Improvements in Water Closets.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 14th July, 1890-Accepted, 16th.Aug., 1890
'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Closets.
HARRY HARDY 9 Grosvenor Road Swanage Dorsetshire Plumber. I do bereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is entirely a self acting water closet which requires no handling at all. The
water is set free directly the person rises off the seat. The water waste preventer,
& hall cock, closet pan & all the entire connections is entirely new invention to my
knowledge; and the simplest I ever seen.
The rim of basin is round on top, and is made hollow for the water from the flush
pipe to run round to flush from the front part of basin. The rim is not connected
inside, within an Ath of an inch so as to allow the water to flush basin as it runs
round, so meeting in the middle of the front part of basin there is casted on the
basin outside the front part a flush hole, which allows the water to enter the basin,
half way down the basin so as to carry the soil over the trap very forcedly.
The trap may be made to go straight out through the wall direct, or turn down
vertically. The trap is under the flush hole back of basin combined together, and
is 10 inches high from top of rim to bottom of trap. The basin and trap combined
is 20 inches long it may be supported by a iron stand, or bricks, or wood, being
made flat underneath for that purpose.
The under part of basin & trap is in straight line. The service box is made in
cast iron with a flat back to go against the wall, and is octagon shape in front, it,
is 14 inch deep by 9" diameter with a cover complete.
The ball tap in service box is in a small compass which is made to suit the box.
The flush supply pipe is 14" galvand. or 1" which screws in the service box and
is fixed to wall, length being about 5 feet with a brass valve screwed on the bottom
of pipe.
The valve is connected to the flush hole of basin. The flush pipe and service box
is charged with water before used; the valve is opened by the action of the seat
which is constructed thus:
The
At the back of seat there is a supporting piece of mahogany screwed to wall;
underneath this is screwed the arrangement for working the water valve.
basin is cased in with narrow matchboarding, the seat being 21 inches, from wall
and 19 inches wide 1 inch thick, the front part of seat is round. The seat rests
on the front part of boarding and the back part of seat rests upon 2 springs which
are screwed underneath supporting piece, on each side of seat is screwed a brass
pivot which work up & down into a plate of brass each side which is screwed to
the ends of the supporting piece at back: By the weight of the person on the
seat causes the back part of seat to go down about an inch which works un-
noticable by so doing works a crank which is screwed to the supporting piece,
attached at the end of this crank is a little ball which works a small selfacting fly
jack, when this jack is moved, the weight of water in service box and flush pipe
forces the valve open and keeps the jack till the water is exhausted, then the jack
force back the valve in its place so as to allow the box and pipe to refill again. The
action is repeated by each person.
The valve is constructed thus:
It is a brass elbow with a side branch for working the valve into. The valve is
screwed in with 2 nuts. Holes made in the centre of these nuts for a inch spindle.
about 3 in. long; on the end of the inside of spindle is screwed a receptacle to receive
a india rubber washer, this washer being forced against a plain bearing which is known

page_text: as seatting. The spindle is entirely free to work in and out by the weight of water,
and by the self acting fly jack.
January 6th 1890.
H. HARDY,
9, Grosvenor Road, Swanage.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Closets.
I, HARRY HARDY, of 9, Grosvenor Road, Swanage, in the County of Dorset, Plumber,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
My invention relates to water-closets, the object being to provide improved means
for automatically flushing them by utilizing the weight of the persons who seat
themselves thereon, a part of the mechanism being also applicable to water-closets
which are not flushed automatically but are provided with pull-up handles for this
purpose.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 is a vertical section; and,
Figure 2 is a plan of a water-closet having means for automatically flushing
the same and constructed according to my invention, the service box and pipe leading
therefrom not being shewn.
Figures 3 and 4 are views at right angles to figure 1 of the automatic flushing
mechanism in two different positions.
Figure 5 is a similar view to figure 4, but shewing the flushing mechanism adapted
to be operated by a pull-up handle.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of the service box or waste preventer ; and,
Figure 7 is a plan of the same without its cover.
Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of the ball cock of the waste preventer.
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar parts.
a, figures 1 and 2, is the closet-pan which I form with a hollow rim round which
the water coming from the flushing inlet c flows in two separate streams. The
rim bat front part of the pan is made with an opening d sufficiently large to
allow the two streams of water as they meet to flow down the front of the pan a
in a considerable body and thereby ensure the soil being carried over the trap d.
