A NEW OR IMPROVED FLUSHING APPARATUS AND WATER WASTE PREVENTER FOR WATER CLOSETS AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY BARACLOUGH of Princess Road Edgbaston in the County
of Warwick Engineer do hereby declare the nature of said invention for A NEW
OR IMPROVED FLUSHING APPARATUS AND WATER WASTE PREVENTER FOR WATER
CLOSETS AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object the improvement or improvements in syphon
flushing cisterns, and water waste preventers whereby only a determinate or
measured quantity of water can be delivered to the pan of a closet or other object
at a given time.
I will describe my invention as applied to the flushing of a water closet.
The flush box or cistern has a capacity about equal to contain the prescribed
amount of water to be discharged at a time from the cistern through a delivery
pipe to the pan of a closet.
Standing vertically from the bottom of the cistern and of a height a little above
the top edge thereof a funnel mouthed pipe open at its top is situated and down
this pipe only water is allowed to pass, from the cistern for flushing purposes.
Underneath and immediately below the down pipe described, there is thus formed
a closed chamber or box in which a valve or piston is situated or rests when the
apparatus is in its normal condition or when actually flushing.
The valve or piston is of a suitable size to fit accurately the lower inside barrel
part of the down pipe in which it slides or moves when the flushing is being
started and situated at the lower part thereof is a prolonged stem, which works
within a guide or socket formed above the top of the delivery pipe passing from
the bottom of the chamber or valve box to the pan of the closet. The upper part
of the valve or piston is furnished with a linked rod or stalk, which is attached to
the top inside part of a moveable bell or vessel open at its bottom, which covers
the open topped down pipe within a very short distance of the bottom of the
cistern.
A jointed lever raises the bell by a link or other connection.
The flushing of the closet is effected as follows on the water in the cistern being
at its proper height.
On raising the bell by a chain on the end of the jointed lever, for starting the
flushing the valve or piston being attached to the bell moves out of its box or

page_text: chamber and passes into the orifice of the down pipe and moves therein to the
exact upward movement of the bell, so that on the first raising the bell, the valve
or piston takes to the inside of the downpipe and stops the passage thereof, and
prevents the ingress of external air to the inside of the bell and down pipe while
the open end of the bell is sealed by the water surrounding it.
On the further rising of the bell and its valve or piston in the down pipe, the
area or space in the top of the inside of the bell is enlarged and consequently the
rarification of the air therein, and thus producing a partial vacuum, which creates
The
an unequal atmospheric pressure on the inside and outside of the bell.
consequence of this unequal pressure forces the water in the cistern up the inside
of the bell and over the top of the down pipe, filling the said down pipe and
thereby starting the flushing, on releasing the chain of the lever, the bell falls and
the valve attached to it is removed from the passage or orifice of the down pipe
into the box or chamber below, thereby allowing the water to rush precipitously
down the delivery pipe to the pan or other receptacle, the velocity being accelerated
until the entire contents of the cistern or flush box has been exhausted.
So that by a simple momentary impulse of the jointed lever by its chain the
whole contents of the cistern or flush box is discharged with great rapidity down
the pipe leading to the pan of the closet and so effectually and efficiently cleansing
the said pan.
There is thus produced a syphon flushing apparatus both simple in its
construction efficient in its action and the waste of water entirely obviated by
the use of the said apparatus.
The cistern is provided with the usual supply and ball tap and also the overflow
commonly employed in flushing cisterns.
Dated the First day of January One thousand eight hundred and eighty four.

