A New CONSTRUCTION OF DRY CLOSET
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Weare, of No. 28, London Road, New-
castle, in the County of Stafford, for the Invention of "A New
CONSTRUCTION OF DRY CLOSET."
Sealed the 7th November 1873, and dated the 30th May 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Weare at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th May 1873.
I, ROBERT WEARE, of No. 28, London Road, Newcastle, in the
County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "A NEW CONSTRUCTION OF DRY CLOSET," to be as follows:―
The object of this Invention is to simplify the construction of dry
closets and to render it impossible for any smell to arise from them.
For this purpose the closet is constructed with a seat in the usual
manner, below which is a pan or receptacle which can readily be taken
away through a door at the front or back of the casing of the closet to
be emptied. At the back of the closet is the swinging hopper for con-
taining the supply of ashes or other dry deodorizing material. This hopper

page_text: swings upon pins at its upper end, and its lower end is constantly pressed
forward by a spring. When the lid of the closet is being shut down a
projecting arm at the back of the lid presses back the lower end of the
hopper by acting upon a projection at its side until the lid is nearly
closed. The end of the arm then becomes free from the projection and
the hopper is quickly thrown forward, whereby a quantity of the ashes
or other dry deodorizing material within it is thrown forward from the
opening at the front of the hopper on to a perforated tray, which at this
time covers over the pan or receptacle. Some of the dry material then
falls through the perforations into the pan and sprinkles over the matters
therein, whilst the remainder rests upon the surface of the tray and
serves to absorb any smells which may arise from the pan or receptacle.
Thus not only are the matters in the pan all sprinkled over as usual with
dry deodorizing material, but as further preventative of smells arising
there is a further quantity of dry material supported upon the tray or
cover of the pan which will absorb any smell which might otherwise
arise.
The perforated tray is capable of being moved backwards along guides,
and is connected by a rod to a lever, which by another rod is connected
to an arm at the back of the seat in such manner that when the lid is
opened the perforated tray is slid backwards so as no longer to cover
over the
when the lid of the closet is thrown back. As the tray is
thus being moved back the dry deodorizing material upon it is scraped
off by a scraper connected loosely to the bottom of the hopper and
caused to drop into the pan.
•
pan
At the top of the hopper I in some cases mount a sifting apparatus,
into which the cinders or other material are thrown and sifted into the
hopper below. This apparatus consists of a box or casing open at the
top and with a sieve or grating at the bottom. The box is mounted on
rollers which rest on horizontal rails or supports so that it can readily
be moved to and fro. On the front of the box are two projections,
between which is received a crank or eccentric, the axis of which is
carried by the front casing.
When the materials to be sifted have been thrown into the box a key
with a crank handle upon it is applied to the end of the axis, and on the
axis being turned by the key the crank or eccentric gives a to-and-fro
motion to the box, thereby causing the material within it to pass through

page_text: the sieve into the hopper below. The cinders are thus separated from
the ashes and cleaned for burning whilst the dust is collected for use in
the closet.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Weare in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WEARE, of No. 28, London Road, Newcastle, in the County of Stafford,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Robert Weare, Her special license that I,
the said Robert Weare, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Robert Weare, 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 "A NEW CONSTRUCTION OF
DaY CLOSET," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Robert Weare, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Weare, 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 this Invention is to simplify the construction of dry
closets and to render it impossible for any smell to arise from them.

page_text: For this purpose the closet is constructed with a seat in the usual
manner, below which is a pan or receptacle which can readily be taken
¸away through a door at the front or back of the casing of the closet to
be emptied. At the back of the closet is the swinging hopper for
containing the supply of ashes or other dry deodorizing material. This
hopper swings upon pins at its upper end, and its lower end is constantly
pressed forward by a spring. When the lid of the closet is being shut
down a projecting arm at the back of the lid presses back the lower end
of the hopper by acting upon a projection at its side until the lid is
nearly closed, the end of the arm then becomes free from the projection
and the hopper is quickly thrown forward, whereby a quantity of the
ashes or other dry deodorizing material within it is thrown forward from
the opening at the front of the hopper on to a perforated tray, which at
this time covers over the pan or receptacle. Some of the dry material
then falls through the perforations into the pan and sprinkles over the
matters therein, whilst the remainder rests upon the surface of the tray
and serves to absorb any smells which may arise from the pan or
receptacle; thus not only are the matters in the pan all sprinkled over
as usual with dry deodorizing material, but as further preventative of
smells arising there is a further quantity of dry material supported upon
the tray or cover of the pan, which will absorb any smell which might
otherwise arise.
The perforated tray is capable of being moved backwards along guides,
and is connected by a rod to a lever, which by another rod is connected
to an arm at the back of the seat in such manner that when the lid is
opened the perforated tray is slid backwards so as no longer to cover
over the pan when the lid of the closet is thrown back. As the tray is
thus being moved back the dry deodorizing material upon it is scraped
off by a scraper connected loosely to the bottom of the hopper and
caused to drop into the pan.
At the top of the hopper I in some cases mount a sifting apparatus,
into which the cinders or other material are thrown and sifted into the
hopper below. This apparatus consists of a box or casing open at the
top, and with a sieve or grating at the bottom. The box is mounted on
rollers, which rest on horizontal rails or supports, so that it can readily
be moved to and fro. On the front of the box are two projections,
between which is received a crank or eccentric, the axis of which is
carried by the front casing.

