IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HIGH-PRESSURE COCKS, TAPS, OR VALVES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Redfern, of the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, Plumber, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF HIGH-PRESSURE COCKS, TAPS, OR VALVES,"
Sealed the 22nd November 1864, and dated the 26th May 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Redfern at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
May 1864.
I, HENRY REDFERN, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HIGH-PRESSURE COCKS, TAPS, OR VALVES," to be as
follows:-
These improvements relate to such cocks, taps, or valves as are formed of
two or more parts connected together by screwing, rivetting, soldering, or
otherwise, and consist in turning, casting, or otherwise forming a seat in the
cock, tap, or valve for the reception of a washer of leather, vulcanized india-
rubber, or other convenient material, which washer, when forced home,
remains in its seat until worn out, when it can be readily replaced by
unscrewing or otherwise withdrawing the plug or collar which had forced it
home and held it when there. Upon this washer is pressed a plug which
effectually stops the way, part of the plug passing into the hole in the washer
until it is released by unscrewing a crutch, or by raising or lowering a lever,
or by other means of releasing such plug. The plug is composed of metal or

page_text: other convenient substance, and when used with a crutch it may be separate
from the crutch or it may form part of it; when it is separate from the crutch
the end opposite the washer is elongated and takes into a hole formed for
it in the crutch or screw plug, or a slot may be formed in it for a lever to
Blide in.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Pateur, filed
by the said Henry Redfern in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
REDFERN, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Plumber,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
Onethousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the
said Henry Redfern, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Redfern, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Redfern, my executors, administrators, and 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 THE MANUFACTURE
OF HIGH-PRESSURE COCKS, TAPS, OR VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Redfern, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Henry Redfern, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
These improvements, which relate to cocks, taps, or valves formed of two
or more parts connected together by screwing, rivetting, soldering, or other-

page_text: wise, consist in turning, casting, or otherwise forming a seat in the cock, tap,
or valve for the reception of a washer made of leather, vulcanized india-rubber
or other convenient material, as metal, lignum vitae, or similar wood, or gutta
percha, which washer when forced home remains in its seat until it is worn
out, when it can be readily replaced by unscrewing, or otherwise withdrawing
the plug or collar which had forced it home and held it when there; and up on
this washer is pressed a plug, which effectually stops the way, part of the
plug passing into the hole in the washer until it is released by unscrewing a
crutch, or by raising or lowering a lever, or by other means of releasing such
plug. The plug is composed of metal or other convenient substance, and
when used with a crutch may be separate from the crutch, or it may form
part of it; when the plug is separate from the crutch the end opposite the
washer is elongated, and takes into a hole formed for it in the crutch or screw
plug, or a slot may be formed in the plug for a lever to slide in.
Having thus set forth the nature of my said Invention, I now proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents in section a water or other fluid cock or valve, which
is opened by the fall of a lever attached at one end to a ball or other con-
venient float, the valve being closed when the lever is raised by the hand or
by the ball or other float.
The part A of the water or other fluid cock or valve has two projections,
B on one side; between these projections is a slot C opposite to another but
longer slot D on the other side; through these slots a lever E is passed, one
end of it being hinged by a pin to the two projections; the opposite end of
the lever is secured to a hollow ball or other float. Above the lever E is a
cross bar F, which is cast with and forms part of the portion A. There is a
hole in the cross bar, through which is passed the tail of a plug G, which
plug is pressed up to a washer H ; when the lever E is raised by the hand or
by the ball or other float, the washer H is securely held between two flanges,
one of which is on the lower side, and is cast in and forms a portion of the
part, and the other flange is on the upper side and forms a portion of a
part A', to which the lower part A is firmly secured. The direction of motion
of the fluid when it is escaping is indicated in this Figure by an arrow, and
it is also likewise indicated in the Figures herein-after described. The plug
in this cock or valve stands in a vertical position, but in the cock or valve
shewn at Figure 2 the plug lies in a horizontal position.
Figure 2 is a section of a modification of a cock or valve, which I now

