IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF WATER OR OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Long, of No. 22, Aylesbury Street, Wal-
worth, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF WATER OR OTHER FLUIDS."
Sealed the 27th January 1871, and dated the 29th October 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Long at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th October 1870.
I, ALFRED LONG, of No. 22, Aylesbury Street, Walworth, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF WATER OR.
OTHER FLUIDS," to be as follows :—
.
In carrying out my improvements by employing a valve and valve
seat as the means of controlling the passage [of water or other fluids, I
form one part by a cylindrical portion of india-rubber or other suitable
flexible or elastic material, with not only an internal part adapted by.
being of a conical or other suitable form, in pressing against the interior
of the flexible or elastic cylinder to tend to close it, but also with an

page_text: internal conical or other suitably formed surface, so that the edge of the
flexible or elastic material may be received and held between two
surfaces when the valve is closed.
I also apply to the part moved to open the passage a disc, or plate, or
other suitable enlargement, the edge or outer surface of which nearly fits
the valve chamber, or is of diameter in relation thereto to act by impeding
the passage of the fluid past it to regulate or control the speed of opening
and closing of such passage.
In some cases also I form a smaller valve passage in such moving part
of the valve, and by opening the valve to this smaller passage the
moving part of the larger valve with the disc, or plate, or other suitable
enlargement in operation opens.
I also effect the raising of the disc, or plate, or other suitable enlarge-
ment and opening of the passage for fluid by opening a smaller passage,
or effecting partial exhaustion in the chamber over the disc or other
enlargement, or on that side of it farthest from the valve passage, and
also by employing a communication between the chamber over the disc
or enlargement, or that farthest from the valve passage and the outlet
passage or that side of the main valve farthest from such chamber..
I also effect a sealing of valve stems used in opening or closing valve
passages by tubing of india-rubber or other suitable flexible or elastic
material, one end of which is secured to the passage through which the
stem passes and the other end thereof to an enlargement or other suitable
part of the stem.
I also apply the regulator to float valves to regulate their speed of
action
·SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Long in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th April 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED 3
LONG, of No. 22, Aylesbury Street, Walworth, in the County of Surrey,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Alfred Long, Her special licence that I, the said
Alfred Long, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or, such others as
I, the said Alfred Long, 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 APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF WATER
OR OTHER FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Alfred Long, 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.
KNOW NOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Long, 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, that is to say:-
In carrying out my improvements by employing a valve and valve
seat as the means of controlling the passage of water or other fluids, I
form the seat by a cylindrical portion of india-rubber or other suitable
flexible or elastic material, and I form the valve with a surface adapted
by being of a conical or other suitably inclined form in pressing against
the interior of the flexible or elastic cylinder to tend by such pressure to
close the seat, but also with another conical or other suitably inclined
surface to act on the outside of such cylinder, so that the edge of the
flexible or elastic material or the seat of the valve may be received and
held between these two inclined or conical surfaces when the valve is'
closed.
1
0
I also apply to the part moved to open the passage a disc, or plate, or
other suitable enlargement, the edge or outer surface of which nearly fits
the valve chamber or is of diameter in relation thereto to act by impeding
the passage of the fluid past it to regulate or control the speed of opening
and closing of such passage.

