Improvements in Water-waste Preventers for Flushing Purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 17th Mar., 1897-4ccepted, 17th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water-waste Preventers for Flushing Purposes.
I, ARNDALL HOCKING of 52, Belford Street, Burnley, in the County of
Lancaster, Sanitary Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The first part of this invention has reference to that class of self acting flushing
arrangements which are used for flushing latrines or multiple closets, drains, sewers,
and the like.
I employ a cistern or tank preferably formed of earthenware and sufficiently large
to give a powerful flush. I mount in the interior of the tank a container or vessel
provided with a siphon. This vessel is connected by means of a lever and vertical
rod to a valve situated at the bottom of the tank.
A supply cf water is allowed to dribble very slowly from any convenient source
into the tank until it reaches the said siphonic discharge vessel, which, besides
being connected to the lever is hinged to the tank or otherwise connected thereto
so as to allow of its depression. The siphonic discharge vessel now becoming full
of water or nearly so is thereby depressed, and starts the siphon. Simultaneously
with this movement, the lever connected to the said vessel is acted upon sufficiently
to raise the valve in the tank, when the whole volume of water is discharged with
considerable force into the system of closets, or through the drains or sewers as the
case may be.
In another arrangement, the large tank or cistern is partitioned off with a
diaphragm on one side, so as to form a separate chamber. One end of a two armed
lever is connected by a vertical rod to the valve of the cistern, whilst the other
arm of the said lever carries a siphonic vessel or container, which is suspended in
the partitioned portion of the tank.
The water is discharged into the tank by an automatic tipper, which discharges
its contents periodically. In this way, the tank is filled with water, until it
overflows through a conduit into the separate chamber constituted by the partition
and fills the siphonic discharge vessel, suspended from the aforesaid two armed
lever. This goes on until a sufficient body or weight of water enters the siphonic
container, to depress the lever, raise the valve, and also start the siphon.
Thus the whole body of water is immediately got rid of in the main tank. As
regards the partitioned portion thereof, into which the water contained in the
suspended vessel is slowly discharged by the siphon, a small conduit is led
therefrom to the outlet underneath the valve in the main tank, whereby the water
is siped off.
Instead of a diaphragm a round cylinder or square box may be fixed, so as to
form the separate chamber.
In another modification I employ a partitioned tank and siphonic discharge
vessel connected by a lever to the dead weight valve as previously described, but
instead of the said siphonic discharge vessel being filled by the overflow of water
from the main tank as in the preceding arrangement, I employ other means to
bring about the desired result. The main cistern or tank is filled by a dribble from
a small tap or any convenient source. When the water in the main tank reaches
the level of the partition or nearly so, it raises a ball tap or valve, and allows a
sudden inrush of water from a separate and independent pipe or tap to immediately
or quickly fill the siphonic container so as to depress the lever open the dead

page_text: weight valve and start the siphon, as it is necessary in all cases that the supply
of water from the separate source should be sufficient to effect this result.
The whole body of water in the main tank then passes with considerable force
through the dead weight valve. The ball tap now resumes its normal position,
whilst the water in the siphonic container is discharged into the partitioned
portion of the tank, and from thence is conveyed by a conduit or small pipe
underneath the dead weight valve to the main outlet.
The dribble of water continues to flow into the tank, and at intervals the automatic
discharge or flush is repeated.
In a third modification, I use a siphon discharge vessel connected by a lever and
vertical rod to the dead weight valve as described in the two previous arrangements.
In the present arrangement, instead of the tipper working automatically to fill the
tank, the tipper is disposed immediately over the cylindrical container or siphonic
discharge vessel, and overbalances only by the buoyancy of the water contained in
the tank as hereinafter explained. A drop by drop or dribble supply of water fills
the tipper, but when full the same does not upset automatically, but the water
overflows therefrom into the main tank. When the water rises to a certain level
in the main tank, a suitable float or similar device raises the tipper to overbalance
it thereby filling the siphon discharge vessel, so as to depress the same to raise the
dead weight valve, and at the same time siphon its contents away as hereinbefore
described.
The float may be hinged to the back of the tank, and by the buoyancy of the
water upset the tipper, or it can be a loose float working in a cylinder open at both
ends, and perforated at the sides. Or, it may be arranged to pull the tipper over
instead of push it over, by a lever movement, the rod or lever carrying the float
being pivotted at or near its centre, the other end of same being secured to front
part of tipper, and as the float rises the other end of lever falls and pulls the tipper
over containing water. Or the tipper may be provided with cork or other light
material, so that when the water in the tank reaches the cork or other light
material it will upset the tipper as previously described. Or, even the tipper may
be provided with an airtight cylinder or case at the bottom permanently fixed so
as to take the place of float as previously described.
