IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID METERS
Year: 1875

page_text: re
LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, of the Firm of
Harris and Mills, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
LIQUID METERS."-A communication from abroad by Hiram S.
Maxim, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State of New
TI
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Joseph
Barnard Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 5th August 1875.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and
Mills, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID METERS," a communication to me from
abroad by Hiram S. Maxim, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and

page_text: This Invention relates to the class of meters in which the flow of
liquid is measured by the rotation of a screw or spiral shaft working
within a casing, and communicating with registering gear.
In the present Invention the screw shaft is made hollow to render it
· buoyant and reduce the friction upon its bearings. It revolves within
a trunk of square or other angular section with radial wings projecting
inwardly from the corners to prevent the water from acquiring the
rotary motion of the screw. The flow is from below upward. The
lower or induction end of the trunk is provided with a valve of sufficient
weight to cause a pressure below and around the trunk in excess of that
within it. Oblique apertures are provided at the sides of the trunk
arranged to cause jets of liquid to strike the blades of the screw in lines
perpendicular to the surfaces on which they impinge.
The square or other angular shaped trunk within which the screw
rotates is fixed concentrically within the outer shell or casing of the
meter by means of a flange projecting horizontally from the outside of
the trunk, and clamped between the upper and lower parts of the
casing, said flange forming a partition between the induction and
eduction chambers of the meter. The upper end of the screw shaft
communicates through its spindle with reducing gear consisting of cog
wheels and worms, and terminating in a crank arm, which transmits
rotary motion through a vertical crank shaft to the registering gear.
This crank shaft is formed with a conical collar fitting a corresponding
seat, and is pressed upward by a spring, so as to produce a tight joint to
exclude liquid from the register chamber. Each wheel and worm on
each wheel and pinion, as the case may be, of the transmitting and
registering gear, are mounted in separate frames adjustably, so that they
may set and secured in proper relative position to work with ease and
precision, and to permit removal for repair or cleansing.
The base plate of the transmitting gear surmounting the screw
chamber is constructed with a downwardly projecting cylinder or socket
surrounding the upper end of the screw shaft, and preventing lateral
pressure by the current of water against the said shaft. Radial wings
project, outward from this cylinder and downward within the corners of

page_text: the square trunk, so as to unite with the internal diagonal wings of said
trunk to prevent the water from acquiring a rotary motion.
The registering gear is enclosed in a dry bonnet, and mounted on a
plate screwed in the head of meter, so as to ensure the parts being
accurately in line.
SPECIFICATION i pursuance of the conditions of the Letters ratent,
filed by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of 23, South-
ampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard
Mills, Her special license that I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard
Mills, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID METERS," a
communication to me from abroad by Hiram S. Maxim, of Brooklyn,
in the County of Kings, and State of New York, United States of
America, Mechanical Engineer, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, my exccutors 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

page_text: of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard
Mills, 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 relates to the class of meters in which the flow of
liquid is measured by the rotation of a screw or spiral shaft working
within a casing and communicating with registering gear.
In the present Invention the screw shaft is made hollow to render it
buoyant and reduce the friction upon its bearings. It revolves within a
trunk of square, hexagonal, or other angular section with radial wings
projecting inwardly from the corners to prevent the water from acquiring
the rotary motion of the screw; the flow is from below upward. The
lower or induction end of the trunk is provided with a valve of sufficient
weight to cause a pressure below and around the trunk in excess of that
within it. Oblique apertures are provided in the sides of the trunk
arranged to cause jets of liquid to strike the blades of the screw in lines
perpendicular to the surfaces on which they impinge.
The square trunk within which the screw rotates is fixed concentrically
within the outer shell or casing of the meter by means of a flange
projecting horizontally from the outside of the trunk and clamped
between the upper and lower parts of the casing, said flange forming a
partition between the induction and eduction chambers of the meter.
The upper end of the screw shaft communicates through its spindle with
reducing gear consisting of cog wheels and worms, and terminating in a
crank arm which transmits rotary motion through a vertical crank shaft
to the registering gear. This crank shaft is formed with a conical
collar fitting a corresponding scat, and is pressed upward by a spring so
as to produce a tight joint to exclude liquid from the register chamber.
Each wheel and worm, or each wheel and pinion, as the case may be, of
the transmitting and registering gear are mounted in separate frames
adjustably, so that they may be set and secured in proper relative

