IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS AND IN SELF-ACTING APPARATUS CON- NECTED THEREWITH, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO URINALS
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Heyworth at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
April 1869.
I, ROBERT HEYWORTH, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS AND IN SELF-ACTING APPARATUS CON-
NECTED THEREWITH, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO
URINALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, first, in certain improvements in waterclosets
for preventing the escape of effluvia; and, secondly, in improved self-
acting mechanism for opening the escape and water supply valve of
waterclosets in general when the door of the apartment is opened from
the inside only.
First. Instead of placing the escape valve of the watercloset at the
bottom of the basin and above the stench trap I place it at the outlet
end of the trap, and work it by a lever connected to the ordinary handle,
the said lever releasing the water valve or tap for allowing a fresh supply
of water when the escape valve is opened.

page_text: Secondly. For opening by self-acting means the escape valve and water
supply valve when the door of the apartment containing the closet is
opened from the inside only, I place in the box or frame containing the
ordinary latch or fastener a double lever connected to a knob inside the
door, and place in a guide at the top of the box a rod having its bottom
close to the latch, and near the end a cross piece for the double lever to
act upon. This rod extends to near the top of the door, and is connected
to one end of a two-armed lever, the other end of which is placed in a
slot formed in a bar or bolt fitted to guides fixed to the door, and on the
frame above the door there is a lever connected by wires or rods and
cranks or by a chain with a lever for acting on the escape valve and
water supply valve or tap. The latch is connected to a handle at the
outside of the door, and the door can be opened from the outside without
any effect upon the mechanism which works the valves, but when the
door is to be opened from the inside the inside knob is turned to work
the double lever and depress the rod, the bottom end of which lowers the
latch for allowing the door to be opened, and its upper end works the
two-armed lever so as to raise the bolt behind the lever on the door
frame, and cause it when the door is opened to work the cranks and
levers or chain for opening the escape and water valves, and when the
door closes by means of a spring or weight the valves and mechanism
return to their original positions.
The main feature of this part of the Invention consists in causing the
valves to be opened when the door is opened from the inside only, and
thereby preventing the waste of water which takes place if the water is
supplied when the door is opened both from the outside and inside.
This self-acting mechanism can be applied to many of the existing
arrangements of waterclosets and also to urinals, it being only necessary
to modify the forms and positions of the mechanical parts to suit the
requirements.