Improvements in Devices for Attaching and Applying Disinfectant Blocks or the like in Water Closets, Urinals, Drains, and other Places or Articles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Jan., 1892-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Attaching and Applying Disinfectant
Blocks or the like in Water Closets, Urinals, Drains, and other
Places or Articles.
I, HENRY BELCHER THORNTON, of 12 and 14, Paradise Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to devices which can be easily and securely attached in
any position to water closets, drains, urinals and other places or articles, and which
will enable the disinfectant block, or the like, to be placed in the direct line of the
flush or flow of water or in contact with other liquid.
In carrying out my invention I take a length or strip of malleable or pliable
metal or other material or substance having similar properties, and on this and in
the line of its length are arranged points of suspension, such as a series of hooks, on
which the disinfectant (made either into soluble tablets, or put into porous bags or
otherwise) can be hung, and this device is applied so that as the water or other
liquid enters the bowl of the closet, the urinal, the drain, etc., it rushes over the
disinfectant, at the same time carrying a portion of it off.
In disinfecting a water closet for instance, according to this invention, the
malleable or pliable piece or strip is bent round at one end to the shape of a crook,
and this end is hung over the lip or rim of the bowl, the remaining portion of the
piece of the hook hanging down on the inside of the bowl. The disinfectant when
formed into tablets may have a small hole pierced through it, through which is
passed a ring or the like. The tablet of disinfectant is then simply hung on to the
hock or hooks which, is or are, close up to or some distance from where the flush
pipe opens into the bowl and so that the tablet be made to come directly in the line
of the flush or flow of the water or other liquid.
Instead of bending the end of the piece or strip over the lip or rim of the bowl,
it can be flattened and fastened to the seat of the water closet by means of nails or
screws, and it may be preferred that this portion be covered with soft rubber or
other similar material.
In disinfecting urinals, drains, or other places or articles, or when using the
device in connection with an article such as a pail, so that a quantity of disinfecting
fluid may be obtained, the method of using this device is similar to that of a water
closet, and it can be applied in any suitable way, for instance by its end being bent
or by nails or screws as above. It is obvious that discretion should be used in the
choice of materials of which the device is made so that the disinfectant will not be
injuriously effected, for instance by any rust that might accumulate and wash
down; and again a guard might be employed so that the disinfectant would not
become coated with solid matter or matters and would not act, or springs or their
equivalent might be employed in connection with the suspension of the disinfectant
block or the like, so that if any solid matter struck the latter it would spring aside
out of the way of such.
Dated this 9th day of October 1891.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Attaching and Applying Disinfectant
Blocks or the like in Water Closets, Urinals, Drains, and other
Places or Articles.
I, HENRY BELCHER THORNTON, of 12 and 14 Paradise Street, Liverpool in
the County of Lancaster, Analytical Chemist, 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 devices which can be easily and securely attached in any
position to water closets, drains, urinals, and other places or articles, and which will
enable the disinfectant block or the like to be placed in the direct line of the flush
or flow of water or in contact with other liquids.
In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying illustrative sheet of drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a water closet bowl, showing one method of
attaching the device to the seat of the closet.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of a water closet bowl, showing another method of
attaching the device to the lip or rim of the bowl.
Figure 3 is a cross section showing the device as applied to a urinal.
Figure 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of a bucket or pail having the device
attached thereto.
Figure 5 is a view of the invention as applied to a sink.
Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the attachment and disinfectant block shown in
Figure 3.
Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts in all the figures.
In these―
A, is a length or strip of malleable or pliable metal or other material or
substance, having similar properties. I prefer to employ a strong strip of copper
suitably covered or coated with india rubber, or the strip may be a length of steel
band similar to what is bound round packing cases, in the latter case, that is when
a steel band is employed, it may be enamelled. On this strip and in the line of its
length are arranged or fixed points of suspension a, such as a series of hooks, on
which the disinfectant B (made either into soluble tablets or put into porous bags
or otherwise) can he hung, and this device is so applied that, as the water or other
liquid enters the bowl of the closet, the urinal, the drain, etcetera, through the
inlet C, it will rush over the disinfectant B at the same time carrying off a portion
of it.
When applying the invention to a water closet, the malleable or pliable piece or
strip A may be bent round at the end to the shape of a crook, as shown at b,
Figures 2, 3 and 4, and this end is hung over the lip or rim D of the bowl E, as
shown in Figure 2, the remaining portion of the piece hanging down on the inside
of the bowl.
The disinfectant, when formed into tablets, may have a small hole pierced
through it, through which is passed a ring or the like. The disinfectant tablet is
then simply hung onto the hook or hooks a, which is or are close up to or some
distance from where the flush pipe opens into the bowl, so that the tablet will come
directly in the line of the flush or flow of the water or other liquid.
Instead of bending the end of the piece or strip A over the lip or rim D of the
bowl, it can be flattened and fastened to the seat of the water closet, as shown in
Figure 1, by means of nails or screws, and it may be preferred to cover this
flattened portion with soft rubber c or other similar material. It will of course be
understood that, when the strip or piece itself is of a flat cross section to start with,
there will in such case be no necessity to flatten out its end.
In disinfecting urinals, drains or other places or articles, or when using the

page_text: device in connection with an article such as a pail or bucket, so that a quantity of
the disinfecting fluid may be obtained, the method of using this device is similar to
that used in connection with a water closet, and it can be applied in any suitable
way, for instance, by its end being bent or by nails or screws as above described,
for instance, Figure 5 shows the device attached to a tap over a sink, simply by
the one end of the strip or piece being bent round the neck of the tap, whilst its
other end with the disinfectant block hangs down and the strip is bent so as to
bring the block directly in the flow of water or other liquid.
Further, where the disinfectant blocks to be employed are of considerable
weight, a solid arm of iron may take the place of the malleable or pliable strip, and
this arm may be provided throughout its length with suitable points of attachment,
such for instance as eyelets or else hooks, whereby the disinfectant block may be
placed in the flow of water or other liquid.
It is obvious that discretion should be used in the selection of materials of
which the device is made, so that the disinfectants will not in any way be
injuriously affected, for instance, by any rust that might accumulate and wash
down, and again, a preventative might be employed so as to protect the dis-
infectant from becoming coated with solid matter or matters, whereby it would
be prevented from acting, or springs or their equivalent might be employed in
connection with the suspension of the disinfectant block or the like, so that in
case the disinfectant block was struck by any solid matter, it would spring aside
out of the way and so allow the solid matter to pass.
I have only described the disinfectant block as having a hole pierced through
same and a ring passed through for hanging same on the hook or hooks, but I do
not confine myself to this method of fixing the disinfectant to the end of the device,
as the malleable or pliable piece of metal could be fixed in other suitable manner,
for instance, as shown in Figure 6, in which the end is bound round the disinfectant
block itself, and then secured by means of pieces of wire or flat metal strips.
Other means of attaching the device can also be used as found most convenient to
the articles or places to be disinfected.
The essence of my invention being in the construction of the device itself that is
in forming such of a substance or material which, while being sufficiently pliable in
its nature to be capable of being conveniently bent. to suit circumstances, will yet
have sufficient rigidness, when so bent, to stand the pressure resulting from a flush
of water..
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 improvements in devices for the purposes specified, which consist in
forming the attachment piece or strip of a material or substance sufficiently pliable
to bend and yet sufficiently rigid, when bent, to withstand pressure of the kind and
as described.
2. The improvements in attachment devices made of a material or substance such
as described, which consist in providing, throughout the length of the piece or strip,
hooks or equivalent means of suspension, the whole for use substantially as
hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this 1st day of January 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.