The container or discharge vessel instead of being siphonic may be formed with
a small aperture at the bottom to permit of the escape of water after the tipper has
discharged its contents into it as described.
Dated this 16th day of June 1896.
F. RICHMOND,
12, Standish Street, Burnley, Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Water-waste Preventers for Flushing Purposes.
I, ARNDALL HOCKING of 52, Belford Street, Burnley, in the County of
Lancaster, Sanitary Engineer, 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 :-
The first part of this invention has reference to that class of self-acting flushing
arrangements, which are used for Bushing latrines or multiple closets, drains, sewers,
and the like.
I employ a cistern or tank
.large to give a powerful flush.
vessel provided with a siphon.
tank formed by a partition or
preferably formed of earthenware, and sufficiently
I mount in the interior of the tank a container or
This vessel is placed in a separate chamber in the
diaphragm, and is connected by means of a lever and

page_text: vertical rod to a valve situated at the bottom of the tank, so as to be suspended in
the partitioned portion of the tank.
A supply of water is allowed to dribble very slowly into an automatic tipper,
which discharges its contents periodically into the main tank. In this way the
tank is filled with water, until it overflows through a conduit into the separate
chamber constituted by the partition, and fills the siphonic discharge vessel,
suspended from the aforesaid two armed lever. This goes on until a sufficient body
or weight of water enters the siphonic container, to depress the lever, raise the
valve, and also start the siphon.
Thus the whole body of water is immediately got rid of in the main tank. As
regards the partitioned portion thereof, into which the water contained in the
suspended vessel is slowly discharged by the siphon, a small conduit is led
therefrom to the outlet underneath the valve in the main tank, whereby the water
is siped off.
Instead of a diaphragm a round cylinder or square box may be fixed, so as to
form a separate chamber.
In another modification, I employ a partitioned tank and siphonic discharge
vessel connected by a lever to a dead weight valve as previously described, but
instead of the said siphonic discharge vessel being filled by the overflow of water
from the main tank as in the preceding arrangement, I employ other means to
bring about the desired result. The main cistern or tank is filled by a dribble
from a small tap or any convenient source. When the water in the main tank
reaches the level of the partition or nearly so, it raises a ball valve, and allows a
sudden inrush of water from a separate and independent pipe or tap to immediately
or quickly fill the siphonic container so as to depress the lever, open the dead
weight valve, and start the siphon, as it is necessary in all cases that the supply
of water from the separate source should be sufficient to effect this result.
The whole body of water in the inain tank then passes with considerable force
through the dead weight valve. The ball tap now resumes its normal position,
whilst the water in the siphonic container is discharged into the partitioned portion
of the tank, and from thence is conveyed by a conduit or small pipe underneath
the dead weight valve to the main outlet.
The dribble of water continues to flow into the tank, and at intervals the
automatic discharge or flush is repeated.
In a third modification, I use a siphon discharge vessel connected by a lever
and vertical rod to the dead weight valve as described in the two preceding
arrangements. In the present arrangement, instead of the tipper working
automatically to fill the tank, the tipper is disposed immediately over the cylindrical
container or siphonic discharge vessel, and overbalances only by the buoyancy of
the water contained in the tank as hereinafter explained. A drop by drop or
dribble supply of water fills the tipper, but when full the same does not upset
When the
automatically, but the water overflows therefrom into the main tank.
water rises to a certain level in the main tank, a suitable float or similar device
raises the tipper to overbalance it thereby filling the siphon discharge or similar
vessel, so as to depress the same to raise the dead weight valve, and at the same
time siphon its contents away as herein before described."
The float may be hinged to the back of the tank, and by the buoyancy of the water
upset the tipper, or it can be a loose float, working in a cylinder open at both ends,
and perforated at the sides. Or, it may be arranged to pull the tipper over instead
of push it over, by a lever movement, the rod or lever carrying the float, being
pivotted at or near its centre, the other end of the same being secured to the front
part of the tipper, and as the float rises the other end of the lever falls, and pulls
the tipper over containing water. Or the tipper may be provided with cork or
other light material, so that when the water in the tank reaches the cork or other
light material, it will upset the tipper as previously described. Or, even, the tipper
may be provided with an airtight cylinder or case at the bottom permanently fixed,
so as to take the place of the float as previously described.

