IMPROVEMENTS IN METERS FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brookes, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN METERS FOR MEASURING WATER AND
OTHER LIQUIDS."-A communication from abroad by Leon Hamar,
of Pest, in the Kingdom of Hungary.
Sealed the 22nd December 1868, and dated the 1st July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brookes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st July 1868.
I, WILLIAM BROOKES, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare, the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN METERS FOR MEASURING
WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS," to be as follows:-
The object of the improvements is accuracy of measurement and.
registration of the water or other liquid passed through the meter.
The Drawings represent the apparatus in its working position and show
how it is connected with the distributing pipes by the tubes C, D. .A,
piece of plate glass which is fastened in front of the dials by means of.

page_text: the screw ring x, y, serves to keep the dials in an air-tight space; one
dial may indicate the lesser, and another or other the larger quantities
of water or other liquid. To prevent any approach to the hands or
indicators, the hoop x, y, is to be unscrewed only by means of an extra
fitted screw key, and that can only be used when the principal lock is
first unlocked. The brass wheel with its self-opening paddles a, b, c, d,
turns with the axle O in the direction of the arrow. The cast-iron
cylinder shaped vessel A, B, C, D, is lined with glass plate on both
sides and with a brass belt in the circumference, which is fastened by
the screws e, f, g. The arch piece l, m, n, o, is provided with a flexible
brass hoop so that the paddle wheel is enabled to turn beneath the
arch m, n, without friction, the main object of the arch piece l, m, n, o,
however is to force the water penetrating at A into the direction of the
arrow before flowing off through the pipe B, but since the lower floats
of the paddle wheel a, b, c, d, stand always open in consequence of their
own weight, the passage of the water or other liquid therefore acts by
pushing those floats along with its own movement and thus causing the
rotation of the paddle wheel. Now in order that a certain number of
turns should be adequate to a cubic foot, the space between the paddle
wheel a, b, c, d, and the belt of the apparatus must be precisely
calculated; for instance, if one cubic foot of water is to correspond to 50
turns of the wheel, the central space should be exactly 3 of a cubic
foot. This calculation is indeed easy, but as such exact calculated
construction would raise the price of the apparatus, a spring moving
belt contrivance is applied by which the central space may be
diminished or augmented, thus the interior brass belt e, i, is cut through
near the outlet pipe in order that it may be tightened or loosened by.
means of the suspending screw x. The body o¹ of the paddle wheel is
empty but air-tight, thus its weight is entirely lost in the liquid and
consequently not able to press with its weight on its shaft, which is
thereby protected from undue friction. The paddle wheel a, b, c, d,
turns between the glass plates k, l, k, l, which touch on both sides
round about the inner brass belt f, g, e, i. The axle O moves at one
end in a brass block v, 8, and at the other end in the brass block v', s,
through which it passes into the air-tight chamber E, F; where it is
formed with teeth operating the gearing of the wheelwork applied
there. The dials of the wheelwork are visible through the glass plate
t, n. The screw holes x, y, are made air-tight by means of suitable
packing. Water or other liquid penetrates indeed in consequence of

page_text: the pressure through the bearing p into the space E, F, and as it is
gathering in the lower part F of the space it condenses the air above in
proportion to the respective pressure of water, in fact until equilibrium
is established; water is then prevented from rising any higher in this
air chamber and all tendency to overshoot the wheel is avoided. The
case containing the whole apparatus consists of three principal parts,
the belt C, D, and the two side walls K, L, and H, I, screwed together
and packed water-tight.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Brookes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st December 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BROOKES, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, and Patent Agent, sed greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-second.
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Brookes, Her special licence that I,
the said William Brookes, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Brookes, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 METERS
FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS," a communication to me from
abroad by Leon Hamar, of Pest, in the Kingdom of Hungary, upon.
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Brookes, 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 P ent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after he date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: the central space should be exactly 3 of a cubic foot. This calculation
is easy but as such exact calculated construction would raise the price of
the apparatus a moveable spring belt is applied by which the central space
may be diminished or augmented; for this purpose the interior brass
belt i is cut through near the outlet pipe at in order that it may be
tightened or loosened by means of the suspending screw x. The body O¹
of the paddle wheel is hollow, but air-tight, thus its weight is entirely
lost in the liquid and consequently not able to press with its weight
on its shaft, which is thereby protected from undue friction. The
paddle wheel a, b, c, d, turns between the glass plates k, l, k', ', which
fit on each side the inner metallic belt i. The axle O revolves at one
end in a bearing v, 8, and at the other end in a bearing o¹, 8', through
which it passes into the air-tight chamber E, F, where it is formed
with teeth operating the gearing of the wheelwork applied there.
The dials of the wheelwork are visible through the glass plate t, u, the
screw cover or hoop y of which is made air-tight by means of suitable
packing. Water or other liquid will penetrate in consequence of the
pressure through the bearing p into the space E, F, and as it is accu-
mulating in the lower part F of the space it condenses the air above
it in proportion to the respective pressure of water, in fact until
equilibrium is established; water is then prevented from rising any
higher in this air chamber, and all tendency to overshoot the wheel
is avoided. The case containing the whole apparatus consists of three
principal parts, the belt C, D, and the two side walls K, L, and H, T,
screwed together and packed water-tight.
Having thus described the Invention as communicated to me I would
have it understood that what I claim is, the adaptation or combination
of parts forming apparatus for measuring water or other liquids,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Brookes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
WILLIAM BROOKES. (L.S.)