page_text: "
I, WILLIAM HENRY BARACLOUGH of Princess Road, Edgbaston, in the County
of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
A NEW
OR IMPROVED FLUSHING APPARATUS AND WATER WASTE PREVENTER, FOR WATER
CLOSETS AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
My invention has for its object the improvement or improvements in Syphon
flushing cisterns, and water waste preventers, whereby only a determinate or
measured quantity of water can be delivered to the pan of a closet or other object
at a given time.
I will describe my invention as applied to the flushing of a water closet.
The flush box or cistern has a capacity about equal to contain the prescribed
amount of water to be discharged at a time from the cistern through a delivery
pipe to the pan of a closet.
Standing vertically from the bottom of the cistern, and of a height a little
above the top edge thereof, a funnel mouthed pipe open at its top is situated, and
down this pipe, only water is allowed to pass from the cistern for flushing purposes.
Underneath and immediately below the down pipe is a chamber or box wherein
a piston like valve rests, when the apparatus is in its normal condition, or when
actually flushing.
The valve or piston is of a suitable size to fit accurately the lower inside barrel
part of the down pipe in which it slides or moves on starting the flushing.
The piston like valve is provided with guides, standing from the top side, which
leads the piston like valve from the box or chamber in which it rests to the inside
of the down pipe, when the bell is raised, as the valve like piston is required to
stop up the down pipe passage in order to exclude air from the bell chamber, to
produce the necessary rarification for the water to rise.
The upper part of the valve or piston is furnished with a linked rod or stalk,
which is attached to the top inside part of a moveable bell or vessel open at its
bottom, which covers the open topped down pipe within a very short distance of
the bottom of the cistern.
A jointed lever raises the bell by a link or other connection.
The flushing of the closet is effected as follows, on the water in the cistern being
at its proper height.
On raising the bell by a chain on the end of the lever, for starting the flushing,
the piston like valve attached to the bell by a rod moves out of its box or chamber
at the bottom of the cistern, and passes into the inside or orifice of the down pipe,
and moves therein to the exact upward movement of the bell; so that on the first
raising the bell, the piston like valve takes to the inside of the down pipe and
tops the passage thereof, and prevents the ingress of external air to the inside of
the bell chamber and down-pipe; while the open end of the bell is sealed by the
water surrounding it. So that on the bell being raised (and the piston like valve
closing the passage of the down pipe) the air area or space in the inside thereof is
enlarged, and consequently the rarefication of the air therein and so producing a
partial vacuum, which creates an unequal atmospheric pressure on the inside and
outside of the bell. The consequence of this unequal pressure is to force the
water in the cistern up the inside of the bell, and over the top of the down pipe,
illing the said down pipe, and so starting the flushing when the chain of the lever
5

page_text: is liberated; the bell now falls, and the piston like valve carried by it is removed
from the passage of the down-pipe into the box or chamber below, thereby allowing
water to pass, which now rushes precipitously with accelerating velocity down the
delivery pipe to the pan or other receptacle to be flushed, until the water in the
cistern has been exhausted.
So that by a simple momentary rise of the bell by the jointed lever or its chain,
the whole contents of the cistern or flush box is or are discharged with great
rapidity down. the pipe leading to the pan of the closet, and so effectually and
efficiently cleansing the said pan.
There is thus produced a syphon flushing apparatus; both simple in its
construction, efficient in its action and the waste of water entirely obviated, by
the use of the said apparatus.
The cistern is provided with the usual supply and ball tap and also the overflow
commonly employed in flushing cisterns.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which my said invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents partly in longitudinal vertical section a cistern or flush box,
constructed according to my improvements, for the flushing of the pan of a water
closet or urinal, the parts being represented in the positions which they respectively
occupy when the flushing apparatus is ready for use. Figure 2 is a plan of the
game. Figure 3 represents the same view as Figure 1, with the pull end of the
lever depressed, and the bell raised for the starting of the flushing, the water from
the cistern is shown to have risen within the bell and overflowing the open top of
the downpipe. Figure 4 represents a complete vertical section of the flushing
cistern, in which the flushing is in full force; the water from the cistern being
delivered rapidly to the pan of the closet. Figures 5 to 13 both inclusive
represent the parts of the flushing apparatus described separately. Figure 17
represents a modification, in which the bell is raised by lifting arms. The valve
chamber in this arrangement, is placed in the middle of the down pipe. Figure 18
is a plan of figure 17-The same letters indicate the same parts in the several
figures of the Drawing.
union e.
a is the cistern or flush box, having a capacity of about equal to the prescribed
amount of water to be discharged at a time to the pan of a closet. b is a funnel
mouthed down pipe with its funnel end just above the water level in the cistern,
so that when the cistern remains quiescent, no water can possibly pass from the
cistern to the delivery pipe. c is a chamber or box situated at the bottom or
underneath, of the said funnel mouthed down pipe, the lower end of the said
chamber is open; and leads to the pipe d which are connected together by the
The box or chamber c is made separate from the cistern and is attached
thereto upon the underside by screw pins or nuts-y is a piston like valve of a
size suitable to accurately fit the lower inside barrel part of the down-pipe b in
which it slides or moves, on starting the flushing-g², g, are guides standing from
the upper side of the said valve which leads the piston-like valve from the box c
to the inside of the down-pipe when the bell is raised-g³ is a linked rod of the
piston like valve, which is attached to the crown or inside of a moveable bell or
vessel opened at its bottom-The said bell shaped vessel h covers and surrounds
the down pipe and is hung from the weighted end of the lever i, having its
fulcrum k upon the side of the cistern- is the chain or pull for operating the
lever m is the ball valve for determining the height of the water in the cistern
and is the overflow for allowing over-plus water to escape, should the ball valve
get out of order.
The action of the flushing apparatus is as follows,-the water in the cistern
being at its proper height.
By giving a momentary pull to the chain the weighted end of the lever is
which
raised and with it the bell shaped vessel h, and also the piston like valve g
moves with the said bell, the result is that the piston like valve moves out of the
box or chamber c, and passes into the inside of the down-pipe, and thereby stops its

