IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES EMPLOYED TO REGULATE THE FLOW OF WATER
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Kenworthy Dutton, of the Patent Office,
3, Smithy Door, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES EMPLOYED TO
REGULATE THE FLOW OF WATER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Kenworthy
Dutton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 23rd March 1868.
I, EDWARD KENWORTHY DUTTON, of the Patent Office, 3, Smithy
Door, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
VALVES EMPLOYED TO REGULATE THE FLOW OF WATER," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates principally to the class of valves ordinarily
known as ball valves, and usually employed to regulate the discharge of
water into cisterns, and consists in an arrangement whereby the valve
is not opened until a quantity of water, say, for example, three or four
inches in depth, has been withdrawn from the cistern. The float is

page_text: balanced by a tumbling weight in such a manner as that supposing the
level of the water to be falling the weight will sustain the float until
the said float is nearly out of the water, when the weight of the float
will preponderate and the balance weight will move to the opposite side
of the centre of motion, thereby allowing the float to fall and the valve
to be opened. On the other hand the weight will keep the float
stationery during the rise of the water level until the said float is nearly
submerged, when it will rise and the weight will move into its former
position.
The float that I have found most suitable is elongated, and curved
to a radius struck from the centre of motion or nearly so, but other
forms may be used. It is desirable that the motion of the float and
weight shall be limited by suitable stops. The valve may be opened
against the pressure of water, and be kept shut by the said pressure
when the float is up, or by other suitable means.
In the case of valves of a large size, or of a comparitively large
size, the float may be caused to open a small valve, the water issuing
from the said valve being admitted to act upon a piston or diaphram
connected to the main valve, whereby the pressure of the water acting
on the said piston or diaphram will open the said main valve. The
packing of the valve may be of the ordinary description and effected
in the ordinary way, or may consist of a ring of leather, caoutchouc,
kamptulicon, cork, or other suitable material fitted or cemented into an
annular recess formed in the valve, the said ring resting on the valve
face when the valve is shut.
This method of applying leather, caoutchouc, kamptulicon, cork, or
other suitable material is also applicable to other valves employed to
control the passage or discharge of water or other fluids.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Kenworthy Dutton in the Great Seal 3
Patent Office on the 23rd September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
KENWORTHY DUTTON, of the Patent Office, 3, Smithy Door, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Kenworthy Dutton, Her special
license that I, the said Edward Kenworthy Dutton, my exccutors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Kenworthy
Dutton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 VALVES EMPLOYED TO REGULATE THE FLOW OF
WATER," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said Edward
Kenworthy Dutton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 I, the said Edward Kenworthy Dutton, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 accompanying Drawings, that is
to say :-
My Invention relates principally to the class of valves ordinarily
known as ball valves, and usually employed to regulate the discharge of
water into cisterns, and consists in an arrangement whereby the valve
is not opened until a quantity of water, say, for example, three or four
inches in depth, has been withdrawn from the cistern. The float is
balanced by a tumbling weight in such a manner as that supposing the
level of the water to be falling the weight will sustain the float until
the said float is nearly out of the water, when the weight of the float
will preponderate and the balance weight will move to the opposite side
of the centre of motion, thereby allowing the float to fall and the valve to
be opened. On the other hand, the weight will keep the float stationery
during the rise of the water level until the said float is nearly submerged,
when it will rise and the weight will move into its former position.

page_text: The float that I have found most suitable is elongated, and curved to
a radius struck from the centre of motion or nearly so, but other forms
may be used. It is desirable that the motion of the float and weight
shall be limited by suitable stops. The valve may be opened against
the pressure of water, and be kept shut by the said pressure when the
float is up, or by other suitable means.
In the case of valves of a large size, or of a comparatively large size,
the float may be caused to open a small valve, the water issuing from
the said valve being admitted to act upon a piston or diaphragm
connected to the main valve, whereby the pressure of the water acting
on the said piston or diaphragm will open the said main valve. The
packing of the valve may be of the ordinary description, and effected
in the ordinary way, or may consist of a ring of leather, caoutchouc,
kamptulicon, cork, or other suitable material fitted or cemented into an
annular recess formed in the valve, the said ring resting on the valve
face when the valve is shut.
This method of applying leather, caoutchouc, kamptulicon, cork, or
other suitable material is also applicable to other valves employed.to
control the passage or discharge of water or other fluids.
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood I have 2
annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings having letters of reference
marked thereupon, the same letters indicating corresponding parts in
the various Figures.
Referring to the said Drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation, principally in
section, representing one of my improved valves of the class ordinarily
known as "ball cocks" or "ball valves; " Fig. 2 is a section through
the body of the valve taken at right angles to Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a
detached portion of Fig. 1, shewing the valve as when open, the said
Figures being drawn about full size. Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal
section, and Fig. 5 a cross section of a valve of a much larger size than 3
the one shewn at Fig. 1; a detached portion of the body of the said
valve, illustrating a slight modification in the arrangement, being shewn
at Fig. 6; and Fig. 7 represents a form of valve adapted more par-
ticularly to be used to supply small service cisterns, the four Figures
last mentioned being drawn about one-half of the actual size.
In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the body of the valve a is fitted with a valve
spindle b, carrying at its upper end the elastic ring or washer c formed
3

