Improvements in Flushing Cisterns.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 10th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 10th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flushing Cisterns.
I, JOHN MERRILL Albany Road, Sheffield in the County of York, Manufacturer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in flushing cisterns for closets and
the like, and which are to act automatically, and refers more particularly to the
automatic action of charging the syphon.
According to one arrangement I place a tumbler in the cistern pivotted at a
higher point than the bend of the syphon.
The water is fed into a double ended shoot working on a pivot, one end of the
shoot being over the tumbler, and the other end over the cistern, and to this end I
attach the arm of a float.
When the cistern is empty the weight of the float draws down the end of the
shoot, and the feed water is discharged into the cistern; when the cistern fills the
float rises and ultimately the supply is turned into the tumbler, which when filled
to the proper level tips over, discharging its contents into the cistern and producing
a head of water which charges the syphon.
According to a second arrangement I place the short arm of the syphon in an
upright cylinder, communicating with the cistern by a valve or by apertures of
sufficient sectional area.
The top end of the cylinder is open and stands a sufficient height above the water
level, and above it I fix a tumbler and double shoot, fitted with a float, which acts
in a manner similar to that described in the first arrangement, but discharging into
the cylinder instead of into the cistern; by this arrangement a much smaller tumbler
will raise the required head of water to charge the syphon.
In another arrangement I place a trap at the outlet end of the syphon, and from
a convenient point in the long leg, but higher than the trap, I carry an air pipe into
a tumbler fixed in the trap chamber. This tumbler is constructed in two compart-
ments one of which can be filled without the tumbler tipping, and into which the
air pipe is carried aud trapped.
The other compartment is to produce the tipping action, and directly above it I
fix a pipe passing through the cistern up to the water line, so that when the water
in the cistern has reached the desired level it runs down the said pipe into the small
compartment of the tumbler, causing it to tip, discharge its contents, and unseal the
air pipe, allowing the head of water in the cistern to charge the syphon.
As a modification of the arrangement last described, I place the outlet end of the
syphon in a tumbler constructed as above described, and which is therein trapped or
sealed, and I thus dispense with the air pipe before mentioned.
When the tumbler is caused to tip and discharge its contents, the syphon is
unsealed and the head of water in the cistern at once charges it.
TI
1000
ROBT. F. DRURY, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
Bank Buildings, George Street, Sheffield, Agent for Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flushing Cisterns.
I, JOHN MERRILL, of Albany Road, Sheffield, in the County of York Manu-
facturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in flushing cisterns for closets and the
like, and refers more particularly to the automatic action of charging the syphon.
And in order that my invention may be clearly understood, I annex a sheet of
illustrative drawings, showing the invention carried out under different arrange-
ments; similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in any of the figures.
Fig. 1, is a sectional elevation of a cistern with my improvements.
Fig. 2, a similar elevation of the side of cistern.
Fig. 3, plan of same.
Fig. 4, sectional elevation of a cistern with another arrangement of tumbler.
Fig. 5, elevation and plan of tumbler.
Fig. 6, sectional elevation of a cistern with a further modification.
In carrying out my invention according to one arrangement which is illustrated
in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 7
place a tumbler A, in the cistern B, pivotting it at a higher
point than the bend of the syphon C, the lower leg of which is sealed in the
trap D.
A double open ended shoot or spout E, is supported by any convenient means
such as the standard F, to which it is pivotted, and it is arranged in such a manner
that one end E', will conduct the feed water (which is supplied by a tap G, fixed
above it) into the tumbler A, and the other end E' to the cistern B, according as
the shoot E, is inclined upon its pivots in one direction or the other; and to the last
mentioned end E2, of the shoot, I connect a float I.
When the cistern is empty, the weight of the float I, draws down the end E³, of
the shoot E, causing the feed water to flow into the body of the cistern.
As the cistern fills with water, the float rises, and ultimately the shoot is inclined
in the opposite direction, and discharges the water into the tumbler A, and when it
reaches the proper height, it causes the tumbler to overbalance and tip over, dis-
charging its contents into the body of the cistern, thus instantly producing a
head of water which is sufficient to charge the syphon, and empty the cistern.
