IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOSETS
Year: 1874

page_text: DRY
LETTERS PATENT to John Ismay Fisher, of Harworth, in the County
of Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CLOSETS."
Sealed the 17th November 1874, and dated the 16th June 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ismay Fisher at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th June 1874.
I, JOHN ISMAY FISHER, of Harworth, in the County of Nottingham,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN DRY CLOSETS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to form a cheap and efficient dry
closet in which dry earth, ashes, or other dry powdered material are
used for deodorising, and in which the dry earth and excreta are dis-.
charged from the closet into a pit or receptacle. For this purpose the
seat of the closet is supported at the top of a casing, at the bottom of
which is a plate or surface inclining somewhat downwards to an opening

page_text: at the back. On to this surface the excreta are allowed to fall, and are
afterwards swept off through the opening into a pit or receptacle by
means of a revolving scraper, which is carried by an axis at the back of
the casing, and is about at right angles to the bottom surface, the
scraper then serves to close up the opening. After the closet has been
used the axis carrying the scraper is turned back from this opening by a
lever handle upon it, so as to carry round the scraper into the position
from which it is to start to sweep over the bottom surface, and as it is
thus moved back it is caused to rise a distance so as to be somewhat
above the surface; and when it has completed its backward movement,
and a quantity of dry material has been delivered in front of it, it again
descends on to the surface, and when it is turned back in the opposite
direction it sweeps along the surface, and carries along with it the
matters resting thereon, and discharges them through the opening, as
above mentioned. To cause the scraper to rise as it moves back away from
the opening the lever arm on the axis of the scraper comes against
inclines on a short tube placed around the axis, and so lifts the axis,
together with the scraper, and when the lever arm has completed its
backward movement it passes beyond the inclines, and drops to its
former position, so allowing the scraper to come down on to the bottom
surface.
The bottom of the tube has ratchet teeth formed upon it, which, when
the lever arm is turned in this direction, come against fixed stops, and
prevent the tube from turning; but when the arm is turned in the
opposite direction the ratchet teeth slip freely over these stops, and the
tube turns round with the arm, whilst the scraper remains resting upon
the bottom surface. In order also that a quantity of dry material may
be thrown on to the bottom surface before the scraper is caused to sweep
over it the scraper towards the end of its backward movement is caused
to strike against one of a number of radial arms mounted on an axis, and
causes this axis to turn a distance, when another of the arms on the axis
sweeps out a quantity of dry material from an opening at the bottom of
a hopper in which the dry material is contained, and throws it on to the
bottom surface. When this has been done, and the scraper is turned
back to sweep over the bottom surface, it passes below the radial arms,
and so does not act upon them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Ismay Fisher in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ISMAY FISHER, of Harworth, in the County of Nottingham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of Junc, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Ismay Fisher, Her special license
that I, the said John Ismay Fisher, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Ismay Fisher, 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, usc, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRY
CLOSETS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Ismay
Fisher, 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 John Ismay Fisher, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object to form a cheap and efficient. dry
closet in which dry earth, ashes, or other dry powdered material are used
for deodorising, and in which the dry earth and excreta are discharged
from the closet into a pit or receptacle. For this purpose the seat of the
closet is supported at the top of a casing, at the bottom of which is a
plate or surface inclining somewhat downwards to an opening at the

page_text: back. On to this surface the excreta are allowed to fall, and are after-
wards swept off through the opening into a pit or receptacle by means of
a revolving scraper, which is carried by an axis at the back of the
casing, and is about at right angles to the bottom surface; the scraper
then serves to close up the opening. After the closet has been used the
axis carrying the scraper is turned back from the opening by a lever
handle upon it, so as to carry round the scraper into the position from
which it is to start to sweep over the bottom surface, and as it is thus
moved back it is caused to rise a distance so as to be somewhat above
the surface; and when it has completed its backward movement, and a
quantity of dry material has been delivered in front of it, it again
descends on to the surface; and when it is turned back in the opposite
direction it sweeps along the surface, and carries along with it the
matters resting thereon, and discharges them through the opening, as
above mentioned. To cause the scraper to rise as it moves back away
from the opening the lever arm on the axis of the scraper comes against
inclines on a short tube placed around the axis, and so lifts the axis,
together with the scraper; and when the lever arm has completed its
backward movement it passes beyond the inclines, and drops to its
former position, so allowing the scraper to come down on to the bottom
surface.
The bottom of the tube has ratchet teeth formed upon it,
which when the lever arm is turned in this direction come against
fixed stops, and prevent the tube from turning; but when the arm is
turned in the opposite direction the ratchet teeth slip freely over these
stops, and the tube turns round with the arm, whilst the scraper remains
resting upon the bottom surface. In order also that a quantity of dry
material may be thrown on to the bottom surface before the scraper is
caused to sweep over it the scraper towards the end of its backward
movement is caused to strike against one of a number of radial arms
mounted on an axis, and causes this axis to turn a distance, when
another of the arms on the axis sweeps out a quantity of dry material
from an opening at the bottom of a hopper in which the dry material is
contained, and throws it on to the bottom surface. When this has been
done, and the scraper is turned back to sweep over the bottom surface,
it passes below the radial arms, and so does not act upon them.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section; Figure 2, a transverse section;
and Figure 3, a plan view of a dry closet constructed as above described.

page_text: In these Figures a is the seat of the closet supported at the top of a
casing a', at the bottom of which is a concrete, or stone, or other im-
pervious surface sloping somewhat downwards in both directions to an
opening a² at the back; is the revolving scraper carried by an axis b¹.
At the back of the casing this scraper when not in use closes the
opening a², as shewn at Figure 1. c is a lever handle by which the
axis can be turned; it extends beyond the axis, as is also shewn at
Figure 1, in order that it may rest upon inclines d¹ formed upon a
tube d. On the under side of this tube are. ratchet teeth which come
against metal stops made fast to the seat of the closet, as shown, and
prevent the tube from turning when the axis is turned in the
direction to move back and raise the scraper, but wlien the axis is
turned in the opposite direction the tube is free to be turned round with
it. e is a hopper or receptacle at one side of the closet for containing
dry earth or other dry deodorizing material; f is an axis with radial
arms f¹ extending from it, which serve to throw a quantity of the dry
powdered material on to the bottom floor or surface.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When the lever handle is
turned in a direction to carry the scraper away from the opening a² the
axis and scraper are caused to rise by the inclines d', so that the scraper
is then lifted clear of the bottom surface. When the scraper has been
turned nearly half round it strikes against one of the radial arms f¹,
and causes them to make a partial turn, and throw a quantity of the
dry material from the hopper on to the bottom surface. So soon as the
lever handle has been moved past the upper ends of the inclines d' the
axis drops down and brings the scraper on to the bottom surface.
When the lever handle is again turned back to its former position the
tube turns round with it, not being prevented from turning in this
direction by the ratchet teeth on its bottom end, the scraper thereby
passes below the radial arms f¹, and moves over the bottom surface,
scraping off the matters resting thercon, and delivering them through
the opening a into any suitable receptacle, and the scraper then
again closes this opening.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,―
1
The combined arrangement of dry closets, substantially as herein

page_text: 2. The employment of a scraper acting substantially in the manner
herein described to remove the dry material and excreta from the
closet, and to close the opening through which the materials are
removed.
In witness whereof I, the said John Ismay Fisher, have hereunto 5
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
JOHN ISMAY FISHER. (L.S.)