IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS OR VALVES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Page, of Liverpool, in the County of Lan-
caster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS OR
VALVES."
Sealed the 11th September 1868, and dated the 14th March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Page at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th March
1863.
I, JOHN PAGE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS
OB VALVES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention comprises various improvements. in taps or valves to be
made in various materials, and to control the passage of fluids, such as water,
gas, or steam.
In one arrangement of tap or valve a conical plug is employed, this plug
working as usual in a conical chamber or body; the plug is however hollow,
the fluid entering it by a side opening, and being discharged through one end
of the plug made to project for that purpose, whilst the handle by which it is
turned is fixed upon the other end. If a curved discharge is wanted, the
projecting part may be curved round, or it may be cut off close to the body,
and a spout be screwed or otherwise fixed upon the body; or the passage or
piping may be continued in any convenient way from what may be termed
the bottom of the tap body.
An important feature in this improved arrangement consists in the opening
by which the fluid enters the hollow plug being carried some distance round

page_text: the plug, instead of being parallel to its axis as in ordinary cases, the object
of this improved arrangement being to permit of the tap being opened very
gradually, and to render it in consequence suitable for high pressures.
Another modification embodying the feature of a hollow plug with the
opening round it is well suited for the purposes of a bydrant. The plug in
this case is an inverted hollow cup, into which the water enters from below,
whilst the discharge is by a slot round a portion of the side into a curved
discharge branch. The spindle of the plug or cup passes upwards through a
stuffing box or plain aperture, and is shaped externally to receive a key or
bandle for opening it by. Taps or valves of various sizes may be made in this
way.
In valves or hydrants in which a disc valve piece with a conical or spherical
rim is made to close against an annular seat, through which the fluid passes
when the valve is opened, the details for opening the valve piece comprise,
according to the present Invention, firstly, a spindle projecting through an
aperture or stuffing box to receive a key or handle externally to turn it, but
constructed not to move longitudinally; secondly, a screw into which the spindle
is entered or with which it is otherwise connected so as to turn it and permit of
its longitudinal movement; and, thirdly, a nut fixed inside the valve body, and
through which the screw works. The valve piece is attached to or forms part
of the screw or screwed piece, and is moved to or from its seat by turning the
spindle. The passage leading to and from the valve may be variously arranged,
and so that the valve either closes against the pressure or has the pressure
tending to keep it closed. Similar actuating details may be used in the case
of sluice or sliding valves. In valves of this class the slide or sluice is on
closing forced home with its extreme end projecting more or less into a small
recess. This recess is very apt to get filled with dirt so as to prevent the
valves being properly closed, by the present Invention, however, this incon-
venience is prevented by forming a passage in communication with this recess
in such a way that when the valve is open the fluid scours freely through the
recess, and so removes any sediment.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Page in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
PAGE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer, send s
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by ller Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Page, Her special licence that I, the said John Page,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Page, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TAPS OR VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Page, my executors or administrators, 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
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Page, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:--
My said Invention comprises various improvements in taps or valves to be
made in various materials, and to control the passage of fluids, such as water,
gas, or steam.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of expla-
natory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing various
modifications of taps or valves as constructed with my improvements. The
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts in all the.
Figures in which they occur.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of one of my improved arrangements, the
part supposed to be removed being that containing the inlet into the tap
body 1.
In this arrangement a conical plug 2 is employed, this plug working as
usual in a conical chamber in the tap body 1; the plug 2 is however hollow,
the fluid entering it by a side opening 3, and being discharged through one
end of the plug 2, the smaller end in this example made to project for that

