Improvements in or relating to Water Closets
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1892-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Water Closets
I REGINALD HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co., Patent Agents of
18 Buckingham Street, Strand W.C. London, Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention a communication to me from abroad by Gertrude
Jenkins Kremelberg of New York, United States of America and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The object of this invention is a water closet, the cover of which is connected to
the piston rod of a cushioning cylinder which controls the water supply valve and
the flushing valve, said cover being provided with a locking mechanism which is
controlled by the weight of the person occupying the closet, so that when the cover
is opened, and its locking mechanism exposed to the action of a sufficient weight,
the water supply valve is opened and the requisite quantity of water is caused to
flow into the flushing valve chamber, and as soon as the locking mechanism is
released from the action of said weight, the cover closes down by its own gravity,
its downward movement being controlled by the piston of the cushioning-cylinder,
while the flushing valve is opened as the cover approaches its closing position.
The peculiar and novel mechanisin which forms the subject matter of this applica
tion for a Patent is pointed out in the following Specification and claims and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section in the plane a Fig. 2, a portion.
of the cover being broken away and the pan of the closet being left off so as to
expose the parts behind.
Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section in the plane y y Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section in the plane Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section in the plane wo wo Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the cushioning cylinder in the plane v v Fig. 1
on a larger scale than the previous figures.
Fig. 6 is a vertical central section of the cushioning cylinder in the plane u u
Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical section in the plane Eig. 2 showing-the-
locking mechanism in position when the cover is closed.
In this drawing the letter A designates the seat of a water closet. B is the pan
and C is the cover. The seat is connected by hinge joints to a platform or shelf D
which is supported by brackets bb secured to the wall W of the room or structure
containing the closet.
The brackets bb form the bearings for gudgeons which extend from the edges
of the cover C so that said cover can be opened or closed. From the rear edge of
the cover extends a toe d (Fig. 4) which connects by a pivot e with a rod E the
bottom end of which is connected by a pivot with a slide F which is guided in
brackets g
secured to the wall W. From the slide extends a stud h which
engages one end of a lever G which has its fulcrum on a stud go and the opposite
end of which is pivotally connected to a rod H which extends up between the
wall W and the back of the cistern and which is connected by a cross-head i
(Fig. 2) with the piston rod J. The piston K which carries the rod J is fitted into
the cushioning cylinder L and it is provided with a series of holes ; near its
circumference and with a single hole near its centre (Fig. 5). To the inner end
of the piston rod is secured a flexible disk of india-rubber or other suitable
material (see Fig. 6) and this disk is provided with a single hole 4° which registers
with the hole in the piston K. If the cushioning cylinder L is filled with liquid,
such as glycerine, and the piston K is moved upward, the flexible disk k uncovers
5D031

page_text: the holes and the liquid passes freely through said holes, but if the piston K is
depressed, the flexible disk covers up the hole j, the holes alone being left open,
so that the liquid contained in the cylinder can only pass slowly upward and
consequently the downward motion of the piston K in the cushioning cylinder L is
proportionately retarded. If the cover C is raised, the piston K is carried up to
the position shown in Fig. 1. of the drawing, and if the cover is released, it closes
slowly as the piston K descends in the cushioning cylinder.
The cistern is divided by a partition into two compartments I° I* and in the
compartment I° is contained the water supply valve while the compartment I*
contains the flushing valve, such parts being old and well known. From the
supply valve extends a rod i through an arm which is adjustably secured to the
piston rod J, the rod being provided at its top end with a hook or stop so that
when the piston rod J has been carried up to the position shown in Fig. 1 that is to
say whenever the cover C is raised, the supply valve is opened. The flushing
valve connects by a rod with a double armed lever M which has its fulcrum
on pivot m (Fig. 1) and one end of which is provided with a fork m¹ which
embraces the piston rod J while its opposite end carries a weight m² which has a
tendency to depress the flushing valve into the seat. Whenever the cover C is
thrown open therefore, a fresh supply of water is admitted into the cistern (provided
such is required) and when the cover C closes as the piston K descends in the
cushioning cylinder L the arm ª strikes the forked end of the lever M, the flushing
valve is opened, and the contents of the flushing compartment I* flow down into
the pan B through the pipe Bº. The seat A bears upon the front end of a lever O
which has its fulcrum on a pivot o secured in one of the brackets b. The rear end
of this lever engages the longitudinal arm P of a bell crank lever PQ (Figs.
