CERTAIN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO COCKS, TAPS, AND VALVES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Kraut, of Zurich, in Switzerland, Engineer,
for the Invention of "CERTAIN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO COCKS, TAPS, AND
VALVES."
Sealed the 81st October 1854, and dated the 29th May 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Kraut at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his 'Petition, on the 29th May
1854.
I, HENRY KRAUT, of Zurich, in Switzerland, Engineer, do hereby declare
5 the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO COCKS,
TAPS, AND VALVES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the application of a tube of vulcanised india-
rubber or similar clastic material for the closing and opening of taps, cocks,
pipes, tubes, or other channels or passages through which water or other
fluids have to pass, the said vulcanised india-rubber tubing acting as valve,
spring, and stuffing box.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Kraut in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
November 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
KRAUT, of Zurich, in Switzerland, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Kraut, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Kraut, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Kraut, 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 "CERTAIN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO
TAPS, COCKS, AND VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Henry Kraut, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 Henry Kraut, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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):-
My Invention consists in the application of tubes of vulcanised or otherwise
prepared india-rubber to apparatus for opening and closing taps, cocks, valves,
pipes, or other channels through which water or gas or other liquids or fluids
have to pass, the said india-rubber tube acting as stuffing box, spring, and
valve, or stuffing box and spring only, or only as stuffing box; the latter, when
applied to piston rods of pumps, etc.
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the same, reference
being had to the annexed Drawing, and the figures and letters marked
thereon, the same letters of reference denoting similar parts in the various
Figures.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a tap, to which my improved apparatus is
applied. a is a tube of vulcanised india-rubber or other suitable material,
shown in its original shape in Fig. 12, the closed end a' of it being enlarged.
The tube a, having been drawn over the rod 6 and ball end c, the enlarged
portion of it becomes expanded; the rod with tube is then introduced into the
tap at, and as the bore of the tap is contracted at d to a smaller diameter
than the enlarged end of the tube a, the latter will rest upon it the opposite
end of the tube with rod passing through the neck; the knob e is then slipped
over the rod b, and the tube drawn over it, till it has the desired amount of
tension to draw the enlarged end a' of the tube tightly upon the contraction
or valve seating d. The other end of the tube is then allowed to contract, when
it will close over the knob e, and press it tightly down into the socket f,
whereby an air-tight stuffing box is formed. The rod b, it will be seen, is
completely protected by the tube a. When liquid is to be drawn, the button g
is pressed in the direction of the arrow, whereby the ball end of the tube is
removed from the seating at d, and the liquid allowed to flow out through the
spout h. When the pressure is withdrawn from the button g, the elasticity of
the tube a will again draw the ball end against its seating, and shut off the
liquid. The small aperture i over the spout h allows the air to enter when
liquid is drawn, and thus supersedes the vent peg.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation of a tap suitable for bottling. The tube a
shown here is of uniform diameter and thickness, the valve end of it being
drawn over the knob c, which rests upon a shoulder on the rod b, and is sccured
upon the knob c by means of the nut . The tube a is introduced into and
secured in the neck of the tap, in the manner described with reference to Fig. 1.
The opening of the valve is effected by means of the hollow plug g fitting into
the socket f, which is provided with a groove l, into which the screw pin m
takes, the rod b resting against the head of the plug. It is evident, that on
turning the plug g from left to right, the rod 6 with valve end of the tube a
will be pressed in the direction of the arrow; this arrangement admits of the
hand being withdrawn from the tap whilst the liquid is flowing out.
Fig. 3 shows a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, for opening
the valve. The plug g with groove / is placed within, and guided by a cap n,
which is screwed to the front end of the tap. The plug g is turned by means
of a key, Fig. 3, which is inserted through the aperture o into a corresponding
recess in the plug 9.

page_text: Fig. 4 shows a mode of opening the valve by means of a excentric. This
excentric p is fixed on a pin g, which passes through the plug g and moves in
the slot r, and thus acts upon the valve rod b. A key, Fig. 4, fits the square
end of the pin q.
Fig. 5 represents my improved apparatus as applied to stop valves in water
pipes. A is an elbow pipe, shown in section; the tube a is held in its position
on the knob c by the valve disk s, which is screwed to the rod b. The valve s
is in this case made of metal; the valve rod b is prolonged beyond the valves,
and is guided by the stay t. The tube a is held against the knob e, and secured
in the socket f by means of the washer k, which is screwed into the socket f.
This mode of securing the end of the tube a in its socket is also shown in
Fig. 4, and is equally applicable to the taps shown in Figs. 1 & 2.
Fig. 6 represents a modification of the stop valve, which, instead of being
made of metal, as shown, Fig. 5, is composed of a ring & of vulcanised india-
rubber or other suitable material, fixed between two metal disks u, u¹." The
valves, shown in Figs. 5 & 6, may be opened by means of levers, excentrics,
screws, or other means.
In Fig. 7 the tube a is shown as forming the stuffing box for a piston or
pump rod. The upper end of the tube a is fixed in its socket in the same
manner as described with reference to Fig. 5. The rod b has a ball-shaped
enlargement 6', over which the tube a is drawn, and secured above and below
by means of string or otherwise.
Fig. 8 is an utensil (burette pipette) made of glass, used as an alkalimeter,
to which my improved apparatus, similar to that described with reference to
Fig. 1, is applied. The liquid is introduced into the upper portion A through
the bent tube C, and can be admitted into the lower portion B, which is
graduated, and out of the latter through the small aperture D, in the smallest
desirable quantities, by pressing upon the button g. The alkalimeter being a
utensil well known to persons conversant with chemistry, it is not necessary to
enter into a further description of the same.
By the foregoing descriptions, and in reference to the Drawings, it will be
seen that the tube a can be made to act at the same time as valve, spring, and
stuffing box, see Figs. 1, 2, & 8; or it can be made to act as stuffing box and
spring only, see Figs. 5 & 6; or the tube a can be made to act either as stufling
box and spring or as stuffing box only, see Fig. 7.
In addition to the applications above described and shown in the Drawing,
my apparatus for opening and closing taps, cocks, and valves 'is applicable to
syphons, vent pegs, and in most cases where taps, cocks, or valves are used;

page_text: whether the said taps, cocks, or valves be made of iron, brass, or other metal,
or of earthenware, glass, gutta percha, wood, and other materials.
What I claim as my Invention is, 1stly, the use of a tube of vulcanised or
otherwise prepared india-rubber for the purposes above described; and, 2ndly,
the manner of fastening the said tube in a socket or pipe, as more particularly
described with reference to Figs. 1 and 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Kraut, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
HENRY KRAUT. (L.B.)