IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN MEASURING AND IN REGULATING THE FLOW OF GAS AND OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1858

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Botten and Nathaniel
Fortescue Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 7th May 1858.
We, CHARLES BOTTEN, junior, of Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, and NATHANIEL FORTESCUE TAYLOR, of Stratford, in the County of
Essex, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN MEASURING AND IN
REGULATING THE FLOW OF GAS AND OTHER FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of dry gas meters with valves which slide to and fro on
their seats, it has been the practice to arrange the parts so that the gas to be
measured pressed upon the inside of such valves with a tendency to lift them off
their seats, whilst they are kept down only by the pressure of the measured gas,
whereby gas is found to pass through the meter without being measured. And
one part of these improvements consists in causing the gas to be measured by
such meters to pass first into the valve chamber, so as to press on the outer
surface thereof with a tendency by its pressure to keep the valves to their
seats.
Also we construct the outer rubbing surfaces of the valves, or those parts in
contact with the outer edges of the seat, sufficiently wide that at each extreme
motion one of these rubbing surfaces of the valve may be overhanging its seat.
The object of this is to keep the valve seats clear.
Also the improvements relate to the moveable partitions or diaphragms, and

page_text: consist, when forming them of several plates of metal united by leather or
other suitable flexible material, in employing a large central plate, and three,
four, or more narrow plates around the edge, the centre plate being united to
those around the edge of it, as also these edge plates to the case, by prepared
leather or other suitable flexible material; and to ensure the correct relation
to or operation of those plates, in forming a moveable diaphragm or partition
we connect them together at suitable places by connecting links.
This method of forming moveable diaphragms or partitions is also applicable
to meters for measuring water and other fluids, but with such fluid meter we
employ a double set of edge plates, capable in working of folding one towards
the other, and with meters for measuring water or other fluids.
Another improvement relates to the arrangements and construction of the
valves, of which two pairs are connected to work together, each operated by a
spring, with a tendency so soon as they have passed the centre of their motion,
to be thrown to the extreme position in one or the other direction. The con-
necting bar or bars between the pairs of valves have slight play, and we
regulate the supply of the water or other fluid to such measuring apparatus by
causing the fluid to pass through a chamber containing a float carried by a
lever arm attached to a valve for closing the aperture of supply to such
chamber, in such manner that as the pressure of fluid increases the float rises
and closes or partially closes the valve at the supply passage.
In employing a moveable or flexible partition to operate in closing or
partially closing the supply valve in regulating the supply of gas, we apply the
weight to the lever arm of such valve with a tendency to open it, in place of
as heretofore to close it, by which we are enabled to employ a less counter-
balance weight to the partition, and we place these counterbalance weights so
that by moving in or out in the rising of the partition the pressure exerted is
diminished.