IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Miller, of New Lanark, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATER METERS."
Sealed the 20th October 1857, and dated the 11th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Miller at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th May 1857.
I, JOHN MILLER, of New Lanark, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WATER METERS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to a simple arrangement of fluid meter suitable for
ordinary domestic use, and available for convenient use in connection with
the usual service cistern of the house. As used in this way the whole
apparatus is contained in the interior of the cistern, which is thus converted
into the measuring vessel. The water is primarily admitted into the side of
the cistern from the usual service main by a lateral branch opening into a
valve chamber. The discharge from the cistern takes place by a bottom
valve, which remains shut during the whole time that the influx valve is open,
being retained in a closed condition by the operation of two bell-crank holding
catches, which alternately take hold of a pin rivetted through the end of a
ball-cock lever working on a stud in the side of the cistern. As the water

page_text: rises in the cistern it floats a separate ball float up until it arrives at a
predetermined height, at which it is determined to open the discharge cock.
This latter float is on a lever carried by a fixed stud in the cistern, and this
lever has upon it a couple of cams for working the two bell-crank catches
already referred to. At the proper height of the float one of the cams
worked by it operates upon one of these bell-crank catches, and thus releases
the other ball float, which has all this time been sunk in the water. The
buoyancy of this float is now such as to enable it to open the discharge cock
and close the influx valve, the operating catch being arranged to hold the
discharge cock open until the cistern is empty. The movements are then all
repeated, and so on, the usual wheelwork being employed for registering the
number of fillings and emptyings of the cistern, the contents of which are
known.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Miller in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MILLER, of New Lanark, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manager,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, .Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Miller, Her special license that I, the said John Miller,
my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Miller, my executors, administrators, or 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 WATER METERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Miller, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Miller, do. hereby declare the
nature of my 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and.
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My, said Invention relates to a simple arrangement of fluid. meter suitable
for ordinary domestic use, and available for convenient use in connection with
the usual service. cistern of the house. As used in this way the whole:
apparatus is contained in the interior of the cistern, which is thus converted
into the measuring vessel. The water is primarily admitted into the side of
the cistern from the usual service main by a lateral bránch opening into.
a valve chamber. The discharge from the cistern takes place by a bottom
valve, which remains shut during the whole time that the influx valve is open,
being retained in a closed condition by the operation of two bell-crank holding
catches, which alternately take hold of a pin riveted through the end of a..
ball-cock lever working on a stud in the side of the cistern. As the water
rises in the cistern it floats a separated ball float up until it arrives at a
predetermined height, at which it is determined to open the discharge cock.
This latter float is on a lever carried by a fixed stud in the cistern, and this
lever has upon it a couple of cams for working the two bell-crank catches
already referred to. At the proper height of the float one of the cam's
worked by it operates upon one of these bell-crank catches, and thus releases
the other ball float, which has all this time been sunk in the water. The.
buoyancy of this float is now such as to enable it to open the discharge cock
and close the influx valve, the operating catch being arranged to hold the
discharge cock open until the cistern is empty. The movements are then. all.
repeated, and so on, the usual wheelwork being employed for registering the.
number of fillings and emptying of the cistern, the contents of which are
known.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I shall
now proceed to describe the several illustrative Figures on the explanatory
Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of
showing certain modifications under which my improvements may be
judiciously carried out in practice.
Figure 1 on my Sheet of Drawings is a longitudinal sectional elevation of
one modification of my improved water meter; Figure 2 is a plan, cor-
responding. In this arrangement of measuring apparatus the cistern A forms.
the measuring vessel, which is constructed to hold a given number of gallons
of water when filled to a predetermined level, at which point the ingress of

