USRE1375E - Improvement in valves for water-closets - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. novLE, or BROOKLYN, AssiGNon To OEoEeE sTEvENsON, or NEW YORK, N. v.

IMPROVEMENT lN VALVES FOR WATER-CLOSETS.

Spccileation Forming part of Letters Patent No. 26,645, dated January 3, 1860; Reissue N0. l ,375, dated January 6, 18GB.

To all lwhom fit may concern Be it known that I, JAMES F. BOYLE, of Brooklyn, Kings county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Valves or Supply-Cocks for VVatcnOlosets and other Purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference bein g had to thc accompanying drawings, making part ot' this specitieation, in which- Figure 1 is an external view; Fig. 2, a vertical section with the waterways closed; Fig. 3, a like section witll the water-ways opened, and Fig. 4 a section of the yalve-stem and valve.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Prior to my said invention cocks used for supplying water to water-closets and other pans requiring to be washed out presented scrious di'liculties. NVhen provided with an clevated reservoir connected with the main Water-pipe in the house and with the pan below, suoli reservoirs are liable to leak, occupy much room, and unless iliade at great cost the connecting mechanism is very liable to derangement. It' the valve be connected with the scat so as to be operated thereby, it is wasteful ot' water and inconvenient to the occupant, and if made to operate by hand persons using the closet are liable to forget to operate them, and even when operated, on account of the length ot' time required for the water to descend from the reservoir to the pan, persons in haste frequently let go the handle before it gets down to the pan, in which event the supply is cut ofi' before the pan is cleansed; and with cocks that are not provided with a local reservoir above, and whether operated by connection with the seat or by a handle, when connected with the seat there will be a wasteful and inconvenient Ilow of water while the seat is depressed, which can only be prevented by the additional expense and inconvenience of another valve to stop the iiow of water While the seat is depressed. But there is another and more serious inconvenience with this class, whether operated by the seat or by hand. 1n all this class the valve or cock is self-c1osing by a spring or weight as soon as the seat or handle is liberated, and although in most cases such cocks or valves are provided with a mechanism to prevent the too rapid closing, so as to allow what is termed an afteriiow 7 ot' water to wash out the pan, experience has proved that this provision is not suiiicient, and it often happens that the valve is closed without any discharge of water, thus leaving the pan unwashed.

It is well known that in buildings supplied with water by hydrostatic pressure, as in the city of New York, when water is being drawn in one part of the building` the pressure is so much reduced as to cut ott' the supply for the time being from the other parts ot' the building; and that it frequently happens that during a lire, when much water is drawn from the street-main, the pressure is so much reduced as to suspend for the time the supply to the upper stories of buildings, particularly in the more elevated partsof the city. 1n such cases it will be obvious that there will be no supply ot' water to wash out the pan. lt is on this account that the otherwise inconvenient and expensive plan ot' an elevated local reservoir has been so generally adopted.

All the above inconveniences arc avoided by my invention, which consists ofthe combination oi' two mechanisms: first, a cock or valve which when opened will remain so until there is a supply ot' water, and which is closed only by the pressure ot' the supplying head ot' water; and, second, a mechanism to retard or prevent it fiom closing suddenly, that sutil'- cent water may iiow through to wash out the pan before the cock or valve is entirely closed. By such a combination the pau is sure to be washed out when the supply of water comes, and this, too, without a` wasteful expenditure of water or necessity ot' the person waiting until the pressure ot' water returns, and without the inconvenience of a local reservoir.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the induction-pipe, which is to be connected at b with any supply-pipe leading from a head of water. The up1`er end of this pipe a is provided with packing and a coupling-nut, c, by which it is coupled with'the body of the cock d but it may be coupled or connected in any other suitable manner. rl`he body of the cock is provided with a branch or education pipe, e, to be coupled in the usual manner to the pipe leading to the pan of a water-closet, or to any other pan with which it may be desired to form the connection. The bore of the body of the coek from the eductioupipe e is cylindrical, and l'roni the point of coupling this cylindrical bore extends some distance down into thc induction pipe, as represented at il', the external diameter of the said extended part j' being suiliciently less than the inner diameter of the induction pipe to leave a free passage for water all around. The bore ofthe body d above the eduction-pipe e is of greater diameter, as represented at g, and the upper end is covered with a screw-cap, h, properly packed.

The valvcstem i is placed centrally inthe body of the cock, with its upper and eylindri cal end accurately iitted to slide in a central hole in the cap h. lts extreme upper end, it' desired, may be threaded, and provided with :uljnsting-nutsj, by means of which its range otdownward motion can be readily regulated. The lower end, of this valve-stem `17 is ot'smaller diameter, and fitted to slide loosely in a hole made in the center of the bottom l ofthe extension j' ot' the cock, and only so loosely as that water may tlow through slowly into a cha1nbcr,k, in the lower part of the body ofthe eockf below the lower piston, to be presently described; or, instead ot' leaving sutiicient space between thc stem and the hole in which it slides, a small hole may be made through this bottom. This stem t', is liangcd at m to receive a cup, leather, a, which is there secured by a cap-nut, 0. This cupleather is made to tit the large bore g of the body ot the cock. Below this there are two other cup-leathers, p p, tilted to the smaller bore in the body and extension f, the upper one ot" these leathers being put against the under face oi' a ilange, q, and there held by a thimble, l', the ends of which are ilanged, and the lower one ot' these leathers is put under the lower flange ofthe thimble and there secured by a nut, s.

