IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAPS TO DRAINS AND OTHER PLACES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Nunn, of Oak Lodge, Bushey Hill;
Peckham Road, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAPS TO DRAINS AND OTHER PLACES."
Scaled the 19th May 1871, and dated the 24th November 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Nunn at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th November 1870.
I, WILLIAM NUNN, of Oak Lodge, Bushey Hill, Peckham Road, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAPS TO DRAINS AND OTHER PLACES," to be as
follows: :-
Traps for trapping drains and other places, commonly called stench
traps, as generally constructed are dependent for their efficiency upon
liquid being retained in them, the consequence is that in dry weather
when the liquid evaporates out of them stench escapes.
The object of my Invention is to remedy this evil by employing a
valve capable of closing the passage through the trap in the absence.of

page_text: liquid, and of being raised to admit of the passage of liquid on liquid
flowing therein. This may be effected by a floating ball or other valve,
or by an inverted cup covering the outlet passage through the trap,
being formed to float in the reservoir of the trap when liquid runs into
that reservoir to pass through the trap, or in the absence of such liquid
the float will descend, and by india-rubber or other packing, if need be,
close the opening and seal the passage.
A moveable lining may be
applied to the trap to facilitate cleansing. The cup float may be formed
with an edge round it to pass into gravel or other matter in the hollow
of the trap, and thereby prevent the escape of stench, even when dry.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Nunn in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NUNN, of Oak Lodge, Bushey Hill, Peckham Road, in the County of
Surrey, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent bearing date the Twenty-fourthi day of November, in tho
year 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 William Nunn, Her special licence that I, the
said William Nunn, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Nunn, 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 TRAPS TO DRAINS AND OTHER
PLACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Nunn, my exccutors 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Nunn, 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:-
Traps for trapping drains and other places, commonly called stench
traps, as generally constructed, are dependent for their efficiency upon
liquid being retained in them, the consequence is that in dry weather
when the liquid evaporates out of them stench escapes.
The object of my Invention is to remedy this evil by employing a
valve capable of closing the passage through the trap in the absenco
of liquid, and of being raised to admit of the passage of liquid on liquid
flowing therein. This may be effected by a floating ball or other valve,
or by an inverted cup covering the outlet passage through the trap,
being formed to float in the reservoir of the trap when liquid runs into
that reservoir to pass through the trap, or in the absence of such liquid
the float will descend, and by india-rubber or other packing, if need be,
close the opening and seal the passage. A moveable lining may be
applied to the trap to facilitate cleansing.
.
1
But that the Invention may be fully understood I will by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings proceed to describe means pursued by me.

page_text: Figure 2 shows by a sectional view a modification of my improve-
ments, in which the form of the reservoir 6 is similar to that ordinarily
adopted, but there is a float valve adapted to it according to my Inven-
tion. The upper portion of the float in this case is formed with a link
or ring a', which is embraced by a corresponding ring or loop d' from
the under side of the grating ḍ, the object of which is to aid in keeping
the float a correctly in position. The ring or loop d' may be capable
of being raised up in the grating d, so as to lift the valve in' case of the
valve sticking, or for other occasion. The under side of the float is also
formed with a rim a³, forming an inverted cup to pass over or embrace
the upper edge 6¹ of the passage c projecting into the reservoir b; e is
a packing of india-rubber, leather, or other suitable material.
In some cases the rim a³ may be omitted, when the packing e will be
extended further over the lower surface of the float to insure a close
fitting of that part with the upper edge of the part b².
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt for
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise forms and arrangements shown, as the
same may be varied without departing from the peculiar character of
my Invention; but what I do claim is the forming of traps to drains
and other places with float valves to close the passage therethrough,
acting substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Nunn, have hereunto sot
my hand and scal, this Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.