Improvements in Recording Liquid Measures.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Recording Liquid Measures.
I WILLIAM MILES FOWLER of No. 15 Vaudewater Street in the City of New York..
in the State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare.
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, toy-
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention is designed to measure liquids, and at the same time to automatically.
record the liquid thus measured, or the price of the same.
I will describe in detail a liquid measure embodying my invention, and then point
out the novel features in claims.
-In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a face view of apparatus embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section, the section being taken on the line 5, 5, Fig. 1,
and looking in the direction of the arrow.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the same line as of Fig. 2, with part of a certain
box removed.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 6, 6, of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 2, 2 of Fig. 3, and looking.in the
direction of the arrow of Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. 4, the section being taken on
the line 4, 4 of Fig. 4, and looking in the direction of the arrow Fig. 4.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
In carrying out my invention, I employ a reservoir, or any number of reservoirs, A,
in which reservoirs liquids to be measured are contained. Each reservoir may be
made of glass or other suitable material, and communicates at its lower end with a
measure B. Such communication is made by coupling the lower end portion of the
reservoir, as here shown, by means of screw threads, with a nozzle a, formed upon
the upper side of a box or case 1. The box or caso B has formed in it, by casting
or otherwise, near its upper side, a cylindrical casing B2. Within the cylindrical
casing B, the measure B is, in the present example of my invention, received, and
within it may be rotated. As here shown, said measure is cylindrical, to conform
with the shape of the casing B2. Said measure is likewise hollow; and is provided
with a circumferentially extending port a¹ (see Figs. 4 and 6), which port, when the
measure B is in position, is beneath the inner opening of the nozzle a. The port a¹,
however, extends only partially about the measure B, so that the latter may be rotated
either to bring the said port beneath the inner opening from the nozzle a, or beyond
the same, thus opening and closing communication between the reservoir A and the
measure B. When such communication is open, the measure B will be filled by the
liquid from the reservoir A to its full capacity.
cap
has a
I have shown one end of the measure B as provided with
a², which
cap
screw threaded connection with interior of said measure, and will rotate with the
measure when the latter is rotated. Engaging the cap a at about the centre of the
latter, is a screw B³, upon which screw is a hand wheel B. Said screw extends into
the interior of the measure B, and has secured to it, upon its inner end portion, a
piston B, which piston B' is intended to form a water tight joint with the interior of
the measure B. When the screw B³ is rotated. the piston B will be moved farther
into or out of the measure B, thus decreasing or increasing the interior capacity of the
measure, and providing for the measurement of different quantities of liquids. I have
shown a pointer upon the cap a², which pointer extends over a series of gauge marks
upon the screw B. These gauge marks may be suitably designated, so that when the
piston B is moved inwardly or outwardly, the pointer will indicate the quantity of.
liquid which the measure is adapted at the time to receive.

page_text: The casing B2 has connected with it, upon its under side, a spout B5, the opening
to which from the casing is in line with the port al of the measure. When the
measure is rotated sufficiently far, the port a will be brought into communication
with the spout B. The liquid contents of the measure will be discharged through
said spout, and into any suitable receptacle. Of course, when this operation takes
place, a solid portion of the measure B is brought beneath the opening from the
reservoir A, so as to shut off communication between said reservoir and the
measure, before communication between the measure and the spout shall have been
opened.
One end of the measure B I have shown as provided, about centrally, with a
shaft C. In this instance, said shaft is made integral with the measure. It is
journaled at its other end in a suitable bearing in the case B, and extends outside of
the latter. Upon the said shaft is secured a handle C. By rocking said handle, the
measure B will be rotated, for the purpose described.
