Improvements in Faucets.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Apr., 1891--Accepted, 6th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by HIRAM POTTER TALLMADGE, of 36, Clarendon
Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Merchant.]
Improvements in Faucets.
I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 that class of faucets in which the valve or poppet opens
in opposition to the direction of the discharge flow, and is closed by the pressure of
the water or liquid behind the valve; and the object of my present invention is to
provide a durable, efficient and desirable faucet for household water service and
similar purposes, such as hereinafter explained, and to provide facility for effecting
a retarded closure of the exit passage when the valve lifter is released; and to
construct a faucet capable of satisfactory and proper action under extremes of
heavy or light pressures, as well as under ordinary conditions and pressures.
These objects I attain by a faucet constructed and arranged for operation
substantially as hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings in
which,
Figure 1 is a side view of my improved faucet ;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section;
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line e, w;
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line, ;
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the duplex valve-poppet;
Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section on the line y, y;
Figure 7 is a plan of the valve-seat and section at the lower part of the valve-
stem;
Figure 8 is a bottom view of the lower valve;
Figure 9 is a top view of the lower valve and section of the valve-stem ;
Figure 10 is a longitudinal vertical section showing a modification in the form of
the body or shell and the manner in which the operating devices can be arranged
for a non-self-closing faucet.
Like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different
figures of the drawing.
A denotes the body or shell of the faucet, having a suitable attaching boss, and
provided with the inlet passage a', chamber B, for containing the valve devices, the
screw threaded cap a, at the top, the valve-seat a, at the bottom thereof, and the
bibb or nose with the discharge passage, a³, therethrough. The said body is also
provided with a chamber, d, beneath the inlet and the valve chamber, and in
connection with the outlet passage wherein is arranged a tilting lever or valve-
lifter D.
The valve-poppet C, is constructed in duplex form, as shown. It is composed of
a stem C, having its central portion, which is preferably of larger diameter than
the ends, provided with smaller water ways 5; its lower end provided with guiding
wire wings 6, and its upper end screw-threaded. On the upper end of the stem is
arranged a fixed valve C, and a circular disc E, which latter fits closely, but not
tightly, within the chamber B. A. nut e, is screw-threaded to the end of the stem
The valve C¹,
for holding the disc E, and valve C, firmly in place upon the stem.
fits against a flange or shoulder formed on the stem, as indicated.
Upon the central portion of the stem C³, and surrounding the water ways 5, is
arranged a movable valve C², that matches the valve-seat a, in the faucet-body,

page_text: :
which valve is itself provided with a valve-seat conto which the upper valve C³,
closes when the poppet is fully depressed
The valve C, is preferably made of a thin sheet metal shell filled with vulcanized
packing material such as is commonly used for faucet valves. The lower valve C²,
is best made with an outer shell 7, an annular body of packing 8, and an inner
lining. or cylindrical bushing 9, (see Figures 5 and 8) which surrounds the valve-
stem, serves as a guide for the valve, and prevents wear; said lining fitting
sufficiently close, but not so close but that the valve-stem can move freely up and
down within the said lower valve.
The valve-poppet is supported and guided in a manner to have free movement up
and down within the chamber of the body by means of the disc E, at its upper part,
and the flanges 6, at the lower end of the stem fitting within the passage through
the valve seat.
Beneath the valve-poppet and enclosed within the chamber d, in the shell is
arranged the tilting lever or lifter D, which is supported on a fulcrum-pin or
axis h, that passes laterally through the parts. One end of said lifter is disposed
beneath the end of the valve-stem, and its other end beneath the operating pin I,
which latter is arranged vertically through the neck of the faucet, the same being
provided with a guide-way within a column J, that extends down through the inlet
passage a', as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4. Resting upon the top end of said
operating pin is an actuating-lever K, that is fulcrummed at its rear end on a
pin', which passes through upwardly projecting ears formed on the faucet-body;
while the forward end of said lever projects forward over the cap a², in convenient
position to be depressed by the hand. The form of this hand-lever may be modified
as desired, to suit different styles of finish or design; and a knob, ring or other
shaped handle can be arranged on the end thereof to suit the taste or convenience
of users.
When constructing the faucet, the lifter D, is introduced through an opening
formed in the rear end of the chamber d, which opening is afterwards solidly
plugged up with a disc or plug of metal d', which is externally finished off smooth
and flush with the outside of the shell.
