Improvements in the Method of Making Water-closet Seats.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 30th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of Making Water-closet Seats.
I, JOHN PARKER of 111 Conybere Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick Joinery Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to excreta pans used as combined water closets and
urinals.
Syphoned excreta pans are now in general use made out of earthenware,
chinaware, stoneware, ironware, and of other suitable material, such excreta pans
being used as water closets with a seat suitable for a water closet, such seat being
hinged so that it can be raised from over the excreta pan when such excreta pan is used
as a urinal; the sanitary appliance so constructed is usually completed by providing
a hinged lid over the hinged seat, so that when the hinged lid is moved down over
the hinged seat the combined urinal and water-closet presents an appearance
similar to an ordinary water closet; such combined urinals and water closets are
not new, having been in use for many years more especially on sea going vessels.
Hitherto in the making of such hinged seats, hard and other woods have been
used, the seats being made from boards or planks of a width equal to the width
of seat, consequently the cost of production of such hinged seats has been very
considerable and the seats when made and used are liable to shrink and split on
account of the wet and damp to which they are exposed, moreover persons using
the seats are in some cases liable to catch infectious diseases by contact with the
front portion of the seat.
To remedy the defects in the present method of making the hinged seats of
combined urinals and water closets I make my improved hinged seats in the following
manner:
I provide a back rail about three inches in width more or less and of a length
equal to the width of the seat, I next provide a left hand side rail and a right
hand side rail and tennon such side rails and afterwards pass the side rails into
suitable mortices provided in the back rail, the tennons being secured in the mortices
by means of wedges or by other suitable means so as to produce a strong rigid open
frame: the inside edges of the side rails would be grooved.
I next provide a seat piece of suitable dimensions to slide between the side
rails, such seat piece would have formed on its edges, tongues of suitable size to
slide into the grooves formed in side rails.
By the first modification of seat piece, I provide a piece of board or plank
preferably hard wood, and pierce therein a round or oval hole the edges of
such hole being afterwards rounded or shaped by means of suitable machine
tool cutters.
It will be apparent that a seat piece so made and slidden into an open frame
would present less superficial area for shrinkage, and a further advantage in my
narrow seat piece within its open frame is, that the open frame can be made out of
narrow inexpensive (though sound and good) pieces of timber and the seat piece
can be also made out of first class timber equal to the wide boards now usually
used, yet procurable at a great reduction in cost.
To strengthen and combine the seat piece with the open frame I provide a
strengthening plate passing over the end of sent piece on the underside thereof,
the left and right hand ends of such strengthening plate passing over and on to the
left and right hand side rails of open frame; suitable recesses or sockets being
provided in the left and right hand ends of strengthening plate to receive rubber
buffers; the strengthening plate is secured to the open frame and to the seat piece

page_text: by means of screws or by other suitable mechanical means, the rubber buffers
projecting through the face of strengthening plate so that when the hinged seat is
lowered quickly on to the china, stone, ironware, or other kind of excreta pan, the
combined frame and seat piece would be protected from jarring and the metallic
strengthening plate would not strike against the edge of excreta pan, or pan
brackets.
By a second modification of seat-piece, I make the seat piece out of two or more
separate parts tongued together or secured together by means of a strengthening
plate passing over and secured to the several parts of the seat-piece: the
strengthening plate may be cast metal or wrought or sheet metal.
By a third modification of scat-piece I make the seat piece out of a separate
board or out of several pieces as described in second modification, but leave a space
or opening at the front of such seat piece and into such space I place a safety block
consisting of a solid or hollow block of chinaware, earthenware, iron (enamelled, or
electro plated) aluminium, silver plated brass, solid silver, or any metal, substance,,
or material suitable for use to prevent the transmitting of contagious diseases.
The safety block would be secured between the front faces of the seat piece such
front faces passing into recesses provided in the safety block, or the underside of
safety block can be secured to the strengthening plate by means of screws or by
other suitable mechanical means so that the upper face of safety block would be
situated in a position within the seat piece suitable for use.
Dated this 30th day of December 1892.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in the Method of Making Water-closet Seats.
I, JOHN PARKER, of 111 Conybere Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Joinery Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
This invention relates to excreta pans used as combined water closets and
urinals.
