IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CLOSETS
Year: 1884

page_text: I EDWARD PEARSON of 745 Old Kent Road in the County of Surrey Carpenter
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER
CLOSETS" to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to waterclosets. While affording a complete control
over the water supply, they render it very difficult for the outlet from the pan to
be stopped from any cause.
The apparatus is started in the usual manner by means of a handle fixed to a
vertical spindle. This operating spindle is fitted, at different parts of its length,
with three short arms. One arm connects the spindle with a counterweight
adjusted on a lever working the main plug at the base of the pan. On raising the
spindle, this lever being relieved from the gravitation of the counter weight, allows
the plug to fall, so that the contents of the pan are discharged. During the latter
portion of the upward movement or stroke of the operating spindle, the second
short arm on the said spindle comes in contact with the under side of the end of a
lever and raises the same. This lever is connected with the water supply valve;
which is preferably a diaphragm valve. On this valve being opened the water
from the supply pipe flows through suitable passages to a tubular rim, made with
perforations in the top of the basin thereby flushing and cleansing the pan. The
quantity of water consumed each time for flushing the pan is regulated by a valve
fitted in the passage between the diaphragm supply valve and the pan.-The
action of this regulating valve is as follows:-On the operating spindle being
raised, a third arm on its lower end also rises with it, thereby releasing the tension
on a chain connecting said arm and the end of the regulating valve lever. This
allows a counterweight adjusted on said lever to come into operation and close the
regulating valve. The speed with which this said valve closes thereby controlling
the quantity of water passing through at one operation of the valve, is regulated
by attaching to the bottom of said valve a piston working in the lower cylindrical
portion of the valve box. This piston is itself fitted with a central winged valve.
In the upward stroke of the regulating valve, the water passes through the small
central winged valve into the chamber beneath it. This central valve opens freely
downwards to the pressure of 'the water, being simply kept up against its seat by
the slight pressure of a spring When the regulating valve falls by the action of
the counterweight, the water enclosed in the chamber slowly escapes to the upper
ד

page_text: side of the piston and thereby allows said piston and with it the regulating valve,
to gradually descend at the required rate of fall.
The closing of the diaphragm supply valve is in like manner regulated by
a similarly constructed piston and central valve in same, working in a cylinder.
The piston is attached to a counterweight at the end of the lever of the water
supply valve by means of a rod jointed at its attachment to the counterweight.
Similarly the cylinder at its bottom is jointed to the baseplate to allow for the arc
movement of the lever on the water supply valve. The action of this piston
and its valve is identical with that of the piston and its valve above described
constituting the regulating valve. On the lever being raised, the oil or other
suitable liquid in the cylinder flows through a winged valve in the piston from the
upper side of the latter to beneath. the same; and on the lever falling through the
action of the counterweight, the piston slowly descends according to the rate of
escape due to the area allowed between its periphery and that of the cylinder.
Dated 26th February 1884

