Improvements in Protective Covers for Water-closets, and in' Apparatus for Adjusting and Removing such Covers.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Protective Covers for Water-closets, and in'
Apparatus for Adjusting and Removing such Covers.
A communication to me from J. D. Cox, of Rotenburg, Hanover, in the
Empire of Germany.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, 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, and accompanying drawings, that is to say :—
In the daily use of water-closets such as are publicly accessible, a contrivancé
for preventing the transmission of diseases would be highly desirable. Such a
preventative however which would meet the requirements of the case has tiot yet
been devised and the object of this invention is to supply the long felt want.
Circular sheets of papier maché are provided by stamping with round holes the
edges of which are bent downwards. Such a paper sheet a is shewn in Figure 1
of the accompanying drawings and is laid by the user of the closet over the
opening in the seat in such a manner that the bent over edges of the paper hole
may reach or hang' within such opening, so that the skin of the user of the closet
may come in contact with the clean paper sheet only, which sheet may morcover
be prepared with any suitable antiseptic. After having used the closet, the lid b
is closed whereby pointed pins e, a number of which are inserted in the lid, are
forced into tlie edges of the paper thus laid on the seat and raise the same from
the latter, when the lid is opened again for the purpose of using the closet. Two
or more bolts d which are capable of moving up and down in the hole in the lid
then strike their heads' against the rear wall of the closet and are pushed deeper
through the lid while overcoming the resistance of the springs e
The bolts are
pushed' through the lid so that their ends project beyond its under surface and
force the paper sheet carried up by the same off the pins; this sheet then falling
through a slot formed at the rear end of the seat either into the closet receptacle
or according to the arrangement of the particular closet into another, suitable
separate receptacle. As the lid is closed, the springs e withdraw the bolts back,
their ends ceasing now to project beyond the underside of the lid (Figure 4) and
not interfering with the pins e which can now enter the next paper sheet used.
The paper sheets' can be stored for use in a box arranged in the closet as
shewn in Figure 2.
In the arrangement above described, the user of the closet must lay with his
own hands the paper sheet over the opening in the seat. In order to dispense with
this operation although it causes but slight trouble, a contrivance has been devised
which is illustrated in Figures 5 to 9 of the drawings.
The circular paper sheets are piled up one over the other in a box which is
placed upon the seat by the side of the lid against which it abuts. As soon as the
lid is raised, the spring g pushes the box f forward over the opening in the seat so
that the lowermost paper sheet is placed in such opening. The user must now
push the box back into its original position with the hand. To prevent the paper
sheet which is partly sunk in the seat opening from being in the way, the lower
surface of the box is cut out in front upon half its periphery a little higher than
the thickness of one sheet of paper (Figure 9) so that the said box may be moved
freely back over the paper sheet whereby the spring gis compressed the box being
firmly held again in its normal position by a flat spring 'when the lid is raised and
the closet is used again while a small pin fixed to thi.. spring'enters a hole formed
in the sliding surface of the box, Figures 7 and 8. The box is released whenever

page_text: the lid is either closed or only partly raised by means of a
cam mounted
upon the rotary axis of the lid, depressing the spring and withdrawing the
pin from the hole in the box (Figure 6) in order to allow the latter to be moved
by the spring g
When the lid is entirely raised the cam has released the spring
which will then firmly hold the box in the manner above described after the latter
has been pushed back by hand. To operate this arrangement it is necessary for
the user of the closet to manipulate a handle besides raising the lid, when the
contrivance above described will be solely actuated by the closing of the lid.
Besides the above described arrangement of the lid 6, the box fis provided with
a semi-circular drawer f¹ which can be moved under it and is intended to receive
the paper sheets.
The height of this drawer is equal to the thickness of one paper sheet and it is
arranged to slide within guides over the-opening in the seat. This is effected
automatically as the lid is raised. The cylinder loosely mounted upon the axis i
of the lid is caused to turn therewith when the lid is raised by a pawl m fixed upon
the said axis and gearing with a ratchet secured to the cylinder. One of the two
arms of the lever o noves in a groove-or-path formed around the cylinder in such a
manner as to pull with its other arm and a link g the drawer f carrying a paper
sheet over the seat opening and lay such sheet thereon.
The lid is about half raised when the small arm of the lever o passes from one
of the eight curved parts of the groove or part parranged at suitable angles one
with the other, into the opposite curved part. During its motion in this curved path
the lever pushes the empty drawer back under the box f. To prevent, during
the to and fro motion of the drawer the paper sheets from sinking and impeding the
return notion of the drawer under the-box,-a.linen band fixed to the said drawer
enters the box when the drawer is moved forward under the paper heap and holds
the latter up until-when-the-drawer-returns the band is simultaneously withdrawn
by a counterweight When the lid is raised the cylinder is turned by the
pawl m a quarter of its periphery (Figure 11) and the lever o has moved-exactly
over two curved portions of the cylinder. But when the lid is lowered again.
upon the scat-and closed, the axis turns back again without the cylinder 7 being
moved by the pawl m while the drawer fremains likewise motionless.
Each time that the lid is raised, the above operation recommences automatically
the used paper sheet carried up by the lid being likewise automatically removed
as already set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what
claim is: :-
1. A protective seat covering for water-closets consisting of sheets of papier maché
furnished with central circular holes corresponding with the opening in the seat and
the edges of which are bent down, in combination with a lid which raises by means
of pins the paper sheet laid on the seat and then pushes it off for it to fall in the
closet or other receptacle when owing to the lid being raised the bolts d strike
against the rear wall of the closet so as to project beyond the underside of the lid
and detach as they advance the paper sheet from the pins, substantially as described
and for the purpose set forth and shewn.
2. In combination with the arrangement claimed in Claim 1, a box f containing
the paper sheets heaped one upon the other and capable of being pushed over the
seat opening by a spring g after the lid has been raised, so that the lowermost
paper sheet of the box is laid over such opening after the box has been pushed
back by hand, this motion being carried out by the release of the spring which
engages with the aid of a pin in a hole formed in the sliding surface of the box and
is disconnected from said box by a cam mounted on the axis upon which the lid
turns, and ceasing to actuate the spring when the lid is entirely raised, so that the
said spring may firmly hold the open lid whenever the closet is in use substantially
as described and shewn.

page_text: 3. In combination with the arrangement described in Claim 1, a semi-circular
drawer capable of being opened against the lid and of moving below the box con-
taining the paper sheets, this drawer being moved forward to feed a sheet over the
seat or opening and then backward by means of a cylinder loosely mounted upon
the rotary axis of the lid, when the latter is opened, by a pawl fixed to the same
axis and actuating by means of a groove or path formed around its outer periphery
a lever mechanism og for the purpose of moving the drawer f first forward and
subsequently backward, while the paper heap remaining in the box is held up by the
band drawn under such heap simultaneously with the drawer so as not to impede
the return motion of the latter under the box, substantially as herein described and
shewn and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1900
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.