MENTS IN FOUNTAINS
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Needham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th June 1879.
JOSEPH NEEDHAM, of Knightsbridge, in the County of Middlesex.
MENTS IN FOUNTAINS,"
"IMPROVE
The Invention has for its object improvements in fountains whereby the same
are rendered simple and efficacious, and are easily put into action.
For this purpose according to one arrangement I form the body of the fountain
with an annular water chamber at the upper part thereof. This water chamber
is entirely closed except to air and water supply and delivery pipes, the air pipe
opens into the upper part of the annular chamber above the level of the water
therein, and is connected to a stand pipe rising from the bottom of the fountain,
the delivery pipe is connected to another similarly placed stand pipe to which
the jet nozzle is fixed, and the supply pipe or pipes opens or open into the bottom
of the body of the fountain, and terminates or terminate nearly at the top of the
annular chamber.
Water is supplied to the body of the fountain until it rises to a height nearly to
the top of the annular chamber; an air vessel closed on its sides and top but open
at the bottom, is then placed in the body of the fountain, and by displacing the
water the air in such air vessel is compressed; a tube fixed to the air vessel and
opening into the top thereof, but closed at its upper end, passes over the air stand
pipe before mentioned, and a tube fixed to but passing completely through the air
chamber and closed thereto but open at each end passes over the stand delivery.
pipe.
Thus as the air chamber is lowered into the water either completely to the
bottom at starting the fountain, or is pressed gradually downwards by its own
weight, the air is compressed therain, and by exerting its pressure on the top of
the water in the annular chamber the water is forced out from this latter through
the jet nozzle, and the fountain will continue to play until such annular chamber
is emptied, when the air will have escaped from the air chamber into the annular
water chamber; then in order to cause the fountain again to play it is only necessary
D...

page_text: to partially withdraw the air chamber from the body of the fountain so as to admit
air thereto and then to reinsert it, when the annular chamber will have again filled
with water and the fountain will begin to play.
As a modification of the above the water chamber may be fixed above the air
chamber, in which caso both are removeable from the body of the fountain; an air
tube opens at its lower end into the top of the air chamber, and at its upper end
into and near the top of the water chamber. The jet pipe is fixed in the water
chamber and is open thereto at or near the bottom of such chamber.
A tray or dish holding sufficient water to fill the water chamber is fixed above
such water chamber, and an inverted syphon opens at one end into the bottom of
such tray or dish, and at the other inside the water chamber near the top thereof,
the bend or lower part of such inverted syphon being extended as low as may bo
required to overcome the pressure of the air in the air chamber, and thereby to
prevent the nir being forced through such syphon.
To put the fountain in action it is supplied with water until the latter stands
in the body of the fountain just above the tray or dish carried by the water
chamber, the water and air chambers are then raised, when the water in tho tray
or dish will run by way of the inverted syphon into the water chambor, the air in
which will pass out by the air tube, and air will be supplied to the air chamber;
then by again lowering the air and water chambers into the body of the fountain
the air is compressed in the air chamber and the fountain will be caused to
work until the water chamber is emptied, when by repeating the operations of
raising and lowering the air and water chambers the fountain is again caused to
play.
The air chamber and the air and water chambers may be raised and lowered by
screw gear, rack and pinion pulley, or by other suitable means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph Needham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
December 1879.
JOSEPH NEEDHAM, of Knightsbridge, in the County of Middlesex.
MENTS IN FOUNTAINS."
"IMPROVE-
Figures 1 and 2 are two vertical sections, and Figure 3 is a sectional plan of a
fountain constructed according to my Invention.
Figuro 4 is a vertical section, Figure 5 is a sectional plan, and Figure 6 is a
partial side view, partly in section, of a second arrangement of fountain constructed
according to my Invention; and Figure 7 is a vertical section of a modification of
the arrangement of fountain represented at Figures 4, 5, 6; and Figure 8 is a
section of another modification.
In all the Figures like parts are marked with similar letters of reference.
The Invention has for its object improvements in fountains whereby the same
are rendered simple and effective, and are easily put into action.