page_text: conical or such like surface c², so that the upper edge or end of the
flexible or elastic cylindrical seat d is received and held between two
inclined surfaces in the valve when the valve is closed. The lifting of
the valve may be variously effected, but a convenient method which I
adopt is shown by these Drawings where the valve c is formed with a
stem c³ carrying at the lower end of it a cross piece c', the end of which
acts as a guide to steady the stem and valve carried thereby in their
movement in the passage through the tap; just below this cross piece c
is applied an axis e with arms e¹ and a handle e². By turning this
handle in either direction the one or other of the arms e¹ will act on the
cross piece c¹ to raise the valve c from its seat and admit of the flow of
liquid through the tap.. The outer surface c³ of the valve c is enlarged
so as nearly to fit, and is parallel with the interior surface of the
chamber in which it is capable of moving, or in place of such en-
largement a separate disc or plate with a corresponding outer surface
may be employed. The object of such enlargement with the outer
surface thereof parallel with the interior surface of the cylinder con-
taining it is by the friction of the fluid upon such combined surfaces
to impede the passage of fluid past them and thus prevent injurious
effects resulting from the closing of the valve passage too suddenly.
When the handle e² is turned, or other means used are operated to admit
of the descent of the valve c, the too sudden descent of the valve c will
be prevented by the fluid having to pass up between the surface c³ and
the interior of such chamber f to allow of the descent of the valve, and
the time occupied in such movement will depend upon the extent of the
area of the surface c³ and of the space left between the surface c³ and
the interior of the chamber f. Figure 1 shows the valve in. position,
closing the passage through the tap, Figure 2 shows the valve open for
a passage of fluid through the tap.
Figures 9 and 10 show corresponding sectional views of a modification
in which the opening of the valve c is effected by the opening of a
smaller valve within it. In this case the stem c³ in place of being
attached directly to the larger or main valve c has formed on its upper
end the smaller valve g which is adapted to close a passage formed
through the centre of the valve c. In order to open a passage through a
tap thus arranged it will be necessary first to raise or open the valve g,
when by the fluid in the chamber fimmediately over the valve c being
allowed to pass away by the passage through the centre of the valve c,

page_text: 1
the pressure of the fluid flowing in by the passage a will act on the
under surface of the valve c to raise it from its seat. On the valve g
being again allowed to descend and close the passage, or the passage.
through the larger or main valve c being otherwise closed, the valve c
will also descend and close the passage through the tap.
Figure 11 is an external front view both of Figures 1 and 9.
Figure 12 shows by a sectional view, and Figure 13 by plan view, a
modification in which the valve c may be opened by allowing the escape
of fluid from the chamber over the valve c by a pipe h.
The closing
or opening of the passage through this pipe h, as shown, is effected by a
valve i affixed to a ball or float lever in the cistern j, but the pipe h
may be carried to a distance and be otherwise opened and closed if
desired. The raising of the valve, or an enlargement connected thereto,
by permitting the escape of fluid from above, or on that side of it farthest
from the larger outlet passage by a suitable passage is also applicable
when a ball or other form of valve is employed.
Figure 14 shows a modification in which the pipe h is capable of
being opened to the outlet passage below the valve c or on that side of it
farthest from the source of supply, and the opening and closing of this
passage is effected by a valve o, the stem o¹ of which is operated by the
flattened portion p¹ of the spindle p to which is affixed the handle p².
Fluid is prevented from passing out through the socket for the spindle p
by the application thereon of a piece of tubular rubber (vulcanized or
prepared), one end of which is applied over such socket whilst the other
extends over the enlargement p³ formed on the spindle p, and thus
prevents fluid passing in that direction. The fluid passes from the inlet
passage a by the passages a¹, a³, to the valve chamber f.
Figure 15 shows an arrangement of parts in which a disc or enlarge-
ment is applied to the stem of a float to act as a regulator to regulate
the speed of action of the valve operated thereby. In this case the a
outer edge of the disc c³ is shown with an extended cylindrical surface to.
it so as thereby to obtain increased surfaces for the action thereon of
the fluid in passing. This cylindrical surface is but slightly less than
that of the interior of the chamber containing it, and the variation
between these relative diameters or of the depth of the surface c will {
serve to regulate the speed of action of the valve operated by the.
float.

page_text: Having thus described my Invention and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I
claim in apparatus for controlling the passage of water or other fluids
is,-
First. The arranging valves with double conical or inclined surfaces to
act with cylindrical flexible or elastic surfaces, substantially as described.
Secondly. I claim the application to valves of an enlarged surface, or
disc, or plate for the purpose of regulating the speed of action thereof,
substantially as described.
Thirdly. I claim the application to valves of other internal valves
acting as described.
Fourthly. I claim the arranging or combining parts whereby the
opening of a main valve is effected by allowing the escape of the fluid
by a suitable passage from the chamber of such valve, substantially as
described in respect of Figures 12, 13, and 14.
Fifthly. I claim the application of a disc or surface c³ acting sub-
stantially as described in respect of Figure 15.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Long, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.