page_text: passage, and prevents the ingress of air to the bell chamber h* and to the top of
the downpipe 62, as represented in figure 2,--so that on the first rising of the bell,
the piston like valve g, immediately takes to the inside of the down-pipe, the area,
or space in the inside of the bell is gradually enlarged, as the bell continues to rise,
and consequently the rarefication of the air contained therein, producing a partial
vacuum which creates an unequal atmospheric pressure on the inside and outside
of the bell. The effect of this operation is to force the water in the cistern a, up
the inside of the bell and over-flow the open mouth of the down-pipe; filling the
said down pipe and starting the flushing, when the chain is liberated-The bell h
now falls and the piston like valve carried by it, is removed from the passage of
the down pipe into the box or chamber below, thereby allowing water to pass,
which now rushes with accelerating velocity through the open bottom of the box
to the delivery pipe; and from thence to a pan or other receptacle to be flushed
as represented in figure 4, until the whole contents of the cistern have been
discharged.
Should the bell like vessel h be held up by inadvertence or by design, it follows
that the downpipe on becoming filled with water when piston valve stops its
passage, the suction created in the inside of the bell produces considerable pressure
of water which trickles or escapes around the sides of the piston like valve.
To obviate this, I place a very minute hole h³ in the bell just above the water-
level, when the bell is fully raised, this hole allows air to enter the bell, after the
suction has fulfilled its duty, in the raising of the water. Figure 5 is an elevation
of the chamber or box c, and figure 6 is a section, and figure 7 a plan of the same;
figure 8 is the fly nut-Figures 9 and 10 is an elevation and plan of the bell like
vessel exhibiting the hole ³ for allowing air to enter the inside at the proper
time. Figure 11 is the down-pipe, and figures 12 and 13 are its parts separately.
Figure 14 is the lead or guide to the piston like valve, while figure 15 is an
elevation and plan of the piston like valve and its connecting rod.
In figure 17 the bell his picked up by trunnion like arms o by the end of the
lever . By so arranging the lifting parts as described, considerable space in the
cistern is saved-The down pipe b is made bulbous at its middle part, which
constitutes the chamber into which the piston falls so as to allow ample room for
water to freely pass to the delivery pipe, when the flushing is being effected, or
when the parts are in their normal positions. By placing the piston chamber in
the position as described and represented, the apparatus becomes more sensitive in
its action, the down pipe is also provided with a guide for conducting vertically
the rod carrying the piston on the rising of the bell-Figure 18 is a plan of the
cistern figure 17 and its arrangements.
The flushing apparatuses described may be adapted to work automatically from
the seat or door of a closet, the bell being raised and operated in the same way as
when operated by a pull from a chain.
Having now particularly described the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
First Improvements in the description of flushing cisterns or water waste
preventers commonly known as Syphon flushing cisterns hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings; that is to say, a piston like valve
with its guides which move alternately in and out of the down pipe on the raising
and falling of the bell as described and illustrated in the several figures of the
Drawings.
Secondly. Constructing and arranging the parts of syphon flushing cisterns,
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, whereby the
upward movement of the bell like vessel for starting the Bushing carries with it a
piston like valve which closes or stops up and slides within the down pipe passage
for excluding air from the bell chamber during the said rising to produce the
necessary rarefication of air within, for the water to rise; also the box or chamber
in which the valve remains when the bell is down, so as not to impede the flow of

page_text: water to the delivery pipe during flushing, the parts being arranged, combined and
operating substantially in the ways herein before described and illustrated in the
several figures of the Drawings.
Thirdly. The general arrangement or combination of the parts of syphon
flushing cistern, also the air hole marked in the bell chamber, as described and
illustrated in the several figures of the Drawings.
Dated this twenty fifth day of September 1884.
mber 1884.
WILLIAM HENRY BARACLOUGH.
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham,
Agent to the Applicant.