page_text: For this purpose according to the arrangement represented at Figures 1, 2,
and 3, I form the body a of the fountain with an annular water chamber bat
the upper part thereof.
This water chamber b is entirely closed except to air pipe c and water supply
pipe & and delivery pipe a. The air pipe copens into the upper part of the annular
chamber b above the level of the water therein, and is connected by a tube c² to a
stand pipe rising from the bottom of the fountain; the delivery pipe e is con-
nected by a tube e to another similarly placed stand pipe to which the jet
nozzle e³ is fixed, and the supply pipes & open into the bottom of the body a of the
fountain, and terminate nearly at the top of the annular chamber b.
Water is supplied to the body a of the fountain until it rises to a height nearly
to the top of the annular chamber b, an air vessel ƒ closed on its sides and top but
open at the bottom is then placed in the body a of the fountain, and by displacing
the water the air in such air vessel is compressed; a tube f¹ fixed to the air
vessel fand opening into the top thereof, but closed at its upper end, passes ove:
the before mentioned air stand pipe c³, and a tube f fixed to but passing com-
pletely through the air chamber and closed thereto, but open at each end, passes
over the stand delivery pipe 6.
An annular basin or dish g is fixed at the top of the body of the fountain from
which the water overflows into the interior of such body over or through perfora-
tions in the inner wall of such basin or dish.
The air vessel f is raised when required by means of pulleys h and cords or chains
i as shown, or it may be by a rack and pinion or by a screw, or by other convenient
.eans.
By the before described arrangement of parts, as the air chamber fis lowered into
the water, either completely to the bottom at starting the fountain, or is pressed
gradually downwards by its own weight, the air is compressed therein, and by
exerting its pressure on the top of the water in the annular chamber b the water is
thereby forced out from this latter through the jet nozzle and the fountain will
continue to play until such annular chamber is emptied of its water, when air will
have escaped from the air chamber into the annular water chamber b; then in order
to cause the fountain again to play it is only necessary to partially withdraw the
air chamber from the body of the fountain or raise it therein, and then to reinsert
or lower it, when the air in the annular chamber b will, by the raising of the
chamber, have returned into such chamber, and at the same time water from the
body of the fountain will have occupied the place of the air in such annular chamber
b, thereby setting the fountain again in action.
In the arrangement represented at Figures 4, 5, and 6, the water chamber b is
fixed above the air chamber f, and both are removeable from the body of the
fountain; an air tube c opens at its lower end into the top of the air chamber f,
and at its upper end into and near the top of the water chamber b.
The jet pipe is fixed in the water chamber b and is open thereto at or near the
bottom of such chamber b.
A tray or dish g¹ holding sufficient water to fill the water chamber b is fixed
above such water chamber b, and an inverted syphon d opens at one end into
the bottom of such tray or dish g², and at the other inside the water chamber b near
the top thereof, the bend or lower part of such syphon being extended as low as
may be required to overcome the pressure of the air in the air chamber f, and
thereby to prevent the air being forced through such syphon.
To put the fountain in action it is supplied with water until the latter stands
in the body of the fountain just above the tray or dish g' carried by the water
chamber b; the water and air chambers b and fare then raised, when the water in
the tray or dish g' will run by way of the inverted syphon d into the water
chamber b, the air in which will pass out by the air tube o back into the air
chamber, by which such chamber will be again supplied with the necessary
quantity of air; then by again lowering the air and water chambers b and finto
the body of the fountain the air is compressed in the air chamber f, and the

page_text: fountain will be caused to work until the water chamber b is emptied, when by
repeating the operations of raising and lowering the air and water chambers the
fountain is again caused to play.
The air and water chambers band f may be raised and lowered as represented
by rack i and pinion h, or screw gear, pulley, and cord or chain, or other suitable
means may be employed for such purpose.
In the modification reprosented at Figure 7 tho fountain is shown provided with
a second tray or dish g which acts to supply a second water chamber 6* with
water through the inverted syphon d*.
This fountain is shown provided with a screw j around the internal parts acting
in combination with projections a' on the interior of the body a of the fountain, by
which means on turning the interior parts within the body a in one direction they
are raised, and by turning them in the opposite direction they are lowered.
This fountain operates as follows:-Water is supplied to the fountain until it
stands at the levels indicated. On raising the interior parts water from the tray
or dish g' passes by the inverted syphon d into the water chamber b, and from the
tray or dish g' through the inverted syphon d into the water chamber 6*; then
on lowering such parts into the body a of the fountain, the pressure of air in the
chamber acting through the air tube c on the water in the chamber 6* causes
such water to pass through the tube k into the tray or dish g', and the pressure of
air in the chamber will act through the tube c upon the water in the chamber b,
thereby causing such water to be forced through the jet nozzle e³ until such
chamber is emptied; then by repeating the operations above described the
fountain can be again set in action.
At Figure 8 I have represented a modification of the arrangements before
described in which the air chamber is weighted and is arranged gradually to fall
until it reaches the bottom of the body a, when it can be again raised; the action of
this modified form of fountain will, aided by the foregoing description, be readily
understood.
By this last described modification the height of the jet is maintained constant
during the descent of the chamber f.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
peculiar combinations, arrangements, and mode of operation of parts of fountains,
substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Needham, have hereunto set my band
and seal, this Twenty third day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
JOSEPH NEEDHAM
JOSEPH NEEDHAM
(E.S.)