page_text: If a curved
purpose, and having a mouth-piece 4 screwed upon it in such a way as to
hold the plug in its place in the tap body 1. A handle 5 is formed on or
it may be fixed on or applied to the other end of the plug 2.
discharge is wanted, the projecting part of the plug may be curved, or it may
be cut off close to or within the body, and a spout 6, as in the modification
shown in Figure 2, may be screwed or otherwise fixed to the tap body 1; or
the passage or piping 6 may be continued in any convenient way from the
tap body 1, for example as in the modifications represented in Figures 3, 4, 5.
The modification shown in Figure 2 is represented in vertical section, but
at right angles to Figure 1 as regards the tap body 1, and it differs from the
modification shown in Figure 1 in having the larger part of the hollow plug 2
towards the outlet, the plug being held in place by means of the handle 5,
and a curved discharge spout 6 being screwed to the tap body 1. The
plug is shown in the open position in both Figures 1 and 2.
An important feature in these improved arrangements consists in the
opening 3 by which the fluid enters the hollow plug 2 being narrow and
carried some distance round the plug, instead of being parallel to its axis as in
ordinary cases, the object of this improved arrangement being to permit of
the tap being opened very gradually, and to render it in consequence suitable
for high pressures. The opening 7, Figure 2, (not shown in Figure 1,) by
which the fluid enters the conical plug chamber is, by preference, shaped like
the opening 3 in the plug itself.
'
Another modification embodying the feature of the hollow plug 2 with
the oblong opening 3 is well suited for the purposes of a hydrant, and
is shown in Figures and 4, which are respectively a vertical longitudinal
section and an end elevation partly in section. The plug 2 in this case is a
cup or hollow cone, into the base of which the water enters by the branch 8,
whilst the discharge is by the slot 3 round a part of the conical side through
a corresponding slot 7 in the seat or body 1 into the discharge branch 6.
In this modification the cup or plug 2 is, by preference, of brass, and a
brass lining is applied inside the body or seat 1, the body being, by preference,
cast with the lining in its place. For the purpose of turning the plug 2, in
this modification there is fixed on its spindle 9 a wheel 10, like a capstan
head, with sockets to receive a key or lever.
Figure 5 is a modification in which the hollow plug 2 is made hemi-
spherical instead of conical, the spindle 9 being vertical, and the discharge
branch 6 passing out laterally, and being curved upwardly. Taps or valves
of various sizes may be made in this way.
In valves or hydrants in which, as in Figure 6, which is a vertical

page_text: section, a valve piece 11 with a conical or spherical rim is made to close
against an annular seat 12, through which the fluid passes when the valve
is opened, the details for opening the valve piece 11 comprise, according
to my said Invention, firstly, a spindle 13 projecting through an aperture or
stuffing box 14 to receive a key or handle externally to turn it, but constructed
not to move longitudinally; secondly, a screw 15 into which the spindle 13
is entered so as to turn it and permit of its longitudinal movement; and,
thirdly, , a nut 16 fitted inside the valve body 1, and through which the screw
15 works. The valve piece 11 is attached to or forms part of the screw or
screwed piece 15 and is moved to or from its seat 12 by turning the spindle
18. The passages leading to and from the valve may be variously arranged,
and so that the valve either closes against the pressure or has the pressure
tending to keep it closed.
Figure 7 is a vertical section representing a modification of the actuating
details wherein the valve piece 11 is made with an internal instead of an
external screw, and works on a screwed spindle 16 fixed in the bottom of the
body or shell 1, whilst the spindle 13 is made with a square or equivalent
socket to fit on and turn the hollow spindle of the valve piece 11.
Actuating details similar to those represented in Figure 6, and herein-before
described, may be used in the case of sluice or sliding valves, two modifica-
tions of which class of valves are shown in vertical section in Figures 8 and 9.
In valves of this class the slide or sluice 17 is on closing forced home with its
extreme or bottom end projecting more or less into a small recess 18 opposite
to the box 19, into which the slide is withdrawn when opened. This recess
18 is very apt to get filled with dirt so as to prevent the valve from being
properly closed, by my said Invention, however, this inconvenience is prevented
by forming a passage 20 in communication with this recess in such a way
that when the valve is open the fluid scours freely through the recess 18 and
passage 20, and so removes any sediment. The clearing passage 20 may
communicate either with the inlet end as in Figure 8, or with the discharge
as in Figure 9. This improvement is also applied to the modification repre-
sented in Figure 7.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I have to state that I do not
5 restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but
that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
1. The constructing of taps or valves with hollow plugs or cups having long

page_text: narrow openings made round them for the passage of the fluid, substantially
as herein-before described.
2. The combining or arranging of the actuating details of valves substantially
as herein-before described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 on the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings.
3. The applying of a clearing passage to the recess which receives the end
of a sluice or similar valve substantially as herein-before described. .
In witness whereof, I, the said John Page, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch Square,
Glasgow.
(L.B.)