CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BUNNETT, of Deptford, in the County of Kent, Engincer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Fifteenth day of April, in the ninth year of Her reign, did give and grant
unto me, the said Joseph Bunnett, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Joseph Bunnett, my exors, adñors, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said Joseph Bunnett, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times hereafter during the
term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS, PART OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Bunnett, should
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, may more fully and at large appear."
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Bunnett, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention of certain improvements in waterclosets consists,-
Firstly, of an improved watercloset for ships to be used below the level of
the external water line.
Figure 1 is a front elevation (partly in section) of a watercloset constructel
agreeably to my said improvements. Figure 2 is a ground plan, and Figure 3
nn end elevation of the same. Similar letters refer to similar parts of each of
these Figures. A is a wooden block or sole piece; B, an upright support tenoned
to the same; C is the seat, and D the cover hinged to the seat in the usual
manner; E is the basin supported upon a flanged elbow-piece F. This elbow-
piece F' is bolted to a horizontal pump barrel G, terminating in a delivery-piece g.
Within the elbow-pieco F there is a valve f opening towards the pump barrel,
which valve is fitted and dropped into its place upon a seating, as shown in the
Drawing; previously to the basin being affixed within the pump barrel G thero
is a piston II furnished with a valve h opening towards the delivery end of tho
pump; this piston II is worked by two horizontal piston rods I, I, passing
through stuffing boxes. Only one of these rods is seen in Figure 1, but both
are distinctly shewn in the plan Figure 2. On the upper part of the delivery-
picce 9, there is a valve K opening outwards towards, the second delivery-
piece g', upon which an union screw kis cut for the attachment of a soil pipe,
which may be taken to the most convenient point (either above or below the
water line) for delivering the matters ejected by the pump. L is the handle
of a lever 1, working through a slot in the seat of the closet, by which the
action of the closet is effected; this lover works upon a centre pin or fulcrum M,
and is jointed to a connecting rod N at n. The lower end of the connecting
rod N takes into a short lever O on the horizontal axis P, which axis also
carries a second lever Q fixed at right angles to the former. The lever Q
is jointed to a short connecting rod R, which is attached to a cross arm r, this
cross arm is connected with the pump rods I, I, which work through guides i, i;
it also gives motion to a rod S, which is attached to the levert of the cock T.
The cock T communicates with the water on the outside of the ship by a
pipe U on its under side, with a reservoir or cistern pipo V at its end, and with
the basin of the closet by the pipe W. The communication between the
pipes U and V is always open, and that between V and Walways shut, when the
lever L,, lies in the horizontal position, as shewn in the Drawing, and which
position it must necessarily retain when the cover of the seat D is shut down.

page_text: On raising the handle and bringing the lever L, l, into the position shewn by
the dotted lines in Figure 3, the motion of the cranked lovers O and Q, moving
on the axis P, causes the piston H to traverse in the pump barrel G, and
expel whatever substances have passed through the valve h. The motion of
the rod S will at the same time open a communication with the pipe V, the
contents of which will rush down through the pipe W and fan w into the
basin. On pressing down the lever L, l, the piston I will rotrogade in the
pump barrel G, and whatever substances have passed the valve f, will be
forced through the valve into the delivery end of the pump barrel to be
ejected by the next motion of the piston. The connection with the external
water will by the same movement have been opened, and the pipe V will
become filled ready for rinsing the basin on the next movement of the pump.
In order that the pipe V may perform the office of an elevated reservoir or
cistern, it should be from two to three feet higher than the top of the basin; it
is fitted with a floating air valve Z at its upper end, which is closed by the
rising of the water when the pipe is filled, but opens and admits air when the
pipe is discharging its contents into the basin. The pipe V must be of such
capacity as to hold the quantity of water required for the use of the basin. I
prefer to use a small pipe (say three-fourths of an inch in diameter), and lead
it in a convoluted or worm form partly round the closet overhead, or in a
zigzag form at the back, as shown in the Drawings, so as to maintain a head
of water as long as possible to give the necessary force to the jet passing
through the fan w, and thereby cleansing the basin of all impurities.
Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical section, and Figure 5 a plan of the cock T,
showing the disposition and arrangement of the water passages. X is
an opening at the outer end of the pump barrel closed by a screwed
plug, the removal of which affords access to the interior of the pump
barrel in the event of any obstruction arising in the action of the valves.
Y, Y, are standards by which the pump and closet is bolted down to
the sole piece A. If the watercloset is to be fixed in a ship, so that its scat
will at any time be less than two feet below the level of the external water,
the water will not rise high enough in the pipe V to acquire sufficient force
by its gravity to cleanse the basin. In such cases, therefore, I draw in a
supply of water by means of a small force pump worked by the lever L, I.
This pump drives the water through a pipe carried up one foot or more
higher than the level of the external water line so as to guard against any
undue influx of water through the pump valves. At its upper part this pipe
joins the pipe V, the air valve Z preventing its acting as a syphen. The
cock T is not in this case required, the pump V communicating directly with

