Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Liquids, known as Bird- fountain Feeders, applicable for Feeding Oil to Lamps and for other similar purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1891
COMPLETE DELICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Liquids, known as Bird-
fountain Feeders, applicable for Feeding Oil to Lamps and for
other similar purposes.
I, FREDERICK HENRY SMITH, of St. Wade, Bromley Park, Bromley, in the
County of Kent, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
It is well known that apparatus for feeding liquids, constructed on the principle
of the ordinary bird-fountain, is extremely useful for many purposes; but it is
inconvenient in practice when constructed in the ordinary way because it is
necessary to turn the fountain or reservoir bodily into a certain position when it
is required to fill it with liquid. In some cases this is exceedingly objectionable, as
for instance in the case of an oil lamp, and in order to obviate this inconvenience
various arrangements of valves have been proposed to enable the filling of the said
reservoir to be effected without reversing the same. In some of these arrangements
of valves the object has been to close the outlet from the reservoir as nearly as
possible at the same time as or before the inlet is opened through which fresh
liquid is supplied to the reservoir, because if the said inlet is opened to the
atmosphere before the outlet to the point where the liquid is consumed is closed, or
if the outlet is opened before the inlet is closed, liquid immediately begins to run
out of the reservoir and if there is sufficient liquid present, it overflows and is spilled.
Now so far as I am aware, all the valve arrangements heretofore proposed or used
have been defective, either by their not fulfilling the required conditions or by
reason of their mechanical arrangements being more or less defective. The object
of my present invention is to provide efficient means whereby the outlet from the
reservoir to the point where the liquid is used closed entirely before the inlet to
the reservoir is opened to the atmosphere at all; and per contra the inlet to the
reservoir is closed entirely from the atmosphere before the outlet is opened at all,
whereby the possibility of overflow is entirely obviated.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood, I will now proceed
to describe the same by the aid of the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by
way of example, a bird-fountain lamp with my improved valve arrangements applied
thereto.
Figure 1 is a vertical section,
Figure 2 a plan with cap removed,
Figures 3 and 4 are sectional plans looking upwards and downwards respectively
at line X-X of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a vertical section showing a modification of. the valve apparatus
applied to a similar purpose, and
Figure 6 a plan of same with cap removed.
A is the oil reservoir, B a false bottom or partition placed near the bottom
thereof, C the burner cup connected by a pipe D with the space or chamber E
beneath the partition B. F is a valve face on the upper side of the said partition.
Ga valve of circular or other suitable shape, preferably faced with leather or other
flexible material adapted to make an air and liquid tight joint against the valve
face F; but if preferred the surface of the valve G may be metallic and ground or
otherwise fitted air and liquid tight to the face F. The valve G is mounted on a
hollow square stem or spindle H, in which is free to slide longitudinally, to a
certain extent the square stem or spindle I of another valve J similar to the

page_text: valve G, but having its face upwards so as to bear against a valve face K on the
underside of a cap L adapted to screw on to the neck M of the reservoir A, and to
make an airtight joint therewith by means of the elastic washer N. P is a spiral
spring surrounding the valve spindles and bearing at its lower end against the
collar H' on the hollow valve spindle H and at its upper end against the collar I¹
on the valve spindle I. This spring, being compressed when the cap L is screwed
into place, exerts a downward pressure on the valve G, tending to keep the latter
pressed firmly against its face F and an upward pressure on the valve J tending to
keep the latter pressed firmly against its face K. The upper end of the valve
spindle I is prolonged through the bottom of the cap L and its square form adapts
it to be operated upon by a suitable key. The valve G has a hole G³ formed
through it, and a similar hole F is formed through the face F in a corresponding
position. The valve J has also a hole J' formed through it (see Figure 3) and a
similar hole K' is formed through the face K in a corresponding position. The
face K has also a hole K' formed through it, connected with an air pipe as shown.
The valve J has a hole J' through it which comes opposite the hole K' when the
hole J¹ coincides with the hole K'. These holes J* and K' serve for the escape of
air from the reservoir A when the same is receiving a fresh supply of oil through
the holes JK. It will be observed that the holes F¹ and K' in the faces F
and K respectively, and the holes G and J¹ in the valves G and J respectively,
are so placed in relation to one another that when the hole G' in the valve G
coincides with the hole F¹ in the face F, the hole J in the valve J does
not coincide with the hole K¹ in the face K, and when the hole J¹ in the valve J
coincides with the hole K in the face K, the hole G¹ in the valve G does not
coincide with the hole F¹ in the face F.
The valves G and J, being connected together by the square spindles H and I,
can be turned into any required position by means of a key applied to the upper
end of the valve spindle I, and it will now be understood that the valve G governs
the outlet of oil from the reservoir A to the chamber E and consequently to the
burner cup C, and that the valve J governs the inlet for the supply of oil to the
reservoir A and the outlet of air therefrom during the filling operation. In
Figure 1 the hole G' is shown coincident with the hole F¹ so that the oil in the
reservoir A can flow, as required, through the outlet pipe D to the burner cup B,
the holes K and K in the cap L being at that time closed airtight by the
unperforated part of the valve J. When it is required to replenish the oil in the
reservoir A, the spindle I, valve J, spindle H and valve G, are turned round by
the key applied to the upper end of the spindle I so as to bring an unperforated
part of the valve G over the hole F¹ and thereby to close it and prevent the
further passage of oil to the burner, and to bring the hole J' in valve J to coincide
with the hole K' and the hole J' to coincide with the hole K³, and a supply of oil
can then be introduced into the reservoir through the hole K³, the sides L of the
cap forming a funnel to facilitate such introduction. When the reservoir has
received a fresh supply of oil, the valves are turned by their spindles back into the
position shown in Figure 1.
It will be seen that by these means the outlet F1 to the burner is closed
completely before the inlet K¹ begins to open, and that per contra the inlet K³ is
closed completely before the outlet F is opened and that therefore there is no
period of time during which both valves are open together and consequently no
overflow can take place from such a cause however slowly the valves are moved.
In the arrangement shown both inlet and outlet can be closed at the same time, but
it is impossible to open one before the other is closed; and the interval between
the closing of one and the opening of the other can be varied by varying the
relative positions of the holes in the valves and valve faces; but it can also be
varied by the speed at which the valves are turned round.
The proper positions to which the valves are to be turned may be defined by a
stop R fixed in the face K against which shoulders S S on the valve J come to

