A Bath and Wash Cupboard.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1889.
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Bath and Wash Cupboard.
I, CHARLES DE CHOUBEBSKY of 23 Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris in the Republic
of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of a cupboard forming
an article of furniture, having within it appliances for bath or washing purposes, so
arranged that å very moderate supply of water is sufficient for a thorough bath. The
door of the cupboard has another internal door hinged to its closing edge by a strip of
caoutchouc or other impervious flexible material, so that when the main door is opened
about half way this inner door can be folded out against the closing jamb of the main
door, thus adding a triangular space to the interior of the cupboard. A corresponding
triangular piece of floor is attached to the lower edge of the main door, this floor
In the
sloping slightly to the interior of the cupboard to allow water to run from it.
base of the cupboard there is a receptacle for the water used, this receptacle being
fitted as a drawer in the base of the cupboard so that it can be drawn out to be emptied.
When the cupboard is fixed in position this receptacle may be emptied by a waste pipe
leading to a drain. On a shoulder of the receptacle is placed a foot pan or basin for
the feet this pan having in its centre a spring valve which can be opened by the
pressure of the foot to empty the basin into the receptacle below. In the upper part of
the cupboard there is a tank for holding the water to be used.
This tank may be
supplied with warm water from without, or its water may be warmed by a gas or lamp
heater within the cupboard. For convenience of charging it, a filling vessel is provided
with front hooks by which it can be usually hung on the inside of the door or by which
it can be hung to the top of the tank so that on canting the vessel, its contents
are poured into the tank. The tank may have a glass in front to show the level of the
water in it and also a thermometer to show the temperature. To the bottom of the
tank are connected two pipes provided with cocks or valves. The one is a horizontal
perforated pipe for delivering a shower of water; the other communicates with
several branches below, each furnished with a suitable cock or valve. By these
branches a hand basin, a bidet, and the foot pan can be respectively supplied, or a
single or rose nozzle on a flexible pipe, so that a jet can be directed on any part of the
body. The valve for this pipe is preferably provided with a spring catch and arranged
so that pressure on the handle opens the valve and the catch keeps it open until it is
released. by pressure on the catch. All the water used finds its way down to the
receptacle below. In order to economise space within the cupboard, the hand basin is
mounted on trunnions in a swinging frame which, when the basin is not in use, can be
folded back against the end wall of the cupboard, the basin being canted on its
trunnions so that its mouth lies against the wall. In the act of canting it, its contents
flow into a funnel projecting from the wall and having a pipe leading down to the
receptacle below. The bidet may be similarly arranged. The cupboard may be made
of sheet metal panels held in wooden framing, or the panels may be of wood lined
internally with metal or with any suitable impervious coating, and the casing may bave
glass panels to admit light from without.
Thated thin 19th 1nce of Au 1980
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Bath and Wash Cupboard.
I, CHARLES DE CHOUBERSKY of 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg Paris in the Republic
of France Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
The apparatus generally used for lavatories, baths, and the like, are cumbrous and
expensive and require a much larger expenditure of water than the quantity actually
necessary and consequently they also involve an unnecessarily great expenditure of
fuel for heating the same. This also involves loss of time in heating the water to the
required degree and excessive labor in transporting the fuel.
The present invention has for its object to obviate these and other defects and
inconveniences attendant on the existing system, as I will proceed to describe on
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, Fig. 1 shews an elevation,
Figs. 2 and 2 transverse sections, Fig. 3 a side view and Fig. 4 a sectional plan.
The apparatus consists of a cupboard formed of a wood framing B, C, with metal
panels D, or these might be of wood lined with metal. The feet E are provided with
adjusting screws for adjusting the apparatus to a level position. The door has a side
cheek A which enters the cupboard when the door is closed. This cheek affords
increased space within the apparatus for allowing the free movement of a person
within. It is provided along its side with a caoutchouc band F as shewn to a larger
scale at Fig. 5, which makes an air and watertight joint with the side of the door
opening; it is secured in a groove G by means of nails as shewn.
