A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN PISTONS FOR PUMPS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clayton and Jacob Goodfellow, both of
Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, for the Invention of
"A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN PISTONS FOR PUMPS."
Sealed the 30th November 1858, and dated the 3rd June 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clayton and
Jacob Goodfellow at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 3rd June 1858.
We, WILLIAM CLAYTON and JACOB GOODFELLOW, both of Blackburn, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN PISTONS FOR PUMPS," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates to the pistons or buckets employed for lifting or
forceing water or other liquids, and in the air pump of steam engines, and is
designed for the purpose of preventing particles of sand, dirt, gravel, &c.
(which may flow into the pump with the water) from passing between the
piston and the cylinder. The improvement is more particularly applicable to
metallic packing, and consists in extending the depth of the piston packing so
that it may project or stand above the piston cover, the upper edge or flanch
of such projecting packing being bevilled, so as to prevent the lodgement of
sand, &c. on the flanch, and to ensure its deposit on to the top of the piston
or to be carried off by the water, and thereby prevented from working or

page_text: grinding between the piston and the cylinder, to the great injury or destruction
of both. This extended or projecting packing may be employed in connection
with any arrangement of piston, whether composed of clastic rings, metallic
or otherwise, or might be so arranged that an extension of the piston top or
cover should effect the same purpose, and a second advantage is derived in
connection with the air pump by thus increasing the working surface of the
piston as greater durability of the piston is obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clayton and Jacob Goodfellow in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 3rd December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
CLAYTON and JACOB GOODFELLOW, both of Blackburn, in the County of Lan-.
caster, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Clayton and Jacob Goodfellow, Her especial license that we, the said
William Clayton and Jacob Goodfellow, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said William Clayton and Jacob Goodfellow,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make; use. exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN
PISTONS FOR PUMPS," upon the condition, amongst others, that we, or one of
us, the said William Clayton and Jacob Goodfellow, by an: instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and, seal of one
of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal..Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clayton, do hereby declare
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-

page_text: Our Invention relates to the pistons or buckets employed for lifting or
forcing water or other liquids, and in the air pump of steam engines, and is
designed for preventing particles of sand, dirt, gravel, "grit," &c. (which
may flow into the pump with the water) from passing between the piston and
the cylinder. The improvement is more particularly applicable to metallic
packing, and consists in extending the depth of the piston packing, so that it
may project or stand above the piston cover, the upper edge or flanch of such
projecting packing being bevilled inwards so as to prevent the lodgement of
sand, &c. on the flanch, and to ensure its deposit on to the top of the piston
or to be carried off by the water, and thereby prevented from working or
grinding between the piston and the cylinder to the great injury or destruction
of both. This extended or projecting packing may be employed in connection
with any arrangement of piston, whether composed of elastic rings, metallic
or otherwise, or might be so arranged that an extension of the piston top or
cover should effect the same purpose, and a second advantage is derived in
connection with the air pump by thus increasing the working surface of the
piston, as greater durability of the piston is thereby obtained.
In order that the Invention may be better understood, and explained in
detail, we have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings illustrative of the
same, and having siniilar letters of reference marked upon corresponding
parts of the apparatus.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the piston complete, taken through the piston
at the line A, B, in Fig. 2, showing clearly the extension of the packing and
the internal construction of the piston or bucket; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the
piston; and Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively plan views of the valve guard
plate and valve seating, both of which are perforated for the passage of the
liquid. In Fig. 1, a, a, is the piston or bucket rod carrying the guard plate
b, which prevents the india-rubber disc c rising beyond a certain limit; dis
the valve seating; and e, the improved packing, having its edge bevilled, and
extending above the valve seating and piston cover d, such extention of the
depth of the packing ensuring the deposit of any grit, sand, or other ex-
tranuous matter upon the valve seating or piston cover, whence it is removed
by the flow of water through the piston, and is thereby prevented from
entering or working between the packing or between the packing face and
the pump cylinder face, which has hitherto caused much destructive wear
and tear upon both surfaces. By the use of this improved form of packing,
about one third (or more) wearing surface in depth is obtained in the packing
face, which renders the packing more durable than those heretofore employed.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, together with the

page_text: method of performing the same, we wish it to be distinctly understood that
we claim extending the depth of the packing face or wearing surface of
pistons and buckets employed in pumps above the valve scating or top of the
piston, whether such projecting surface be an extension of the packing or be
forced upon and constitute part of the piston cover or valve seating, or upon
any other part of the piston or bucket, whereupon a flanch may be formed
for the exclusion of sand, grit, &c. from between the working surfaces of the
piston or bucket and cylinder or barrel, as herein-before described, set forth,
and fully exhibited in the Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clayton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WILLIAM CLAYTON. (L.S.)