CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUfacture and CONSTRUCTION OF TAPS OR· Valves
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry William Heale, of Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, and Emilius David Gowan, of Holloway, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUfacture and CONSTRUCTION OF TAPS OR· Valves.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry William Heale
and Emilius David Gowan at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th June 1874.
r
We, HENRY WILLIAM HEALE, of Southwark, in the County of
Surrey, and EMILIUS DAVID GOWAN, of Holloway, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN the ManufactuRE AND CONSTRUCTION OF OF TAPS OR VALVES,"
to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to that description of tap or valve employed in
connection with liquids or gases under any pressure and at any
temperature, and is designed for the purpose of producing a tap which
is simple in construction and effective in action and not liable to

page_text: derangement or locking, but is ready to be used, and will be free in its
action after standing some time.
The improvements consist more particularly in the novel construction
of the spindle of the tap and parts in connection therewith which may be
thus described:-The thorougfares or draught of the tap or valve from
the pressure supply to the outlet is confined or closed in by a valve
which forms the lower end or extremity of a spindle placed at right
angles or otherwise to the thoroughfare of the tap; this spindle on a
portion of its length is provided with a screw recess having a quick
pitch which is enclosed by a bush provided with a segmental recess
corresponding to the pitch of the screw groove formed in the spindle.
When the bush is placed on the spindle so as to cover the screw
groove a key piece corresponding in pitch and depth to the screw groove
is dropped therein so as to form a male thread on which the recessed
screw portion of the spindle turns. The spindle and bush thus con-
nected are then placed in the seating of the tap in a position which will
allow the valve at the extremity of the spindle to close the orifice or
valve outlet of the same, the bush and spindle being secured in their
position by a gland cap or other equivalent; thus it will be seen that
the bush and key piece being fixed in the seating of the tap a partial
turn of the spindle will cause it to rise or fall by reason of the grooved
screw portion thereof sliding on the fixed key of the bush so that a turn
to the right will force the valve of the spindle on to its seating and so
close or shut off the tap, and a reverse action will open it. The 'spindle
may have one or more screw recesses, according to the strength or nature
of the work required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry William Heale and Emilius David Gowan
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY 3
WILLIAM HEALE, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, and EMILIUS,
DAVID GOWAN, of Holloway, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WULDEAS How most vallant Mainsty Queen Victoria hy Hou

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Henry William Heale and Emilius
David Gowan, Her special licence, that we, the said Henry William
Healo and Emilius David Gowan, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry William Heale and
Emilius David Gowan, our 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CON-
STRUCTION OF TAPS OR VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Henry William Heale and Emilius David Gowan, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
-
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry William Heale and Emilius
David Gowan, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accom-
panying Drawings:-
The Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of
cocks or valves to be applied to steam boilers, engines, or to other
vessels or capacities containing fluids, gases, or vapour under pressure,
the object being to form a perfect stop for high-pressure steam, and to
obviate the results caused by expansion of ordinary metal cocks by the
action of heat, such as the leakage or escape of steam or fluids, and also
to prevent undue strain bearing on the moving parts of the valve, which
in action are simple and effective and not liable to derangement or
locking from disuse.
.
The improvements relate more particularly to the spindle of the valve
and the parts in connection therewith, and in order that the same may
be well understood and explained in detail we have hereunto annexed a
Sheet of Drawings made about full size, shewing as an example the

page_text: improvements applied to an ordinary form of household cock or valve
and to a self-acting ball cock, similar letters of reference being marked
on corresponding parts on all the Figures alike.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents the improved construction of valve spindle and bush 5
(in section) put together and ready for being placed in their seating in
the barrel of the tap.
Fig. 2 represents the spindle and bush in their seating in an
ordinary form of cock or valve.
Fig. 3 represents the key piece for fitting the recess of the bush 1
shewn in Fig. 2, in which it forms a fixed segmental thread for the
screw groove of the spindle, shewn in Fig. 1, to slide upon.
Fig. 4 represents in section a plan of Fig. 2 taken through the
linc x, x, shewing the method of securing the bush in its position when
inserted and fixed in the barrel of the cock or valve.
Fig. 5 represents a modification of the arrangement of valve seating
shewn in Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 represents in longitudinal section an
ordinary ball cock having applied thereto the improved construction of
spindle valve and key bush, the cock being shewn in position as it would
appear in a cistern or tank.
1
2
In these Figures a, a, is the shell and barrel of the cock or valve provided
internally with a valve seating b, the thoroughfare leading to which
from the source of pressure may be arranged so as to allow the steam or
fluid to flow through the valve aperture from below to the outlet, as in
Fig. 2, or from above, as in the detached, Fig. 5, the passage being 2
opened or closed by the valve c through the medium of the valve
spindle d and key bush e, the construction and action of which may be
thus described. The valve or stop c forms the lower termination of the
valve spindle d, this spindle on a portion of its length is provided with a
screw recess f (seen more particularly in Figs. 1 and 2) having a quick 3
pitch, which said recess is entirely surrounded by the bush e which
accurately fits the bore of the barrel a, in which it is prevented turning by
the key piece g. The bore of the bush e corresponds in diameter to that
of the valve spindle d, and is provided with one or more key pieces 9 let
therein so as to protrude inside and fit a segmental portion of the screw.. 3

page_text: groove in the spindle d. The bush e containing the spindle is then let
into the socket of the tap, as seen in Fig. 2, so as to rest with its collar e¹
on the lower surface of the gland. When the bush e is in this position
and the valve c is resting on the valve seating 6 so as to close the same`
the gland cap h is screwed down so as to press upon the loose ring and
packing i, at which time the cock or valve is in a condition for use.
g
.
It will now be understood that when a partial turn is given to the
valve spindle d the screw recess formed in the same will slide on the
fixed segmental key piece 9 secured to the bush e and so raise the valve
from its seating, the action of which opens the valve and allows the
steam or fluid to escape. A reverse turn to the spindle closes the
valve.
In conclusion we would remark that although we have shewn as an
example the application of our improvements to one class of cock or
valve only, they are equally applicable to cocks or valves of all descrip-
tions employed for retaining steam, gases, or fluids under pressure,
therefore what we claim is the employment, use, and adaptation to cocks
or valves of an improved construction of valve spindle and key bush
actuating the "shut off" provided with one or more screw recesses
surrounded by a fixed bush key piece or pieces and retaining gland,
arranged in the manner and for the purpose, as herein-before sub-
stantially described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry William Heale and Emilius
David Gowan, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and seventy-four.
HENRY WILLIAM HEALE.
(L.S.)
EMILIUS DAVID GOWAN.
(L.S.)