page_text: of caoutchouc, leather, or other similar substance or material, which is
pressed upon a suitably formed face by the pressure of the water acting
upon the upper surface of the said valve, as will be readily understood.
The lines at d represent the level of the water when the cistern or
tank to which the valve may be attached is sufficiently filled, and the
lines at e the level to which the surface of the water may be reduced by
withdrawing water from the cistern before the valve commences to open.
The float is represented as of the curved form, which I have found to
be most efficient, the cross section in this case being circular, but the
said cross section may be rectangular, or may be otherwise formed as
found convenient; the said float being shewn in position as when the
valve is closed, being retained in that position by the stop g resting
against the body of the valve. The action of the valve being as
follows: So long as the level of the water is above e, the weight /
and the portion of the float to the left of the vertical centre line
overbalances the portion of the float to the right of the centre line
and retains it in the position as shewn in the Drawing, but on the
level of the water falling to e the portion of the float to the right
hand overbalances the weight h, and the float commences to fall over
into the position as shewn by the dotted lines, moving around the centre
of motion formed by the points of the screws 1, 1, and as the weight h
approaches the vertical line its power to keep up the float decreases, and
the float thereby falls with an accelerating speed and force. The
proportions of the various parts are so arranged as that at about the time
when the weight h is on the vertical line the pusher i mounted on the
pink commences to raise the valve spindle b, the centre of the said
pink being in this case represented as about three-sixteenths of an inch
from the centre of the screws or pins 1, and as the pin k moves
upwards about the distance just named into the position shewn at
Fig. 3, during the falling of the float, a leverage is obtained sufficiently
powerful to open the valve against an ordinary pressure of water.
The valve thus opened remains fully open until the water level has
risen to d, but on this level being reached the buoyancy of the sub-
merged float is sufficient to raise the weight h, and the upper end of the
said float rises out of the water with a continuous motion until brought
to rest in the position shewn by the full lines in Fig. 1. The weight of
the float should be about half the weight of the
displace when entirely submerged, and the weight h be made sufficient
water it would

page_text: to nearly sustain the float in the highest position when the float is
entirely out of the water.
In Figs. 4, 5, and 6, m is a small valve acted upon by the float n, the
action of the said valve and float being the same as in the case of the
valve just described. When the said valve m is opened the water issuing
therefrom is admitted to the under side of the diaphragm o, and the
pressure of the water so admitted acting on the said diaphragm and
thereby on the piston p pushes up the spindle p¹, and the cup-shaped seat
formed thereon coming into contact with the ball q formed of gutta
percha or other suitable substance, which in this example constitutes the
valve, the said ball is raised from off the valve seat and the water is per-
mitted to flow through the valve. The different parts of the valve may
be variously formed, and the method of opening and closing the said
valve be effected in any suitable manner so long as the float n or a modi-
fication thereof is employed to regulate the said opening and closing.
Fig. 6 illustrates a modification of the arrangement shewn in Figs. 4
and 5, in which a cup of leather, caoutchouc, or other suitable
material is employed in lieu of the diaphragm.
Fig. 7 represents a simple form of valve designed more particularly
for the small cisterns used in connection with waterclosets. In this
example an elastic washer 8 fitted to the piston t is forced against
the valve seat u by means of the lever and connecting link w, the
lever being acted upon by the weight x fixed to its upper end.
When the cistern is full the buoyancy of the float y sustains the weight
of the said float, but on the water being withdrawn from the cistern the
float overbalances the weight x, and the said float and weight move into
the positions shewn by the dotted lines, thus opening the valve; the
buoyancy of the float when the cistern is refilled being sufficient to
move the weight into its former place and thus to close the valve. The
form of float shewn in this Figure may be employed in some cases in
lieu of the curved float, but the same range of action cannot so con-
veniently be obtained as in the case of the said curved float. The
remarks as to the proportion of weight to size in the curved float, as
herein-before contained, apply to the form of float shewn in Fig. 7.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, together
with means for carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to bo

page_text: understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details as herein
described and illustrated in the attached Drawings; but that I claim as
my Invention,―
First. The construction and employment of floats having the peculiar
intermittent action as or nearly as herein described for the purposes as
herein set forth, or for purposes similar thereto.
Secondly. The employment of the forms of floats and the arrange-
ments in connection therewith, as herein-before described and illustrated
in the attached Drawings, or any other forms or arrangements, the same
being mere modifications of those so described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Kenworthy Dutton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight.
EDWARD KENWORTHY DUTTON. (L.S.)