Improvements in and relating to Flush Tanks and Analogous Apparatus.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
AAMI LEIE L
Improvements in and relating to Flush Tanks and Analogous
Apparatus.
We, SIDNEY WALKER MILLER, Civil Engineer, AUGUST MAYER, FREDERICK
HOWARD POST, and ALBERT WARREN BERRY, Gentlemen, citizens of the
United States of America, all residing at Pasadena in the County of Los
Angeles and State of California, one of the United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention relates to flush tanks and analogous apparatus in which charges of
water or other liquids are, without mechanical movements, discharged intermittently
through a siphon, and is designed to materially simplify the construction.
Our apparatus differs from others of this class in that whereas heretofore the
discharge siphon has been brought into action either by the simple release or by
the rarefaction of the air confined in the siphon, my siphon is brought into action
by suddenly reducing the length of the balancing column of water in the discharge
limb of the siphon. That is to say: In the siphon of such apparatus the water
in the reservoir is balanced by the column of water in the seal of the discharge
limb of the siphon and action of the siphon has heretofore been induced by a
gradual release or rarefaction of the air confined in the siphon, or simply by a
sudden removal of such air by special and undesirable devices attached to the
siphon, thereby creating a partial vacuum within the siphon and allowing a dis-
charge of water from the reservoir into and through the siphon. In our apparatus,
instead of inducing action by such removal or rarefaction of the air in the siphon,
it is designed by the escaping air passing directly through the siphon pipe itself,
to suddenly remove from the seal of the siphon a sufficient amount of water to so
shorten the balancing column of water therein that it no longer counterbalances
the column of water in the reservoir, which is therefore permitted to flow through
the siphon.
By employing this mode of operation we are enabled to considerably simplify
and cheapen the apparatus and at the same time produce a sensitive siphon more
efficient and more reliable than heretofore known.
Our invention comprises the combination of a reservoir, a siphon having a
trapped heavily sealed discharge pipe and means for suddenly removing from the
seal a sufficient quantity of water to so shorten the column of water therein that
it will cease to counterbalance the column of water in the reservoir limited between
the plane at which the air within the siphon becomes confined by the rising water
and the level of the latter at the time when said removal of water from the seal
takes place.
We have discovered that efficient automatic intermittent action of the flush
tank will be secured if the tank is provided with a trapped heavily sealed discharge
pipe, provided with an ascending intaking limb, said intaking limb having between
the receiving mouth of the discharge limb and the water level of the reservoir at
which the air within said intaking limb and discharge limb becomes confined, a
capacity approximately equal to, but preferably somewhat greater than the capacity
of that portion of the efficient seal of the trap adjacent to the intaking mouth of
the discharge limb, and limited between the upper level of the water within the
trap and a vertical plane passing through the lowest point of said trap and having
the discharge end of the discharge limb of the trap so constructed as to allow
ample overflow for the immediate, ready and efficient escape of that water from the
trap which is forced up and raised above the mouth or overflow of said discharge
end by the ascending air escaping from within the siphon; said overflow being
го

page_text: made most effective when said discharge end is allowed to project wholly and freely
into space.
Our invention is iliustrated by the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a vertical mid-section of my improved Hush tank.
A is the reservoir or tank proper. B is the inflow or feed pipe. C is the
trapped discharge pipe provided with the seal D. E is the intaking limb. a is
the receiving mouth of the discharge limb. I is the siphon breaking pipe. d is
the discharge end of the discharge limb.
The siphon breaking pipe consists of an auxiliary siphon I of inverted U-shape
with one end opening into the reservoir below the level of the mouth of the
intaking limb while the other end opens into the discharge limb below this level.
The discharge end d of the discharge pipe C extending upward into and
terminating above the floor of the T-branch or similar vessel closed at one
end and which may be cast integral with the discharge pipe or may be part of
the sewer.
The operation is as follows: The trap, first being filled water is allowed to flow
into the reservoir through pipe B in a regulated stream, the reservoir fills until the
water rises to the receiving mouth of the intaking limb E, thus sealing such month.
The rising water will compress the air confined between the water in trap and the
water of the intaking limb and will slowly force the water of the seal into the
sewer until the depth of the seal remaining will he somewhat less than the depth
of water in the reservoir, above the mouth of the intaking limb E. While the
seal water is receding before the air the water in the intaking limb is rising to
supply the vacuum thus formed. The quantity of water rising in the intaking limb
is practically equal to the quantity of seal water displaced. When the efficient
seal of the trap becomes less in depth than the depth of water in the reservoir
above the month of the intaking limb, the remaining seal water or a portion thereof
is forced out by the sudden escape of a large amount of air, and the tension of the
air in the intaking limb is thus relieved, and the water in the reservoir or tank
proper is forced through the discharge pipe until the reservoir is emptied to the
level of the receiving mouth of the intaking limb E; but the siphonage breaking
pipe I having its receiving mouth lower than the receiving mouth of the intaking
limb, continues to draw water out of the reservoir and invariably operates to bring
the level of the water in the reservoir below the level of the mouth of the intaking
limb, thus thoroughly venting the siphon. When the siphonage breaking pipe I
ceases acting, the main siphon is thoroughly vented and the water ceases to flow
through the siphon; then the water rises again in the reservoir and the operation
as described is repeated.
