AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING APPARATUS FOR PRECIPITATING AND COLLECTING FROM SOLUTIONS METALS AND THEIR SALTS, PART OF WHICH APPARATUS IS APPLICABLE TO FLUSHING PURPOSES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Moule, of 15, Seabright Place, Hackney Road,
in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturing Chemist, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING APPARATUS FOR PRECIPITATING AND COLLECTING
FROM SOLUTIONS METALS AND THEIR SALTS, PART OF WHICH APPARATUS IS
APPLICABLE TO FLUSHING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 14th August 1860, and dated the 16th June 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Moule at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
June 1860.
I, JOHN MOULE, of 15, Seabright Place, Hackney Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING APPARATUS FOR PRECIPITATING
AND COLLECTING FROM SOLUTIONS METALS AND THEIR SALTS, PART OF WHICH
APPARATUS IS APPLICABLE TO FLUSHING PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is by self-acting apparatus to precipitate and
collect from time to time metals and their salts held in solutions, some of which
are extensively used in photographic and other pursuits, which have been
hitherto wasted; for which purpose I make use of three vessels, one of which
is divided into two compartments, one larger than the other, the largest for
receiving a regulated quantity of the metallic solution, the smaller one for con-
taining the precipitating agent, which are brought into contact in suitable
proportions by the action of floats effecting the opening and closing of valves
in the separate compartments. The liquid and precipitating agent is run off
into a second vessel or reservoir, and from thence to the third vessel, which is

page_text: supplied with a suitable filter which effects the separation and collection of the
metals and salts; the aqueous solution passing off by ascension in process of
filtration.
The construction of the self-acting apparatus for discharging the contents
of the first vessel, and which is applicable to general flushing purposes, are as
follows I make use of a balanced lever supported in the centre by a pillar
or bracket (similar to a scale beam). To one arm of this lever I connect a
float, and also by a chain or other suitable means the valves, which require to
be opened at the bottom of the vessel. The float is of sufficient weight and
size that when acted on by an accumulated height of water or other liquids,
shall have buoyancy enough to lift the valves. To keep the valves open and
allow the contents to escape, I connect to the other arm of the lever a floating
bucket, which, when empty, is lighter than the float. The bucket is provided
at the bottom with a cock for discharging itself; the effect of the bucket is
this, that when the liquid is sufficiently high in the vessel to cause the float
and valves to rise, the bucket is at the same time filled with the liquid, thereby
becoming of greater weight than the float, by which means the float and valves
are kept up until the contents of the vessels are discharged, by which time the
bucket will have emptied itself by the cock at the bottom, and thus becoming
again lighter than the float, allows the valves to close.
Another arrangement which will be found to answer is, by fixing to the side
of the vessel on a level with the water line a supplementary reservoir or bucket
with a cock at bottom; in this reservoir or bucket I suspend from one arm of
a lever a float, to which arm I also connect by suitable means the valves at the
bottom of the vessel or cistern to be discharged. At the opposite arm is a
sliding weight for obtaining a proper adjustment of the lever. In this arrange-
ment the liquid, when risen to the water line,flows over into the supplemental
vessel and rises the float and valves, which are kept up until the supplemental
vessel has discharged sufficient liquid to allow the float and valves to fall, the
time of which is regulated by the flow of liquid through the cock. Instead of
the regulating cock,may be placed at the bottom of the supplemental vessel a
valve, opening into the larger vessel or cistern; this valve is kept closed by a
rod connected to a float near the bottom of the cistern, which float pressing the
rod upwards keeps the valve closed as the water rises, but allows the valve to
open when the cistern is discharged.
The arrange.nent of the apparatus as above, when connected to vessels
having two compartments, is well adapted for closets and urinals for discharging
with the flush of water a sufficient quantity of disenfecting fluid.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Moule in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
⚫ August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MOULE, of 15, Seabright Place, Hackney Road, in tho County of Middlesex,
Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Moule, Her special licence that I, the said John Moule,
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Moule, 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 "AN IMPROVED SELF-
ACTING
APPARATUS FOR PRECIPITATING AND COLLECTING FROM SOLUTIONS METALS
AND THEIR SALTS, PART OF WHICH APPARATUS IS APPLICABLE TO FLUSHING PUR-
POSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Moule,
executors or adininistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, 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 Officewithin six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Moule, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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, that is to say -
This Invention bas for its objects improvements in the construction of
self-acting apparatus for precipitating and collecting from solutions metals
and their salts, part of which apparatus is applicable to flushing purposes.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood, I have shewn
in the accompanying Drawings views of apparatus, which will be found to
answer the intended purpose; I do not, however, intend to limit myself to
the precise arrangement or construction of the parts therein shewn, as the
mechanical and other details for accomplishing parts of my Invention may
be varied without departing from the nature and object of my Invention.*

