IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO CLOSETS, LAVATORIES, PROVISIONAL SPFICATION
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Charles, of Stoke Newington, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO CLOSETS, LAVATORIES,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Charles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th January 1874.
I, PETER CHARLES, of Stoke Newington, in the County of Middlesex,
5 do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO CLOSETS, LAVATORIES,
AND OTHER PLACES, AND PREVENTING WASTE," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for preventing waste in
supplying water to closets, applicable also to lavatories, urinals, and such
O like places.
The apparatus of my Invention is characterized by its great simplicity
of construction, and the absence of any valves or other parts liable to
get out of order or to cause leakage.

page_text: I will describe the apparatus as applied to flush a watercloset, for
which purpose it is more particularly designed, the method of providing
an after supply of water to trap the basin being an important feature of
my Invention, as apparatus of this kind supplying a limited quantity of
water have heretofore been liable to be emptied if allowed to run too
long, leaving the basin dry and therefore untrapped and permitting the
escape of effluvia.
The apparatus consists of a measuring cistern filled with water by a
ball-cock from a general supply cistern, or from a main having a constant
service, the ball being made to work in a special chamber or recess
connected to or forming part of the measuring cistern. A rectangular
or other shaped tube or outlet passage rises through the bottom to a
certain height in the cistern, above the level at which the ball-cock cuts
off the supply, this outlet passage communicating with the service pipe
leading to the closet basin. A hollow box-like vessel or displacer
corresponding more or less to the form and dimensions of the measuring
cistern is fitted to rise and fall therein, being hung upon levers or from
chains passing over pullies or otherwise, and counterweighted so as to be
easily operated from the pull handle of the closet. This displacer has
an opening or passage surrounding the outlet pipe or passage before
mentioned, and of such form and dimensions as to allow the water
displaced to rise on one or two of the sides of the outlet passago and
overflow into the same. On one or both of the two other sides the
displacer, which acts also as a sort of bucket, has vertical slits or
openings to admit a portion of the water to be retained as after supply,
as hereafter mentioned.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-To flush the closet the
displacer is caused to descend in the cistern and displace the water
contained therein, forcing it up the passages so as to overflow into the
outlet pipe leading to the closet, a portion passing into the displacer
itself, where it is retained until the handle is released, whereupon the
displacer is caused to rise and the water contained flowing out of the
aperture or apertures passes into the outlet pipe, so that should
the limited quantity of water supplied by the cistern be exhausted there
will still be an after charge to seal the basin.
It may be convenient to place the outlet passage at one end or side of
the cistern. For this purpose the cistern would have a vertical division

page_text: plate near the end or side, over which the water would flow to the
service pipe, when the displacer falls in the cistern. A passage or
passages would be left as before between the displacer and the partition
for the water to rise in, the after supply being obtained as before
described.
plate near the end or side, over which the water would flow to the
service pipe, when the displacer falls in the cistern. A passage or
passages would be left as before between the displacer and the partition
for the water to rise in, the after supply being obtained as before
described.
In the case of lavatories no after supply being necessary the displacer
would be so constructed as to admit and retain sufficient water only to
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Charles in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
CHARLES, of Stoke Newington, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Peter Charles, Her.
special licence that I, the said Peter Charles, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Charles,
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 SUPPLY OF WATER TO
CLOSETS, LAVATORIES, AND OTHER PLACES; AND PREVENTING WASTE," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter Charles, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Charles, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :—
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for preventing waste in
supplying water to closets.
The said apparatus may also be used in connection with lavatories,
urinals, and such like places.
This apparatus is characterized by its great simplicity of construction,
and the absence of any valves or other parts liable to get out of order
and cause leakage.
I will describe the apparatus as applied to flush a watercloset, for
which purpose it is more particularly designed, the method of providing
an after supply of water to trap the basin being an important feature of
my Invention, as apparatus of this kind supplying a measured quantity
of water have heretofore been liable to be run dry, so as to leave the
basin untrapped and permit the escape of effluvia.
The apparatus consists of a measuring cistern filled with water by a
ball-cock from a general supply cistern, or from a main having a constant
service. An outlet passage or chamber rises from the bottom to a
certain height in the cistern, above the level at which the ball-cock cuts
off the supply thereto, this outlet chamber communicating with the
service pipe leading to the closet basin. A hollow box-like vessel
corresponding more or less nearly to the form and dimensions of the
measuring cistern is fitted to rise and fall therein, being hung upon
levers or from chains passing over pulleys or otherwise, and counter-
weighted so as to be easily operated from the pull handle of the closet.
This vessel is of such dimensions that in sinking it will displace the
given quantity of water, which is caused to overflow into the outlet.
chamber. The displacer, which also acts as a sort of bucket, has a slit
or opening to admit during the time the displacer is sinking a small
portion of the water, which is retained in the displacer to serve as after
supply, as hereafter mentioned.
It may be convenient to place the outlet passage at one side or end of
the cistern. In the latter case the cistern might have a vertical division

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 show vertical sections of the apparatus with the
displacer in two different positions, and Figure 3 a plan of the same.
A is the measuring cistern of suitable capacity supplied by an ordinary
ball-cock B; B₁ is the ball; C is the outlet chamber here shown as
rising near one side of the cistern, but it may be a mere division plate
near one end, cutting off a small space from the rest. From this
chamber the pipe D leads to the closet or other basin. E is the displacer
hung by chains passing over pulleys, as shown and connected to the
pull handle of the closet; F is a vertical or other slit or opening in the
side of the displacer nearest the outlet passage, to admit water into
the said displacer to serve as after charge. The opening F may extend
down to within such a distance of the bottom of the displacer that a
quantity of water may be permanently retained therein to weight it.
To flush the closet the displacer E is caused to descend in the cistern by
operating the pull handle as usual (see Figure 1). By this movement
an amount of water sufficient to flush the closet is displaced and caused
to overflow into the outlet passage C, whence it is conveyed by the
service pipe D to the basin. A portion of the water in cistern A will
however enter the displacer E through the opening or openings F, and
upon the pull handle being released and the displacer raised (see
Figure 2) the water contained therein will flow out into the outlet D to
Immediately on the
serve as after charge to seal the pan of the closet.

page_text: rise of displacer C the ball-cock B will descend and admit a fresh supply
of water to the cistern A.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, in a
cistern constructed with an outlet chamber and supplied with water as
described, the employment of a rising and falling vessel constructed as
described to displace and cause a definite quantity of water to flow into
the outlet chamber, at the same time that sufficient water is admitted
into the said displacer, to serve as after charge, which on the rising of 1
the displacer passes also into the outlet, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Charles, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.