IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER- CLOSETS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Felix Napoleon Target, of Colyton, in the County
of Devon, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER-
CLOSETS."
Scaled the 25th January 1870, and dated the 1st December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Felix Napoleon Target
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st December 1869.
I, FELIX NAPOLEON TARGET, of Colyton, in the County of Devon,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to prevent the admission into the soil
pipe of waterclosets of any of the water used in flushing or cleaning, so
as to keep this water from mixing with the excrement. By means of
my Invention the excrement can be the better collected for utilization,
and the different modes or systems known as the dry or absorbent systems
can be applied to waterclosets..

page_text: My improvements, which are applicable to all waterclosets, but more
particularly to pan closets, consist,-
First. In a particular form of valve for the bottom of the basin.
Secondly. In fitting a funnel-shaped receiver to the bottom of the
pan to receive the excrement and lead it into the soil pipe.
Thirdly. In fitting a waste water pipe to the bottom of the pan to
carry off the water which collects round the funnel above mentioned,
and lead it into the sewer or drain.
Fourthly. In arranging the mechanism in such manner that the valve
to the basin is made to open automatically when a person sits on the
seat or when the lid is raised, and to close at the moment the water is
admitted instead of opening as usual; no water can thus get into the soil
pipe.
The manner in which these improvements may be carried into effect
is as follows:-The valve which moves under the basin is formed with a
groove fitting the bottom edge of the basin and leaving a boss or rise in
the centre of the valve. The valve is fitted at the side with a small
spout long enough to clear the edge of the funnel hercin-after described,
and having an opening into the side of the valve, keeping this end of the
spout level with the bottom of the valve while the other. end of the
spout is level with the top of the boss, so that when the valve is in a
horizontal position the water therein cannot exceed the depth of the
groove, the surplus escaping by the spout and falling into the pan below.
At the bottom of this pan a funnel which is of rather larger diameter
than the bottom opening of the basin is firmly fixed in or cast with the
Boil pipe to receive the foeces; on the outside and close to the funnel an
opening is made in the bottom of the pan to receive a waste pipe through
which the water which flows from the spout and is kept away from the
soil pipe by the funnel escapes to the sewer. The valve under the basin
is made to open by the weight of the person on the seat or by the lifting
of the cover of the seat, and remains open until the handle is pulled to
admit the water; the valve then shuts automatically and receives the
water, which after cleaning the closet escapes by the spout, leaving only
enough to fill the groove and make a water joint to exclude smell.
This residue of the water escapes through the spout the next time the
valve opens.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Felix Napoleon Target in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FELIX
NAPOLEON TARGET, of Colyton, in the County of Devon, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Felix Napoleon Target, Her special licence
that I, the said Felix Napoleon Target, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Felix Napoloen Target, my
exccutors, 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
FN WATERCLOSETS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Felix Napoleon Target, my executors 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Felix Napoleon Target, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say:-
The object of my Invention is to prevent the admission into the soil
pipe of waterclosets of any of the water used in flushing or washing
(without however excluding from the soil pipe any part of the urine),
and thus to keep the water from mixing with the excrement. By means
of my Invention the excrement can be better collected for utilization,
and the different modes or systems of collecting human excrement
known as dry or absorbent systems can be applied to waterclosets.

page_text: My improvements, which are applicable to all waterclosets, but more
particularly to pan closets, consist,---
1st. In a particular form of valve or cup for the bottom of the basin
as a substitute for the valves or cups now in use.
2ndly. In fitting a funnel-shaped receiver to the bottom of the pan to
receive the excrement and lead it into the soil pipe.
3rdly. In fitting a waste water pipe to the bottom of the pan to carry
off the water which collects round the funnel above mentioned and lead
it into the sewer or drain.
4thly. In arranging the mechanism so that the valve to the basin is
made to open automatically when a person sits on the seat or when the
cover is raised, and to close at the moment the water is admitted instead
of opening as usual.
I proceed to describe with the aid of the annexed Drawings the
manner in which my improvements may be carried into effect.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a watercloset showing the mechanism
by which the automatical action is produced; Figure 2 is a vertical
section of the same shewing the disposition of the valve of the funnel
and of the waste water pipe; Figure 3 is another vertical section at
right angles to Figure 2 showing the action of the valve in delivering
the water and a system adapted to the cover to open the valve when
this cover is raised; Figure 4 is an enlarged plan of the valve; Figure 5
a vertical section of the same showing the peculiar disposition of the
spout; Figure 6 is an elevation of the same.
The above Figures are intended to show how my Invention can be
adapted to waterclosets already in use, so as to make the alterations with
little expense.
The valve C which moves under the basin A is formed with a groove a
fitting the bottom edge of the basin and leaving a boss or rise o in the
centre of the valve. The valve is fitted at the side with a small spout d
long enough to clear the edges of the funnel herein-after described and
having an opening e into the side of the valve, keeping this end of the
spout level with the bottom of the valve, while the other ends of the spout
are level with the top of the boss, so that when the valve is in a hori-
zontal position the water therein cannot exceed the depth of the groove,
the surplus escaping by the spout d and falling into the pan B below.

