US542201A

US542201A - Faucet

Info

Publication number: US542201A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1895-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 1912-07-02

Description

(No Model.) J. S. LESTER.

FAUGET.

Patented J uiy. 2

Jag/77019531166322);

& w P m w S a a UNITED STATES PATENT' OF ICE.

JAMES S. LESTER, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

FAUCET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,201, dated. July 2, 1895.

Application filed December 20, 1894. Serial No. 532,444- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES S. LESTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a newand useful Faucet, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to faucets for use in connection with water-service pipes, sodawater fountains, &;c., and the objects in view are'to provide a faucet which is adapted to close automatically by the pressure of the fluid in the pipe or vessel to which'it is connected; to provide means for insuring the a vertical central section of the same.

proper seating of the valve; to provide means whereby the surface of the valve which is exposed to the pressure of the fluid is increased without increasing the area of the valve; to provide means whereby the dust or gravel which passes tothe seat of the valve is ex posed to a flow of. liquid and is thereby displaced, and to provide means whereby the valve is cushioned as it closes to prevent jarring and rattling in the service-pipe.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof'a faucet constructed in accordance with my invention, the same being applied to an ordinary elbow coupling or joint. Fig. 2 is Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is avertical central section of a slightlymodified form of faucet attached to an ornamental elbow joint or coupling.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawwas.

The shell 1 of the faucet comprises a lower tubular passage 2 and an upper enlarged chamber 3, the shoulder between said parts being constructed to form a downwardly-tapered or conical valveseat 4, around which, and resting upon the fiat portion 5 of the shoulder, is arranged a washer 6 of rubber, leather, or other slightly-compressible material. The valve-head 7 is slightly convexed upon said under surface and is adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the washer, and is provided with a central depending downwardly -tapered. or conical enlargement 8, which forms a centering-guide to adjust the valve-head as it descends and cause it to approach its seat squarely. The valve-stem 9 depends from the center of said conical enlargement or centering-guide and is loosely connected within the tubular passage to a transverse pin 10, which extends through and operates in vertical slots 11 in the sides of the shell, a collar 12 being fitted to slide exteriorly upon the reduced or lower portion of the shell and the extremities of said pin being fitted in perforations in said collar and secured at one end by means of a head 13 and at the other end by means of a nut 14:.

At the front of the shell is formed a boss 15, to which is fulcrumed a bifurcated lever 16, having a finger-rest 17, the arms 18 formed by said bifurcation being extended in opposite direction around the shell to diametrically opposite points, and being connected by means of links 19 with the ends of the pin to which the valve-stem is attached. The collar covers the slots in the sides of the shell, and the links which are interposed between the lever and the pin allow said parts to move freely, the former around its fulcrum as a center and the latter in the Vertical guide-slots in which it is fitted.

interposed between the lower side of the valve-head and an interior annular shoulder 20 in the shell, and coiled around the stem of the valve, is a cushion-spring 21, the tension of which is sufficient to prevent jarring as the valve comes to its seat after the removal of pressure upon the lever, but is insufficient to resist the pressure of the liquid upon the up per surface of the valve.

The upper surface of the valve head or disk is concaved to increase the vsurface for the pressure of the liquid without increasing the horizontal area of the valve, thereby forming a cup 22, which performs the additional function of catching impurities and sediment of a solid nature which may enter the faucet, and thus protects the valve-seat; and the enlarged chamber in which the valve operates is bulged or constructed in a partially spherical form, whereby the annular passage between the periphery of the valve and the interior surface of the chamber is enlarged as the valve ascends from its seat; but when the valve is at the limit of its upward movement the area of l to an abrupt shoulder36 on the shell, whereby the said annular passage is equal to the crosssectional area of the lower portion or passage 2.