This measure is adapted, when the same and the shaft C are rotated by the handle C
in one direction, to cause either the quantity of the liquid which is contained in the
measure B, or the price of such quantity, as the case may be, to be delineated upon a
strip or strips of paper or other material D D', see Figs. 2 and 3. I have shewn two
such strips of paper, but I do not consider it wholly essential that both should be
employed. Where but one strip is employed, the figures or other characters
delineated upon said strip will succeed each other upon the strip, and the latter will
be delivered into the lower portion of the box or case B', where it will be retained
until removed by a cashier or other suitable person. By adding together the figures
or other characters upon the strip, the total quantity of liquid delivered from the
reservoir A, or the price of all the portions thus delivered into the measure B, may be
readily ascertained. Where two strips are employed, they will both receive impressions,
but one will be passed to the exterior of the box or case B', when the portion upon
which the delineation has last been made may be cut off in the form of a ticket. This
ticket may be delivered to a customer, to be handed to the cashier, or it may be
delivered by a salesman to the cashier. When all such tickets are returned to the
cashier, their totals will equal the totals of the delineations upon the strip which has
been retained within the box or case.
I will now describe a convenient means by which this operation may be carried
into effect. The strips of paper D D', are wound upon a reel D² journaled in the side
portions of the box or case B', and capable of rotating freely. These strips of paper
are fed forward uniformly and together, the one being superposed upon the other.
They are thus fed forward, in this example of my improvement, by means of feeding
wheels E E. The feeding wheel E is above the strips of paper, while the feeding
wheel E is below the strips of paper. The former is mounted upon a shaft e
journaled, near one end, in the box or case B', and near the other in a bracket e¹
extending upwardly from the bottom of the box or case. Formed upon the inner side
of the hub of the wheel E is a ratchet wheel F. G designates a cam, which cam is
hollowed out centrally, and receives the ratchet wheel F. This cam is loosely mounted
upon the shaft e, and has a hub e extending into a suitable recess in the bracket e'.
Upon the cam is mounted a pawl e³, which pawl engages the teeth upon the ratchet
wheel-F. The cam portion proper consists of an elongated tooth-like portion e¹, and
the upper portion of the cam, to the rear of said tooth-like portion, has formed in it a
depression or recess e, as shown more clearly in dotted outline in Fig. 3. It will be
seen, by further examination of said figure, that the tooth or projection e extending
from the measure B, extends into said recess when the parts occupy the position
therein shown, or in other words, a position in which the reservoir A is in open com-
munication with the. measure, and the outlet to the spout B is closed. If, now,
the handle C be rocked downwardly to close communication between the reservoir
and measure, and open it between the measure and the spout, the projection es will be
raised out of the notch e, and the cam G will be rocked upwardly, so that the tooth-
like portion e will stand substantially vertical. During this movement, the pawl e³
slides freely over the ratchet teeth upon the ratchet F. When the handle C is rocked

page_text: upwardly, the projection eª contacts with the tooth-like portion of the cam, and
moving along the same, rocks the cam in the other direction, thus causing the pawl e³
to engage the teeth upon the ratchet wheel F, and causing the rotation of the feed
wheel E. Such rotation is sufficient only to feed the paper strip or strips forward a
distance necessary to delineate upon the same, the required figures or characters, and
leave a proper spacing. When the handle C is moved downwardly, as described, the
rotary motion of the cam G which carries the tooth-like portion e* upwardly, is
occasioned by means of a spring G¹. To one of the arms of the springs G¹ is
pivotally connected a rod G2, the other end of which rod is pivotally connected to an
eye g upon the cam G. The other arm of the spring G1 bears against the underside
of a guide plate g'. The projection e, when in the notch e, acts as a stop to prevent
the spring G from causing the rotation of the cam G. The lower of the feed wheels,
or E, is held against the under side of the strip or strips of paper with a yielding
pressure. Said feed wheel is mounted upon a shaft H, which shaft extends, near one
end, through a slot in the box or case B¹. It is supported near the feed wheel E¹
upon a pin ', and may rotate upon said pin. The lower end of the pin h¹ rests upon
a spring 2, which spring operates to hold the feed wheel E' with a yielding pressure
against the unler side of the strip or strips of paper being fed.
The strips of paper, in feeding, feed forward between guides g' g³ g' and g*. The
guides are formed upon a rocking piece g. This rocking piece may be auto-
matically turned upon its bearings so as to always present the guides g³ ³ parallel
with the incoming strip or strips of paper being delivered from the reel D. This is
to compensate for variations in the diameter of the roll of paper upon the recl. The
guides are stationary, and the strip or strips of paper merely pass between them
after leaving the feeding wheels E E¹.
