IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Sugg, of Vincent Works,
Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES."
Scaled the 21st April 1868, and dated the 8th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas
Sugg at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 8th February 1868.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Works, Vincent Street, in the
City of Westminster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES," to be as follows :—
This Invention consists in the further improvement of valves included
in an Invention for which Letters Patent, No. 58, bearing date the
Ninth day of January, 1867, were granted to me, and are applicable to
a number of purposes, but more especially to facilitate the filling of
railway carriage gas holders. These valves, like those described in the

page_text: Specification of the Patent before referred to, are used in pairs, and
consist of two distinct and separate cases, each having a valve therein.
The cases may be made of any suitable metal or metals, either wrought
or cast, and for some purposes it is proposed to make them of an alloy
and cast them in polished iron or steel moulds in order to lessen the
labour of finishing and consequently the cost of production. One of
these cases is fixed to the gas holder or conduit leading thereto, and
the other to a pipe or flexible hose in communication with the source
of supply. The valve itself consists of a circular disc of wood or metal,
attached to which is a hollow metallic tube passing through its centre,
and being open at one end while the other is closed by a boss or stud.
A hemispherical or other suitably shaped piece of india-rubber having
a hole in its centre is made to pass over the tube, to which it is
confined by a nut and washer or other suitable contrivance, and the
edges of the india-rubber are, secured to the periphery of the disc
before mentioned so as to form what may be termed an elastic india-
rubber air cushion valve. The seat of the valve consists of a disc of
metal having an opening in the centre, and is cast on to the inside
of the case or otherwise attached to it. One end of the case is closed
by a cover, to which is fastened a tubular or solid metallic guide rod,
which passes into and upon which is free to slide the hollow valve
spindle before alluded to. Around the guide rod a strong spiral spring
is coiled, which by its force keeps the valve when at rest close in its
seat; or the valve may when made solid as hercafter mentioned be
retained in its seat by its own gravity, being loaded or otherwise for the
purpose.
The foregoing is a description of the valve and case attached to
the gas holder, but the corresponding case and valve are constructed
in a similar manner, save that the case attached to the gas holder is
formed with a socket, and the, one attached to the supply pipe with a
spigot end, both having flanges with screw catches thereon to maintain
them in position when in use. Around the spigot end and abutting
on the flange a tubular india-rubber washer is placed to insure the
gas tightness of the joint. The gas may be admitted at one end of
cach case, but it is preferred to form a gas way at the side as more
convenient. The action is the same as in those before patented by me,
that is to say, almost as soon as the spigot is inserted in the faucet
the ends of the valve spindles come into contact, and by the force.

page_text: imparted to them in thrusting the cases home the valves recede from
their scats and from each other, and thus open a free passage for
the gas.
A modification of the foregoing may be made by constructing the
seat of a hollow annular india-rubber ring, instead of metal as before
described; and in this case cither the valve described may be used or
one of wood, metal, or other suitable substance may be employed.
Another modification consists in forming the valve of solid india-
rubber or cbonite, and instead of having the spindles of equal length
one of them may be sufficiently long to strike upon the opposite valve
itself instead of a fellow spindle. Or again, the scat may be made
of solid rubber or ebonite in lieu of either metal or the hollow
india-rubber ring before described. The method of forming the valve
and scat is equally well adapted for pumps, cither for gas, air, water,
or other liquids, and may be applied either for foot or suction valves,
Although india-rubber is here mentioned as the material preferred, it
is not necessarily confined thereto, as prepared leather or a combination
of flexible or elastic gums may be used instead.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Thomas Sugg in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Works, Vincent Street, in the City of
Westminster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Thomas Sugg, Her special licence
that I, the said William Thomas Sugg, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Thomas Sugg, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and all times thereafter during the

page_text: term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ircland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Thomas Sugg, my executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 William Thomas Sugg, do hereby
déclare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in the further improvement of valves included
in an Invention for which Letters Patent, No. 58, bearing date the
Ninth day of January, 1867, were granted to me, and are applicable to
a number of purposes, but more especially to facilitate the filling of
railway carriage gas holders.
These valves, like those described in the Specification of the Patent
before referred to, are used in pairs, and consist of two distinct and
separate cases, each having a valve therein. The cases may be made
of any suitable metal or metals, either wrought or cast, and for some
purposes it is proposed to make them of an alloy, and cast them in
polished iron or steel moulds in order to lessen the labour of finishing,
and consequently the cost of production. One of these cases is fixed
to the gasholder or conduit leading thereto, and the other to a pipe or
flexible hose in communication with the source of supply. The valve
itself consists of a circular disc of wood or metal, attached to which
is a hollow metallic tube passing through its centre, and being open
at one end, while the other is closed by a boss or stud. A hemi-
spherical or other suitably shaped piece of india-rubber having a hole
in its centre is made to pass over the tube to which it is confined by
a nut and washer or other suitable contrivance, and the edges of the
india-rubber are secured to the periphery of the disc before mentioned,
so as to form what may be termed an elastic india-rubber air cushion

