A NEW OR IMPROVED TAP OR STOP-COCK
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Asbury, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED TAP OR
STOP-COCK."
Scaled the 22nd July 1856, and dated the 28th January 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Asbury at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th January 1856.
I, WILLIAM ASBURY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer,.
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED
TAP OR STOP-COCK" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of a new or improved tap or stop-cock, constructed
as herein-after described, by which construction the leakage which occurs in
ordinary taps or stop-cocks is avoided. In my new or improved tap or stop-
cock, the fluid is delivered over a conical valve, fitting on a conical bed or seat.
By the raising of the said valve from its bed or seat, the fluid passes between:
the said valve and seat to the escape pipe. The said valve is situated upou'
a spindle or axis,. the lower or under part of which is formed into a screw, and'
the upper part of which is a square or other prismatic rod. The said screw
engages in a screw box underneath the valve seat, and by rotating the axis of
the valve, the said valve is raised from or pressed down upon its seat by the
action of the said screw. The opening and closing of the valve is effected as

page_text: follows: Over the valve a cylindrical chamber is situated, into which the
upper square end of the valve spindle projects. The said chamber is filled
with a cylindrical plug, having a square hole in its axis, in which the top end
of the valve spindle engages. The handle of the tap or stop-cock is fixed to
the top of the cylinder, and by communicating à rotatory motion to the said
cylinder, the said motion is transmitted to the valve spindle, which engages in
it, and by the said rotation of the valve spindle the valve is raised from or
lowered upon its bed or seat. Leakage between the cylinder. and the chamber
in which it works is prevented as follows: The lower end of the said cylinder
is conical, the base of the cone being downwards, and the lower end of the
chamber is made conical to fit the conical bottom of the cylinder. The
pressure exerted by the fluid presses the conical end of the cylinder upwards
against its seat, and prevents leakage between the said cylinder and the
chamber in which it works, and the said pressure at the same time presses
the valve down upon its bed or seat.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Asbury in the Great Seal Patent Office. on the
22nd July 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ASBURY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in 'the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Asbury, Her special licence that I, the said William
Asbury, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or, such others as 1,, the said
William Asbury, 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED
TAP OR STOP-COCK," upon the condition, (amongst others), that, 1,, the said
William Asbury, my, executors or, administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, 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 perforined, and cause the same to be filed in the Great

page_text: Seal Patent Office witlin six calendar months next and immediately after. the
date of the said Letters Patent,
te
NOW KNOW YE, that Ithe said William Asbury, do hereby declaré tho
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 state-
ment thereof, that is to say:->
My Invention consists of- a new or improved tap or stop-cock, constructed
in the manner herein-after described,uand illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, by which method of construction leakage which occurs in ordinary
taps or stop-cocks is avoided.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation, and Figure 2 a longitudinal vertical
section, of my new or improved tap or stop-cock. a is the ingress, and 6 the
ègress pipe; c is a conical bed or seat on which the conical valve d fits.
When the valve d is raised from its bed or seat c by the means herein-after
explained, the fluid or liquid passes, from the pipe a, between the bed or seat
c and the valve d, and escapes by the pipe b. On the under side of the valve d
is a screw e, which said screw engages in a concave screw or screw box f.
The said valve d is also surmounted by the rod g, which said rod g is square,
or of a prismatic form. A hollow cylindrical or slightly conical chamber h is
situated immediately over the valve d, and in the said chamber h the plug i
works; the said plug i has a square or angular hole k in its axis, in which
hole & the top of the rod g engages. A handle is fixed on the top of the plug i,
and by turning the said plug i by the handle l, a rotatory motion is communi-
cated from the said plug i to the rod g, valve d, and screw e.
The said rotatory
motion causes the screw e to advance into or withdraw from the screw box f
and the valve d becomes thereby raised from or pressed upon its bed or seat c.
The lower end of the plug i has a conical flange ¹, which said flange fits accu-
rately against a conical bed or seat. The pressure of the fluid or liquid is
exerted against the under side of the flange ; the said pressure presses the
said flange against the bed or seat ", and thereby prevent leakage between
the plug i and chamber h, the pressure of the fluid or liquid at the same time
presses the valve d down upon its bed or seat c. The greater the pressure of
the fluid or liquid the greater the force with which the flange t¹ and valve d
are pressed upon their respective beds or seats.
21
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same may
be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim
as my Invention the method herein described, and illustrated in the accom-

page_text: panying Drawing, of constructing taps or stop-cocks, that is to say, a new or
improved tap or stop-cock, in which a rotatory motion is communicated to the
valve by means of a plug having a flange working upon a bed or seat, which
said flange is pressed upon the said bed or seat by the pressure of the fluid or
liquid.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Asbury, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year. of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WM ASBURY. (L.S.)