Where two strips of paper are employed, the upper strip or strips D will pass over
the upper side of a guide piece g, while the under strip or strips D₁ will pass below
said guide piece. The result of this is, that the upper strip D will be passed out-
wardly through an opening g' in the front of the box or case B', while the other will
be passed downwardly into the interior of the box or case.
I have shown a convenient means for causing to be delineated upon the strip or
strips of paper the quantity of liquid withdrawn from the measure, or the price of the
same, consisting of a plunger. I, in the lower end of which is frictionally secured a
die I. The plunger 1 works through suitable guides upon the casing B². It is
provided, upon one side, with a horizontally extending pin j, extending through a
"slot in the bracket e³ (see Fig. 4), which bracket, it may be also remarked, forms,
in effect, a downward continuation of the casing B. The slot is of such length,
that it, together with the pin j, operates as a stop to limit the range of movement of the
plunger I, and consequently of the die I. Extending beneath the pin j, is a spring,
which tends to elevate the plunger and the die, after they have been force downwardly.
The means I have shown for forcing the die downwardly, consists in a cam J mounted
upon the shaft C. When the handle is rocked downwardly, the cam contacts with
the upper end of the plunger, and so forces the die downwardly into contact with the
strip or strips of paper D D¹. When thus forced downwardly, it causes to be
delineated upon the strip or strips, whatever figure or other mark may be upon the
die, the strip or strips being supported against the pressure of the die upon the
guide gl, which constitutes a bed.
This delineation upon the strip or strips occurs during the down stroke of the
handle C, and consequently before a forward feed of the strip or strips of paper takes
place. Therefore, when the forward feed thus takes place, the die will be moved out
of contact with the strip or strips, and such feed will cause the portion of the strip D,
having upon it the delineation, to be delivered through the opening g', as previously
described.
When thus delivered, such portion of the strip D is to be cut off. In order to
accomplish this, I employ a cutter L, mounted upon a longitudinally movable bar I.
Upon the bar L' is a pin l, extending through a suitable slot in a lever L². The
outer portion of the lever L extends to the exterior of the box or case, and its inner

page_text: end is fulcrummed upon a pin l² mounted in the frame. By depressing the outer end
of the lever L, the cutter L will be caused. to pass close to the outer face of the
guide piece y, and thus shear or cut off the outer portion of the strip D.
In Fig. 1, I have shown a ticket as falling through the opening, after having
been thus cut off. A spring operates to elevate the lever I after the latter has
been depressed.
It will be seen that by my invention, not only am I enabled to measure any desired
quantity of liquid from the reservoir, but at the same time, and automatically, to
cause to be recorded the quantity of liquid so delivered, or the price for which said
liquid is sold.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. In a liquid measuring apparatus, the combination with a reservoir, of a measure
adapted to be brought into communication with said reservoir, or with an eduction
port, feeding mechanism for a strip of material operated during the movement of said
measure to feed said strip of material along, and a stamp also operated during the
movement of the measure, to delineate upon said strip the value or quantity of liquid
drawn from the measure, substantially as specified.
2. In a liquid measuring apparatus, the combination with a reservoir, of a measure
adapted to be brought into communication with said reservoir, or with an eduction
port, feeding mechanism for two strips of material operated during the movement of
said measure, to feed said strips of material along, a stamp also operated during the
movement of said measure, to delineate upon both said strips of material, the value or
quantity of liquid drawn from the measure, and a cutter for severing portions from
one of said strips of material, substantially as specified.
3. In a liquid measuring apparatus, the combination with a reservoir, of a rotary
measure adapted to be brought into communication with said reservoir, or with an
eduction port, feeding mechanism for a strip of material operated during the rotation
of said measure, to feed said strip of material along, and a stamp, also operated during
the rotation of the measure, to delineate upon said strip the value or quantity of liquid
drawn from the measure, substantially as specified.
Dated this 5th dou of Anant 1800
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.