page_text: The container or discharge vessel instead of being siphonic may be formed with
a small aperture at the bottom to permit of the escape of water after the tipper has.
discharged its contents into it as described.
In the accompanying drawings jare represented divers arrangements of my
improved self-acting flushing tank for latrines or multiple closets, drains, sewers
and the like.
One arrangement is shewn in Fig. 1. A is the large tank or cistern. A drop
by drop supply of water from any convenient source fills the automatic tipper B
which discharges its contents periodically into the tank. This goes on, until the
water reaches the level of the partition or diaphragm C preferably formed in one
piece with the cistern, when it overflows into the siphonic container D, suspended
at one end of two armed lever E, the other end thereof being connected by a rod
or chain to the dead-weight valve F. A sufficient weight of water having over-
flowed into the siphonic container D, the latter is depressed, which has the effect of
raising the other end of the two armed lever E, so as to open the dead weight
valve F, and allow the whole body of water contained in the tank to flow through
the outlet Go the trap or drain. The water contained in the container Dis
siphoned away by the siphon D', and finds its way through conduit H to outlet G.
In the arrangement shewn in Fig. 2, the tank A is filled by a small dribble of
water from tap I, until it nearly reaches the level of the partition C, when the
buoyancy of the water raises ball-valve J, thus allowing the sudden inrush of
water from a separate source K to fill container L, so as to depress it, and open
dead weight valve F in the manner previously described. Container L is formed
with a small opening M to permit of the water flowing from the container through
conduit H to outlet G. This allows dead weight valve F to regain its normal
position, when the automatic action is repeated from time to time. If desired, a
siphon may he used in substition for the orifice M.
In another arrangement represented in Fig. 3 the container L is suspended in a
cylinder or square box to form a separate chamber instead of the diaphragm, the con-
nections to the outlet valve being similar to the preceding arrangements. A dribble
of water fills the tilting tank O, which is arranged not to upset automatically when
full, but to allow the water to overflow at the back into the tank A. Thus gradually
the tank is filled, and when the water contained therein reaches the float P fixed to
the back of tipper O, the buoyancy of the water is sufficient to upset the same, when
its contents is suddenly discharged into the container L, so as to depress the latter,
and allow of the immediate escape of the whole body of water contained in the tank
through the dead weight valve F. A small orifice M slowly clears container L to
permit of the parts to regain their normal position, when the operation is repeated
periodically.
In a further modification represented in Fig. 4, the tank is provided with a
tubular column Q which communicates with the outlet R to the trap of the closet
or drain. The siphonic container D is suspended in this outlet R by a vertical rod
carried by the two-armed lever S, connected by another rod T to the dead weight
valve U. Water is gradually allowed to flow into the tank from any convenient
source, until it reaches the top of column R, down which it eventually flows, filling
the siphonic container, until a sufficient body of water has entered the same to depress
it, when the whole volume of water in the tank makes its exit suddenly through
valve U into an intermediate channel V and thence to outlet R speedily setting the
siphon in action by flowing into the container D, which after the tank has
discharged its contents drains off the water contained in the container D, and
thereby allows the dead weight valve U to resume its normal position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved arrangement and combination of parts of self-acting flushing
tank for latrines, or multiple closets, drains sewers and the like, consisting of

page_text: siphonic container D, automatic tipper B discharging its contents into the tank A
partition or diaphragm C, two armed lever E actuated as described, and dead weight.
valve connection F, substantially as described, and illustrated in Fig. 1.
2. In self-acting flushing tanks for latrines or multiple closets, drains, and sewers,.
tank A filled by small dribble of water, partition C forming separate chamber and
having container L suspended in it, ball valve J for suddenly filling container from
separate source, the latter thereby operating dead weight valve F, and getting rid
of its contents, substantially in the manner described, and illustrated in Fig. 2.
3. The improved arrangement of self-acting flushing tank consisting of tipper O.
with float P attached, arranged to tip only with the buoyancy of the water when
the tank A is filled, in combination with a cylinder or diaphragm having suspended
therein container L, siphonic or otherwise, the said container being connected to a.
two armed lever arranged to work dead weight valve F substantially as described
and illustrated in Fig. 3.
4. The arrangement represented in Fig. 4, substantially as described and
illustrated.
5. Container D or L, siphonic or otherwise, and suspended so as to operate dead.
weight valve F, substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 16th day of March 1897
F. RICHMOND,
12, Standish Street, Burnley, Agent for the Applicant..