IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUSH CISTERNS PARTS OF WHICH SP
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wright of Plymouth in the County of Devon
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUSH CISTERNS PARTS OF WHICH
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wright at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th July 1882.
WILLIAM WRIGHT of Plymouth in the County of Devon, "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLUSH CISTERNS PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
"
I take a cistern such as is ordinarily used for this purpose and preferably in the
bottom of this I place the supply pipe upon which is a valve to close the opening.
The spindle of this valve comes through the casing and a cross lever rests upon it;
a chain or other flexible connection is attached to one end of the lever and the
other end of the chain is fastened to a float by preference suitably supported so as
not to fall on to the valve when the cistern is empty. When desired I place an
adjustable balance weight or equivalent upon the other end of the lever. A Syphon
of any suitable construction is also provided; a convenient way of forming this
being to attach a cover to the side or end of the cistern reaching to within a short
distance of the bottom and place a pipe up inside this to within a short distance of
the top of the cover.
A hand lever is so placed as to be capable of depressing the float when
required and collars or the like are used where necessary to deflect the water as it
enters; the action is as follows. Water enters by the supply pipe, lifts the valve
and is distributed over the bottom of the cistern by the deflector when it rises high
enough it lifts the float which by means of the chain lifts the valve lever and
closes the valve. To start the syphon and flush, the hand lever is pulled which
forces the float into the water thus rising the level until the water overflows down
the discharge pipe, starts the syphon and empties the cistern as low as the syphon
will take it.
It will be seen that this form of "ball-cock" can be used independently of the
flush cistern and has advantages over the forms at present in use inasmuch as it
can be placed in almost any position in a tank &e and having no long rigid lever
(this valve lever can be made quite short) attached to the float it occupies very
little room.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by.
the said William Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th January
1883.
WILLIAM WRIGHT of Plymouth in the county of Devon.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLUSH CISTERNS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
"
I take a cistern such as is ordinarily used for this purpose and preferably in the
botton of this I place the supply pipe upon which is a valve to close the opening.
The spindle of this valve comes through the casing and a cross lever rests upon it;
a chain or other flexible connection is attached to one end of the lever and the
other end of the chain is fastened to a float by preference suitably supported so as
not to fall on to the valve when the cistern is empty. When desired I place an
adjustablo balance weight or equivalent upon the other end of the lever. A syphon
of any suitable construction is also provided; a convenient way of forming this
being to attach a cover to the side or end of the cistern reaching to within a short
distance of the bottom and place a pipe up inside this to within a short distance of
the top of the cover.
A hand lever is so placed as to be capable of depressing the float when required
and collars or the like are used where necessary to deflect the water as it enters;
the action is as follows. Water enters by the supply pipe, lifts the valve and is
distributed over the bottom of the cistern by the deflector when it rises high
enough it lifts the float which by means of the chain lifts the valve lever and
closes the valve. To start the syphon and flush, the hand lever is pulled which
forces the float into the water thus raising the level until the water overflows down
the discharge pipe, starts the syphon and empties the cistern as low as the syphon
will take it.
It will be seen that this form of "ball-cock" can be used independently of the
flush cistern and has advantages over the forms at present in use inasmuch as it
can be placed in almost any position in a tank &c and having no long rigid lever
(this valve lever can be made quite short) attached to the float it occupies very
little room.
A is
In the accompanying drawings Fig 1 is a vertical longitudinal section, Fig 2
is a vertical cross section and Fig 3 a plan of the flush cistern completo,
the float being shown in dotted lines and Fig 4 is an elevation of the ball cock
removed from the cistern and which may be used independently thereof.
the tank or cistern, B the syphon discharge tube and C the cover, D the float
connected by chain rod or other suitable form of connection E to the valve lever F.
G is the inlet valve and consists of the discharge nozzle H, perforated casing G and
plug or valve I (Fig 4); K is the inlet pipe. The action is as follows; water enters
by the valve G through its perforations-or in place of the casing or in addition to
it a deflector may be used-and as it rises in the tank it lifts the float D which
closes the valve and shuts off tho supply. To start the flush the handle L is pulled,
drawing down the lever M which by the rod N forces the float D down into the
cistern thereby displacing a large body of water and raising the level of the water
in the cistern till it overflows down the inner tube B of the syphon and starts it,
and the cistern will then empty itself to the bottom of the tube C. R is a rubber
ring to keep lever M raised up. A balance weight on an extended end of lever M
beyond the pivot would have the same effect
In order to stop water from entering by the valve whilst the flush is on, a
lever O may be employed, centred at P and provided with a balance weight at P.
The rod Q is jointed to one end of O and as lever M is pulled down to start the

page_text: flush the rod Q is also depressed and the end P¹ of P is raised carrying with it
lever F and closing the valve as will be easily understood by reference to Figs 1
and 2. The valve Fig 4 will be readily understood; K is the inlet pipe and H
the discharge nozzle; I the plug or valve which closes the nozzle H and G a per-
forated casing or deflector if preferred-D the ball or float connected to F by a
chain or equivalent E. R represents the bottom of the cistern. The water enters
by the nozzle H and escapes by the perforations in G and as it rises it lifts the
float D and gradually closes the valve. The height to which the cistern fills may be
regulated by the length of the chain or connection E.
By using an angle or bell-crank lever instead of the straight lever F this valve
can be applied to the side of the cistern where that may be preferred. When
placed in the bottom of the cistern there is practically no noise produced by the
incoming water as the level in the cistern seldom falls so low as the perforations
in G
Having now described my invention and the method of performing the same I
wish it to be understood that what I claim and desire to protect under the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is;
First In a Bush cistern the float D which serves the two purposes of closing
the inlet valve and starting the syphon substantially as described.
Second-The employment of the ball or flont D independent of the valve lever
but connected therewith substantially as set forth.
Third The combination of lever M, rod Q and pivotted levers O and F as a
means of closing the inlet valve while the syphon is discharging substantially as
set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Wright have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty-second day of January in the year of Our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
TTTY
WDTATM
("SUT)
TTTY
WRIGHT