In the operation, depression of the hand lever K, forces the operating pin I,
and depresses the rear end of the lever D, thereby throwing upward the forward
end of said lever which raises the valve-stem C³, lifting the upper valve C¹ from
its seat c, upon the lower valve C2, which action opens the water ways 5, and
allows the water or liquid to pass through said water ways between the valve C²,
and the valve-stem, starting the flow by a small stream before the valve C² is
opened. Further depression of the hand lever effects a further lifting of the valve-
stem, and when the wings or flanges 6, come into contact with the lower valve C²,
they raise said valve from the seat a, for opening the passage to its full extent.
When the valve-poppet is raised the disc E, at the top of the valve-stem displaces
some of the liquid in the upper part of the valve-chamber B; then when the hand-
lever is released. and the pressure of liquid, flowing out through the passage, causes
the lower valve C² to drop onto its seat d, the upper valve C, is retained elevated
for a time by reason of the downward movement of the disc E, as a piston in its
chamber, being retarded until the liquid or water can leak past its periphery into
the upper part of the chamber B, during which time the water flows out in gradually
decreasing quantity through the water ways 5, in the side of the valve-stem,; by
thus effecting the slow and retarded closure of the passage, the shutting off of the flow
is so gradual that it will not cause a strain or hammering on the pipes when under
great pressure or head of water.
This faucet is self closing and automatically acts by pressure on the valves for
shutting off the. flow. by gradual retardation as soon as the actuating lever. K. is
released, and will operate successfully under light, medium or heavy pressures
without strain or.injury. to the mechanism or packing faces.
The pressure.for closing the valve also effects the elevation, of the hand-lever, so
that it is in position to be again operated:

page_text: In Figure 10 I have shown a.modification in which the faucet may be made for
operating as a non-self-closing faucet. In this instance the operating-pin I is screw-
threaded and fitted to a screw-thread in the frame; also extended upward and
provided with a handle L, whereby it can be conveniently rotated. The valve-
lifter or tilting lever D, is actuated for moving the valves by running the pin I up
and down by its thread instead of the depressing lever. A cap m is screwed onto
the boss that surrounds the operating-pin, which cap serves as a stop to prevent
the screw thread being run completely out or released when turned backward; but
which permits removal of the operating-pin by first removing said cap from the
boss. The valve parts of this faucet are made in the same way as above described,
and the discharge nose is extended straight downward from the valve, instead of
being turned outward as a curved bibb; either form can be employed as preferred.
By constructing and combining the parts of the faucet in the manner illustrated
and described, I produce a very efficient convenient and desirable faucet, one which,
while opening against the flow, operates with case, and which closes without shock
or strain, and which is practically and successfully operative under light or heavy
pressures, and especially successful when used under very heavy pressures of say
from seventy-five to two hundred pounds per square inch.
The degree of rapidity with which the upper valve C³, closes may be varied to
meet different circumstances, according to the degree of closeness with which the
disc E, fits the chamber in the head of the faucet; if fitting very free the disc will
of course be drawn down by the pressure on the valve C¹ more rapidly than will be
the case where the disc fits comparatively tight. In any case, however, there
should be sufficient looseness to permit the disc to move easily; and to allow the
water to pass by the edge of the disc to avoid a vacuum in the upper part of the
chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim iz:-
First. The herein described faucet, consisting of the body A, formed with its
passages a', a³, valve chamber B, and valve seat a, disposed as shown, and having
the backwardly extended chamber d, beneath the supply passage, the downwardly
closing poppet-valve having the two valves C' and C², its stem provided with guide
flanges 6, below the valves, and a disc E, at its upper end that fits within the
chamber B, in the top of the faucet body for retarding the closing movement of the
valves, the tilting lever D, arranged within the chamber d the depressing pin
arranged through a guide-way in the neck of the faucet, and the handle at the top
for operating the same, all constructed and combined substantially as set forth.
Second. In a faucet having its body provided with a valve seat for receiving a
valve that closes in the direction of the flow the body fitted with the cylindrical
chamber B, above the said seat, and the backwardly extending chamber d, in the
lower part of the said body, with the stopper d³, therein, a loose valve-poppet the
stem of which is provided with a disc that acts as a piston within the chamber B,
and with flanges 6, that guide within the valve seat opening, in combination, with
the tilting lever D, disposed and fulcrummed as at h, within said backwardly
extending chamber, with one of its ends in conjunction with the valve stem the
operating pin engaging the opposite arm of the said lever, and the actuating
lever K, having its rear end pivoted by the pin between ears formed on the body,
and its lower edge fitted to rest upon the head of pin I for actuating the same, all
substantially as shown and described.
T
A1001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.