The lower part of the door has a projecting bottom H formed with an inward slope so
as to conduct all water splashing over back into the cupboard. An opening D' is
formed in the upper part of the cheek A, Fig. 3, which permits of the person inside
passing his arm through to take the towels &c. that are hung outside.
The lower part of the cupboard has a bottom J of metal shewn more clearly in the
enlarged view at Fig. 7, so formed as to conduct all the water, that flows down, to a
spout K which delivers it into a receptacle L below. At the middle M of the
bottom is a circular recess in which is placed a pan N preferably of nickel plated
copper, the bottom of which has a spring valve 0, or a stopper.
This pan is of sufficient size to allow the person to stand in it, and it also serves as
a foot bath; when it requires to be emptied, the person presses with the foot upon the
vaive O, the stem of which has a button by means of which the basin can be removed
and replaced. Before commencing washing operations, a small quantity of
hot water can be poured in the pan for warming it and also the air in the
cupboard.
The pan is supported by a projection P on the receptacle beneath, so that the pan
cannot be put in its place unless the receptacle is there already, thus preventing the
possibility of emptying the water on to the floor in the absence of the receptacle.
The receptacle can be slid underneath the cupboard on raising the flap Q.
The cupboard may be so formed as to fit into the corner of a room, as shewn in the
sectional plan Fig. 6; it may also have a double door instead of a single one ; the
back of the cupboard may be rounded to give more room.
The caoutchouc band can be fixed on the framing of the cupboard and it may be
replaced by a tube or roll of caoutchouc, felt &c.
The bottom of the cupboard can be provided with a discharge pipe for carrying off
the water, in which case the receptacle below is dispensed with and the pan be
supported in any other suitable manner. In the upper part of the cupboard is placed
a tank T of metal having on its front side a glass sight hole u by which the level of
the water can be ascertained; there may also be placed in the water in front of this
sight hole a thermometer.

page_text: The tank is provided with a sieve cover for retaining any solid matter that may be
contained in the water poured into it.
For filling the tank a can V Fig. 10 is employed, which is provided with handles so
arranged that a short person can manipulate it; for this purpose it has a handle at ✗
a hook at Y. and two projections at Z. It is carried by the handle X and is hooked by
the hook Y on to a bar a fixed to the hinge-side of the door; it is then laid hold
of with both hands underneath the projections Z Z, which prevent it from slipping
through the hands and it is then easily unhooked and lifted and hooked on to a bar b
on the upper edge of the reservoir T, as shewn in plan at Fig. 11.
The can is then tilted up at the bottom so as to empty its contents into the
tank T.
At the bottom of this tank is a pipe d having perforations and closed by a cock c
so that on opening the latter a spray of water will issue for washing the head, chest,
and back of the occupant.
The pipe d can be arranged to turn on a hinge, which may conveniently form one
part of the cock, so that the water will only issue when the pipe is turned into a
certain position.
Other perforated tubes may be arranged vertically in one or more positions, as
shewn at Fig. 2b, so that the issuing jets all converge towards the middle of the
cupboard. In place of a cock for controlling the supply, a valve worked by a rod,
cord, &c. can be used. The tank T could also be filled directly from the service
pipe of the house or from a main cistern, by means of ball-cock or float-valve.
Below the tank a tube e has connected to it n caoutchouc tube for supplying
water to a cock f.
This cock may have three ways, connected on the one hand with a heating apparatus
and on the other hand with another cock which can thus be supplied either with
hot water or cold water, or a mixture of both; the water in the tank can also be
heated by this means. Or the tank can be filled directly with hot water.
The cock is shewn separately to a larger scale in front and side view at Figs. 12
and 13.
It consists of a valve the rod i of which bears against a hinged lever ; which
carries a shield k, so that by pressing upon the latter with the back of the hand,
intermittent jets of water will issue for rincing the hands after having lathered them
with soap. On further pushing back the shield the lower end thereof is caught by a
weighted catch so as to keep the cock open, and thus have a continuous stream of
water, which can be stopped by pressing down the tail m of the catch so as to release
the shield.