page_text: meter illustrating the Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the transmitting
gear Figure 3 is an elevation of the same; Figure 4 is a section on
line 4, 4, Figure 1; Figure 5 is a plan of the registers.
The outer case is constructed of two castings a, a, coupled together
by flanges m, which clamp between them the margin of a horizontal
flange which projects from the exterior of a square trunk b, and
supports the said trunk concentrically within the outer casing a, a¹.
The horizontal flange 2 constitutes a partition between the induction
and eduction chambers of the meter; n represents an induction port,
and o the eduction port which are tapped for the reception of the
couplings in customary manner. The square trunk terminates at its
lower end in an enlargement b¹ of circular form with a diameter equal
to the diagonal of the square section. To the enlargement 6' is screwed
a box or extension d containing a valve e which is seated on the bottom
of said extension box and opens upwardly. The valve e has sufficient
weight to cause a pressure below and around the trunk and box b, d,
considerably in excess of the pressure within the same.

page_text: c, c, represent small oblique apertures so formed and arranged as to
cause jets of water to pass in lines perpendicular to the surfaces of the
spiral blades p on which they impinge. The blades are attached to a
hollow shaft q supported below on a screw pivot t, which may be set up
or down in the horizontal bar s within which it is screwed, and is fixed
in any position to which it may be set by a jam nut t¹. To the upper
end of the screw shaft is attached a spindle q' running in a bearing of
the transmitting gear. In the same bracket the terminal wheel w of the
transmitting gear has its bearings.
Motion is transmitted from the pinion q³ of the screw shaft to the
terminal wheel w through the medium of a vertical wheel and worm
u, u', and a horizontal wheel and worm v, v', having their bearings in
brackets and respectively. The worm u' on the shaft of the wheel
gearing with the wheel v, and the worm v¹ on the shaft of the wheel v
gearing with the terminal wheel w. To the upper end of the shaft w
of the wheel w is keyed a crank arm a connected at its outer end with
a horizontal arm y projecting from the shaft y', which shaft is con-
structed with a conical collar y² ground to its seat within the plate
and pressed up to the said seat by a spiral spring y³ so as to form an air-
tight joint which excludes water from the tight bonnet at the top of
the meter.
The bonnet contains a train of register gears 71, 72, 73, 74, µ³, of
customary construction which may be arranged to indicate cubic feet,
cubic metres, gallons, or other units of quantity as preferred. From
the under side of the base plate of the transmitting gear which
constitutes the top of the eduction chamber of the meter projects
downwardly the cylinder j surrounding the upper end of the shaft q so
as to prevent the deflection of said shaft by a lateral pressure of water
against its upper end.
In order to prevent the water passing through the meter from
acquiring the rotary motion of the screw p, q, the trunk within which
the said screw turns is formed of square, hexagonal, or other angular
section, as before stated, and it is further provided within its corners
with diagonal wings k of sufficient width to just permit the free
rotation of the screw blades. The wings occupy corresponding
positions at the lower end of the trunk b, said wings extending from the

page_text: casing a, a, and the spindles of the screw; the centre gearing and
the centre dial spindle with valve must be exactly in line.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and the mode
in which the same is carried into effect, I would have it understood
that what I claim is,―
First. A hollow shaft made lighter than the surrounding liquid and
protected from filling with water in the manner set forth.
Second. A meter screw working within a square or other angular
trunk, substantially as set forth.
Third. The combination of the meter screw p, q, the square trunk b, 1
and the wings & to prevent a rotary movement of the water, sub-
stantially as set forth.
Fourth. The combination of the meter screw p, q, surrounding
trunk and oblique perforations c to cause jets upon the screw blades
in any required lines.
Fifth. The combination of the meter screw p, q, trunk b, oblique
perforations c, and a valve e in a box or extension d of the said
trunk, substantially as set forth.
1
Sixth. The combination of the two-part casing a, a¹, the trunk b,
the horizontal partition flange ³, and the induction and eduction 2
ports n, o, as set forth.
Seventh. The combination of the gear plate i, the downwardly
projecting cylinder j, and the radial wings with the trunk. and
meter screw p, q, as set forth.
Eighth. The combination and arrangement of the gearing frames 2
or brackets f, g, h, with the transmitting gear, constructed and
operating substantially as explained.
Ninth. The combination of the shafts w¹, y¹, and arms x, y, for
communicating motion from the transmitting gear to the registers, as
set forth.
Tenth. The combination of the shaft y¹, conical collar y², and spiral
spring y, to exclude water from the dry bonnet 1, as described.
Eleventh. The screw plate and a register gearing and dial
mounted thereon, in combination with the driving and transmitting

page_text: apparatus of the meter, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-six.