The drawing is designed to show a five inch discharge limb with an efficient seal
of about eighteen inches. The intaking limb is about twelve and one-half inches
in diameter and the receiving mouth of the discharge limb is about six inches above
the receiving mouth of the intaking limb.
If the discharge end of the discharge limb of the pipe is not so constructed as
to allow ample overflow for the immediate and efficient escape of that water from
the trap which is forced up and raised above the mouth or overflow of said discharge
end by the ascending air escaping from within the siphon, the amount of water (if
any) ejected from the trap is insufficient to cause the siphon to come into action,
since the vacuum created by the escape of a portion of the confined air is too
readily supplied by the water from the trap and reservoir without disturbing
materially the levels of the water within the trap and the reservoir. But when
the overflow is made ample enough to allow the immediate escape of that water
which is heaved and blown up by the sudden escape of large bubbles of air (as is
provided in the device shown, by allowing the discharge end to project freely into
space) the column of water this shortened which remains in the trap after the
escape of such bubbles, is insufficient to balance the water in the reservoir, which,
during this operation, remained practically at the same height above the mouth of
the intaking limb, and the siphou is therefore brought into action.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The combination with a reservoir, of a siphon having a trapped heavily sealed
discharge pipe, and means for suddenly removing from the cell a quantity of water
for the purpose of starting the siphon into action.
2. The combination with a reservoir, of a siphon having a trapped heavily sealed
discharge pipe and means for suddenly removing from the seal a sufficient quantity
of water to so shorten the column of water therein that it will cease to counter-
balance the column of water in the reservoir, limited between the plane at which
the air within the siphon becomes confined by the rising water and the level of the
water in the reservoir at the time when the removal of the water takes place.
3. The combination with a reservoir, of a siphon comprising a trapped heavily
sealed discharge pipe provided with an ascending intaking limb having between the
receiving mouth of the discharge limb and the water level of the reservoir at
which the air within said intaking limb and discharge limb becomes confined, a
capacity greater than the capacity of that portion of the efficient seal of the trap
adjacent to the intaking mouth of the discharge limb and limited between the
upper level of the water within the trap and a vertical plane passing through
the lowest point of said trap, the discharge cnd of the discharge limb of the trap
being so constructed as to allow ample overflow for the immediate and efficient
escape of that water from the trap which is forced up and raised above the
mouth or overflow of said discharge end by the ascending air escaping from within
the siphon.
4. The combination with a reservoir, of a siphon comprising a trapped heavily
sealed discharge pipe provided with an ascending intaking limb having between
the receiving mouth of the discharge limb and the water level of the reservoir at
which the air within said intaking limb and discharge limb becomes confined, a
capacity greater than the capacity of that portion of the efficient seal of the trap,
adjacent to the intaking mouth of discharge limb and limited between the upper
level of the water within the trap and a vertical plane passing through the lowest
point of said trap, and the T-branch or similar vessel the discharge end of the
discharge pipe projecting freely above the floor thereof.
5. The combination with the reservoir, of the siphon comprising the trapped
heavily sealed discharge pipe, provided with an ascending intaking limb having
between the receiving mouth of the discharge limb and the water level of the
reservoir at which the air within said intaking limb and discharge limb becomes
confined, a capacity greater than the capacity of that portion of the trap adjacent
to the intaking limb and limited between the upper level of the water within the
trap and a vertical plane passing through the lowest point of said trap, and the
siphonage breaking pipe.
6. The combination with the reservoir, of the siphon comprising the trapped
heavily scaled discharge pipe, provided with an ascending intaking limb having
between the receiving mouth of the discharge limb and the water level of the
reservoir, at which the air within said intaking limb and discharge limb becomes
confined, a capacity greater than the capacity of that portion of the efficient seal
of the trap adjacent to the intaking limb, and limited between the upper level of
the water within the trap and a vertical plane passing through the lowest point of
said trap, and the siphonage breaking U-pipe arranged with one end opening into
the reservoir below the level of the mouth of the intaking limb and its other end
opening into the discharge pipe below this level.
Dl his ou
1001
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents,