IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED TO REGULATE THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO WATERCLOSETS, WASHHAND BASINS, AND URINALS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick George Underhay, of Crawford Passage,-
Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and Robert Hey-
worth, junior, of Faulkner Street, Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Plumber, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED
TO REGULATE THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO WATERCLOSETS, WASHHAND BASINS,
AND URINALS."
Sealed the 16th December 1864, and dated the 19th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick George Under-
hay and Robert Heyworth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 19th August 1864.
We, FREDERICK GEORGE UNDERHAY, of Crawford Passage, Clerkenwell, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and ROBERT HEYWORTH, junior, of
Faulkner Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Plumber, do hereby.
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED
TO REGULATE THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO WATERCLOSETS, WASHHAND BASINS, AND
URINALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus used to regulate

page_text: the supply of water to waterclosets, washband basins, and urinals. For these
purposes a vessel, by preference a cylindrical vessel, is used, which is closed at
the bottom, within which vessel another vessel of smaller dimensions and
closed at the top works readily up and down. Around and near the lower
part of the inner vessel is a cupped leather or other suitable flexible material,
the lower edge of which cupped material descends into oil or lubricating fluid
at the bottom of the outer vessel each time the inner vossel is caused to
descend, by which the interior of the outer vessel is lubricated each time tho
inner vessel is raised. At the upper part of the inner vessel, an air cock or
valvo is applied, the passage through which is capable of being regulated
according to the time during which it may be desired the inner vessel should
take in descending. The outer vessel is fixed in any convenient position, and
the inner vessel is connected to the lover or other instrument of a watercloset,
which acts on the water supply cock or valve in such manner that when the
lever or instrument is acted on, it moves the inner vessel above mentioned,
which it can readily do by reason of the cupped leather or other cupped
flexible material, giving way and acting as a valve; whilst in its return, the
pressure of the air keeps its outer edge against the interior surface of the outer
vessel. By this arrangement there is no induction air valve other than the
cupped flexible material around the inner vessel required.
This arrangement of apparatus, when applied to a wash hand basin or urinal,
is similarly to be connected with the lever or instrument acting on tho cock or
valvo by which water is supplied, and the weight or spring acting to close the
same will be retarded by the regulating apparatus.
In water closets, where the seats are moveable, apparatus is applied in the
following manner :-To the under side of a moveable seat a bracket or projection
is applied, which when the seat is depressed, acts on the spindle of the water
supply cock or valve, so as to close it, and such bracket or projection at the
same time acts on the tail end or other part of the weighted lever, and lifts
that lover out of action, and so retains it during the time that the seat of the
closet is depressed. On the seat being released, the valve will be allowed to
open, which it will do by the pressure of the water thoreon, and such valvo
will remain open till the lever is allowed by the regulator to close the valve
against the flow of water.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick George Underhay and Robert Heyworth in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
GEORGE UNDERWAY, of Crawford Passage, Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, and ROBERT HEYWORTH, junior, of Faulkner Street,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Plumber, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Frederick George Underhay and Robert Heyworth, Her special licence that
we, the said Frederick George Underbay and Robert Heyworth, our execu
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Frederick
George Underbay and Robert Heyworth, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED TO REGULATE THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO
WATERCLOSETS, WASHHAND BASINS, AND URINALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Frederick George Underhay and Robert Heyworth,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Frederick George Underhay, on behalf
of myself and the said Robert. Heyworth, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-.
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus used to regulate
the the supply of water to waterclosets, washhand basins, and urinals. For these
purposes a vessel, by preference a cylindrical vessel, is used, which is closed at
the bottom, within which vessel another vessel of smaller dimensions and
closed at the top, works readily up and down. Around and near the lower

