CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COCKS FOR THE PASSAGE OF FLUIDS
Year: 1828

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GoSSAGE, of Leamington Priors, in the County of Warwick, Chemist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing dute
at Westminster, the Second day of January, One thousand eight hundred
and twenty-eight, in the ninth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His
heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Gossage,
His especial license that I, the said William Gossage, my executors, adiñiors,
or such others as I, the said William Gossage, my executors, adññors, 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, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF COCKS FOR THE PASSAGE OF FLUIDS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said William Gossage,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and

page_text: 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
William Gossage, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in the following description thereof (that is to say):-
In the construction of cocks as generally made the stopping is attempted to
be produced by closely fitting together two surfaces of metal. In the cock
whose construction I am about to describe an elastic substance is placed
between the parts where the stopping is effected. By this means perfect
tightness is produced and friction greatly diminished. The methods of securing
this clastic substance, and of so placing it as to be certain of its producing
the required effect, form the principal feature of my Invention, which I will
now proceed to describe, together with such other parts of the cock as are
necessary for its proper action, but for which other parts I do not claim to be
the Inventor.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 exhibits that form of cock which
is proposed to be employed for drawing off fluids from a vessel. Figure 2 is
a section of the same. A is the tail or barrel of the cock intended to fit into
the vessel in the usual way. This part conducts the fluid to the body of the
cock C. B is the nozzle or discharge pipe. This nozzle is made to screw up
into the body C till it is nearly in contact with a shoulder, shewn in the lower
part of the chamber. Between the nozzle and this shoulder an elastic washer
or collar of leather, or other suitable material, shewn in the Figure at a, a, is
placed, and the nozzle being screwed up quite tight, presses this washer
or clastic collar a, a, against the shoulder so as to prevent the passage of fluids
between them. The washer a has a hole cut through it of sufficient size to
allow the liquid to pass when the cock is open. D is a plug or stopper which
is raised and depressed by the action of a screw or other suitable means.
As I do not claim any exclusive right with respect to the means of giving
motion to this stopper, I will only describe the method shewn in the Drawings,
where the action of the stopper is effected by a male screw cut on its upper
part, working in a female screw in the cap H of the cock. When the stopper
is turned in one direction by its thumb piece E, the lower end of it is pressed
so closely against the elastic collar a, a, as to effect a perfect stopping of the
passage through the nozzle. The stopper being turned in a reverse direction
it is raised from the collar and allows a free passage for the fluid through the
nozzle. In the section, Figure 2, the cock is represented with the passage

page_text: closed, and in Figure 6, which is the section of a cock slightly varied in form
from the proceeding, the plug is raised, and the aperture open. In addition
to the action of the screw I do occasionally employ, more particularly for lock
cocks, a coiled spring to assist in forcing down the stopper against the elastic
collar. This may be applied to the stopper in various ways, but the method I
prefer is shewn in Fig. 3, which is a horizontal or plan view of the upper part
of the cock. A is the stopper. B, the spring, fastened at one end of the
cap C, and at the other to the stepper A. At the time of fixing these two
ends the spring should be turned so as to produce a sufficient power of reaction
to occasion the requisite degree of pressure by the stopper on the clastic washer.
It will be perceived that the thumb piece being turned so as to open the
passage, the spring will be occasioned to coil round the stopper, and have a
tendency of reaction to bring it back to its bearing on the washer, thus
preventing the cock from being left open through negligence.
Fig. 4 shews the shape of the elastic collar with the hole through it.
The liquid is prevented from rising through the upper part of the cock
by clastic collars placed in a stuffing box G, formed in this part, and kept
in close contact, surrounding the stopper by being screw'd down with the
cap H, as shewn in Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 exhibits another method of forming the nozzle into a bearing for
the elastic collar a, a. In this Figure the part forming the nozzle is
distinct or separate from the screw'd part which forces the nozzle against
the shoulder in the body of the cock; I, I, being the screw'd part, and B the
nozzle. These are distinguished in the Fig. by the hatched lines passing in the
different directions. In this Figure the upper part of the cock is bored true
and cylindrical, and the fluid is prevented rising past the stopper by elastic
collars G fixed round the stopper, after the manner of a piston, and fitting in
the cylindrical part.
Figure 6 shews a method of securing the elastic washer by a swivel screwing
on the outside of the cock, and forcing up the nozzle when screw'd tight.
B, the nozzle. I, the swivel.
Figure 7 exhibits another method, wherein the clastic collar a is secured by
placing it between two flanches, one formed on the upper face of the nozzle,
and the other on the lower part of the chamber of the cock; the flanches are
forced together by screws, as shewn in the Figure, or by screw'd pins and nuts.
Figure 8 represents the cock having its plug placed horizontally, and con-
structed so as not to allow the fluid to enter the body C except when the
passage is opened by withdrawing the stopper D from the elastic collar. A is
the tail intended to be fitted into a vessel of fluid.

page_text: In all these Figures the elastic washer is shewn and marked a, a, and the
same letters of reference, as regards the stuffing box and stoppers or plugs, are
employed in all the Figures. All the bearings for the elastic collar or washer
exhibited in the above Figures are shewn as being plane or flat, but I do not
confine myself to this shape, as the part against which the stopper is forced
may be made either flat, cup-formed, conical, or of other shapes, taking care
to have the end of the stopper of a corresponding figure.
Fig. 9 exhibits another method of applying an elastic substance between
two metallic surfaces, producing a tight stoppage. In this Fig. the chamber of
the cock is made of a truly conical shape, and lined with leather or some other
elastic material, shewn by the letters a, a, which is cut to the required shape
and size, the two edges being placed together; the hollow cone thus formed is
introduced into the chamber. The upper and lower edges of the elastic lining
being made to project beyond the chamber, they are turned over, and by means
of the screw'd caps B and C are screw'd against the upper and lower edges of
the chamber; this prevents the lining from moving when the plug is turned.
The plug A is made of a conical shape to correspond with the chamber; and is
kept down to its bearing by the action of a spiral spring enclosed in the upper
cap C of the cock. Two passages, to correspond with that of the plug, are cut
through the elastic lining, and the edges of the passage through the plug are
bevelled or countersunk to prevent their action against the edges of the lining,
as shewn in the horizontal section Fig. 10. When the plug is turned so
as to bring the passage through it opposite to that through the chamber the
cock is open, but when opposite to the solid part of the chamber the cock is
closed. The elastic lining might also be secured by a piece screwing into
the chamber, and having a projecting edge or shoulder to press the lining
against the edge of the chamber instead of screwing the cap on the chamber.
The method of applying the spiral spring to act on the plug may be varied.
The fluid may be occasioned either to pass directly through the plug, as shewn
in the Fig., or it may be allowed to discharge itself through the lower end of
the plug, a discharging nozzle being then attached to the screw'd cap B. The
form and size of these cocks may be varied to suit all the different purposes
for which they may be required, and the customary means of security may
be applied to these to produce lock cocks.
Lastly, I wish it to be understood, that I do not claim as my Invention the
adapting of elastic substances to the plugs or stoppers of cocks, but the peculiar
methods of applying and securing these substances, as exhibited in the
Drawings and described in this Specification, and which I believe to be
original.

page_text: I further claim the application of a coiled spring to the rising plug, as
shown in Fig. 3, but do not make any claim for the application of a spiral
spring to the conical plug in Fig. 9.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Gossage, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and twenty-eight.
WILLIAM (L.S.) GOSSAGE.
Sigued, sealed, and delivered, in the