IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Connell, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Plumber and Brass Founder, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Connell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd November 1869.
I, WILLIAM CONNELL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Plumber and Brass Founder, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS," to be as follows,
that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the constructing of watercloset
apparatus in such a manner that it may be supplied with water directly
from the service pipe without the intervention of a cistern.
The service pipe is fitted with a ball float cock such as is used for
supplying cisterns, but the pipe is continued from the cock to the basin

page_text: of the closet. At one side of the main basin and in communication
therewith a small basin or compartment is provided for the ball float,
and under this compartment a second pan valve or an extension of the
main pan valve is arranged, so that on the closet handle being raised the
water is discharged both from the main basin and the float basin, which
causes the float to fall and open the water supply cock. Then on the
handle being lowered and the valve pans being closed the water con-
tinues to flow into the main basin and pan, and thence into the float
basin and pan until it reaches the intended level, raising the float in
doing so and finally closing the cock. The float basin is made with a
lip projecting down into the valve pan below the level of the water so
as to form a water seal and thereby prevent the escape of gases.
The improved arrangements may be employed in connection with
various kinds of closet valves; and in some cases, as, for example, when
a Bramah valve is used, the float basin or compartment instead of having
a separate valve may have a pipe from it leading into the main basin
outlet just above the valve of the latter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Connell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CONNELL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Plumber
and Brass Founder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Connell, Her special licence that
I, the said William Connell, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Connell, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 WATER-

page_text: CLOSETS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Connell, 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 William Connell, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:―
My said Invention has for its object the constructing of watercloset
apparatus in such a manner that it may be supplied with water directly
from the main or from a service pipe without the intervention of a
cistern.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood I have hereunto appended a Sheet
of explanatory Drawings to be hercin-after referred to, and representing
watercloset apparatus as made with my improvements.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the improved apparatus; Figure 2 is a
sectional plan; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the upper part; Figure 4
is a vertical section of certain parts as at right angles to Figure 1; and
Figures 5 and 6 are a plan and a side elevation of a double or extended
pan which is used in the apparatus.
The service pipe or a branch 1 from the main is fitted with a stop-cock
2 worked by a lever 3 and ball float 4, and which is such as is used for
supplying cisterns, but the pipe 5 is continued from the cock 2 directly
to the basin 6 of the closet. At onc side of the main basin 6 and in
communication therewith a small basin or compartment 7 is provided
for the ball float 4; and under this compartment a second pan valve 8,
or an extension as it may be termed of the main pan valve 9 is arranged,
so that on the closet handle 10 being raised the water is discharged both
from the main basin 6 and pan 9, and from the float basin 7 and its
pan 8, which causes the float 4 to fall and open the water supply cock 2.
Then on the handle 10 being lowered the valve pans 8, 9, will be closed,
but the water will continue to flow into the main basin 6 and pan 9, and
thence by a passage 11 between the two pans into the float pan 8 and

page_text: compartment 7 until it reaches the intended level, raising the float 4 in
doing so, and finally closing the cock 2. The float basin or compart-
ment 7 may be conveniently formed, as shown, by casting a cylindrical
shell in the cover 12 of the casing 13 containing the valve details, and
this shell or its bottom lip projects down into the valve pan 8 below the
level of the water so as to form a water seal, and thereby prevent the
escape of gases. The additional pan or extension 8 is fixed on the same
horizontal spindle 14 as the main pan 9, and this spindle may be
actuated by any suitable mechanism in use with ordinary pan closets.
In the example delineated a slotted arm 15 is fixed on the end of the
spindle 14 outside of the casing 13, and is acted upon by an antifriction
roller carried by the main lever 16 to which the handle rod 10 is
jointed.
In order to prevent waste of water a simple contrivance is added to
the parts already herein-before described. A horizontal spindle 17
carried by a pair of stud eyes on the cover 12 has fixed on one end a
heavy arm 18, which rests on a projection 19 formed for the purpose on
the main lever 16, and when this lever is raised it acts on the arm 18
and turns the spindle 17. At the other end of the spindle 17 there is
fixed a slotted arm 20, through which the end of the cock lever 3 is
passed, and when the spindle 17 is turned the bottom of the slot in the
arm 20 rises up into a position to prevent the lever 3 from falling when
the pans 8, 9, are discharged; thus no fresh water will run as long as
the handle is held up, but as soon as the handle is let go the float 4 and
lever 3 will be free to fall and let on the water, which will then run
until the pans are filled and the float 4 thereby buoyed up again.
My improved arrangements may be employed in connection with
various kinds of closet valves; and in some cases, as, for example, when
a Bramah valve is used, the float basin or compartment instead of
having a separate valve may have a pipe from it leading into the main
basin outlet just above the valve of the latter.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do
not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated;
but that what 1 believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patont
is, the applying of a second or extended pan valve and basin or com-
partment to waterclosets so as to act on a float which controls the

page_text: water supply, and generally the combining of the parts of waterclosets,
substantially in the improved manner as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Connell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
WILLIAM CONNELL. (L.s.)