An opening is also provided at the back of the rim to allow water to wash the
downwardly projecting back portion e of the pan.
fixed upon
the wall of
rests upon spring-studs i
f is the seat of the water-closet hinged to a bracket
the room or other like place. The front of the seat
which normally keep it slightly raised, as shewn in figure 1, and the back of the
seat carries a rearwardly projecting barj adapted to operate a weighted cranked
pawl k pivotted at 7 to the underside of the bracket g.
"
m is the flushing-valve working in the elbow n which connects the flushing-
inlet c with the pipe o of the waste preventer, figure 6. The spindle p of the
valve n passes through and works in the valve-cover g, the valve being normally kept
closed by a weighted-bar pivotted at s to a bracket t on the elbow n forming the
valve-box; one end of the pivotted bar is slightly concave to fit the convex-shaped
end of the valve spindle p so as to prevent the opening of the valve by the pressure
of the water; above the concave portion the bar is curved so that, when it is moved
to a certain extent, the valve spindle p will be caused by the pressure of the valve
to ride over the curved surface and still further move the bar r upon its pivot. The
opposite end of the bar r carries the weight u in which is pivotted a catch v which
allows the nose of the pawl k to pass when moved downwards through the pawl being
actuated by the bar j, but allows the said nose, when moving npwards to raise the

page_text: weighted end of the bar and release the valve m. w is a tray which serves to catch
any water that inay leak from the valve and to conduct it into the pan a.
The operation is as follows:-
The seat and other parts of the water-closet being in their normal position, as
shewn in figures 1 and 3, if a person sits on the seat f the latter will be depressed,
as shewn by the dotted lines in figure 1, and the bar j will be thereby caused to
move the pawl into the position shewn in figure 4. Upon the person rising from
the seat f, the pawl k being no longer supported by the bar i will be caused by its
weight to act upon the pivotted bar r sufficiently to move the concavity thereof away
from the end of the valve-spindle p which pressing upon the curved part of the bar r
will force it to assume the position indicated by the dotted lines in figure 4, the valve
at the same time opening and allowing the water to flush the pan. As soon as the
water in the waste-preventer is exhausted, the valve being relieved from pressure, will
close under the action of the weighted-bar and the parts will be in position to be
again operated.
The arrangement illustrated in figure 5 is the same as that hereinbefore described
with reference to figures 1 to 4 but is not automatic in its action, it being adapted
to be operated by a pull-up handle. In this case the seat would not require to be
pivotted or to rest upon springs, the bar j hereinbefore described would be dispensed
with and the pawl & would be replaced by the pull-up handle c¹, figure 5, having a
tooth or projection d' at its lower end adapted to engage in a notch e¹ made in
the weight of the pivotted bar r. In other respects the construction and mode of
operation are the same as those hereinbefore described and therefore need no further
elucidation.
The waste-preventer which I find it advantageous to employ is, as illustrated in
figures 6 and 7, of a polygonal form in front with a flat back, the bottom is made
funnel-shaped or flaring, as shewn at æ, whereby the water is caused to drain off
through the service pipe more rapidly than if the latter were connected thereto through
a hole of the same diameter as the pipe and made in a flat bottom in the usual
manner.
The valve of the ball-cock for the waste preventer, as shewn in figure 8 is not
attached to the ball-lever y as usual but is provided with a spindle against which
bears the end of a cam-shaped surface a¹ on the ball-lever y which is pivotted to the
body of the cock at 6. By this means I am enabled to employ a much shorter ball-
lever y, than has hitherto been practicable and thus provide a ball-cock especially
suitable for this form of waste-preventer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
1. The improved arrangement of mechanism for automatically flushing water-closets,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 1 to 4 of the accom-
panying drawings.
2. The modification illustrated in figure 5 of the drawings to adapt the flushing
mechanism to be operated by a pull-up handle, substantially as set forth.
3. The improved water-closet hereinbefore described with reference to figures 1 to 4
of the accompanying drawings.
4. A water waste preventer formed in the manner, and provided with a ball-cock
of the construction, hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 6, 7 and 8 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated the 14th day of July 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.