A modification of the above arrangement, which permits a much smaller tumbler
to be used, is made by placing the short arm of the syphon in an open cylinder
placed in the cistern, its top edge being above the water level, but communicating
with the water by means of a valve, or apertures of sufficient area, near the bottom
of cylinder.
A tumbler supplied from a shoot in the manner before described discharges its
contents into the cylinder instead of the cistern.
According to another arrangement which is shown in Fig. 4, I trap the outlet end
of the syphon C, as shown, and from a convenient position in the long leg, I carry
an air pipe J, into a tumbler K, fixed in the trap chamber L.
The tumbler is constructed with an auxiliary chamber K*, see Fig. 5; the larger
chamber of K, can be filled with water, without causing it to overbalance or tip,
and it is into this part that the air pipe J, is carried and trapped, and is also
provided with a clack valve M.
The smaller auxiliary chamber K³ is to produce the tipping action, and to
accomplish this, I fix directly above it a pipe N, passing through the cistern
vertically or otherwise up to the water line O, so that when the water in the cistern
has risen to the desired level, it runs down the said pipe N, into the auxiliary
chamber, eventually causing it and the tumbler attached to it, to tip over and
discharge their contents. This action unseals the end of the air pipe J, releases the

page_text: confined air, and allows the head of water in the cistern to charge the syphon, and
draw off the contents of the cistern.
To prevent any possibility of water standing in the syphon after the cistern is
empty, and which would cause the feed water to be carried off as fast as it was
supplied, I have arranged the following device; I connect an air pipe P, to the
upper part of syphon C, placing its lower and open end in a vessel Q which is
provided in its floor with a small outlet R.
When the cistern is discharged by the action of the syphon, the water held in the
vessel Qis retained for some time on account of the small outlet R, but when it
falls below the end of the pipe P, air is admitted and passes through it into the
syphon, releasing the water which at once disappears by gravitation.
When the tumbler A, has tipped over and discharged its contents it returns
to its normal position by gravity and becomes filled with water ready for the next
discharge.
The tumbler and its auxiliary chamber is clearly shown in the two views Fig. 5.
In the arrangement which I prefer, and which is illustrated in Fig. 6, I use a
tumbler K, with an auxiliary tipping chamber K³, as before described, with the
pipe N, placed directly over the chamber K2, for the purpose of filling it with water
when that in the cistern reaches its highest level; also an air pipe P, communicating
with the interior of the syphon C, and vessel Q, all as before described, but instead
of the long leg of the syphon terminating in a sealed trap D, as shown in Fig. 4, I
carry the lower part of it into the tumbler K, as indicated by dotted lines, and I
dispense with the air pipe J, Fig. 4.
When the tumbler is caused to tip, the long leg of the syphon is thereby unsealed,
the confined air liberated, and the head of water in the cistern at once charges the
syphon, causing the contents of the cistern to be discharged.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of any said inven-
tion, and the manner in which it is or may be carried into practice, I declare that
what I claim, is :-
1. In the construction of syphon flushing cisterns, the double acting pivotted
shoot E, and float I, in combination with a tumbler A, arranged substantially as
hereinbefore described, and as shown in Figs. 1. 2. 3 of the annexed drawings.
2. In the construction of automatic syphon flushing cisterns, the combination and
arrangement of a tumbler K, having a connected tipping chamber K*; pipes N & J ;
an air pipe P, and vessel Q, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in Fig. 4 of the annexed drawings.
3. In the construction of automatic syphon flushing cisterns, the combination and
arrangement of a tumbler K with tipping chamber K; the long leg of the syphon
carried into the tumbler K; a filling pipe N; an air pipe P, and vessel Q ;
substantially as hereinbefore described, and shown in Fig. 6.
4. In automatic flushing cisterns; a tumbler K, constructed with an attached or
connected tipping chamber K2, substantially as hereinbefore described, and shown
in Fig. 5.
5. In syphon flushing cisterns; an air pipe P, communicating with the interior
of the syphon, and dipping into a vessel Q, provided with an outlet R, substantially
as described, and as shown in Figs. 4, and 6.
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3
1 1001
ROBT. F. DRURY, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
Bank Buildings, George Street, Sheffield, Agent for Applicant.