Syphoned excreta pans are now in general use made out of earthenware, china-
ware, stoneware, ironware, and of other suitable material, such excreta pan being
used as water.closets with a seat suitable for a water closet, such seat being hinged
so that it can be raised from over the excreta pan when such excreta pan is used as
a urinal; the sanitary appliance so constructed is usually completed by providing a
hinged lid over the hinged seat so that when the hinged lid is moved down over
the hinged seat the combined urinal and water-closet presents an appearance
similar to an ordinary water closet; such combined urinals and water closets are
not new, having been in use for many years more especially on sea going
vessels.
Hitherto in the making of such hinged seats, hard and other woods have been
used, the seats being made from boards or planks of a width equal to the width of
seat, consequently the cost of production of such hinged seats has been very con-
siderable and the seats when made and used are liable to shrink and split on
account of the wet and damp to which they are exposed, moreover persons using
the seats are in some cases liable to catch infectious diseases by contact with the
front portion of the seat.
To remedy the defects in the present method of making the hinged seats of
combined urinals and water closets I make my improved hinged seats in the
following manner :-
I provide a back rail about three inches-in width more or less and of a length

page_text: equal to the width of the seat, I next provide a left hand side rail and a right hand
side rail and tennon such side rails and afterwards pass the side rails into suitable
mortices provided in the back rail, the tennons being secured in the mortices by
means of wedges or by other suitable means so as to produce a strong rigid open
frame the inside edges of the side rails would be grooved.
:
I next provide a seat piece of suitable dimensions to slide between the side rails
such seat piece would have formed on its edges tongues of suitable size to slide into
the grooves formed in side rails.
By the first modification of seat piece, I provide a piece of board or plank
preferably hard wood, and pierce therein a round or oval hole the edges of such
hole being afterwards rounded or shaped by means of suitable machine tool
cutters.
It will be apparent that a seat piece so made and slidden into an open frame
would present less superficial area for shrinkage, and a further advantage in my
narrow seat piece within its open frame is, that the open frame can be made out of
narrow inexpensive (though sound and good) pieces of timber and the seat piece
can be also made out of first class timber equal to the wide boards now usually
used, yet procurable at a great reduction in cost.
To strengthen and combine the seat piece with the open frame I provide a
strengthening plate passing over the end of seat piece on the underside thereof, the
left and right hand ends of such strengthening plate passing over and on to the left
and right hand side rails of open frame; suitable recesses or sockets being provided
in the left and right hand ends of strengthening plate to receive rubber buffers;
the strengthening plate is secured to the open frame and to the seat piece by means
of screws or by other suitable mechanical means the rubber buffers projecting
through the face of strengthening plate so that when the hinged seat is lowered
quickly on to the china, stone, ironware, or other kind of excreta pan the
combined frame and seat piece would be protected from jarring and the metallic
strengthening plate would not strike against the edge of excreta pan, or pan
bracket.
By a second modification of seat-piece, I make the seat piece out of two or more
separate parts tongued together or secured together by means of a strengthening
plate passing over and secured to the several parts of the seat piece: the strengthening
plate may be cast metal or wrought or sheet metal.
By a third modification of seat-piece, I make the seat-piece out of a separate
board or out of several pieces as described in second modification, but leave a space
or opening at the front of such seat piece and into such space I place a safety block
consisting of a solid or hollow block of chinaware earthenware, iron (enamelled or
electro plated) aluminium, silver plated brass, solid silver, or any metal, substance,
or material suitable for use to prevent the transmitting of contagious diseases.
The safety block would be secured between the front faces of the seat piece
such front faces passing into recesses provided in the safety block, or the underside
of safety block can be secured to the strengthening plate by means of screws or by
other suitable mechanical means so that the upper face of safety block would be
situated in a position within the seat piece suitable for use.
The nature, characteristic features and scope of my invention will be more
readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming part of the
description in which
Fig. 1. represents a top plan of seat.
Fig. 2. represents an end view of Fig. 1 viewed from the front.
Fig. 3. represents a bottom plan of Figure 1.
Fig. 4. represents a transverse section of Figure 3 on the line A. B.
Fig. 5. represents an end view of Figure 6 viewed from the front.