page_text: valve. The seat of the valve consists of a disc of metal having an
opening in the centre, and is cast on to the inside of the case or
otherwise attached to it. One end of the case is closed by a cover
to which is fastened a tubular or solid metallic guide rod, which passes
into and upon which is free to slide the hollow valve spindle before
alluded to. Around the guide rod a strong spiral spring is coiled
which by its force keeps the valve when at rest close in its seat, or the
valve may when made solid as hereafter mentioned be retained in its
scat by its own gravity, being loaded or otherwise for the purpose.
The foregoing is a description of the valve and case attached to the
gas holder, but the corresponding case and valve are constructed in a
similar manner, save that the case attached to the gas holder is formed.
with a socket, and the one attached to the supply pipe with a spigot
end, both having flanges with screw catches thereon to maintain them
in position when in use. Around the spigot end and abutting on the
flange a tubular india-rubber washer is placed to ensure the gas.
tightness of the joint. The gas may be admitted at one end of each
case, but it is preferred to form a gas way at the side as more
convenient.
The action is the same as in those before patented by me, that is to
say, almost as soon as the spigot is inserted in the faucet the ends of
the valve spindles come into contact, and by the force imparted to
them in thrusting the cases home the valves recede from their seats
and from each other, and thus open a free passage for the-gas.
A modification of the foregoing may be made by constructing the
scat of a hollow annular india-rubber ring instead of metal as before
described, and in this case either the valve described may be used or
one of wood, metal, or other suitable substance may be employed.
Another modification consists in forming the valve of solid india-
rubber or cbonite, and instead of having the spindles of equal length
one of them may be sufficiently long to strike upon the opposite valvo
itself instead of a fellow spindle. Or again, the seat may be mado
of solid rubber or ebonite in lieu of either metal or the hollow india-
rubber ring before described. The method of forming the valve and
seat is equally well adapted for pumps either for gas, air, water,
or other liquids, and may be applied either for foot or suction valves.

page_text: Although india-rubber is here mentioned as the material preferred it
is not necessarily confined thereto as prepared leather, orja com-
bination of flexible or elastic gums may be used instead.
In order that the foregoing may be more fully understood Drawings
are appended hereto, of which the following is a description.
Fig. 1 represents the valve which is to be attached to the gas holder
or conduit leading thereto; and Fig. 2 shows the valve to be connected
with the flexible supply pipe. In both Figs. the cases and scats of
the valves are shown in section, the valves and their accessories being
exhibited in clevation."
A, A, A, A, Figs. 1 and 2, are the exterior cases; B, Fig. 2, is the
spigot end which is to be inserted into the socket of C, Fig. 1;
D, D, Figs. 1 and 2, are the valves, and E, E, their scats; F, F, arc
the spiral springs; G, G, the hollow tubes attached to the valves, and
which slide upon the metallic guide rods H, H; I, I, are the studs
which impinge upon each other when the two valves are brought into
action; J, Fig. 2, is a diaphragm used to attach to and support the
spiral spring, but is pierced with a number of holes through which the
gas can pass; K, Fig. 2, is, the inlet, and L, Fig. 1, is the outlet.
The position of the inlet and outlet may be varied however to suit the
convenience of circumstances. M, M, Fig. 2, is the hollow annular
india-rubber washer used to make the joint gas-tight when the valves
are in contact; N exhibits one of three handles attached to the case,
and O one of the three catches which take into portions of a three-
threaded screw on the periphery of the socket, thus affording means for
retaining the valves in position while the gas holder is filling.
In the Drawings the valves. are not shown in their natural position,
but as if they were driven back, as they are in reality when the
studs I, I, are brought into operation, thus exhibiting more clearly the
passage for the gas.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
described or referred to, as variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of this Invention; but
what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as the

page_text: Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the construction of valves substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Sugg, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
WILLIAM T. SUGG. (L.S.)