AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING FLUSHING APPARATUS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, Patent Agent, of the
British and Foreign Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in
the Empire of France, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING
FLUSHING APPARATUS."-A communication from Louis Melotte, Architect,
residing at Liege, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
Sealed the 20th November 1863, and dated the 29th July 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th July 1863.
I, HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, Patent Agent, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING
'FLUSHING' APPARATUS," a communication from Louis Melotte, Architect, a
person residing at Liege, in the Kingdom of Belgium, to be as follows, that is
to say:-
The object of this apparatus is the production of the effect known as
"flushing" being self-acting as represented in the annexed Drawing, in which
M, M, represents a reservoir constructed either in masonry or metal; N, N,
and O, O, the floats; P, P, a syphon; R, the sucker or valve of the syphon,
and S, a crotchet. The reservoir being filled with water to a level superior
to the line a, b, a tenon c, fixed to the rod of the float O, O, raised by the
water, opens the sucker R by pressing against its lever, thus giving passage
to the water by the syphon I', while the crotchet S slides against the bent

page_text: arm of the lever and catches in the notch d to hold the sucker open. The
two floats O, O, and N, N. having now attained the upper level e, f, the water
runs off rapidly by the syphon P, and the floats re-descend. A projection 9, 9,
fixed to N, N, presses against the lever of the crotchet S, which it disengages
from the notch d, so that the sucker R shuts and stops the flow of the water.
This principle may be applied to apparatus of all sizes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th January 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, IIENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, Patent Agent, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices,
24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henri Adrien Bonneville, Her special licence that I, the said Henri Adrien
Bonneville, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henri Adrien Bonneville, 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 "AN
IMPROVED SELF-ACTING FLUSHING APPARATUS," Communicated to me by Louis
Melotte, Architect, a person residing at Liege, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville,
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 Henri Adrien Bonneville, 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, that is to say:-

page_text: The object of this apparatus is to obtain self-acting flushings or sluicings
(chasses d'eau) as represented in the annexed Drawing, in which A, A, A, is
3 reservoir in masonry or metal; B, B, and C, C, floats; D, D, a discharging
syphon; E, a waste pipe; F, a valve; G, a moveable crotchet attached to
the valve rod; H, a box or recipient in which unite the conduit closed by the
valve F, the syphon, and the waste pipe; I, J, a moveable basin; K, the
axis of the said basin; N, a crotchet on the valve rod; Q, Q, a projecting
collar on the float C; T, a communicating conduit between the recipient H
and the tube U; V, a cross bar which stops the side J of the basin; W, another
cross bar, on which the basin strikes in turning over; X, Y, a partition board
placed inside the said basin, and Z a discharge tube. This apparatus works
either with the syphon, the floats, and their accessories without the basin, or
with the latter without the syphon, floats, and their accessories. In the
former case the water furnished by a feeding tube rises in the reservoir until
it attains a level superior to the line L, M, when the float B, B, being
partially submerged, tends to raise the valve F which it effects when, by the
rising of the level of the water, it attains sufficient strength. During this
interval the moveable crotchet sliding along the valve rod, has by its own.
weight placed itself below the projection or collar N, and holds the valve
open. At this stage of the operation the two floats B, B, and C, C, have
reached the level of the line O, P, which they cannot pass, notwithstanding
the pressure, but the water flowing off, the level diminishes in the reservoir
rapidly until the float C, C, descends with the water, when the projecting
collar Q, Q, pressing on the lever of the moveable crotchet G disengages it
from the notch N and liberates the valve F which shuts by its own weight.
The waste pipe E serves for the admission of the air necessary for discharging
the syphon D, D, and as a counterpoids to the pressure on the valve in caso
of its not being raised when the water has attained the level R, S. The floats
may be rendered more or less heavy either by weighting the plates which
surmount them, or by partially filling them with water. By this means
flushings of more or less frequency and of a more or less considerable volume
may be obtained at will. The small opening T which connects the tube U
with the box H is intended for emptying the latter if the valve leaks. When
the apparatus is worked by means of the basin I, J, the side I of the basin
being heavier than the side J, this latter rises towards the upper part of the
The water enters the side I
reservoir and stops against the cross piece V.
first, which it makes still heavier, but when it nears the upper part it is forced
to place itself almost entirely at the side J, and before the basin is quite full
this side, which has become heavier than the other, turns over and descends

page_text: against the cross piece W, rising again as soon as the basin is empty. The
inside partition X, Y, by only leaving a certain passage for the water, which
is on the side I, prevents the basin in turning over from striking too violently
on the cross piece W. The tube Z serves for the discharge of the water
when the basin apparatus is employed. The cross bar V may be either round
or flat, and may be placed at will either at the point A', or at the point B', so
as to serve as a regulator and cause the basin to fill itself only half or three
quarters.
The apparatus above described are chiefly intended for sluicing urinals and
sewers, and may be applied to the smallest as to the largest reservoirs, whether
formed of masonry or metal.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which it is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details above given; but what I claim is the general
arrangement of the different parts above described, and represented in the
accompanying Drawing, which allow of the self-acting flushing or sluicing of
urinals, sewers, and other similar conducts, the frequency and volume of
said flushings or sluicings (chasses d'eau) being regulated or not as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
H. BONNEVILLE.
(L.S.)