IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE TURNING OF GAS, WATER, OR OTHER COCKS, THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF VENTILATORS, Skylights, and oTHER LIKE OBJECTS.”
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Slater, of Wellington Foundry, Charles
Street, City Road, in the County of Middlesex, Ironfounder, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE
TURNING OF GAS, WATER, OR OTHER COCKS, THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF
VENTILATORS, Skylights, and oTHER LIKE OBJECTS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Slater at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd February 1871.
I, BENJAMIN SLATER, of Wellington Foundry, Charles Street, City
Road, in the County of Middlesex, Ironfounder, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGU-
LATING THE TURNING OF GAS, WATER, OR OTHER COCKS, THE OPENING AND CLOSING
OF VENTILATORS, SKYLIGHTS, AND OTHER LIKE OBJECTS," to be as follows:-
My Invention applies to regulators used for governing the supply
of gas, water, or other fluids to buildings. It is also applicable to
apparatus for opening and closing ventilators and skylights, and for

page_text: purposes of a similar kind, (such as steam valves, sluices, doors, or gates).
A regulator of the kind referred to is usually constructed in the following
manner:―
A toothed wheel and pinion gearing together are enclosed in a
case having a dial 'on its face. The spindle of the toothed wheel b
(or of a wheel gearing with it or connected with it by gearing) passes
through the contre of the dial and has a land or pointer fixed to it,
and the toothed wheel has a groove in it with a band, cord, or wire
passing round it and fixed at one point in the circumference. This band
cord, or wire extends generally some distance to the gas, water, or 1
other cock. The pinion is turned by a key or handle so as to turn
the toothed wheel and by means of the band, cord, or wire to turn on
or shut off the gas, water, or other cock. The hand or pointer indicates
on the dial the position of the cock. These regulators though they are
intended to put the regulation of the gas, water, or other supply under
the control of one or more persons only at the place where the regulator
is fixed, fail to do so when the cords, bands, or wires, or cock are
exposed, for either the cords may be pulled or the cock may be turned
independently of the regulator.
The object of my Invention is to lock the regulator so that the cords
cannot be moved nor the cock turned except by it. This I effect in the
following manner :- -I fit in the case of the regulator above described
a sliding bolt projecting through the case, and having on it a stud tooth
(or teeth) which enters between two (or more) teeth of the wheel or
pinion and being kept in that position by a spring. When it is desired
to turn the regulator, the bolt is pressed so as to throw the stud tooth
(or teeth) out of gear with the wheel or pinion and leave the regulator
free to be turned. When after turning the key or handle the pressure
is removed from the bolt the spring again throws the stud tooth (or
teeth) into gear and locks the regulator. Sometimes instead of having
à separate sliding bolt as above described I make the pinion to slide
longitudinally, fitting it with a spring so as to press it forwards, and
arranging in the case suitable fixed pins or studs which enter between
its teeth when it is in that position. On inserting the key or handle
I press the pinion backwards so as to clear it from these pins or studs
and leave it free to be turned. On releasing the handle the spring
pushes.the pinion forwards again and engages its teeth with the fixed
.

