AN AUTOMATIC FLUSHING AND ANTISEPTIC TANK
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick James Austin of N° 5 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Sanitary Engineer for an Invention of "AN AUTOMATIC
FLUSHING AND ANTISEPTIC TANK"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick James Austin at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st August 1883.
FREDERICK JAMES AUSTIN of N° 5 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex,
Sanitary Engineer "AN AUTOMATIC FLUSHING AND ANTISEPTIC TANK."
My invention relates to improvements in sanitary flushing apparatus, chiefly
applicable to urinals and water-closets
My improved apparatus consists of an ordinary tank or cistern in or near the
centre and running up through the bottom of which is an out-flow pipe for
discharging the cistern as aftermentioned.
Over the out-flow pipe and extending from about an inch or half an inch from
the bottom of the tank or cistern is another pipe closed at the top and covering
the other like a cap or inverted tumbler, leaving a clear space round the exterior of
the inner pipe and over the top of it about an inch or thereabouts according to the
dimensions of the tank or cistern to be discharged.
The water supply comes from the main or other service in the usual way by
means of a ball valve and regulating tap which works as follows:-The tap can
bo so regulated as to fill the cistern to a cortain given line or height therein up to
and on a level with the mouth of the out-flow pipe at regular periods of time,
say, 3, 6, or 12 times a day, or more frequently if required. When the water
in the tank reaches the aforesaid given line, the ball cock is thereby raised, which
further opens the valve and allows the water to rush into the cistern very rapidly,
until it rises over the cap aforesaid, whereupon the offect of a syphon is caused
and the contents of the tank or cistern are at once rapidly discharged down the
out-flow pipe
I also fix over and within the aforesaid cistern a tank containing disinfecting
fluid with a ball valve at the bottom of it so that by means of this ball tap
operating with the larger water cistern or tank, the valve is automatically opened
017

page_text: simultaneously with the rapid discharge of the water into the cistern as before
mentioned, and the contents thereof colored or deodorized.
I also use a spindle-valve placed in a small box in the fluid compartment
and attached to which (spindle valve) is a ball suspended downwards into the
compartment holding the water. or I use no ball, in which case the spindle valve
is fixed so that the action of the ball valve which admits the water, works it, but
in all cases I claim as a speciality in my invention, that I obtain the disinfectant
through the agency of the water ebbing or flowing, in other words I get a
measured charge of one fluid by the rise or fall of the other and in the following
way: The water comes in from the main or otherwise through a small regulating
tap attached to, or by the side of the ball valve, this ball valve is reversed in
action so that when the ball is down the valve is closed, and does not come into
play until there is sufficient water in the cistern to raise it, when the water flows
with considerable rapidity up to the cap over the discharge pipe when the syphon
takes place and the cistern quickly empties, about a minute before the syphon
occurs the water floats the ball attached to the spindle-valve and admits the
charge of disinfected fluid into the water below.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick James Austin in the Patent Office on the 1st February 1884.
FREDERICK JAMES AUSTIN, of 5 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex,
Sanitary Engineer. "AN AUTOMATIC FLUSHING AND ANTISEPTIC TANK
"
My Invention relates to improvements in sanitary flushing apparatus chiefly,
applicable to urinals and water-closets.
My improved apparatus consists of an ordinary tank or cistern in or near the
centre and running up through the bottom of which is an outflow pipe for
discharging the cistern as afterimentioned. Over the outflow pipe and extending
from about an inch or half an inch from the bottom of the tank or cistern is
another pipo closed at the top and covering the other like a cap or inverted
tumbler, leaving a clear space round the exterior of the inner pipe and over the
top of it about an inch or thereabouts according to the dimensions of the tank or
cistern to be discharged.
The water supply comes from the main or other service in the usual way by
means of a ball valve and regulating tap which work as follows:-
The tap can be so regulated as to fill the cistern to a certain givon line or
height therein up to and on a level with the mouth of the outflow pipo at regular
periods of time, say, 3, 6 or 12 times a day or more frequently if required-When
the water in the tank reaches the aforesaid given line, the ball cock is thereby
raised which further opens the valve and allows the water to rush into the cistern
very rapidly until it rises over the cap aforesaid, whereupon the effect of a syphon
is caused, and the contents of the tank or cistern are at once rapidly discharged
down the outflow pipe.