page_text: At the bottom of this pan a funnel g which is of rather larger diameter
than the bottom opening of the basin A is firmly fixed to or cast with
the soil pipe g¹ to receive the foeces on the outside, and close to the
funnel an opening u is made in the bottom of the pan to receive a waste
pipe through which the water which flows from the spout d and is
kept away from the soil pipe by the funnel g escapes to the sewer or
drain. The valve C is made to open by the weight of the person on the
seat h or by the lifting of the cover of the seat. The seat h is suspended
on hinges at the back, and is in the front kept by two spiral springs (one
of which is seen at y) at about three-quarters of an inch above the basin
and about one quarter of an inch above the top of a rod R which is
connected with a lever R¹ and plays through a hole formed in the seat.
The springs y keep the seat up when there is no weight on it; when a
person sits on the seat it moves down and acts upon the rod R, which
depressing this end of the lever R¹ elevates the other end, and by means
of a link R' lifts up a lever R³, acting upon the tumbler and causing the
valve C to open. The dotted lines show the position of the two levers
or parallel motion when the valve is open. As soon as the lever R³
reaches the position shown by the dotted lines it is caught and supported
by a crutch N (seen more clearly in side view in Figure 7), which moves
on a hinge at x and is kept forward by a spring at the back, so that the
valve remains open as long as the lever is kept up in its present position;
but as soon as the handle P is drawn up to admit the water an arm t
on the rod P¹ acting upon a swelling or projection on the lower part of
the crutch N pushes the crutch back and disengages the lever R³, which
is instantly brought down by the weight V, the valve closing at the
same time. The small arm o is fixed at a convenient distance on the
rod P' to regulate the length of the pull and to connect this rod with the
water supply. As it may be found requisite that the valve C should be
made to open by the action of lifting the cover of the seat, this may be
effected as shown in Figure 3. D is a lever supported on a fulcrum at z.
The end D' is provided with a clutch N¹ suspended by a hinge (seen more
clearly in Figure 8) and kept pushed forward by a spring; this clutch is
long enough to reach the lower edge of the lever R³ when it is down
while the valve C is closed; the other end of the lever D is connected by
a link D' with a small arm D³ attached to the back of the cover and
describing an arc of a circle when the cover is raised or lowered, and the
effect of which is to raise the end D of the lever, which thus brings up
the lever R³, when the crutch N immediately holds it in position. until it

page_text: is disengaged by the action of the lower arm tin pulling the rod to turn
the water on, which also sets free the seat apparatus. As it may happen
that when a person is on the seat and consequently the valve C is open,
he may pull up the rod P¹ which would cause the water to rush into
the soil pipe, I find it desirable to provide a locking apparatus to
prevent such an occurrence. This apparatus is as follows:-i is a small
wedge with a snail or rise on it and screwed to the under part of the
seat, with which it moves up or down; k is a small forked locker
suspended from the bracket m which is fixed to the side of the closet;
this locker is provided at the back with a recess to fit the snail on the
wedge. When the seat is pressed down the wedge i descends also, and
the snail pushes the locker k forward and just above the collar of the
arm o; it is then impossible to pull the rod P¹ up, and the parts remain
thus as long as the seat is pressed down, but when the pressure is
removed the spiral springs y bring the seat up and lift the wedge i,
leaving the locker k free to fall back and release the rod P¹; this motion
takes place without interfering with the action of the lever R³, and
therefore of the valve C. The dotted lines R* representing a prolongation
of the lever Rs show another mode of acting on the valve C. As the
rod R is depressed by the seat h the end R* of the lever R³ is brought
down and the other end raised by a direct action, so that in some cases
the parallel motion apparatus may be dispensed with.
In Figure 9 I shew a different arrangement by which my Invention
may be carried into effect, and which I consider preferable, more parti-
cularly for new closets as being less complicated and less costly than the
ordinary system. The internal arrangement of the pan, valve, and funnel
remain the same as before described, except that the valve or cup C
is loaded with lead at the back of the boss c, or that this boss is formed
by a disc of lead screwed to the bottom of the cup so as to make the
groove a. The tumbler 1, Figure 1, is removed and replaced by a
lever x, x, composed of two arms at right angles to each other. When
the orifice of the basin B is shut by the cup C the arm & is horizontal
and is supported by the shoulder of the crutch N' (seen more clearly in
Figure 10). On the vertical arm r¹ is placed a small stud y provided with
a friction roller, and which is pressed downwards by the curved lever <;
this lever moves on the fulcrum z¹, and is acted upon by a small arm
fixed at o' on the water supply rod P. When the seat is occupied the
weight of the person brings down the rod s attached to it and with it