page_text: Figure 1 is a section of one part of the apparatus used for the reception of
the metallic solution, having two compartments A and B (all parts of which
vessels for these purposes I prefer to be manufactured of acid-proof stoneware,
glass, or some other incorrodible material). The large compartment A is for
receiving the metallic solution; the smaller compartment B is a reservoir for
the precipitating agent; these compartments are provided with outlet tubes
C, C, at the bottom closed with valves, one of which tubes is connected to
reservoir B, and is regulated by the cock D, so as to allow the discharge of
a proper portion of the precipitating agent from compartment Bin the same
time that the whole of the contents of compartment A is fully discharged.
The apparatus used in this vessel for the purpose of regulating the accumula-
tion and discharging of the solutions or other liquids in regulated quantities or
at periodical intervals, I will now proceed to describe. E is a lever, supported
in the centre by a bracket at F; to one arm of this lever, connected by joints,
are two small rods G and H; to rod G is suspended near the level of the
water line the float I to the bottom of which float is the rod or chain K, con-
nected to the valve, as shewn at the bottom of the comartment A. To rod
His connected the valve, as shewn in the Drawing, for the purpose of
discharging the precipitating agent contained in the compartment B To the
other arm of the lever E is a sliding weight for its proper adjustment; and
also connected to the same arm of the lever by a joint, and at the same
level with the float, is the small bucket L (which when empty is lighter than
the float); this bucket has a cock or other opening attached to the bottom,
suitable for adjusting the flow of liquid therefrom.
In use this arrangement of apparatus will act as follows:-Supposing the
vessel for the reception of the metallic solutions is empty, the valves of the
two compartments are closed, but as the solution rises to the water line,
the float has a tendency to be forced upwards, but is prevented untill the
buoyancy of the bucket on the opposite arm of the lever is destroyed by
becoming filled with the solution, at which time the float and valves of the
separate compartments are simultaneously raised, and are kept up until the
bucket is discharged of the liquid, which thereby becoming again lighter
than the float allows the valves to fall.
Figure 2 is a reservoir for receiving the solution and precipitating agent
(passed by the tubes from the first vessel), with a groov M at the top for
connecting the vessels, and also an open outlet tube N at the bottom, having
a shoulder for the purpose of conuection to a similar tube O in the third
vessel, which connection is rendered water-tight by a washer of vulcanised
india rubber, or other suitable material.

page_text: Figure 3 is the third vessel, into which the contents of the second vessel is
conveyed by the tube N. This vessel is also provided with a similar groove
as in Figure 2, and is divided near the top by the filter P, .composed of an
hollow disc of stoneware of a plano-convex form, perforated at the bottom, and
having at the upper or convex part suitable openings for the reception of plugs
of cotton, wool, spunge, or other suitable substance, for the purpose of retain-
ing the precipitated salts or metal passed from vessel, Figure 2, allowing only
the exhausted solution, when deprived of its salts by the action of the filter, to
pass off by the waste pipe Q; at the side near the bottom is the opening R,
for the purpose of removing from time to time the accumulated metal and pre-
cipitated salts. This opening is provided with a suitable stoneware stopper
for closing the same.
Figure 4 is another arrangement of the discharging apparatus, which will
be found useful. Connected to the interior of the vessel to be dischargedisa
sinall supplementary vessel, the upper or open part of which is on a level with
the water line. This vessel is provided with a cock, valve, or other opening S
at the bottom, for discharging itself, and thereby regulating the time for closing
the valve at the bottom of the cistern. In this arrangement the float T is
connected to one arm of the lever U, and works in the supplemental vessel as
follows: Supposing the liquid has risen sufficiently high to flow into the
supplementary vessel, it causes the float and valves attached thereto to rise,
which in this case are kept up until the supplemental vessel has discharged
its contents. A valve S at the bottom, as shewn in the Drawing; this valve
is a disc of vulcanised india-rubber connected to a rod, which rod, as the
water rises in the cistern or vessel to be discharged, is pressed upwards by
the action of a float at the bottom, as shewn at V, and is kept in that
position untill the cistern has discharged its contents.
Figure 5 is a section of a modification of the apparatus above described, the
principle difference between the two apparatus is this, that through the centre
and bottom of the supplementary vessel a tubular socket is fixed, which socket
is carried above the water line; through this tube or socket passes a rod or
chain connected to the valve at the bottom of the cistern to be discharged;
on this socket works a float W, having a tubular passage, as shewn by the dotted
lines in the Figure; to the top of this float is connected the rod or chain, which
is caused to rise by the flow of liquid filling the supplemental vesselandrasing
the float therein; but when it is necessary to use a second vessel, as in vessels
having two compartments, each containing a different fluid,and for discharging
them simultaneously, I make use of alever X, attached by a joint to one side
of the vessel, as shewn by the Drawing, the arm of which rests on the valve

page_text: rod, which passes through the tubular socket, which rod when raised by
the tubular float raises the arm of the lever also, and lifts any valve which
may be attached thereto.
In respect to the vessels, any two of them in Figures 1, 2, or 3 may be
used in combination without a third vessel, or they may be made of one
ouly, or two pieces, if desired, and the vessels may in some cases be employed
without the use of the mechanical arrangements.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best means with
which I am acquainted for performing the same, I wish it to be fully under-
stood that I do not intend to limit myself to the precise details herein setforth,
as the same may be considerably modified without departing from the peculiar
character and construction of my Invention, and I declare that I claim, -
First, self-acting mechanical means for discharging off and bringing in
contact in regulated proportions metallic solutions with precipitating agents.
Secondly, the application to the purposesabovementioned, the arrangement
of the vessels separately or combined, such as those herein-before described
with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, or any mere modification thereof, in
which metals and their salts are precipitated and collected from solutions.
Thirdly, the regulation of the opening and closing of valves by means of
the floating bucket or supplementary vessel with cocks, valves, or other
openings attached, as described with reference to Figures 1, 4, and 5.*
Lastly, the mode of combining the mechanical parts for the discharge of
or more solutions simultaneously, as described with reference to
Figures 1, 4, and 5, which parts are applicable to flushing purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Moule, have heretofore set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of June, A.D. 1860.
Signed 'in' the presence of and
witnessed by
W. H: IBBETT,
13, Bridgewater Square, E.C.
JOHN MOULE. (L.S.)