IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathan Defries, of No. 5, Fitzroy Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Gas Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GAS METERS."
Sealed the 13th March 1860, and dated the 14th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathan Defries at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
September 1859.
I, NATHAN DEFRIES, of No. 5, Fitzroy Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS METERS," to be as follows:-
is
This Invention has for its object improvements in gas meters. For this
purpose, in place of admitting the gas directly into the small upper compart-
ment or valve box of the outer or front chamber and over the valve, the gas
admitted from the supply pipe into a pipe which descends below the valve, so
that the gas passes into the small upper compartment from below the valve,
and tends to keep the valve open; the lower end of the descending pipe dips
into and is closed at its lower end by the water in the outer chamber. The
gas is conveyed from the small upper compartment directly by a pipe into the
measuring chamber of the meter without entering the outer or front chamber
thereof, and the float in the outer chamber is arranged to close the valve in

page_text: the small upper compartment or box in the event of the water in the outer
chamber falling too low, as in meters of the ordinary construction, and there
is an ordinary overflow pipe in the outer chamber, by which the water level in
the meter is regulated. In some cases, in place of this arrangement, the gas is
admitted, as heretofore, into the small upper compartment or valve box, and
escapes therefrom by a descending pipe below the valve, the lower end of
which descends into and is closed by the water in the outer or front chamber,
and the gas is conveyed by a branch pipe from the descending pipe into a
chamber, formed by dividing off a portion of the outer or front chamber by
a partition, through or under which, however, there is a free water com-
munication, and the gas passes from this chamber by a suitable passage into
the measuring compartment of the meter; thus the gas is excluded from the
division of the outer chamber of the meter containing the float which acts on
the valve through which the gas is first admitted. When the gas is admitted,
as heretofore, from the small upper compartment or valve box into the front
chamber, then, in order to prevent the meter being tilted, a descending pipe is
used below the valve, in which pipe there is an opening or openings just above
the proper water level in the outer or front chamber, which opening or
openings are closed by the water in case of the meter being tilted.
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me, and dated the
12th July, 1858 (No. 1565), an Invention is described, which consists in a
peculiar arrangement of apparatus for supplying water to make up for any
which may be evaporated or otherwise removed from the meter, and an
additional water vessel is employed for the purpose. Now, part of the present
improvements consists in applying more simple and convenient apparatus for
supplying such extra water vessel with water, and the same consists of two
valves on the same axis, one at the upper part of the water vessel, and another
at the lower part thereof, and arranged in such manner, that when the lower
valve is open to admit the water to flow to the meter, the upper valve shal
be closed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nathan Defries in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NATHAN
DEFRIES, of No. 5, Fitzroy Square, in the County of Middlesex, Gas Engineer, 3
send erecting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her.
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Nathan Defries, Her special licence that I, the said Nathan Defries, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Nathan
Defries, 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
GAS METERS," upon the, condition (amongst others) that I, the said Nathan
Defries, 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 Nathan Defries, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
.
This Invention has for its object improvements in gas meters. For this
purpose, in place of admitting the gas directly into the small upper compart-
ment or valve box of the outer or front chamber and over the valve, the gas
is admitted from the supply pipe into a pipe which descends below the valve,
so that the gas passes into the small upper compartment or box from below
the valve, and tends to keep the valve open; the lower end of the descending
pipe dips into and is closed at its lower end by the water in the outer chamber.
The gas is conveyed from the small upper compartment or box directly by a
pipe into the measuring chamber of the meter without entering the outer or front
chamber thereof, and the float in the outer chamber is arranged to close the
valve in the small upper compartment or box in the event of the water in the
outer chamber falling too low, as in meters of the ordinary construction, and
there is an ordinary overflow pipe in the outer chamber, by which the water
level in the meter is regulated. In some cases, in place of this arrangement,
the gas is admitted, as heretofore, into the small upper compartment or valve
box, and escapes therefrom by a descending pipe below the valve, the lower
end of which descends into and is closed by the water in the outer or front
C