page_text: the small arm s¹, which pressing down on the snail of the crutch N* dis-
engages the arm x; the cup C thus losing its support swings back to the
position shown by the dotted lines, and the arm a¹ is immediately caught
by the crutch N and held in that position until the handle of the water
supply is pulled up. When the handle is pulled the crutch N is pressed
back, and the end of the curved lever pressing down upon the stud
brings it back to its former position as well as the arm x, which is
immediately caught and supported by the crutch N', this process being
repeated every time the seat is used, the action of the mechanism
depending solely upon the weight and momentum of the cup C and the
alternate motion of the two crutches.
y
is attached,
In order to ensure the absence of all offensive smell that might rise
from the soil pipe or otherwise it may be desirable to provide each closet
with automatic means of introducing a small quantity of disinfecting
material into the soil pipe every time the closet is used. For this
purpose a small box of wood or metal shown at q, Figure 9, may be fixed
at the side of the pan and which is to contain the disinfectant; this box
is fitted at the bottom with a slider having an aperture made to corre-
spond with a similar aperture in the bottom of the box. The front end of
the slide is connected with a rod to which a bell crank
and this bell crank is connected by a wire. ³ with an arm
so that when the handle P is pulled in order to admit the
basin the bell crank draws the slider so as to bring the aperture
therein in communication with that at the bottom of the box, and thus
allow the disinfectant to run into a shoot which leads to the soil pipe as
shown. When the handle P is brought down the slider returns to its
position so as to close the aperture in the box. In Figure 9 the soil
pipe is seen as leading into a tub lined with disinfectants or absorbents
in the manner described in the Specification of Goux's Patent, dated 20th
February 1868, No. 566.
on the rod P¹,
water into the
In the construction of new waterclosets I prefer that the openings
at the bottom of the pan and of the basin should be made of a diameter
larger than usual to allow a free passage for the excrement; the funnel
at the bottom of the pan and the waste water nozzle may also more.
conveniently be cast with the pan itself.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as
my "Improvements in Waterclosets,"―

page_text: First. The employment of a particular form of valve or cup for the
bottom of the basin in which the water used in flushing or washing is
made to escape through a spout or opening in the side or any part of
the valve, substantially as herein-before described and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
Second. The employment of a funnel-shaped receiver at the bottom
of the pan to prevent the admission of water to the soil pipe and to
receive the excreta and lead them to the soil pipe, substantially as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. Fitting a waste water pipe to the bottom of the pan to carry off
the water which collects round the funnel above mentioned and lead it
to the sewer or drain, whereby all liquids except the urine are effectually
kept away from the soil pipe, substantially as herein-before described and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. Arranging the mechanism substantially as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings, so that the
valve to the basin is made to open when a person sits on the seat or
opens the cover of the seat, thus allowing a free passage to the fœces
and urine, and to close at the moment the water is admitted instead of
opening as usual, so that no water can get into the soil pipe.
Fifth. The general combination of parts of waterclosets arranged and
acting substantially as herein-before described and represented in
the accompanying Drawings for the purpose of preventing the ad-
mission into the soil pipe of any of the water used in flushing or
washing.
In witness whereof, I, 'the said Felix Napoleon Target, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of May One
11
hundred and avant
Witness,
J. C. MEWBURN,
Patent Agent,
172, Fleet Street,
London.
F. N. TARGET. (L.s.)