page_text: Dear wnen The valves reach their proper positions on being turned H
direction.
The cap L is preferably provided with a cover such as T for example, which
may be made to form the key for turning the spindle I when it is held in the
position shown in Figure 1, and when closed down so as to take into the cap L it
may be used as a key to unscrew the said cap from the neck of the reservoir.
When the cap L is unscrewed and removed, the spindles and valves may be
lifted out of the reservoir for the purposes of cleaning and repair.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6 conical plug cocks or valves are
substituted for the flat valves shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. These conical plug
cocks or valves are better adapted than the flat valves when it is desired to make
them so as to work metal to metal with their seats, as for instance in the case of
using a liquid which is destructive to a leather, indiarubber, or other flexible or
elastic facing such as is shown in Figure 1. The action of the parts is quite similar
to that described in reference to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, and similar letters of reference
relate to like parts in all the figures of the drawing, but in the arrangement shown
in Figure 5 instead of the spindle I being continued up to receive the key for
turning the valves, the upper part of the hole J' may be made square as shown in
Figure 6 to receive a correspondingly shaped key which may be either made
separate, or connected with the cover T of the cap L as shown in Figure 5.
In the arrangements above described, and illustrated in the drawings, the stems
or spindles connecting the outlet and inlet valves together are represented as
square, that being the most convenient form for allowing of the requisite longi-
tudinal movement of the one stem or spindle in or on the other and of effecting the
transmission of rotary motion from one valve to the other; but it is obvious that
the stems or spindles may be of other forms adapted to slide longitudinally in or on
one another, to the requisite extent, while being so connected together that rotary
motion imparted to one valve will be transmitted to the other, and I would have it
understood that I do not limit myself to the precise means shown and described for
connecting the two valves together so that they shall act in unison, as those means
may be varied without departing from the nature of my invention.
Bird-fountain apparatus fitted with the valve arrangements above described is
applicable to a great variety of purposes, for example, for filling a number of
vessels to a certain level automatically, as for instance a number of baths from one
closed cistern or reservoir without fear of the water overflowing or rising above a
certain height, as the further flow of liquid is stopped as soon as the required level
is reached. It is also applicable to sanitary flushing apparatus, to lubricators for
the gradual supply of oil to machinery, and to many other purposes where a
gradual supply of liquid is required to replenish that which has been used up or
consumed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire to have it
understood that I am aware that an arrangement of valves in which the outlet
from the reservoir is closed before the inlet to the reservoir is opened and in which
the inlet is closed before the outlet is opened, is not in itself novel, and that I make
no claim generally to valve arrangements acting in that way; but that what I do
claim is:
First In apparatus for feeding liquids, known as bird-fountain feeders, the
combination of a valve or cock governing the outlet from the reservoir, a valve or
cock governing the inlet to the reservoir, the said two valves or cocks being
connected together by guide stems or spindles which are free to slide longitudinally
in or on one another, but are constrained to turn together, and a spring which
tends constantly to press the valves or cock plugs against their seats, the whole
combined, arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described, and
illustrated in the drawings.

page_text: Second In apparatus for feeding liquids, known as bird-fountain feeders, the
valves or cocks and their connections, constructed, arranged and operating sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the drawings.
Doted this 4th dow of Contoh 1901
F. H. SMITH.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.