page_text: proceed to describe:-In the part A is a cross bar through which the tail of
the plug B passes; close to the tail of the plug is a loose piece of metal C,
which has its upper end inclined, as shewn; upon this incline rests another
wedge-shaped piece D; both pieces lie in a recess cast in the part A, which is
tapped to receive a cap E, through which is passed a screwed plug F, which,
when such plug is screwed down, forces down the piece D, which in its turn
moves the piece C and closes the valve by the plug B; a washer G is securely
held between two flanges, one in the part A, and the other in the part A¹ ;
there is also a washer H between the part A and the cap E. In Figure 1,
the chamber through which the lever E passes is separate and distinct from
the waterways on each side of it, one such waterway being represented by the
dotted lines in this Figure, and another such waterway is represented by
dotted lines in Figure 2. These dotted lines shew the waterways to pass on
each side of the chamber in which the inclined pieces C and D are placed.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of a gas, water, or other fluid cock or valve, in
which the plug works vertically. In the part A is a valve seat, which is
screwed to receive a ring B, which holds a washer in a fixed position;
the upper part of A is also screw-threaded to receive a cap C, a washer being
placed between the cap and the part A; the cap is also screw-threaded on its
Jower side to receive a screwed plug D, which plug D has a hole drilled in it
to receive the tail of a plug E; the upper side of the cap C is also screw-
threaded to receive a second cap F; the upper portion of the cap C and the
cap F form a stuffing box for the shaft of the plug D; the valve is free to
open by the pressure of the liquid when the plug D is screwed up and closed,
when the plug D is screwed down the plug may be turned by a key, or by
means of a small haud wheel, as shewn. I employ the same arrangement for
a bib cock, such a bib cock is indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3. In this
valve the fluid escapes nearly in a direct line, being only slightly diverted as
it passes from the lower to the upper side of the valve seat; but in the
modification shewn in Figure 4 the fluid escapes at right angles to the valve.
The portion A is screw-threaded on the inner surface to receive a ring B,
which holds the washer in its place, the plug C being pressed down when the
valve is required to be closed by a screwed plug D, which is drilled at its
lower end to receive the tail of the plug C; the plug D passes through a
cap E, which screws into the upper portion of the part A, which is screw-
threaded to receive it; a washer is interposed between the part A and the
cap E, the upper portion of which forms a stuffing box for the shaft of the
plug D,which may be turned by a key, wrench, or by a hand wheel.
Figure 5 is a sectional view of a steam, gas, water, or other fluid cock or

page_text: valve, having a piece B cast in and forming a portion of the part A; this
piece B is clear of the bottom and sides of the piece A, and is also open at the
upper side to receive a spur wheel C, which gears into a rack 1) cut upon
and forming a part of the stem or shank of the plug E, which is fitted to
slide in two holes drilled in the ends of the piece B in the interior. Near
one end of the piece A is a flange upon which lies a washer kept in place by
a piece F screwed tightly on to it inside the end of the piece A. The spur
wheel C is enclosed in the recess in which it is placed by a flanged piece G
screwed into a projecting portion of the piece A, from one side of which pro-
jecting portion a piece H projects, the outer end of which is bored out to
receive the conical part of the stem of a key or axle passed through it, one
end of which takes into a square hole in the centre of the spur wheel C.
The key or axle is prevented from falling out by a cap I screwed on the
piece H; this cap I may also be made to form a stuffing box for the outer
end of the stem of the key or axle which passes through it; such key or
axle is provided with a small hand wheel K on its outer end.
Figure 6 represents a sectional view of a steam, gas, water, or other fluid cock
or valve in which the seat of the valve is placed vertically. Nearone end of the
piece A on the inside is a flange upon which is placed a washer kept in its
position by a piece B. The stem of the plug C passes through holes in the
two ends of the piece D), which forms part of and projects from the upper
side of the piece A; the stem of the plug C has a short slot cut in it, into
which the lower end of a rocking lever E takes. The oscillation of this lever
opens or closes the valve; part of this lever is made somewhat larger than its
other parts, and is turned of a globular form, and rests upon a seat F, into
which it is ground to fit, and it is kept in its place by a piece G which lies
upon it, and is ground to fit it. This piece is kept in its place by a cap I,
which, together with the two portions ground to fit the enlarged part of the
rocking lever E, forms a ball-and-socket joint; the piece G is slotted at its
upper part to allow the lever E the requisite play. The parts forming the
ball-and-socket joint are surrounded by a cap Kscrewed to the piece A. Upon
one side of the upper edge of this cap projects a piece tapped to receive a
screw L which receives a key or hand wheel at the outer end, and has at its
inner end a groove which takes into a socket at one side of a flat piece of
metal M. The screw L is held in the socket by a set screw in the flat
piece M; a slot is cut in it in a diagonal direction, and a flat piece projects on
the side opposite to the socket, which flat piece slides in a recess cut in the
upper rim or edge of the cap K. The cap, flat piece, and screw for the hand
wheel or key are shown in plan in Figure 7. When the screw Lis screwed

page_text: inwards the valve will be closed, and when it is screwed outwards the valve
will be opened, that is to say, if the slotted flat piece occupies the position
in which it is shewn at Figure 7, but if the slot were placed the reverse way,
the opening and closing of the valve would of course be reversed. The slot
of the flat piece M slides upon the upper end of the shank or stem of the
rocking lever E, which moves the valve plug to and fro, the stem of which
and the flat piece M are covered and protected by the disc N. Both steam
valves may be fitted with an index and pointer, as shewn at Figure 5, to
indicate the extent to which the valves are open; or the rocking lever E,
shewn in Figure 6, Sheet 1, may be extended upwards, and terminate in a
point passing through a slot in the cover N, which may be marked to indi-
cate the extent the valve is opened.
My Invention may be applied to water gauges, watercloset valves, water-
closet cistern valves, spirit cocks, valves for hydrants, pump valves, safety
valves (the plug in safety valves being held down by a weighted lever), beer
taps or cocks, steam check valves, pet cocks, main cocks for gas fittings, &c.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as of my said
Invention, the improved cocks, taps, or valves in which plugs and washers are
arranged and combined, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Redfern, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
HENRY REDFERN. (L.S.)