The cock carries a small fork acting as support for the moveable nozzle q of the
cock; it is so arranged that in turning the nozzle its discharge opening at will
throw a jet of water vertically or at any angle. The extremity of the nozzle has a
tapering piece n which fits into the eye o opposite the fork p which latter carries
the cylindrical part g of the nozzle. The cock carries a branch i on which is
fixed a caoutchouc tube, shewn in dotted lines, to the other end of which is attached
the nozzle; the latter may have a rose j, screwed on to it, and owing to its flexible
connection with the cock it can be moved about in all directions, so as to make the
issuing water impinge on all parts of the body, or it can be placed on supports in
different positions in the cupboard. A basin 1 of earthenware or metal Fig. 14
and 15 is mounted on pivots in a hinged loop as shewn, so that it can be brought
into the horizontal position shewn in dotted lines when required for use or in the
inclined position shewn in full lines, for emptying its contents into the shoot J'
which conveys the water into the bottom pan, after which the basin is placed in the
vertical dotted position against the side of the cupboard.
A hinged seat K¹ Fig. 2 is provided at the bottom of the cupboard, and serves
when required as
a chamber seat, being made to rest with its end upon the
bracket o¹, p.

page_text: Lis a foot rest for use when washing.
The interior of the cupboard can be lighted by a candle or gas jet.
The apparatus can be provided with a douche-bath as shewn at Fig. 2bts.
In this case it is preferable to arrange the water tank T¹ at the top of the cup-
board, or if only cold douches are required, the tank can be dispensed with, and the
rose he connected directly with the service pipe or house cistern. There may
also he separate tanks for the douche and for washing purposes. The former may
have connected to it, in addition to the rose O, vertical perforated pipes P and
horizontal ones Q, and also an upward directed rose R at the bottom, which may be
arranged to be turned on a hinge out of the way when not wanted.
The tanks can also be filled by a small hand pump.
The angular space over the top of the door, when partially open as described, can
also be closed in by means of a glazed frame hinged to the cupboard, and the before
mentioned side opening in the cheek can also be closed by a hinged window.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A bath and wash cupboard having a hinged door provided with a side cheek
that encloses the cupboard when the door is partially open and also a projecting
ledge at bottom for closing the open space, so that more room is afforded in the
cupboard when the door is opened, such cheek and ledge being formed so as to pass
into the cupboard when the door is closed, substantially as herein described.
2. The herein described construction of bath and wash cupboard with wood frame-
work and metal panels or wood panels lined with metal or other preservative
covering.
3. In the construction of cupboard above referred to, the use for closing the
space above the door when partially open, of a glass frame, and the provision of
an opening with or without a glass frame in the side cheek substantially as herein
described.
4. In the construction of cupboard above referred to, constructing the same with
a metal bottom so formed as to conduct the water into a receptacle beneath, substan-
tially as described.
5. In combination with the metal bottom referred to in the preceding claim, the
use of a central pan, supported by the receptacle for dirty water beneath, the pan
being provided with a valve for discharging the water into the receptacle, substan-
tially as described.
6. In combination with the construction of cupboard referred to in the preceding
claims, the use of a tank near the top in combination with pipes and a rose for
douche baths, the tank being enclosed by a strainer and provided with a glass sight
hole and a bar for hooking on a water can, substantially as described.
7. The herein described construction of water-can for use with the said cupboard,
having a handle, a hook opposite the handle, and two lateral projections near the
lower end.
8. The herein described construction of cock with spring valve, opened by a hinged
lever provided with a pressing plate, the said lever being held by a catch when a
continuous supply of water is required.
9. The use in combination with the cock referred to in the preceding claim of a
pivotted basin, arranged substantially as herein described.
10. The combination with the cock referred to in the eighth claim, of a moveable
nozzle connected thereto by a flexible pipe, so as to enable it to be held in various
directions, substantially as herein described.
11. The use in combination with the said cupboard of a hinged seat, arranged
substantially as described.

page_text: 12. Constructing the said cupboard of angular shape for fitting into the corner of
a room, substantially as described.
13. The construction of bath and wash cupboard combined and operating, sub-
stantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 13th day of January 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.