IMPROVEMENTS IN COCKS AND VALVES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Reginald Ashton, of Clapton, in the County of
Middlesex, and James Neville Sperryn, of Brixton Hill, in the County of
SUNNAVE for an Invantion of " TranaveVEVma
aac ܫ
TA 19
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Reginald Ashton
and James Neville Sperryn at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 28th November 1881.
DAVID REGINALD ASHTON, of Clapton, in the County of Middlesex, and JAMES
NEVILLE SPERRYN, of Brixton Hill, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COCKS AND VALVES."
Our Invention relates to improvements in bib, ball, and stop cocks and valves for
controlling the passage of gas, steam, water, and other fluids.
In carrying out our Invention, the spindle by which the valve is controlled is
provided with a coarse quick screwtbread, which works or screws against a set pin
in the side of the barrel in which said spindle works; or instead of an external
thread upon the spindle, the latter may be in the form of a cap and have an internal
thread screwing upon an external thread of the barrel. The spindle or cap is
turned by hand in the case of a bib or stop cock, or by the ball arm in the case of
a bail cock, and in either case a stop is provided to prevent it unscrewing too far.
In the case of a screw down disc or conical valve, the valve spindle carries an
inverted cup shaped plunger of metal, leather, indiarubber, vegetable fibre, or other
suitable material; or instead of a plunger a washer may be used with the same object.
The screw spindle or cap above described bears upon the end of the valve spindle
and presses the valve upon its seat, and the two may be connected so that the valvo
will be lifted off its scat by the act of unscrewing the cap or spindle independently
of the pressure of the gas or liquid upon the valve.
The screw spindle is also applied in the same way to act upon a flexible valve
consisting of an inner tubular sheath or lining of indiarubber fitting closely within
a cylindrical casing or barrel and pressed upon laterally by the end of the screw
spindle, whereby the tube is constricted and the thoroughfare therethrough is
obstructed. In this case also the screw spindle may be turned by hand or by a
ball arm.
The flexible tube or sheath may also be pressed and constricted by a
short arm on the axis of the ball arm acting through an aperture in the outer
cylinder instead of by a screw spindle, as before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said David Reginald Ashton and James Neville Sperryn in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 27th May 1882.
DAVID REGINALD ASHTON, of Clapton, in the County of Middlesex, and JAMES
NEVILLE SPERRYN, of Brixton Hill, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COCKS AND VALVES."
Our Invention relates to improvements in bib cocks, stop cocks, ball cocks, and
other cocks or valves for controlling the passage of gas, steam, water, and other
fluids. The cocks or valves are of the screw down kind, and the Invention consists,
1st. in making a tight joint around the spindle by means of a cupped plunger or
piston secured upon the spindle and fitting in a barrel formed on the body of the
cock through which the valve and its spindle pass, the plunger forming a tight
closure under any pressure and preventing all contact of the steam, water, or other
fluid with the screw by which the valve is operated, whereby undue wear of the
screw from this cause and consequent leakage is prevented; and the Invention
consists, 2ndly, in operating the valve by a screw cap separate from the spindle and
having an internal screwtliread which screws upon an external screwthread upon
the barrel, the cap enclosing the end of the barrel and protecting the plunger from
dirt. Another characteristic feature of the Invention is the few parts of which the
ccck is made.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood, we have illustrated
some examples thereof in the accompanying Drawing and will proceed to describe
it in detail with reference thereto. Figure 1 is an external view, and Figure 2 a
central longitudinal section of one form of bib cock.
a is the body of any suitable form, and having the inlet and outlet in any
convenient position relatively to the valve and valve seat, according to the purpose
for which the cock or valve is intended. b is the barrel portion of the body cast in
one therewith through which the valve spindle passes axially, the barrel being large
enough to permit of the valve passing through it. c is the valve, preferably of the
usual disc form, or it might be conical and closing down upon a corresponding seat
formed in the body a as usual. is the valve spindle, and e is a cupped plunger or
piston of metal, leather, indiarubber, vegetable fibre, or other suitable material
fixed upon the spindle d, this plunger or piston fitting in the barrel b and moving
up and down therein with the spindle d. The plunger e is secured upon the
spindle d, as shown in section in Figure 3, between a shoulder d¹ formed on the
spindle and a nut d² screwed upon a shank d³ and forming a head for the spindle,
between which and the shoulder d' the plunger is tightly clamped. The barrel b
is turned true internally and the plunger fits accurately therein. f is a cap
enclosing the top of the barrel b and formed with a quick coarse internal screw-
thread which works upon a corresponding screwthread cut upon the exterior of the
barrel b. is a set screw in the cap, the point of which comes under an external
shoulder on the barrel to prevent the cap being unscrewed too far. The cap is
provided with a cross handle h by which it is turned, but it might be a knob or a
wheel handle, or in the case of a ball cock the ball arm would take its place and
the axis of the valve would be horizontal instead of vertical.
In Figures 1 and 2 the cap fis wholly separate from the spindle d and merely
presses upon the top of the spindle in order to force the valve down upon its seat,
the valve being intended to be raised off its seat by the pressure of the fluid alone.
Figure 4 shows a precisely similar cock, except that the spindle is provided with
an extension i which enters loosely a hole in the cap, and has a neck or groove

page_text: at its upper end in which the point of a set screw in the handle is received in
order to so far connect the cap to the spindle that although the former turns
independently of the latter as before, the valve will be raised off its seat by the
cap when it is unscrewed instead of by the fluid pressure as before. Instead of
the groove j and set screw k, the part of the spindle might be continued quite
through the handle and have a nut upon it above the handle.
Figure 5 shows a cock differing only from that shown in Figure 1 in the position
of the valve and screw cap relatively to the inlet and outlet, the term "screw
down" being herein intended to include a screwing-in in any direction.
Having described the nature. of our said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be
protected by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. A screw down cock or valve in which the valve spindle is furnished with a
cupped plunger or piston, and the body of the cock is formed with a barrel
in which said plunger or piston works substantially as herein shown and
described.
2nd. In a screw-down cock or valve, the combination with a valve and spindle
provided with a cupped plunger or piston working in a barrel on the body as
herein specified, of a screw-down cap handle or knob, pressing on but turning
independently of the valve spindle, substantially as herein shown and described.
3rd. In a screw-down cock or valve, a screw cap enclosing and screwing upon a
barrel formed on the body and acting on a valve spindle having a suitable packing
or piston contained in the barrel, as herein shown and described.
4th. A screw-down cock or valve in which the valve spindle has a cupped
plunger or piston working in a barrel and is pressed on by a screw cap as herein
described and in which the cap is connected to the spindle so as to lift it when
unscrewed whilst turning independently thereof, substantially as shown and
described with reference to Figure 4.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Reginald Ashton and James Neville
Sperryn, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty sixth day of
May AD 1882
D. R. ASHTON.
(L.S.)
JAS. N. SPERRYN. (L.S.)