At the inner end of the finger-rest which forms a part of the operating-lever of the valve is an upturned car 23, which, when the valve is in its closed position, is approximately in contact with the surface of the shell, and whenit is desired to hold the valve partially or wholly open to allow a continuous flow of liquid, as in filling a bath-tub, or for any other analogous purpose, a small object 24, such as a toothpick, (shown in the drawings, Fig. 1,) should be inserted between the ear and the contiguous portion of the shell. This interposed object 2d should be tapered, as shown, in order that it may be inserted more or less tovary the extent of opening of the valve, and while I have shown and mentioned atooth-pick as a convenient object it will be understood that any other tapered pin or other article may be employed. It ismy object to provide means whereby in special cases the valve may be held wholly or partially open, and at the same time provide a construction whereby unless there is a special object in view and unless special provision is made, the valve will close automati cally and will be held in its closed position by the pressure of the fiuidin the service-pipe. When the lever is released the valve closes, and if it .isdesired to have a continuous flow a suitable object must be inserted between the upturned ear of the lever and the shell, and such object does not form-a part of the faucet, and hence it is the presumption that the valve will not be locked in its open position, except when the object in view is sufiiciently important to justify suchaction.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a. modified form of the faucet in which it is applied to an ornamental elbow joint or coupling 25, which serves as a support for a bucket, the shellbcing of substantially the same construction as that above described, and the valve-seat, washer, and valve being of similar arrangement, construction, and operation. The means for operating the valve diifer from that above described in that the operating-lever 26 is fulcrumed in a slot 27 in the side of the reduced portion of the shell and is provided with a flat arm 28, which fits in a slot 29 in the lower end of the valve-stem 30. The upper edge of said reduced arm is cut away to form an areshaped seat 31, which bears against a convex shoulder at the upper end of said slot in the valve-stem. The portion of the shell contiguous to the slot in which the operatingdever is fulcrumed is enlarged to form a boss 32, the outer side of which is convexed concentric with the fulcrum-pin 33, and the lever is provided with a contiguous concaved shoulder 34, also concentric with its fulcrum, which operates in contact with said convex surface and thus forms a break-joint. An ear 35 is formed on the lever contiguous a tapered object may be inserted to hold the valve in its open position, as above described, in connection with the preferred form of faucet. The cushion-spring 37 corresponds in construction and function with that above explained.

From the above description it will be seen that the improved faucet is adapted to be closed and held in such position by the weight to relieve the shock or jarin the pipe when the valve closes, and in addition to the above it should be understood that the object in forming a loose connectionbetweeu the valve-stem jaud the lever, such loose connection-providfing for a lateral vibration or movement of the lower end of thestem-,'is to allow the valve to assumeau inclined'position when a gravel or small hard object comes between thevalveseat and the valve. This inclination of the valve relieves the foreign object from a por- 1 tion of the pressure which otherwise would i be brought to bear upon it, and thus provides 1 for the removal of the object by the force of lthe liquid in the pipe. elbow joint or coupling. which is introduced into the enlarged chamber of the faucet is i thickened, as shown at 38,.whereby it lies-in the path of the valve-head to prevent .the valve from bei ng'thrown above the point neciessary to properly open the passage.

construction is of especial advantage, inconnection with the form of faucet, which is shown .in Fig. 4, wherein no positive connection between theoperatingdever and the valve-stem is provided. A further advantage of this contraction of the throat of thejoint or coup- The portion of the This ling resides in the fact that it condenses the stream of water or other liquid as it enters the chamber of the faucet and centers the same upon the concave or cup-shaped upper surface'of the Valve-head, thus adding tothe efficiency of the liquid as a means of closing and maintaining in its closed position the valve.

It is obvious that in practice various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, I claim- A faucet having a coupling, a casingsecured to the outlet end of the coupling and provided with a valve-seat arranged contiguous to the extremity of the coupling, a valve mounted to operate between the seat and the extremity of the coupling and of greater area than the outlet opening of the latter, the upper surface of the valve being concaved, acushion spring opposed to the movement of the valve in approaching its seat and insuflicient in strength to resist the pressure of the fluid,

7 whereby the spring is compressed as'thevaive myown I have hereto aflixed my signature is returned to its seat, means for moving the in the presence of two witnesses. valve from its seat against the pressure of the fluid, and loose connections between said JAMES S. LESTER. 5 means and the valve-stem, substantially'as Witnesses:

specified. JOHN H. SIGGERS,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as G. C. SHOEMAKER.