IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING, DRYING, AND DEODORISING HUMAN EXCREMENT
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Taylor, of Romsey, in the County of
Southampton, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RECEIVING, DRYING, AND DEODORISING HUMAN EXCREMENT."
Sealed the 22nd February 1870, and dated the 28th October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Taylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th October 1869.
I, FRANCIS TAYLOR, of Romsey, in the County of Southampton,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING, DRYING, AND DEODORISING HUMAN EXCREMENT,
to be as follows:-
"
This Invention has for its object improvements on the apparatus for
receiving, drying, and deodorising human excrement described in the
Specification of a Patent granted to me on the 9th day of April 1861,

page_text: No. 876, and of a Patent granted to me on the 22nd day of August
1864, No: 2072, and of a Patent granted to me on the 24th day of
October 1866, No. 2750. For this purpose I place under the pan of a
privy seat a moveable floor, which is moved when the lid of the seat
is moved, so that the solid matter deposited on it after the liquid has
been allowed to run off is scraped off and made to fall into a receptacle.
The object of this separation being for the purpose of drying the solid
part of human excrement into guano it is very important that the liquid
part should be thoroughly and completely separated, and yet that any
quantity of slops may at any time be thrown into the pan. For this
purpose I attach to the sides and to one end of the floor of the pan an
upright edge, and to this a flange so reverted as to conduct liquids
thrown into the pan in any quantity back into the pan so as not to
splash over on to the separated and dried solid matter. If the floor of
the pan be made of wood or slate it has an upright edge of two inches,
to which is attached a mitred flange reverted slightly downwards towards
the floor. This edge and flange are both outside the pan, but being
firmly and well secured to the floor move with it. If the floor of the
pan be made of metal or porcelain it has an upright edge at the sides
and one end for an inch and a half, then it is curled and reflected so
as to conduct the wave of liquid back on to the floor of the pan to
avoid as before described the splashing on to the drying solid matter.
The open end of the floor of the pan conducts the liquid to a water
shoot to be carried into a drain. The moveable floor may be attached
to the pan by hanging swinging stirrup irons. In this case the floor
being curved to move in the arc of a circle it is necessarily made of metal
or porcelain, or the floor may be made to move as an inclined plane over
rollers or otherwise. In this case the floor and its edge and flange may
all be made of wood or slate. Both these arrangement may be made
to move by levers attached to the lid of the privy seat. A hopper
containing ashes or charcoal or soot slightly moistened with sulphuric,
muriatic, or carbolic acid or mixed with super-phosphate of lime is so
applied to the back of the pan that a small but sufficient quantity of
ashes and other absorbent deodorising or disinfecting matters may be
thrown on to the excrement and the soiled sides of the pan.
By the above improved arrangements I can allow any quantity of
urine or slops to be thrown into the privy pan and yet am able to collect

page_text: and dry by natural evaporation the solid excrement and gather it in
an inodorous state fit for agriculture and other purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office ou
the 28th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
TAYLOR, of Romsey, in the County of Southampton, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in
the thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Francis Taylor, Her special
licence that I, the said Francis Taylor, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis Taylor, 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 RECEIVING, DRYING, AND DEODORIZING HUMAN EXCREMENT," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Taylor, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Francis Taylor, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements on the apparatus for
receiving, drying, and deodorizing human excrement, described in the

page_text: Specification of a Patent granted to me on the 9th day of April 1861, No.
876, and of a Patent granted to me on the 22nd day of August 1864,
No. 2072, and of a Patent granted to me on the 24th day of October
1866, No. 2750. For this purpose I place under the pan of a privy seat
a moveable floor, which is moved when the lid of the seat is moved, so
that the solid matter deposited on it after the liquid has been allowed
to run off is scraped off and made to fall into a receptacle.
The object of this separation being for the purpose of drying the solid
part of human excrement into guano it is very important that the liquid
part should be thoroughly and completely separated, and yet that any
quantity of slops may at any time be thrown into the pan. For this pur-
pose I attach to the sides and to one end of the floor of the pan an upright
edge, and to this a flange so reverted as to conduct liquids thrown into
the pan in any quantity back into the pan, so as not to splash over on
to the separated and dried solid matter. If the floor of the pan be made
of wood or slate it has an upright edge of two inches, to which is
attached a mitred flange reverted slightly downwards towards the floor.
This edge and flange are both outside the pan, but being firmly and
well secured to the floor move with it. If the floor of the pan be made of
metal or porcelain it has an upright edge at the sides and one end for an
inch and a half then it is curled and reflected so as to conduct the wave
of the liquid back on to the floor of the pan to avoid, as before described,
the splashing on to the drying solid matter. The open end of the floor
of the pan conducts the liquid to a water shoot to be carried into a
drain. The moveable floor may be attached to the pan by hanging
swinging stirrup irons. In this case the floor being curved to move
in the arc of a circle it is necessarily made of metal or porcelain, or the
floor may be made to move as an inclined plane over rollers or otherwise.
In this case the floor and its edge and flange may all be made of wood
or slate. Both these arrangements may be made to move by levers
attached to the lid of the privy seat. A hopper containing ashes or
charcoal or soot slightly moistened with sulphuric, muriatic, or carbolic
acid or tar or mixed with super-phosphate of lime is so applied to the
back or to one side of the pan that a small but sufficient quantity of
ashes and other absorbent deodorizing or disinfecting matters may be
thrown on to the excrement and the soiled sides of the pan.
By the above improved arrangements I can allow any quantity of

page_text: urine or slops to be thrown into the privy pan, and yet am able to
collect and dry by natural evaporation the solid excrement and gather
it in an inodorous state fit for agricultural and other nurnosos
also partly in section, of apparatus arranged according to my Invention
for receiving, drying, and deodorizing human excrement. a, a, is a pan
with an opening at the bottom; b, a moveable floor immediately bencatlı,
it is hung by arms b', ', from pivots at 7, 7, by links c, c, these arms
arc connected with other arms d', d', fixed upon the lid in such manner
that by lifting the lid the floor is caused to pass under the pan.
By shutting down the lid the floor is caused to traverse to the back
and as it does so the edge of the pan scrapes from the floor any solid
excrement and other material upon it, and deposits such excrement
and material in the receptacle e, in which it is removed for use as
manure.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar to Figures 1 and 2 respectively, but the
lid d is in these latter Figures represented as it appears when shut down,
whereas in Figures 1 and 2 it is shown raised and open. f is a hopper
containing aslies or other drying and deodorizing material in the state
of powder; it is suspended on pivots at the top and has an inclined
opening at its lower end; f¹ is an arm fixed on the hopper and con-
nected with the handle g, by moving which the hopper is shaken and
caused to discharge a portion of its contents into the pan; h is a gutter
to receive the urine and other liquids discharged into the pan; it
collects the liquid and delivers it into the pipe i, by which it flows away.
The peculiar form given to the edge of the floor 6 is clearly shown
at in Figures 2 and 4. It is so fashioned in order to prevent any
liquid put into the pan from escaping over the sides and backs of the
floor, and that the whole may be directed to the front and pass away by
the gutter and pipe i.
Figures 5 and 6 are transverse sections of a modification of the above
arrangement, in which the floor is flat and arranged to slide in guides.

page_text: In place of fixing the floor to the arms b' it is in this case connected with
them by the links . The floor is made with an overlapping edge for
the purpose already stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Taylor, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year 5
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.