page_text: I EDWARD PEARSON of the Old Kent Road in the County of Surrey Carpenter,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention. for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER
CLOSETS," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
These improvements relate to water closets. While affording a complete control
over the water supply, they render it very difficult for the outlet from the pan to
be stopped up from any course.
The apparatus is started, as in the usual manner, by means of a handle fixed to
a vertical spindle. This operating spindle is fitted, at different parts of its length,
with three short arms. One arm connects the spindle. with a counter-weight
adjusted on a lever working the main plug at the base of the pan. Or this counter-
weight may be fixed at its centre directly on the spindle, and two or more of the
above named short arms may be fitted thereto. On raising the spindle, the lever
working the main plug, being relieved from the gravitation of the counter-weight,
allows the plug to fall, so that the contents of the pan are discharged.
During the latter portion of the upward movement or stroke of the operating
spindle, the second short arm comes in contact with the under side of the end of
a lever and raises the same: This lever is connected with the water supply valve,
which may be a diaphragm or other form of valve. On this valve being opened;
the water from the supply pipe flows. through suitable passages to a tubular rim
made with perforations in the top of the basin, thereby flushing and cleansing the
same.
These perforations are so made that one half of them direct the flow of water on
to the sides of the basin and the other half direct the water directly on to the
contents of the pan immediately over the plug 6².
The quantity of water consumed each time for flushing the pan is regulated by
a valve fitted in the passage between the water supply valve and the pan. The
action of this regulating valve is as follows:-
On the operating spindle or rod being raised, a third arm, fixed either on its
lower end, or on the counter-weight at its lower end, also rises with it, thereby
releasing the tension on a chain connecting said arm and the end of the regulating
valve lever. This allows a counter-weight adjusted on said lever to come into
operation and close the regulating valve. The speed with which this said valve
closes, thereby controlling the quantity of water passing through at one operation
of the valve, is regulated by attaching to the bottom of said valve a piston working
in the lower cylindrical portion of the valve box. This piston is itself fitted with
a central winged valve. In the upward stroke of the regulating valve, the water
passes through the sinall central winged valve into the chamber beneath it. This
central valve opens freely downwards to the pressure of the water, being simply
kept up against its seat by the slight pressure of a spring. When the regulating
valve falls by the action of the counter-weight, the water enclosed in the chamber
slowly escapes to the upper side of the of the piston, and thereby allows said piston;
and with it the regulating valve to gradually descend at the required rate of fall.
The closing of the diaphragm or other form of supply valve is in like manner
regulated by a similarly constructed piston and central valve in same, working in
a cylinder. The cylinder within which this piston works may either be made quite
separate, or may form one piece, and be in direct connection with the water supply
valve.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my invention, I shall proceed to set forth
more fully the mode of carrying it out, reference being had to the accompany
two sheets of drawings. In these Fig. 1 is a plan, or view from above, of the
whole apparatus. Fig. 2 is a section on the line CD of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, on the
second sheet, shews a vertical section of the pan, through the over-flow passage, on
the line A. B of the same Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section, to an enlarged
scale, of my double-valve water-waste preventer.
The pan or basin c is preferably made of glazed earthenware, and in one piece
with the valve-box, within which works the valve or plug 62 (see Fig. 3). On
raising the handle a, (see Fig. 2) the hollow spindle a', to the bottom end of which
the counter-weight b is preferably directly fixed, are simultaneously lifted. To
this counter-weight is fitted a short arm a², connected by a chain with the lever b'.
On the plug 6 being thus relieved from the gravitation of the counter-weight b, it
falls, and the contents of the basin are discharged. On the rod a¹ is fitted a catch
or short lever d, adjusted in such wise that, during the latter portion of the
upward stroke of the said rod, this short arm d comes in contact with the under
side of the lever d'. It thereby raises the same, and opens the supply valve d²,
which allows the water from the pipe d³ to. flow through the passages d', d' and c
to the perforated rim passage c³, and thus flush and cleanse the pan c.
The volume of water consumed for flushing and after-flushing the pan is regulated
by means of the valve e, which is set between the supply-valve d² and the pan c.
This valve is made by preference slightly conical. It is brought into action in the
following way-On the rod a¹ (Figs. and 3) being raised, the arm c¹, fitted on
the counter-weight b, rises with it, thereby releasing the chain connection e².
between said arm c¹ and the end of the valve lever es. This allows the counter-
weight e to come into operation and to close the valve e. The speed with which
this valve closes necessarily controls the quantity of water allowed to pass through
at one operation of the valve; which speed is itself regulated by attaching to the
bottom of the valve e, in the manner shewn in Fig, 4, a piston f, working in the
lower cylindrical portion f1, of the valve box. It is fitted with a central winged
valve f. On the upward stroke of the valve e, the water passes through the
central valve f, into the chamber f³ beneath it. This central valve opens freely
downwards to the pressure of the water, being simply kept up or closed by the
slight pressure of the spring f. On the valve e falling, which as explained above,
is caused by the gravitation of the counter-weight e, the water enclosed in the
chamber slowly escapes to the upper side of the piston and thereby allows said
piston, and with it the valve e, to slowly descend at the required rate of fall. This
speed is determined by the area of escape allowed between the periphery of the
piston and the cylinder. In order to allow the water to pass freely through the
valve itself to its upper side, it is made with perforations e, so that its descent is
not impeded thereby.
The closing of the supply-valve d² (Fig. 4) is regulated, in a somewhat similar
manner. The upper part of the valve d' is formed into the piston h, working in
the cylinder h¹. The piston h is preferably tightened by means of a capped leather.
When the catch' d on the rod a¹ is raised with the same, it strikes the lever d',
which is kept down, when out of action, by means of the counter-weight g. The
spindle g¹ and with it the valve d², being thereby raised, the water thereupon
flows through the passages d³, ds and d to the basin c. This cylindrical space
communicates by means of a small passage ¹ with the main inlet pipe d³. The
outlet from the cylinder to the passage is regulated by means of a small tap k.
On the lever falling through the gravitation of the counter-weight g, the piston h,
and with it the valve d², slowly descend.
⋅
It is usual to provide apparatus of this class with an overflow pipe to carry off
any water that may rise above a certain level. I prefer to place the said overflow
pipe in communication not with the drain, as is usual, but with the nearest gully
hole.

page_text: I may also set the waste pipe in communication with the drain, in which case
I use a suitable bent pipe trapped in the well known way by means of water.
This bent pipe may be formed in the thickness of the earthenware side of the
pan itself as (Fig. 2) or may be made quite separate as l' (Fig. 3).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :-
.
•
The regulation of the inlet of the water into water closets by means of the
double valves constructed substantially as described, and worked substantially as
described.