Improvements in Ball Taps.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr.. 1890
Improvements in Ball Taps.
I, ROBERT HOWARTH of 53 Goldthorn Terrace, Penn Road, Wolverhampton in the
County of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It relates to improvements in that class of stop cock which is actuated by a float,
and has for its object to provide a self-acting, reliable, stop cock, the opening and
closing of which is regulated by means of a direct acting float, operating upon an
opening of small area.
A "Ball Tap" constructed according to my invention has a float, preferably drum
shaped, divided by a diaphragm into an upper and a lower compartiment, the lower
one being hermetically sealed constitutes the float; whilst the upper one is intended
for use as a counterbalance weight, and as such it can be filled or emptied at pleasure.
The body of the cock is constructed after the usual fashion, but instead of the valve
being held in position by a lever and float, it is actuated by a piston working in a
cylinder, and of suitable area, to force it against its seat, when actuated by pressure
from the main, admitted through a leakage hole provided for that purpose.
The float is carried upon a guide arranged to act vertically, and in its rise or fall,
to open or close the exit passage from the cylinder.
In operation the float working upon its guide falls by gravity into its lowest
position at the same time, pressure from the service pipe, forces the valve from its
seat, and with it the piston into a position somewhat lower in the cylinder.
The float being divided into two compartments, water passing through the leakage
hole, into the cylinder is discharged through the cylinder exit passage into the upper
one, which then acting as a balance weight, reduces its total buoyancy, until raised
to its highest position, when the cylinder exit passage being closed, the supply to the
upper compartment is cut off, and the accumulation contained therein being allowed
to escape, the whole huoyancy of the float is restored, thereby exerting, an increased
upward energy in closing the cylinder exit passage finally against the possibility of
leakage.
At the same time, pressure from the main, communicated to the cylinder through
the leakage hole, being unable to escape in consequence of the exit passage being
closed, the piston slowly advances, and forces the valve tightly against its seat, in which
position it remains, until the operation is repeated.
Dated this 11th day of May 1889.
ROBERT HOWARTH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Taps.
I, ROBERT HOWARTH of 53 Goldthorn Terrace Penn Road Wolverhampton in the
County of Stafford Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
It relates to improvements in that class of stop cock actuated by a float, and has
for its object to provide a self-acting reliable apparatus the opening and closing of
which is regulated by means of a direct acting float operating upon an opening of
small area.
Hitherto, a stop cock of this description has been actuated by means of a float
attached to a lever of sufficient power to close a valve against pressure, thus the

page_text: balance between the power exerted by such mechanism and the resistance to be over-
come is so nearly equal that no margin of force remains to at once close such valve
tightly and prevent leakage.
An apparatus. especially applicable to water-supply fittings, which for the purpose
of this specification is hereinafter referred to as a Ball Tap, constructed according to
and for the purpose of this invention, has a float, preferably drum-shaped, divided by
a diaphragm into an upper and a lower compartment, the lower one being hermetically
sealed, constitutes and is used as a float, the upper one for use as a counterbalance
weight, as hereinafter explained, made open-topped for the sake of convenience.
A valve which regulates the supply is attached to a piston fitting but working
freely in a cylinder of such area that service water pressure from the main admitted
to one side of it, has power, sufficient to force such valve tightly against its seat.
The float, and with it the counterbalance chamber, is carried upon a guide,
arranged to act vertically, and in its rise or fall to open or close an escape passage
in communication with that end of the cylinder intended to be under pressure.
The action of this invention when in operation, can be readily understood by
reference to the drawings, in which, for the sake of convenience, similar parts in each
are represented by similar letters.
The float A, Fig. 1, having fallen by gravity into the lowest position allowed by
the stop a, pressure in the service pipe B forces the valve C. and with it the piston D,
into a position somewhat lower in the cylinder E, the float A being in its lowest
position, water passing through the leakage pipe F, into the cylinder E, escapes by
the passage G, which is somewhat larger in area than the pipe F, into and fills the
chamber H, and in its course charges a syphon J, which being of less capacity than
the supply from the pipe F; allows the chamber to fill to its utmost and overflow,
the weight of this added water, carried by the float, raises its line of flotation, under
which condition it is floated into such a position that the seating K, by exerting an
increasing pressure against the orifice L gradually reduces the rate of supply to the
chamber H, until somewhat below the capacity of the syphon J consequently the
added water is removed from the chamber H, thus restoring the whole buoyancy of
the float such increased upward effort tightly closes the orifice I, with a power much
greater than the resistance to be overcome.
The leakage pipe F being constantly immersed it will be seen that pressure
from the main unable to escape at M, Fig. 2, accumulates in the cylinder E, the arca
of which being proportionately greater than the area of the opening O, the piston D,
is forced forward until the valve C, is firmly closed and stops the supply in which
position it remains notwithstanding reasonable variation of pressure, until the float A
is lowered and the operation is repeated automatically.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
First. A Ball Tap operated by a direct-acting float, controlling an orifice of small
area, in combination with a piston, packed or otherwise made to fit but work freely
in a cylinder of sufficient area, to close a valve of smaller area, against resistance
from the service pipe, or main, when supplied with pressure from the same source,
substantially as herein described and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Second. A Ball Tap operated by an apparatus composed of two compartments
rigidly attached together, one of which is hermetically sealed and by its buoyancy in
water is used as a float, the other, placed as a superstructure, serves as a receptacle
for an added weight, capable of being removed automatically by a syphon or some
such means, when the power exerted by such float has been developed up to some
fixed ratio, substantially as herein described and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Third. A float in combination with a Ball Tap in which by means of mechanism of
any known character the line of flotation is raised when the tap is in operation, or in
other words open, and is restored to its original or normal position when the tap is
shut substantially as herein described, to and for the purpose set forth,

page_text: Fourth. A Ball Tap, the supply from which is regulated by means of a valve,
attached to a piston, suitably packed or otherwise prepared to fit but work freely in a
cylinder, such piston, provided with a small hole in the direction of its axis terminates
in a tube passing through and extending beyond the valve opening, when the valve is
against its seat, pressure thus admitted to such cylinder is controlled by a float,
operating direct or by intervening mechanism upon an opening other than the actual
orifice from which the supply is delivered, substantially as herein described and partly
illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Fifth. The construction of a Ball Tap substantially as herein described illustrated
by the drawings annexed, and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 12th day of February 1890.
ROBERT HOWARTH.