IMPROVEMENTS IN DRY CLOSETS AND COMMODES
Year: 1886

page_text: We, THOMAS DUNDAS MAXWELL KING and KILMAURS WALTER KING, both of
50 Frances Terrace, Victoria Park, London, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN DRY
CLOSETS AND COMMODES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention refers to that class of closets and commodes known as dry or earth
closets, in which human excrement is absorbed or deodorized by the admixture with,
or sprinkling of, earth, carbon, ashes or other suitable dry deodorizing or disinfecting
material through the action of opening and closing the lid, lifting and depressing a
handle or lever, or other similar mechanical device; whereby a portion of the earth,
ashes, or other material used is automatically discharged or thrown into the receptacle
or pan of the closet or commode. This invention is an improvement upon Letters
Patent No. 3760 and dated 11th December 1872.
In using the ordinary dry closet or commode, it is often found inconvenient to
obtain the requisite dry earth and as ashes are found nearly or quite as efficient for
the purpose, the two materials are sometimes used together, or ashes only. A drawback
to the employment of ashes consists in the presence of cinders, and as these have no
deodorizing properties, apart from motives of economy, it is desirable to remove
them. This is accomplished by the use of a sifter of peculiar construction which
automatically separates the cinders from the ashes: discharging the latter into the pan
or receptacle by the action of the lid or handle, as stated above; and delivering the
cinders into a space from which they may readily be removed for fuel.
The closet or commode is constructed with a seat and hinged lid A in the ordinary
manner, with a door, B, upon one of its sides, (usually in front), through which the.
pan or receptacle C is inserted and removed. The back of the closet D extends above
the level of the seat, and is sufficiently deep to receive an oscillating or vibrating
hopper or reservoir, E. This hopper is hung upon pivots e at the upper end, and is
furnished at the bottom with a delivery spout ef projecting forwards, through which
the ashes are discharged into the pan. The hopper or reservoir is further arranged
D......
T

page_text: to receive a sifter F of cage like construction, but following a zig zag line in vertical
section, so that when the ashes are inserted at the top they fall upon an inclined way
upon one side of the cage, and from thence upon another on the opposite side; thus
dashing the ashes from one side to another by the force of gravity, and imitating
automatically the action of hand sifting. The result is that the ashes are dashed
through the bars of the cage into the reservoir or hopper, and conducted into the spout
or shoot of the same in front; while the cinders are retained in the cage and fall to
the bottom through fand deflected into a receiver f¹.
The hopper or reservoir is caused to gradually swing backwards upon its pivots by
the action of opening the lid, but upon closing the lid the hopper is projected suddenly
by a spring in order to distribute or sprinkle the charge of earth, carbon, or ashes
employed over the contents of the pan or receptacle. The means adopted are as
follows.
Upon the hinged side of the lid, a lever G, cranked at right angles is secured, the
lever carrying a roller or wiper which bears upon the hopper E, and which in its
turn is kept in contact with the cranked lever or wiper by a spring or springs H. A
pivoted rod or lever I is hung to the framework of the closet in such a manner that
when the lid is opened and the hopper is forced backwards, the forked or notched end
of the lever drops upon a projection or stud i, attached to the hopper and detains. it in
this position against the pressure of the spring.
The front end of this detent lever is turned upward, a little above the level of the
seat, and when the lid is closed, a striking plate attached to the under side of the lid
depresses this end of the detent lever, thereby tripping or lifting the forked or notched
end of the same clear of the stud on the hopper, which being now free to move is
jerked forwards suddenly against a buffer or stop J, and discharges the ashes into the
pan as above stated. It will be seen that the action of forcing the hopper gradually
backwards against the pressure of a spring and suddenly releasing it with a view to
sprinkling a charge of ashes into the pan; and, at the same time, assisting the sifting
principle of the cage; can be readily effected by lifting and depressing a handle, such
as is used upon an ordinary closet. The handle in this case would be connected
directly to the wiper, and the detent lever tripped when depressing the handle.
The dry closet thus constructed can be readily mounted upon castors or otherwise
made conveniently portable for a commode. It may also be constructed in a permanent
manner attached to an inner or outer building, for the purpose; and arranged so
that access can be had from the exterior of the building for charging the hopper with
earth or ashes, removing the siftings or cinders, and the pan with its contents, readily.
In this case a hinged hopper or conducting spout, is arranged in, or connected to, the
outer wall; a door or doors provided at a level beneath the seat; and it is convenient
to put the cinder receptacle and pan upon castors or wheels to facilitate removal.
In the drawings appended, the same reference letters used, have the same significance
throughout, as they relate to the same parts, or to parts having the same function.
Fig. 1 is a section through the centre of a dry closet or commode in which the lid A
is hinged to the framework of the closet, B is a door opening in front to insert or
remove the pan or receptacle C, D is the front of that portion of the closet which
contains the hopper or reservoir E of sheet metal in which is hung the sifting cage F.
The wiper G is secured to the lid A so as to bear against the hopper E, which being
hung upon pivots e, at the upper end, is swung back against the pressure of the
spring H when the lid is opened. This allows the pivoted lever or rod I, at its forked
or notched end, to drop into place upon or against the bar or projection i, secured to
the hopper and acting as a detent; thus locking it into the position shown in the
figure. When the lid A is closed, a small striking plate i2 falls upon the turned up
end of the lever I, and forcing it downward releases the detent end of the lever,
which allowing the spring H to act, forces the hopper forward suddenly against a stop
or buffer J, which is made to project sufficiently to arrest the motion of the hopper E,
thus causing the charge of earth, or ashes to be sprinkled from the projecting spout e¹.
upon the contents of the pan C.

page_text: Fig. 2 shows the latter part of the action just described. The outer part of the
framing is removed to show the inner arrangement in elevation.
Fig. 3 is a back elevation of the sifting cage F showing the inclined sides of sheet
metal. The front and back, (of zig zag section), are arranged with sections,
alternating, of sheet metal and wires or small rods. When the ashes are thrown in at
the top, the smallest particles either drop through the upper sections of bars into the
hopper E, or are dashed from side to side in falling with the same ultimate effect; the
cinders or coarse stuff falling out of the cage through the spout f at the back upon an
inclined projection upon the door or framing, and thence into a cinder receptacle f¹.
Fig. 4 shows a back elevation of a part of the hopper E, with the bar or projection i
and the detent end of the locking lever I. Fig. 5 is a partial section through a
permanent out house or building, having the same arrangenient of closet and sifting
cage already described and shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the addition of an hinged
hopper shoot built into the wall, to receive the ashes or earth used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
1. A dry closet or commode constructed and operated substantially as described.
2. The construction and arrangement of the sifting cage substantially as and for the
purpose described.
3. A sifting cage of zig zag form or arrangement, combined with or within a
vibrating hopper or reservoir so constructed as to eject fine stuff into a pan or
receptacle in one direction, and coarse stuff or material in another; substantially as
and for the purpose described.
4. The combination of a vibrating hopper, a sifting cage, an actuating lever or
wiper, a detent or locking lever, and a liberating trigger or unlocking projection;
operating substantially as and for the purpose described.
5. The construction and arrangement of a sifting cage fixed or moveable upon
points of support, within a suitable bin or receptacle for dust, ashes, or other materials;
substantially as described.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.