page_text: When the materials to be sifted have been thrown into the box a key
with a crank handle upon it is applied to the end of the axis, and on the
axis being turned by the key the crank or eccentric gives a to-and-fro
motion to the box, thereby causing the material within it to pass through
the sieve into the hopper below. The cinders are thus separated from
the ashes and cleaned for burning, whilst the dust is collected for use in
the closet.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I have in the Drawings hereunto annexed shewn
examples of dry closets constructed according to my Invention.
In the dry closet shewn on Sheet 1 the horizontal tray above
mentioned is moved to and fro by a system of levers; whilst in the dry
closet shewn on Sheet 2 it is moved to and fro by cords or bands.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1, shews a vertical section of the closet with the
lid open; and Figure 2 shews another vertical section with the lid
closed; Figure 3 shews a front view of the closet with the front of the
lower part of the casing removed.
In these Figures a is the seat of the closet; b is the pan or receptacle
which, in the arrangement shewn in the Drawing, is mounted upon
wheels, and can be taken away by removing the front c of the casing;
d is the swinging hopper pressed forward either by a metal spring d³, as
shewn, or by india-rubber or other springs; e is the closet lid, from the
back of which projects an arm f, on which is pivotted the piece f¹.
When the lid is being closed this piece comes against a pin g projecting
from the hopper, and being unable to turn in this direction it forces back
the ping and the hopper until, when the lid is almost closed, it is raised
above the pin, and the hopper is then thrown forward sharply by the
spring at its back, or springs might be arranged at the sides. When
the lid is raised, the piece f¹ by turning on its pivot moves freely past
the pin without acting upon the hopper; h is the perforated tray
capable of moving to and fro along the guide rails k. This tray is con-
nected by the link to one end of a lever m, the opposite end of which
is by another link n connected to an arm o projecting from the back of
the lid. By this means when the lid is raised the tray is moved back
into the position shewn at Figure 1, and when the lid is closed, the tray
is moved forward so as to come below the opening in the seat, as shewn
at Figure 2.

page_text: back, any dry deodorising material previously resting upon the tray is
swept off from it and caused to drop into the receptacle b. The scraper
p is, as shewn, hinged to the under side of the hopper. q is the box or
sieve which, as before stated, may be mounted above the top of the
hopper so as to sift the ashes or materials before they are allowed to
enter therein.
In order to give a reciprocating to-and-fro motion to such a box or
sieve I employ a crank or eccentric r, the axis of which is carried as
shewn by the front casing, and which is also formed with a square head
to receive a key by which a revolving motion may be given to it from in
front of the closet.
The pan b, as shewn in the Drawing, is formed with a perforated metal
partition across it, and into the space b' at the back of the pan is thrown
a small quantity of charcoal, through which any liquid entering the
pan may filter through and pass away by the pipe 63 in a deodorized
state into a trapped outlet or drain S. By thus forming the pans of dry
closets any liquid which may be thrown into the pan will quickly drain
away therefrom, and the contents of the pan will thus be continually
kept in a dry state.
On Figure 4, Shect 2, I have shewn a modification of the closet shewn
on Sheet 1. In this modification the tray his moved to and fro by cords
at the time of opening and closing the lid. For this purpose the arm o
which projects from the back of the lid has attached to it two cords, one
of which is passed over a pulley at the front of the closet and led back to 2
be connected to the tray, whilst the other cord is also connected to the
tray, and is led over pulleys at the back of the closct. Thus, as the lid
is opened and closed the tray h is moved to and fro as in the closet
shewn on Sheet 1.

page_text: lid is opened, and again moved forward when the lid is closed, sub-
stantially as herein described.
3. The combination with the hopper of a dry closet of a sifting box
capable of being oscillated to and fro by a crank or eccentric which can
be revolved by a key, substantially in the manner as herein described.
4. The construction of the pans of dry closets, substantially as herein
described, so that any liquid thrown into them may quickly drain away,
as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Weare, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of November, in
the year our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.