IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING REGULATED OR MEASURED QUANTITIES OF WATER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Gordon Rattray, of Aberdeen, M.D.,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING
REGULATED OR MEASURED QUANTITIES OF WATER."
Sealed the 16th February 1866, and dated the 26th August 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Gordon Rattray at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th August 1865.
I, ROBERT GORDON RATTRAY, of Aberdeen, M.D., do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING
REGULATED OR MEASURED QUANTITIES OF WATER," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object inprovements in apparatus for supplying
regulated or measured quantities of water. For these purposes I employ a
vessel of a capacity for containing the desired quantity of water to be delivered
at one time. Water is supplied to the vessel through a tube leading into the
top of the vessel, in the tube is a valve opening upwards; the stem of this
valve passes up through a stuffing box, and is connected to one arm of a lever,
which lever is carried by a standard from the top of the cistern or vessel; to
this arm of the lever is attached a counterbalance weight which tends to bring

page_text: the valve on to its seat and close the inlet into the vessel. When the opposite
end of the lever is held down, this valve is lifted off its seat, and then the
water flows through the inlet pipe and fills the cistern, the air in the cistern
being allowed to escape through a passage formed through the top of the
vessel, which passage is closed as soon as the vessel is filled by a valve which
is caused to rise and close the opening by a float connected to it. At the
bottom of the cistern is an outlet caused by a double valve, one valve a small
one, being employed to close an opening through the other and larger valve;
the smaller valve is connected to the larger valve in such manner that after
the smaller valve has risen a short distance any further upward motion acts
on the larger valve and raises it also. The smaller valve is connected to a
rod which rises up through a stuffing box in the top of the cistern, and the
upper end of this rod is connected to the opposite arm of the lever to that
to which the inlet valve is connected, so that when the inlet valve is open the
outlet valve is closed, and vice versa. The arm of the lever to which the
outlet valve is connected is ordinarily held down, so that the outlet valve is
closed and the inlet valve opened to allow the water or fluid to fill the
vessel, when however this end of the lever is no longer held down the
counterbalance weight on the opposite arm of the lever, depresses. this arm,
and by so doing closes the inlet valve and opens the smaller outlet valve; this
allows a small quantity of fluid to pass away through the outlet, and so
relieves the interior of the vessel from pressure and allows the counterbalance
weight by further descending, to raise the small valve higher, and so open the
Jarger outlet valve and allow the whole of the contents of the cistern to
flow away.
When the end of the lever to which the outlet valve is connected
is again depressed the outlet valves are closed and the inlet valve again
opened.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Gordon Rattray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th February 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM. THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
GORDON RATTRAY, of Aberdeen, M.D., send greeting.
S
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters,
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her S
reign, did, for Horself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said Robert Gordon Rattray, Her special licence that I, the said Robert
Gordon Rattray, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Robert Gordon Rattray, my 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING REGULATED OR MEASURED QUAN-
TITIES OF WATER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Robert Gordon Rattray, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 I, the said Robert Gordon Rattray, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for supplying
regulated or measured quantities of water. For these purposes I employ a
vessel of a capacity for containing the desired quantity of water to be delivered
at one time. Water is supplied to the vessel through a tube leading into the
top of the vessel, in the tube is a valve opening upwards; the stem of this
valve may pass up through a stuffing. box and be connected to one arm of a
lever, which lever is carried by a standard from the top of the cistern or vessel,
or it may be otherwise coupled with the said arm of the lever so as to move in
unison therewith; to this arm of the lever is attached a counterbalance:
weight which tends to bring the valve on to its seat and close the inlet into
the vessel. When the opposite end of the lever is held down this valve is
lifted off its seat and then the water flows through the inlet pipe and fills the
cistern, the air in the cistern being allowed to escape through a passage formed
through the top of the vessel, which passage is closed as soon as the vessel is
filled by a valve which is caused to rise and close the opening by a float
connected to it. At the bottom of the cistern is an outlet closed by a double
valve, one valve, a small one, being employed to close an opening through the
other and larger valve; the smaller valve is connected to the larger valve in
such manner that after the smaller valve has risen a short distance, any
further upward motion acts on the larger valve and raises it also. The.

page_text: smaller valve is connected to a rod which rises up through a stuffing box in
the top of the cistern, and the upper end of this rod is connected to -the
opposite arm of the lever to that to which the inlet valve is connected, so that
when the inlet valve is open the outlet valve is closed, and vice versa. The
arm of the lever to which the outlet valve is connected is ordinarily held down,
so that the outlet valve is closed and the inlet valve opened to allow the water
or fluid to fill the vessel; when, however, this end of the lever is no longer held
down, the counterbalance weight on the opposite arm of the lever depresses
this arm, and by so doing closes the inlet valve and opens the smaller outlet
valve; this allows a small quantity of fluid to pass away through the outlet
and so relieve the interior of the vessel from pressure, and allows the counter-
balance weight by further descending to raise the small valve higher, and so
open the larger outlet valve and allow the whole of the contents of the cistern
to flow away.
When the end of the lever to which the outlet valve is
connected is again depressed the outlet valves are closed and the inlet valve
again opened.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
.annexed.
So.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing shows a section of apparatus for supplying regulated or
measured quantities of water. a, a, is a close vessel or measuring cistern, it
is fitted with a supply pipe b, with a valve b¹; c is a lever capable of rocking
on a standard d, and at the end of the lever is a weight c', sufficient to cause
the end of the lever to which it is attached to descend when it is free to do
Usually, however, this end of the lever is kept raised by means of a
rode, which at its lower end is retained in any convenient manner; the stem
of the valve 6¹ may be continued up through a stuffing box, and jointed
directly to the weighted arm of the lever c. It is more convenient however to
have a second lever f rocking on a standard at the bottom of the cistern a,
and connected with the lever c by a connecting rod 9 passing through a
stuffing box h at the top of the cistern, the stem of the valve b₁ is in this
case continued downwards and made to rest upon the end of the lever f, as
is shown. is an outlet passage in the bottom of the cistern a, it is fitted
with a large valve k, having the smaller valve k¹ at its centre; this valve is
fixed to the rod 9, and is able to move a short distance independently of the
larger valve k, but afterwards the two valves move together; 1 is an air hole
at the top of the vessel a, it is fitted with a valve m, to which a float n is
attached.

page_text: The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When the lever c is raised at
its weighted end, by drawing down the opposite end by means of the rod e
the supply valve b₁ is raised and water flows into the closed measuring cistern
a, the air meantime escaping by the air hole l, and this goes on until after
the float n has closed the air hole, and the pressure in the vessel a has risen
sufficiently to prevent more water entering from the supply. Nothing further
then takes place until the lever c is set free, its weighted end then descends,
and in doing so closes the supply valve b¹, at the same time opening the small
valve, and water then escapes in small quantities from the measuring
cistern a, until the pressure therein is relieved, and then the weight c¹ is able
by descending further to raise the large valve k by means of the collar k* on
the stem of the valve k', and then the whole measured contents of the vessel a
is delivered if the rod e is left free for a sufficient time. When this rod e is
again drawn down the vessel a again fills through its supply pipe b. The
apparatus above described is useful in supplying water to lavatories, and
other places where without such an apparatus water would probably be wasted,
or it may be employed in cases where water is to be paid for according to the
quantity used, a counter being then employed in connection with the rod e.
In cases where a small loss of water is of little consequence the apparatus
may be simplified by dispensing with the valve k', and substituting for it a
small perforation through the valve k.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Gordon Rattray, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
ROBERT GORDON RATTRAY. (L.8.)