flexible
rod G extends upwardly from the top front of the hopper B2 to a lever G³ from
which it returns downwardly marked G to a spring G5 which operates to pull
the hopper B2 backwardly from the back of the seat. When the seat is depressed
the action is to extend springs G and G¹ and pull the hopper 132 backwardly (as
shewn in dotted lines Figure 13) so that when the seat A rises on being released
of weight or pressure the hopper will be forcibly returned to the back of the seat
and striking thereon jerk the charge of material into the pan.
In Figures 16, 17 and 18 the closet is constructed as herein before described
and it may have the hopper as shewn or an automatically operating hopper like
that of Figures 12 to 15. The various parts bear distinguishing letters corresponding
to the like parts before referred to. The modification in this construction con-
sists of a removable urine receptacle or pit C which rests upon a base or lower
floor built below the floor of the closet. This receptacle C has bars El for
supporting the pan A7 and it is removable through the orifice in the floor of the
closet and then like the pan A through the space made by withdrawing the seat
part from the closet frame D.
Though for the sake of clearness there have been described several modifications
of closets as having different peculiar constructions other modifications will easily
suggest themselves by the interchange of various parts of the constructions
shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First. The combination arrangement and use of parts all together forming a
terrace or series of closets or privies substantially as herein described and explained
and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings.
Second. The combination and arrangement of parts all together forming a
double closet or privies substantially as herein described and explained and as
illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings.
Third. The combination and arrangement of parts all together forming a
single closet or privy substantially as herein described and explained and as
illustrated in Figures 9, 10, and 11 of the drawings.
Fourth. The combination and arrangement of parts all together forming a port-

page_text: able closet or privy substantially as herein described and explained and as
illustrated in Figures 12 to 15 of the drawings.
Fifth. The combination and arrangement of parts all together forming a
single closet or privy substantially as herein described and explained and as illus-
trated in Figures 16, 17, and 18.of the drawings.
Sixth. In closets or privies the particular construction of pan or receiver so
that the amalgamation or intimate admixture of urine and faeces is prevented and
so that the liquid parts of the latter filter away substantially as herein described
and explained.
Seventh. In closets or privies the particular combination and arrangement with
the separating and filtering pan of a urine receptacle containing absorbent material
substantially as herein described and explained.
Dated this Twenty-third day of August One thousand eight hundred and
ninety-seven.
ninety-seven.
D. O'BRIEN,
Wm. Brookes & Son,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.