page_text: pins or studs so as to fix it in the position to which it had been turned.
The same mechanism I also apply to apparatus such as is often used
for opening or closing ventilators or skylights, where the movement
is usually conveyed by cords, wires, or bands from an accessible spot
to a distance, and for purposes of a similar kind.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Slater in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BENJAMIN
SLATER, of Wellington Foundry, Charles Street, City Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Ironfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Slater, Her special licence,
that I, the said Benjamin Slater, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin Slater, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and 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
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE TURNING OF GAS, WATER, OR OTHER COCKS, THE
OPENING AND CLOSING OF VENTILAtors, Skylights, AND OTHER LIKE OBJECTS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin Slater, 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 Benjamin Slater, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :—
My Invention applies to regulators used for governing the supply
of gas, water, or other fluids to buildings. It is also applicable to
apparatus for opening and closing ventilators and skylights, and for
purposes of a similar kind, such as opening and closing steam valves,
sluices, doors, gates, and other like objects.
A regulator of the kind referred to is usually constructed in the
following manner :-A toothed wheel and pinion gearing together are
enclosed in a case having a dial on its face. The spindle of the toothed 1
wheel or of a wheel gearing with it or connected with it by gearing
passes through the centre of the dial and has a hand or pointer fixed
to it, and the toothed wheel has a groove in it with a band, cord,
or wire passing round it, and fixed at one (or any) point in the
circumference. This band, cord, or wire extends generally some dis- 1
tance to the gas, water, or other cock. The pinion is turned by a key
or handle so as to turn the toothed wheel, and by means of the band,
The
cord, or wire to turn on or shut off the gas, water, or other cock.
hand or pointer indicates on the dial the position of the cock. These
regulators though they are intended to put the regulation of the gas,
water, or other supply under the control of one or more persons only
at the place where the regulator is fixed, fail to do so, when the cords,
bands, or wires or cock are exposed, for either the cords may be pulled
or the cock may be turned independently of the regulator.
The object of my Invention is to lock the regulators so that the cords
cannot be moved nor the cock turned except by it. This I effect in tho
following manner :-I fit in the case of the regulator above described
a sliding bolt projecting through the case and having on it a stud,
tooth (or teeth) which enters between two (or more) teeth of the wheel
or pinion, and being kept in that position by a spring. When it is
desired to turn the regulator the bolt is pressed so as to throw tho stud,
tooth, (or teeth) out of gear with the wheel or pinion, and leave the
regulator free to be turned. When after turning the key or handlo
'the pressure is removed from the bolt the spring again throws the stud
tooth, (or teeth) into gear and locks the regulator. Sometimes instead
of having a separate sliding bolt as 'above described, I make the pinion
to slide longitudinally, fitting' it with a spring so as to press it forwards,
3

page_text: The apparatus as thus far described with reference to the Drawings
(and which are in general use) corresponds with those known as "John
Carnaby's regulators."
My improvements are the arrangements for locking the regulators
so as to prevent the turning of the cock either by the pulling of the
cords between the regulator and the cock with which it is connected, or
by acting directly on the cock.
I construct the locking mechanism as follows, and it can be applied if
desired to most of the existing regulators:- is a sliding bolt projecting
through the case and guided by the pieces and having on it teeth g',
which enter between the teeth of the toothed wheel a, and kept in that
position by the spring h. When it is desired to turn the regulator the
sliding bolt g is pressed so as to throw the teeth g' out of gear with the
toothed wheel a into the position indicated by the dotted lines g³ (Fig. 3)
and leave the regulator free to be turned. When the regulator has been 1
turned to the required extent (which the hand will point out on the
dial) the pressure is removed from the sliding bolt g, and the spring h
throws the teeth g' into gear with the toothed wheel a, and thereby
locks the regulator. The above described locking mechanism can be
applied to gear with the pinion 6 if desired, and with a like effect. The
manner of doing this being obvious needs no description.
Sometimes instead of having a separate sliding bolt e, I adopt the
construction illustrated in Fig. 5 of the Drawings, I make the pinion 6
to slide longitudinally, fitting it with a spring h so as to press it forwards,
and I arrango in the case fixed pins or studs 9', which enter between
the teeth of the pinion 6 when it is in that position. On inserting the
key and pressing it, the pinion is pressed back into the position
indicated by the dotted lines b' clear of the teeth g³, but still gearing
with the toothed wheel a so that it is free to be turned. On releasing
the handle the spring pushes the pinion 6 forwards again and into gear
with the teeth g' so as to fix it in the position to which it had been
turned.
Instead of the above arrangements I sometimes use a lock and key,
the bolt of the lock being serrated to engage with the teeth of the wheel
as illustrated in Fig. 6. a is a portion of the toothed wheel (a in the
other Figures); is a lock; c, the bolt serrated to engage with the
teeth of the wheel a. The regulator is shown fixed in this Figure.

page_text: When it is required to free the regulator so that the cock may be
turned on or off, the key of the lock is inserted and the bolt c shot
back to the position indicated by dotted lines c', leaving the regulator
free to be turned. The use of the parts illustrated but not referred to
being obvious (the Drawings being working Drawings) are not referred
to.
The same or similar constructions can obviously be applied to regulators
and other like apparatus for opening and closing ventilators, skylights,
and other like objects where movement can be conveyed by cords,
wires, or bands from an accessible spot to a distance and for purposes
of a similar kind.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
I would have it understood that I claim, the locking of regulators or
similar apparatus for turning gas, water, or other cocks, opening and
closing ventilators, and other like objects where movement is conveyed
by bands, cords, or wires from an accessible spot to a distance; it being
understood that I do not claim the mere mechanical details per se, and
apart from the purposes of my Invention, nor do I limit myself to the
precise form and proportions described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Slater, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this 18th day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.