Improvements in or relating to Gas Meters or Adjuncts thereof.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Gas Meters or Adjuncts thereof.
I, EUGENE WEISKIRCHEN, Administrator of the Societe Anonyme de Construction.
d'Appareils Industriels, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is known that with all the systems of gas meters, called wet meters hitherto
in use, it is possible for an unscrupulous consumer to remove by means of different
manipulations a certain quantity of the water constituting the basis of operation
of the apparatus thus falsifying the action of the meter.
This invention transforms the gas meter, to which it is applied, into a safety
measuring apparatus in that sense, that it secures the exact registration of the gas
that passes through the meter, it does not allow of the removal from the meter of
the least quantity of the water which has been put there for adjusting it and it
consequently prevents any fraudulent subtraction of gas.
The safety device comprises a syphon made of two tubes, the one longer and of
a greater diameter than the other tube. These tubes soldered side by side or to
each other, or one inside the other in direction of their length communicate together
at the bottom. The middle wall of the tubes is perforated at its under part for
establishing the said communication.
The over flow tube is in direct communication with the smaller tube of the
syphon and is completely insulated from the other tube.
The upper extremity of the longer tube is provided with a valve seat through
which passes a rod carrying two valves. This rod is connected with an annular
float in the dome of which are provided openings allowing the escape of the air
and the rising and sinking movement of the said float.
Over the latter is a weight which is supported by a rod fixed on the cistern.
This weight serves as a stop for the float in order to limit the rising movement
at the moment, when the meter is filled with water, for its adjustment.
The above described device prevents the drawing off of the water from the meter
either by inflation or by aspiration; namely by inflation by closing all burners
and blowing air through one open burner or by driving the air through the intro-
duction pipe which, in either case makes the water leave through the syphon;
or by blowing intermittently through the orifice of the syphon which makes the
water leave through this orifice, or by aspiration by sucking through the orifice
of the syphon.
This arrangements makes these operations impossible and consequently the
subtraction of the gas passing through the meter.
In the two first and last cases the upper valve descends and closes the passage;
in the third case it is the lower valve which rises and produces the same closure.
This device is in practice applied to a meter in which the hole serving for the
passage of the water from the introduction box to the case; is placed over the level

page_text: of the water or provided with any means for preventing the suction through the
introduction pipe.
Dated this 4th day of June 1897
Improvements in or relating to Gas Meters or Adjuncts thereof.
I, EUGENE WEISKIRCIIEN, Administrator of the Societe Anonyme de Construction
d'Appareils Industriels, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
-
It is known that with all the systems of gas-meters, called wet-meters, hitherto
in use, it is possible for an unscrupulous consumer to remove by means of different
manipulations a certain quantity of the water constituting the basis of operation
of the apparatus thus falsifying the action of the meter.
This invention transforms the gas-meter, to which it is applied, into a safety
measuring apparatus in that sense, that it secures the exact registration of the gas
that passes through the meter, it does not allow of the removal from the meter of
the least quantity of the water, which has been put there for adjusting it and it
consequently prevents any fraudulent substraction of gas.
In the annexed drawing:
Fig. 1 is a side view in elevation of a gas meter provided with the arrangement
of this invention.
Fig. 2 is a cross section through the middle of the meter.
The safety device comprises a siphon made of two tubes, the one F longer and of
a smaller diameter than the other tube G. These tubes are fixed the one F within
the other G and communicate together at the bottom. The tube F is perforated
at its under part for establishing the said communication.
The over-flow tube E is in direct communication with the tube G and is com-
pletely insulated from the other tube F as shown in the annexed drawing.
The upper extremity of the tube F is provided with a valve seat A through which
passes a rod carrying two valves B, B¹.
This rod is connected with a float C in the dome of which are provided openings
allowing the escape of the air and the rising and sinking movement of the said
float.
Over the latter is a weight D which is supported by a rod fixed on the cistern.
This weight serves as a stop for the float in order to limit the rising movement at
the moment, when the meter is filled with water for its adjustment.
The above described device prevents the drawing off of the water from the meter,
either by inflation, or by aspiration; namely by inflation by closing all the burners
and blowing air through one open burner, or by driving the air through the intro-
duction pipe H, which, in either case, makes the water leave through the siphon,
or also by blowing intermittently through the orifice of the siphon, which makes
the water leave through this orifice; or by aspiration by sucking through the orifice
of the siphon.
This arrangement makes these operations impossible and consequently the sub-
straction of the gas passing through the meter.
In the first, second, and fourth, of the above cases the upper valve B descends and
closes the passage, in the third case it is the lower valve B₁ which rises and produces
closure of the same.

page_text: This device is in practice applied to a meter in which the hole serving for the
passage of the water, from the introduction box to the case, such hole being placed
over the level of the water, as shown in dotted lines at J Fig. 1 or any other suitable
means can be provided for preventing the suction through the introduction pipe H.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:-
A safety arrangement for gas-meters, consisting of a siphon formed by two
communicating tubes of which the one is connected with the overflow tube of the
counter, and the other is combined with a double valve provided with a float and
obturating this tube, as soon as any pressure, due to an aspiration or inflation, is
effected in the gas meter, the whole for the purpose of preventing any substraction
of water from the meter and consequently also any fraudulent substraction of gas
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 15th day of February 1898.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.