IMPROVEMENTS IN Gas REGULATORS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Higgs and John Elliott, of Holborn, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN Gas
REGULATORS."
Sealed the 20th January 1871, and dated the 22nd July 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Higgs and
John Elliott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 22nd July 1870.
We, THOMAS HIGGS and JOHN ELLIOTT, of Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS," to be as follows :—
On the plug of the main tap we place a double lever having each arm
attached to a band or chain passing over guide pulleys and connected by
means of intermediate cranks and wires to two link chains geared and
fastened to two chain wheels geared into a pinion which can be turned
by hand with a key, and one of the toothed wheels gears into a toothed
wheel on a spindle carrying an indicating finger. The wheels and pinion
are placed inside a case or box having holes for the spindles to work
in, there being on the outside of the case a dial corresponding with the
indicating finger, and at another part outside the case there is a pressure

page_text: guage connected with the gas piping for denoting the pressure of the gas
according to the pressure in the gasometer, and the number of lights.
The main tap is opened more or less or closed entirely by turning the
pinion and chain wheels by means of the key, the position of the tap
being determined by the indicating finger, the divisions on the dial
corresponding with the divisions on the guage, and thus any number of
lights can be regulated to any required extent at one operation. With
this apparatus it is advantageous to keep the main tap efficiently
lubricated, and for this purpose we make in the barrel two or more holes
communicating by a pipe having a small tap with an oil cistern, there
being on the plug of the small tap a lever in contact with a pin or staple
on the plug of the main tap, so that when this latter plug is turned by
the regulator the plug of the small tap is turned to allow oil to flow from
the oil cistern to the main tap.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Higgs and John Elliott in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 21st January 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
HIGGS and JOHN ELLIOTT, of Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Thomas Higgs and John Elliott, Her special
licence that we, the said Thomas Higgs and John Elliott, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Higgs
and John Elliott, our 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 REGULATORS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Thomas Higgs and John Elliott, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or

page_text: 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 we, the said Thomas Higgs and John Elliott,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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, reference being had to the
Figures on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters of
reference marked thereon (that is to say) :-
On the plug of the main tap we place a lever having two curved arms,
on each of which is a small pulley and frame connected by wires and
cranks to two link chains geared and fastened to two chain wheels,
geared into a pinion which can be turned by hand with a key, and one
of the toothed wheels gears into a toothed wheel on a spindle carrying
an indicating finger. The wheels and pinion are placed inside a case or
box having holes for the spindles to work in, there being on the outside of
the case a dial corresponding with the indicating finger, and at another
part outside the case there is a pressure gauge connected to the gas
piping for denoting the pressure of the gas, according to the pressure in
the supply pipe and the number of lights. The main tap is opened more
or less, or closed entirely by turning the pinion and chain wheels by
means of the key, the position of the tap being determined by the indi-
cating finger, the divisions on the dial corresponding with the divisions
on the gauge, and thus any number of lights can be regulated to any
required extent at one operation. With this apparatus it is advantageous
to keep the main tap efficiently lubricated, and for this purpose we
make in the barrel two or more holes communicating by a pipe and
small tap with an oil cistern, there being on the plug a lever in contact
with a pin or staple on the plug of the main tap, so that when the latter
plug is turned by the regulator the plug of the small tap is turned to
allow oil to flow from the oil cistern to the main tap.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of
the case containing the chain wheels and pinion, there being a dial, an
indicating finger, and a pressure gauge on the outside. Figs. 2 and 3
front and side elevations of the case, with the front and side plates
removed for the purpose of shewing the chain wheels, pinion, and part of.

page_text: the chains; Fig. 4, a front clevation of the regulating apparatus
complete; Fig. 5 a plan of part of the same, and Figs. 6 and 7 are two
views of the apparatus for lubricating the main tap; Figs. 1, 2, 3,
6, and 7 being drawn about full size, and Figs. 4 and 5 to a reduced
scale.
In the Figures the plug of the main tap is marked a, the shell 4, the
lever placed on the plug c, the pulleys and frames on the curved
arms d, the chain wheels e, f, the pinion g, the chains h, the case i, the
dial k, the indicating finger 1, and the pressure gauge m.. The regulating
movement is performed by a key fitted to a triangular part n, Figs. 1 and 3
of the spindle of the pinion, which when turned turns the chain
wheels e, f, the toothed wheel o on which the indicating finger lis
placed, and at the same time turns the plug of the main tap by means
of the cranks p, wires q, and the lever c, the extent of movement given
to the pinion being determined by the number of lights and the pressure
of the gas. The oil cistern containing oil for lubricating the main tap
is marked 7, Figs. 6 and 7, and the small tubes, there being on the plug
of the tap a lever shewn in part at t, and when the lever is turned by a
projection on the main plug a or on the lever c, oil flows down the pipe u
and through apertures in the pipes to the main tap. The commu-
nicating wires, cranks, or pulleys between the lever c. and the chains
and chain wheels are varied as required, but in Fig. 4 the main tap is
supposed to be in a cellar and the regulating and indicating apparatus on
a pillar fixed to the floor above.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention
we claim the improvements in gas regulators, as herein set forth and
illustrated by the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Higgs and John Elliott,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twentieth day of
January in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-one