I also fix over or within the aforesaid cistern, a tank containing disinfecting fluid
with a ball valve at the bottom of it, so that by means of this ball tap operating
within the larger water cistern or tank, the valve is automatically opened
simultaneously with the rapid discharge of the water into the cistern as before
mentioned, and the contents thereof colored or deodorized.
I may use instead, a spindle-valve placed in a small box in the fluid compartment,
and attached to which (spindle-valve) is a ball suspended downwards into tho
compartment holding the water, or I may use no ball, in which case the spindle-
valve is fixed so that the action of the ball valve which admits the water, works
it, but in all cases I claim as a speciality in my Invention that I obtain the
disinfectant through the agency of the water ebbing or flowing, in other words, I
got a measured charge of one fluid, by the rise or fall of the other, and in the
following way :-The water comes in from the main or otherwise through a small
regulating tap attached to, or by the side of, the ball valve, this ball valve is
reversed in action so that when the ball is down, the valve is closed, and does not
come into play until there is sufficient water in the cistern to raise it, when the
water flows with considerable rapidity up to the cap over the discharge pipe when
the syphon takes place and the cistern quickly empties; about a minute before the
syphon occurs, the water floats the ball attached to the spindle-valve and admits
the charge of disinfected fluid into the water below.
In order that my Invention may be more fully understood I hereto annex a
sheet of drawings marked with figures and letters of reference illustrative thereof.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a tank or cistern to which water is admitted by
means of the two inlet taps A. a. The larger tap A is provided with a ball cock C
which is arranged to open when the water which is admitted slowly through the
smaller tap has risen to nearly the level of the mouth of the outlet pipe B which
is covered by a cap D, thus forming a syphon.
The upper part of the cistern is separated from the lower by the plate E and
into this upper portion I introduce a quantity of disinfecting fluid which may be

page_text: allowed to flow into the lower tank in small quantities by means of a ball tap
acting previous to the discharge of the cistern, but I prefer the arrangement shown
in the drawing in which a small box or cell F is formed on the plate E and
communicates with the upper cistern by means of a small tube or perforation and
with the lower cistern by means of the valve e which is opened and closed by the
float G. The valve is opened when the water is on the point of being discharged
through the syphon and as it is again closed the moment the discharge takes place,
only the small quantity of fluid contained in the cell F is used along with each
cistern full of water.
In Figure 2 I have shewn a method of disinfecting the water by bringing it
into contact with the disinfecting substanco in the crystallized state.
In this case I mount upon the cap D a box H made of metal or porous material
having a perforated bottom. In the box I placo a quantity of the disinfecting
crystals in a powdered condition, and when the water rises to the level of the top
of the syphon it just reaches the crystals, portions of which are dissolved and the
water containing them in solution falls to the bottom of the tank on account of its
increased specific gravity.
In Figure 8 I have shewn the adaptation of the foregoing arrangement to tho
ordinary ball valve or other cistern. J represents the box for containing the
crystals which is provided with the perforated bottom at f. This box is placed
within a second vessel K, the upper rim of which is slightly above the water line
of the cistern or the line at which the water ceases to run in. The water being
admitted through the tap A runs first into the vessel K and escapes at a slower.
rate through an orifice at ġ. The result is that the vessel K gradually fills and the
water.commences-to-dissolve-the-crystals-in-the-box-J. As soon however as the
water ceases to flow through the tap A, that in the vessel K sinks gradually to the
level of the surrounding water in the cistern and thus ceases to dissolve the
crystals.
Figure 4 represents a box with a perforated bottom which may be suspended full
of crystals within any cistern from which the water is discharged at regular
intervals, care being taken to suspend it in such a position that the water shall
never rise far abovo the level of the bottom of the box.
Instead of placing the crystals in a perforated box I may enclose them
completely in a box or jar of porous earthenware or other material, as shewn at L
in Figure 5. Thus placed the crystals dissolve slowly and the liquid containing
them diffuses gradually through the pores of the jar and mixes with the bulk of
water in the cistern. The jar L may be either totally or only partially immersed,
according to the rate at which diffusion is found to take place.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent, is :-
The improvements in automatic sanitary flushing apparatus applicablo to urinals,
water closets and other purposes, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
In Witness whereof I the said Frederick James Austin have herounto set my
hand and seal this twentieth day of December in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
BARND
LAMY