and 3) which has its fulcrum on a pivot p and the vertical arm Q of which engages
a dog R which is suspended from a pivot and provided with a nose 70 in such
position that the same can be thrown in engagement with a notch fo in the slide F
whenever said slide has been moved down to the position shown in Fig. 1. A
spring has a tendency to force the vertical arm Q of the bell crank lever PQ
upward. When the cover C is closed, the slide F occupies the position shown in
Fig. 7 but when the cover is opened, the slide F is carried down to the position
Bhown in Fig. 1 and the nose 70 of the dog R is thrown in engagement with the
och fo of the slide F as soon as the seat A is depressed whereby the front end of
the lever O is forced down and the end of the arm P of the bellcrank lever P Q is
moved up causing the arm Q of said bellcrank lever to throw the dog R into the
position shown in Fig. 1. In order to effect this movement before the person
entering the closet has time to depress the seat A I have provided two levers S
which swing on pivots s which have their bearings in lugs projecting from the
brackets band said levers support a platform T situated in front of the pan B.
From one of the levers S extends an arm S° which bears against the inner end
of the lever O. As soon as the person on entering the closet steps upon the
platform T, the inner end of the fever O is forced upward and the bell crank
lever PQ is caused to press against the dog R so that when the cover C is opened,
the nose engages the notch f° of the slide F as soon as said notch reaches the
position shown in Fig. 1 and the cover is prevented from closing down as long as
the weight remains on the platform T. If the person in the closet occupies the
seat A so that the weight is taken off from the platform T, the weight, acting on
the seat and on the lever O retains the dog R in engagement with the slide F but
as soon as the weight is taken off from the seat and from the platform T the
spring which acts on the bell crank lever PQ, throws the dog R out of engage-
ment with the slide F and the cover C closes down slowly its downward movement
being controlled by the cushioning cylinder L and piston K. During the down-
ward movement of the piston K, the flushing valve is opened, and the pan B is
washed out.
The closing movement of the cover C however does not depend merely on the
gravity of said cover but a spring d is provided (Figs. 1. 3 and 4) which acts on

page_text: the toe d of the cover and causes said cover to begin its closing movement as soon
as the slide F is released by the dog R.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a water closet, the combination with the pan the seat and the cover of a
cushioning cylinder, a piston fitting into said cylinder, a piston rod extending from
said piston and constructed to actuate the water supply valve and the flushing
valve, and means for locking the cover in its open position by the weight of the
person occupying the closet and for releasing said cover when the weight is
removed substantially as described.
2. In a water closet, the combination with the pan B the pivoted seat A
and the seat cover C of a vertical slide F connected with the seat cover, the
elevated cushioning cylinder L, the piston K arranged in the cylinder, the piston
rod J, connections between the piston rod and the vertical slide, the supply
valve connected with and operated by the piston rod, the flushing valve 3, the
lever M connected with the Hushing valve and operated by the piston rod, the
pivoted lever O arranged beneath and exposed to the action of the pivoted seat,
the bell crank lever PQ having one end connected with the lever, and the dog R
engaging the other end of the bell crank lever, and adapted to engage the
vertical slide substantially as described.
3. In a water closet, the combination with the pan B, the seat A, and the
seat cover C of the vertical slide F connected with the seat cover, the elevated
cushioning cylinder L, the piston K arranged in the cylinder, the piston rod J,
connections between the piston rod and the vertical slide, the supply valve
connected with and operated by the piston rod, the flushing valve the lever M
connected with the flushing valve and operated by the piston rod, the levers S
arranged below the seat and provided with a platform T, the arm S° connected
to one of the levers S the bell crank lever PQ adapted to engage the arm S°
and the dog R engaging the bell crank lever and adapted to engage the vertical
slide substantially as described.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1892
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.