page_text: chamber, and the gas is conveyed by a branch pipe from the descending pipe
into a chamber, formed by dividing off a portion of the outer or front chamber
by a partition, through or under which, however, there is a free water com-
munication, and the gas passes from this chamber by a suitable passage. into
the measuring compartment of the meter; thus the gas is excluded from the
division of the outer chamber of the meter containing the float which acts on
the valve through which the gas is first admitted. When the gas is admitted,
as heretofore, from the small upper compartment or valve box into the front
chamber, then, in order to prevent the meter being tilted, a descending pipe
is used below the valve, in which pipe there is an opening or openings just
above the proper water level in the outer or front chamber, which opening or
openings are closed by the water in case of the meter being tilted.
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me, an Invention is
described which consists in a peculiar arrangement of apparatus for supplying
water to make up for any which may be evaporated or otherwise removed from
the meter, and an additional water vessel is employed for the purpose. Now,
part of the present improvements consist in applying more simple and con-
venient apparatus for supplying such extra water vessel with water, and the
same consists of two valves on the same axis, one at the upper part of the
water vessel, and another at the lower part thereof, and arranged in such
manner, that when the lower valve is open to admit the water to flow to the
meter the upper valve shall be closed.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which represents at Figure 1 a vertical section of so much of a gas meter as
will enable me to describe my Invention, which is shewn to be applied
thereto; and Figure 2 shews a section of a variation of the means of supplying
gas to a similar meter. The gas enters at the supply pipe a, either below the
valve b, as shewn at Figure 2, or into the valve box, as shewn at Figure 1;
c is the pipe which conducts the gas directly from the valve box into the
measuring wheel at c'. The lower end of the pipe c dips into water, as shewn,
and is consequently closed thereby; d is an overflow pipe, by which the water
level in the meter is maintained correctly. The peculiarity of this arrange-
ment is in the pipe c conveying the supply of gas which is to be measured to
the measuring wheel directly, without allowing it to come from the valve box
into the upper part of the meter. In the arrangement of meter shewn by the
Drawing, the upper part of the measuring compartment of the meter is

page_text: partitioned off by a vertical partition e, e, from the outer compartment of the
meter, there being a communication at f through the partition, by which the
water in the outer compartment of the meter and the measuring compartment
communicate one with the other. The outer compartment of this meter is
divided by a horizontal partition 9, 9, as shewn, by which the lower part
becomes a chamber for the overflow water, and hi is an outlet by which such
overflow is drawn off. When meters are constructed in the manner shewn in
the Drawing with a vertical partition to divide the measuring compartment
from the outer compartment, then a small hole is formed in the upper part of
the pipe c, by which the pressure of gas in the outer chamber or compartment
of the meter is kept constantly the same as that in the measuring compart-
ment; but where a vertical partition is not used (which may be the case), and
the whole of the upper part of the meter is arranged to receive the measured
gas from the measuring drum or wheel, then such small hole in the pipe c is
not used, and it will be understood that when such small hole is used, the gas
which passes through it forms no part of the supply which passes to the
measuring wheel or drum. By these arrangements it will be seen that the
gas is conveyed directly by the pipe c from the valve box into the measuring
wheel or drum of the meter, and the lower end of such pipe dips into and is
closed by water. c² is a descending pipe from the valve box, which dips into
the water, as shewn; h is the float, which, when the water is at the proper
level, lifts the valve by the wire which rises through the tube
water is at the proper level.
when the
I will now describe the second part of my Invention. m is an extra com-
partment formed at the upper part of the meter for containing a supply of
water, so as to maintain a constant water level in the meter. In this respect
this meter is similar to that described in my former Specification; but in place
of the water being supplied to the vessel m and to the meter as formerly
described, two valves i and j are used on the stem k, so that when one valve is
open the other is closed. The stem of the valves passes through a tube l,
which is open at top and bottom, and it is formed with inclined grooves nat
its upper part, in such manner that when the stem is turned, such stem shall
be caused to rise or fall according to the direction in which it is turned, and
thus open one valve and close the other, there being projections from the stem
which enter the inclined grooves in the tube. The Drawing shews the valve i
to be open and the valve j to be closed; but if a fresh supply of water is
required, the stem would be turned so as to open the upper valve and to close
the lower one. Water is then poured into the tube (the outlet to the overflow
being opened), and the water will continue to flow through the tube into the

page_text: chamber m till that chamber is full, then it will pass down the pipe o into the
chamber below, which is in communication with the meter by the opening p,
when the water flows down the overflow pipe and out at the outlet the meter
will be properly supplied with water, the valve i is to be closed and the valve j
opened. The outlet for the overflow water is also to be closed. In order that
the extra supply of water may, when required, descend into the meter, an air
pipe 9 is applied, which, as in my former Invention, communicates at its upper
end q' with the outer atmosphere, and at its lower end 23 with the bottom of
the valve seat of the valve i, so that when the level of the water in the meter
descends below the point 9%, air will rise up into the upper part of the
chamber m and water will descend into the meter; r is an air tube for the
escape of air from the chamber-m.
- Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details herein
described, so long as the peculiar character of either part of my Invention be
retained; but what I claim are, the arrangements herein explained, whereby
the gas is admitted below the valve into the valve box with a tendency to lift
the valve, or into the valve box, as heretofore, and is then conveyed directly
into the measuring drum or wheel by the pipe.c, c', the lower end of the pipe
c, c, being closed by water, as described.
And, secondly, I claim the mode of supplying water to an extra water
chamber, and to the meter to which it is applied, the extra water chamber
receiving its supply of air from the outer atmosphere, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathan Defries, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.