page_text: the water is stopped. The inlet water pipe B is fitted at its inner end with
a valve box C, in which the cylindrical valve D works. The valve D is
attached by a rod E to the lever F, which turns upon a stud G.fixed to the
side of the cistern A. One end of the lever F has fitted to it a ball float H,
and at about the centre of its length it is attached by means of the rod I to
the valve J, which controls the passage communicating with the outlet pipe K.
To the stud L, which projects from the side of the vessel A, a lever M is
attached, which carries at one end of it a small ball float M². The upper end
of the lever M branches outwards, forming two arms N; through the end of
each of these arms a screw O is passed. The screws O come in contact with
a pair of bell-crank levers P and Q, which are fitted to the stud R. The
horizontal arms of the bell-crank levers are furnished with weights S, which
have a tendency to cause the vertical arms to turn upon their axes. The
upper extremity of the lever P is made with a hook or catch T, which, holds.
down the lever F, when it is brought into a horizontal position. The
extremity of the vertical arm of the lever Q is made with a notch or recess,
which presses against a pin U projecting from the side of the lever F, when
the ball float H descends. The arms N of the lever M are made in different
planes, so that the end of one arm is opposite the vertical arm of the lever P,
whilst the end of the other arm is opposite the vertical arm of the lever Q.
The ends of the arms N may be forked, and made to press directly upon and
actuate the bell-crank levers P and Q, but preference is given to the arrange-
ment shown in the Drawing, in which the ends of the screws O press against-
the levers.
In Figure 1. the different parts of the mechanical arrangement are shown
in the position they would assume when the cistern is being filled with
water. From the main or supply pipe the water passes through the inlet
pipe B and the valve box C to the interior of the cistern A. In this
position of the parts the inlet valve D is open, whilst the outlet valve J is
closed in consequence of the short arm of the lever F being kept up by the
vertical arm of the lever Q pressing against the pin U, and thus preventing
the lever F from turning upon its fulcrum, which action would at once raise
the valve J and allow the fluid to escape into the pipe K. When the water
which is admitted through the inlet pipe reaches the smaller ball float M¹ it
begins to rise, and floats upwards with the water. This upward motion of
the ball float M¹ causes the lever M to turn. upon its axis, and the screw: O
in the upper arm N gradually. presses the arm of the bell-crank lever Q
outwards. By the time the water has risen to the predetermined level the
lever F will be in a horizontal position, and the arm of the lever Q clear of

page_text: the pin U. The lever F is now free to turn upon its axis.by the buoyancy
of the ball H, which .lowers the other end of the lever F, and this motion
closes the inlet pipe B by the descent of the valve D, and opens the valve J.
At the moment that the lever F reaches the horizontal line the valve D is
closed, and all further. ingress of water is prevented. Meanwhile the motion
of the lever M upon its fulcrum has had the effect of drawing the lower.
screw O away.from the arm of the lever: P, which is, however, kept in contact
with the screw O by reason of the weight S, and therefore moves in unison
with the lever M. By the time the lever F reaches its horizontal. position
the short arm of the lever has descended beneath the catch T, which retains
the lever F in a horizontal position. In this position of the parts the ingress
valve D is closed and the egress valve J is kept open; the outlet pipe K
being governed by a cock, the contents of the cistern may be drawn off as
required. As the contents of the cistern are drawn off the ball float M'
sinks, and the screw O in the lower arm N is so adjusted, with regard to the
motion of the vertical arm of the lever P, that by the time the ball float M'
touches the bottom of the cistern the catch T of the lever P is released from
the end of the lever F, and the weight of the ball H and longer arm of the
lever F opens the inlet valve D and closes the outlet valve J. The several
parts are kept in this position by the pin U, which rests upon the catch of
the lever during the time the cistern is being refilled. The number of
gallons the vessel A will contain being known, it is only necessary to register
the number of times it is filled from the main; this may be readily done by
connecting the lever F to a train of wheelwork of the ordinary kind used for
registering, so that each filling may be indicated upon an external dial or
index plate. If the vessel A is open at the top, or fitted with a loose cover,
it may be fitted with an overflow opening or waste pipe V in case of anything
preventing the inlet valve from effectually closing the supply pipe; the
addition of the overflow opening is then useful to carry away the surplus
water, and prevent its flowing over the upper edge of the vessel A. Or the
opening V may be dispensed with if the cistern is fitted with a closely fitted
top, or made air-tight, or as nearly so as possible. In this manner the
quantity of water used in dwelling-houses or for other purposes may be
faithfully registered with great facility and non-liability to derangement.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used and carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from

page_text: the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for measuring and indicating the quantity of water passed through a cistern or
measuring vessel, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of measuring and registering water by means
of a self-acting mechanical arrangement, as herein-before described.
Third, the use and application of ball float or self-acting mechanism, by
means of which water is accurately measured, and the consumption of the
same registered, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of measuring water by means of a duplex ball
float action, which regulates the influx and efflux valves of a reservoir or
chamber, so as to secure the periodical filling and emptying of such chamber,
as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Miller, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of November, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-seven.
JOHN MILLER.
(L.S.)