Through the extension f of the body of the cock there are two sets ,ot holes, t and a, for the passage of water from the induction-pipe a to the inside of the cock; and the distance between the two cup-leathers p p on the stem and the two sets of holes t and u and the relative positions of these must be such that when the valvestem is lifted up the upper cup-leather or piston (for as such it acts) shall be above the upper set of holes, t, and when the stem is depressed it shall be below the said holes, but never descend to the lower set of l1oles,w,and the lower cup-leather or piston p must always be below the lower set of holes,u.

The cap h, which covers the enlarged part or chamber g, is provided with holes r. The moment the valve-stein is depressed to the position represented in Fig.3 the upper piston p is below the holes t, and then the water will llow freely from the induction-pipe a through the holes t, through the cock, and out through the educton-pipe e. At thc same time the water has free access through the holes u to the inside of the extension j' and between the cup-leathers p p, the pressure of the water therein packing the said leathers against thc bore ot' the cylinder, that they may act pistons, the pressure ot' the water in opposite directions against the two heilig thereby balanced. So soon as the stem is liberated, the pressure ot' the water on the two pistons p p being balanced, and thc water having access to the inside of the extensionf through the hole in the bottom or around the stem k, acts against the under face of the lower piston p, and forces up the stem slowly until the upper piston p passes above the holes t, which shuts oil' the t'urther passage oi' water, and as the hole in the bottom or around the stem k is very small the closing motion will be slow, that there maybe a ilow ot' water through the cock to the pan after the valve-stem is liberated.

Vatcr is prevented from escaping from the upper end through the hole in the cap h by the cupleather n, which acts as a packing; but as this would act a piston in depressing the valve-stein, and thereby produce a vacuum above, which would seriously resist the downward motion of the stem, the cap is provided with holes `u, for the passage of air.

1t' the discharge of water to the pan from the pipe to which the cduction c is to be coupled should be smaller than the area of the water-ways in the body ot' the cock, the pressure ot' the water flowing through will act against the under face of the cupleather or piston n above the eduction e, and as this is of greater area than the piston p below, the preponderance of the pressure will bc in an upward direction, and tend to close the cock, but no faster than the area of opening between the lower end, l'c, ol the valve-stem and the bore of the hole in which it slides in the bottom l ot the cock, or the small hole pro vided as a substitute therefor, will permit the water to low into the chamber k below the piston p.

It will be obvious that it' the valve-stem were forced up at a greater velocity than the water can tlow into the chamber le a partial vacuum would result, and as the pressure of the water could not exercise a suilicient force on the piston u to do this, the capacity of the aperture through which water will How into the chamber k will control the closing, so as to allow sufficient water to ilow through to wash the pan before the supply is shut oit'.

As the pressure of the water between the two pistons p p is balanced, and the upper surface of the piston p presents a less arca to the pressure of the water than the lower surface ol' the lower piston p, as the water slowly enters the chamber k it will exert the requisite pressure to slowly force up the valve-stein and stop the flow ol" water; and it will be obvious that this diit'erence of area may bc increased to any extent to obtain the power required to overcome the friction and inertia of the parts to be moved; but as it is desirable to prevent the escape of Water where the upper end of the valve-stem passes out, I employ the cup-leather or piston p, or its equivalent, for the double purpose ofpreventing such leak and to aid in moving the stem to close the water-ways, and thereby avoid the necessity of making the lower piston of an inconvenient size. The object is to present to the action of the iniio wing Water a surface or surfaces suicieutly greater in the closing than in the opening direction, to enable the pressure of the water, when the supply comes, to close the valve or cock, and to have that power so ccn trolled or retarded, although sufficient to insure the closing, that the required supply of Water shall flow through during the operation of closing to insure the washing of the pan. It is this combination of two mechanisms, the

one performing the function or operation of closing the valve or cock by the pressure of i the water alone, and the other of checking or l controlling the closing so that it shall be gradual instead of sudden, which distinguishes my invention from all other things before known, whatever formal variations may be made in the construction ofthe parts.

Vyhat I claim as my invention in cocks or valves for water-closets, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The valve and its appendages, or the equiiT alents of them, Whose mode of operation is to close the Water-Ways by the pressure of the supply water only, substantially as described, in combination with the means herein described, or the equivalents thereof, for governing the closing of the valve, so that the Water shall How through to Wash the pan before the Water-Ways are closed, substantially as described.

JAMES E. BOYLE.

Witnesses:

WM. ll. Blsnor, A. lm LACY.

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