Fig. 6. represents a broken off plan of third modification shewing the safety
block in position.
Fig. 7. represents the seat piece of second modification secured together by.
means of a strengthening plate.

page_text: o. represents an end view of the safety block.
Fig. 9. represents a plan of Figure 8.
Fig. 10. represents the metallic strengthening plate with end buffer holes.
Fig. 11. represents the metallic strengthening plate for securing together the
parts forming the sliding seat piece of second modification.
Figs. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 represent the parts constituting the sliding seat
piece of second modification.
In carrying out the several modifications of my invention I proceed in the
following manner :-
a represents the back rail, b represents the left hand side rail, and c represents
the right hand side rail, the tennons being marked in dotted lines on the back
rail, the rails a, b, and c are secured together by means of the tennous d to form
and forming a rigid open frame; the back and side rails a, b, and c are grooved at e.
I next provide the seat piece f on the sides of which are formed the tongues g so
that the first modification f of seat piece can be slidden into the open frame as
shewn at Figure 1.
I afterwards provide the strengthening plate such plate being pierced with
buffer holes and also with screw holes k, I provide flanged rubber buffer blocks
and place them in the holes j; the under faces of the frame side rails b and c are
pierced with recesses m to receive the ends of strengthening plate k so that when
the ends of the plate are lowered into the recesses m the underside of plate /
will take a bearing against the under surface of seat piece f the plate his then
secured to the seat piece by means of screws passing through the holes k.
The object of the strengthening plate is to prevent the seat piece f from
warping in the front, the tongues e on the back and side rails of frame keeping
the other parts of the seat piece from twisting or warping.
The buffer blocks / are provided projecting through the strengthening plates to
strike against the upper edge of excreta pan when the hinged seat is lowered
hastily, the buffer blocks also act as a spring to ease the weight of person using the
seat.
The second modification of seat piece is formed out of two or more separate parts
as shewn at n, o, p, and q Figure 7 and as shewn in detail at Figures 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
and 17; the separate pieces of the improved seat piece being held together by
means of a continuous oval strengthening plate shewn in detail at Figure 11,
buffer holes are provided in this oval plate similar to the holes j described in
relation to Figure 3. The oval plate can be used without side arms in some
cases, and in other cases I use side arms as shewn in dotted lines such side
arms being secured to the side rails a and b as described in relation to
Figure 3.
When using my improved seats over common drain pipes or S pipes it is necessary
to provide a cheap frame of wood or other suitable material surrounding the drain
pipe or S pipes onto which my improved seats can take a bearing and in such cases
I form the buffer block sockets at or near the ends of strengthening plate as shewn
at Figure 10 so that the buffer blocks inserted in such end holes will strike
against the framing of wood or other material instead of against the face of drain
pipe or S pipe.
The third modification of seat piece as illustrated at Figures 5 and 6 consists of
a seat piece formed out of one or more parts, but with a space or opening provided
in the front part to receive a safety block; I consider china or earthenware to be
material suitable for use as a safety block consequently I have shewn the safety
block with obtuse outward dovetail faces, taking into dovetail grooves cut in the
woodwork at s, the safety block may be guttered on the upper surface as shewn
att Figure 8 such gutter tapering inwards or the said safety block may be formed
in a cup shape of the transverse section shewn at t or the upper face may be flat
with the wood seat piece.
My improved safety block when made out of metal can be formed with grooves
instead of the dovetails in such cases the sides of the seat piece can be formed

page_text: with tongues or tennons to take into the tennons formed in the sides of metal
safety block.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is: :-
1st. The making of a water closet seat by the combination of a separate
continuous seat piece with an open frame, the seat piece sliding within the frame
and being secured thereto by means of a strengthening plate, as illustrated and
described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3.
2nd. The making of a water closet seat by the combination of a divided seat piece
with an open frame, the seat piece sliding within the open frame and being secured
thereto by means of a strengthening plate, as illustrated and described with
reference to Figures 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.
3rd. The making of a water closet seat by the combination of a seat piece
containing a safety block with an open frame the seat piece sliding within the open
frame and being secured thereto by means of a strengthening plate, as illustrated
and described with reference to Figures 6, 8 and 9.
Dated this 20th day of September 1893.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.