CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COCKS, TAPS, OR VALVES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL'
HALL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of May, in the fifteenth year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Hall, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Samuel Hall, my exors, adñors, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said Samuel Hall, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COCKS, TAPS,
OR VALVES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said Samuel Hall, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Hall, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following
explanation thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention applies principally to cocks or taps for drawing off liquids,
but my improvements may also be readily adapted to taps, cocks, or valves for
regulating the flow of gas, compressed air, steam, or other fluids or vapours.
My Invention consists, first, in the peculiar construction and arrangement of
the valve or plug of the tap, whereby the internal pressure of the liquid or other
fluid is caused to effect the closing of the said valve or plug, thereby preventing
leakage, and holding the valve closed with a pressure equal to the clastic force
or downward pressure of the said fluid.
And, secondly, my Invention consists in the application or introduction of a
second valve or plug closing in the reverse direction, which prevents the admis-
sion of air and the vibration of conduit pipe caused by the sudden stoppage
and recoil of the fluid when the valve closes. The tap is opened by pressing
or forcing the plug or valve back by the hand applied to a knob, button, or
lever outside the tap, and connected internally to the valve or plug. The valve
will remain open and the fluid will escape so long as the valve or plug is kept
pressed back, but upon withdrawing the hand the elastic force or downward
pressure of the fluid will instantly close the valve or plug, and retain it in that
position until external pressure is again employed to force the valve or plug
back. In order more clearly to illustrate the peculiar construction of the said
tap and its practical application, I have attached to these presents a Drawing
representing two views of my improved tap as adapted for drawing up liquids.
The Drawing of the tap is full size, and is marked with figures and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following description thereof:
Fig. 1 is a sectional view representing the tap as open; and Fig. 2 is a similar
view shewing the tap closed. a, a, is the body of the tap; and 6 is the main
plug or valve. This valve is attached to a rod c, which slides in a bush d, and
is furnished at its other end with a button e, to which the pressure of the hand
is applied when it is desired to open the valve for the passage of the fluid.
The valve b closes against a seating f formed of a ring of leather, india rubber,
or other suitable material. 7 is the auxilliary valve for preventing the recoil
of the water from opening the valve b and admitting air; this valve 9 closes in
the reverse direction to the valve against a similar seating h, formed of a
ring of leather, india rubber, or other suitable material. The valve g is steadied
by means of a pin i sliding in a bush k, and also by the triple slide / working
in the body of the tap, Now it will be evident that when the valve 6 is forced
shewn in Fig. 1, by applying pressure externally to
back into the position

page_text: the button e, the fluid will escape through the valve, but the instant the
pressure is withdrawn the internal pressure of the fluid will close the valve b,
and thus stop the escape of the fluid. This sudden stoppage of the flow of
the liquid has a tendency to cause a recoil, which not only imparts a violent
vibration to the conduit pipe, but has tendency to reopen the valve and admit
air, thereby causing leakage. This recoil of the liquid, and consequent vibra-
tion and leakage, are entirely obviated by the action of the auxilliary valve 9,
which, by closing, checks the recoil of the water or other fluid.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said improvements,
together with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would
remark, in conclusion, that I claim as my Invention the novel and peculiar con-
struction of cock, tap, or valve, as shewn in detail, the Drawing attached and
above particularly described; more especially the use of an auxilliary valve or
taps of such or similar construction, closing in the reverse direction in order to
prevent the recoil of the fluid, and the consequent admission of air causing
vibration, leakage, &c.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Hall, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Sixteenth day of November, One thousand eight hundred