page_text: the basin at the point w. I am aware that pumps have been heretofore
employed in waterclosets. I do not, therefore, claim the use of pumps gene-
rally for that purpose.
What I claim as new and of my Invention is the particular form and
arrangement of pump with the valves and lovers necessary for working the
same, as hercin-before described and shown in the Drawings Figures 1, 2, 3,
4, and 5.
I also claim as new the arrangement of pipes with a cock (or pump) for
regulating and controlling the supply of water to waterclosets as herein-
before described and shewn.
My second improvement in waterclosets consists of an improved form of
watercloset for ships to be fixed in situations that are above the level of tho
external water line. Figuro 6 shows the arrangement of a closet constructed
agreeably to this part of my improvements. A' is the sole piece. B' an
upright. C the seat, and D' the cover. E' is the basin, the lower orifice of
which is closed by a valve f' hinged on a spindle or axis g', the pivot holes of
the valve being so much larger than the spindle as to allow the valve to play
very freely. I is a lover keyed externally on the spindle 9' and carrying
the counterbalance weight h'. The spindle 9' has an internal lever j, which
is hinged to the valve fat i. In consequence of the valve hanging so
loosely on the axis g', it is kept in close contact with its sent solely by the
central pressure of the internal lover j, acted upon by the weighted lever H',
through the medium of the spindle g'. The chamber of the closet beneath the
valve terminates in an union screw for the attachment of a soil pipe to be
led away to the most convenient point for discharging. L' is the handle of a
lever working through a slot in the seat of the closet, and turning on the
fulcrum M. The other end of the lever is attached to the piston of a forco
pump N', by the slings n', n'. O' is the suction or feed pipe of the pump
passing through the side of the ship, and descending into the water. The
suction valvo p and delivery valve 9 are both contained in a chamber beneath
tho pump barrel. R is a delivery pipe passing up from the pump and
entering the basin E', behind the fan or spreader 7. A connecting rod St
passes from the top of the piston rod to a bent arm or radius bar on
the under side of the lever I', which has a projecting stud that works
in a segmental slot on the end of the rod S'. On lifting the bandlo
L' the piston of the pump is raised and the barrel filled with water
at the same time the valve f is opened and the contents of the basin
discharged into the valva box, and thence into the soil trap. On depressing
the handle L', the valve f' closes, and the contents of the pump are forced up

page_text: into the basin. In consequence of the valve f¹ being closed in advance of the
handle lever motion by the action of the weight h', the water delivered by the
pump during the latter part of its stroke is retained in the basin. This form
of watercloset is also well adapted for use in dwelling-houses when used
as a house closet. I prefer to interpose an ordinary syphon trap between
the basin valve f¹ and the soil pipe. What I claim as new and of my
Invention is the ship or house watercloset, arranged as herein-before
described, and shewn in Figure 6. I do not claim any of the foregoing parts
separately, except the hinged valve f¹, closed by central pressure, as herein.
before described, and shewn in Figure 6, which is new, and applicable to
other useful purposes.
My third improvement in waterclosets consists of a portable watercloset
for the use of invalids and others, of which Figure 7 is a sectional elevation.
A is the outer case of the closet, which may be of any plain or ornamental
form; B³ is the basin, C³ the seat, and D³ the cover; 6 is a valve shut by the
central pressure of a weighted lever, as herein-before described in Figure 6.
F is a cistern of water, within which is placed a small force pump G³, the
handle rising through the seat C²; H² is a receiving vessel mounted on a
cruciform stand inclining upwards from the centre to the edges; I is a lever
turning on a fulcrum at 7. The upper rim of the receiver H³ has a flange
which fits a corresponding flange on the lower part of the valve chamber. In
order to place the receiver beneath the basin the lever I is drawn forward,
which allows the receiver to rest on the floor of the closet clear of the neck of
the valve chamber k, ks. When the receiver has been properly placed the
lever I is returned to its original position, and, passing under the inclined
planes at the bottom of the receiver, raises it up, bringing its flange in close
contact with the flange of the valve box, and making, by means of an inter-
posed washer, a close joint. It will be seen that the action of this closet is the
same as that of the house closet, Figure 6, herein-before described. What I
claim as new, and of my Invention, is the arrangement for portable water-
closets constructed in the manner and for the purposes herein-before set forth,
and shewn by the Drawing, Figure 7. And I claim the method of connecting
a receiver to the closet by means of inclined planes, as herein-before described
and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Bunnett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
JOSEPH (L.B.) BUNNETT.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of October, in
the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Joseph Bunnett came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.