page_text: part of the inner vessel is a cupped leather or other suitable flexible material,
the lower edge of which cupped material descends into oil or lubricating fluid,
at the bottom of the outer vessel each time the inner vessel is caused to
descend, by which the interior of the outer vessel is lubricated each time the
inner vessel is raised. At the upper part of the inner vessel an air cock or
valve is applied, the passage through which is capable of being regulated
according to the time during which it may be desired the inner vessel should
tako in descending. The outer vessel is fixed in any convenient position, and
tho innor vessel is connected to tho lever or other instrument of a watercloset,
which acts on the water supply cock or valve in such manner, that when the
lever or instrument is acted on, it moves the inner vessel above mentioned,
which it can readily do by reason of the cupped leather or other cupped
flexible material giving way and acting as a valve, whilst in its return the
pressure of the air keeps its outer edge against the interior surface of the
outer vessel. By this arrangement there is no induction air valvo other than
the cupped flexible material around the inner vessel required.
This arrangement of apparatus when applied to a washhand basin or urinal,
is similarly to be connected with the lever or instrument acting on the cock or
valve, by which water is supplied, and the weight or spring acting to close the
same will be retarded by the regulating apparatus.
In waterclosets where the seats are moveable, apparatus is applied in the
following manner :-To the under side of a moveable seat a bracket or projection
is applied, which, when the seat is depressed, acts on the spindle of the water
supply cock or valve, so as to close it; and such bracket or projection at the
same time acts on the tail end or other part of the weighted lever, and lifts
that lever out of action, and so retains it during the time that the seat of the
closet is depressed. On the seat being released, the valve will be allowed to
open, which it will do by the pressure of the water thereon, and such valve
will remain open till the lever is allowed by the regulator to close the valve
against the flow of water.
And in order that this Invention may be more fully understood, we will
proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side view, and Figure 2 a vertical section, of a regulator
constructed according to this Invention. a is a cylindrical vessel, which is
closed at bottom, within which the cylindrical vessel b, which is of smaller
dimensions and closed at its upper end, works readily up and down. Around
and near the lower part of the vessel is secured the cupped leather b³, the

page_text: lower edge of which it is preferred should work in oil, as shown by yellow
lines in Figure 2. Through the upper or closed end of the cylindrical vessel 6
is formed a small passage c, which is capable of being closed by the screw
plug d, through the centre of which is formed à passage, the inner end of the
screw plug d is formed conical, and fits when closed a corresponding seat
formed for it in the upper part of the cylindrical vessel b. On the inner
cylindrical vesel b being raised within the outer cylindrical vessel a, air will be
able to pass between the sides of the cup leather and the side of the vessel a,
but on the return stroke the air will be unable to pass the cup leather by
reason of the pressure keeping it in contact with the interior of the outer
vessel a; the air will thus be obliged to pass out through the small passage c,
the oil or lubricating material being forced into the interior of the vessel b, and
the speed at which the air can so pass out may be regulated by the screw
plug d, and thus the time it is desired the inner vessel 6 shall take in descending
into the outer vessel is regulated.
Figure 3 shows a front elevation, and Figure 4 a plan of a watercloset in
which a moveable lid is employed, having a regulator constructed according
to this Invention applied thereto. In these Figures a is the outer cylindrical
vessel, which is pin jointed to lugs on the frame; and b is the inner cylindrical
vessel, the upper end of which is attached to the weighted lever e, which
passes through the spindle of the water supply cock or valve f, and keeps it
closed. The form of valve we prefer is an ordinary diaphragm valve, although
any suitable form of valve may be employed. To the under side of the seat
of the closet is applied the projection g, which when the seat is depressed,
presses on the spindle of the valve, and keeps it closed. Another projection h
at the same time presses on the tail end of the lever e, and lifts that lever out
of action (the slot in the spindle of the valve being long enough to admit of
this movement), and so retains it during the time the seat is depressed. At
the same time the inner cylindrical vessel 6 is raised within the outer cylin-
drical vessel a. On the seat being relieved the lever e, by reason of its being
weighted lifts the seat, and at the same time removes the projection g from
off the spindle of the water supply valve, the pressure of water on the under
side of which opens it, and the valve will remain open during the time the
vessel 6 is falling in the vessel a, and until the lever e again presses the supply
valve on to its sent. The red lines in Figure 3 indicate the position of the
parts when the seat is depressed.
We have not thought it necessary to show a wash-hand basin or urinal
with the regulator applied thereto, nor have we thought it necessary to show
other forms of waterclosets where the regulator is acted upon by levers moved

page_text: by the hand or otherwise, as a mechanio will readily apply the regulating
apparatus in such cases, in like manner to that in which other forms of
regulating apparatuses have been applied. What we claim is the construction
and application of the regulating apparatus herein described to waterclosets,
wash hand basins, and urinals.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick George Underhay, have here.
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
F. G. UNDERHAY. (L.S.)