IMPROVEMENTS IN METERS METERS FOR MEASURING WATER OR OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Angus Croll, of Coleman Street, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN METERS
Sealed the 30th January 1872, and dated the 4th August 1871..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Angus
Croll at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 4th August 1871.
I, ALEXANDER ANGUS CROLL, of Coleman Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN METERS FOR MEASURING WATER OR OTHER FLUIDS," to
be as follows:-
The object of the Invention is to obtain a positive measure with
facility of action.
In carrying out the improvements I employ a cylinder with a piston
working therein, the rod of which operates in its rising and falling
motion to cause another axis to make a partial rotation in order that
an arm or part from such other axis may act upon a sliding rod or

page_text: other suitable connection to give motion to it. This sliding rod or
other suitable connection actuates a lever, which by a stud or projection
acts on another lever carrying a quicksilver chamber or other weight
to cause that other lever to move just past the perpendicular, when by
the action of the quicksilver in the chamber or other weight a sudden
and positive movement is obtained for changing the position of the
valve so as to change the direction of the flow of the fluid to be
measured. The controlment of this partial rotation of the other axis
by the piston rod is effected by a stud from the piston rod acting in a
worm groove in the other axis, such axis being hollow, or by other
suitable means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Angus Croll in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd February 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
ANGUS CROLL, of Coleman Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Angus Croll, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Angus Croll, my executors, dminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Angus
Croll, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 OR OTHER FLUIDS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Angus Croll,
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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: section of apparatus arranged according to my Invention; Figures 4
and 5 shew separate views of parts separately. In each of the views the
same letters are employed to indicate corresponding parts wherever they
occur.
a, a, is a cylindrical vessel formed by preference of iron of strength
adapted to resist the pressure likely to be exerted in it. The lower part
A of this vessel is separated from the upper part B by the partition b.
The lower portion A is adapted to receive a piston c, and this piston c is
connected to the hollow tubular piston rod c', which passes up through a
suitable stuffing box 6' in the partition b into the chamber B, where it is
provided with an arm c², and this arm c² is also provided with a stud or
projection c³, which passes through a slotted opening formed to receive
it in the lever arm d, so that in the rising and falling motions of the
piston c a movement may be given to the lever arm d, and a consequent
partial rotation be imparted to the axis d', to which that arm d is
affixed. The axis & is supported so as to make its partial rotations in
the fixed standard e, and it is also provided with another arm & carrying

page_text: a stud or projection ď³. This stud or projection passes into an
opening f formed for it in the open lever faffixed to the axis f³, which
axis is supported so as to be capable of making partial rotations or
oscillations in the fixed bearings g, g. The lever ƒ carries a chamber or
receiver, or it may be simply a weight f³. When a chamber is employed
at fit may be formed to receive quicksilver or large shot. In any case
the object of the weight is that the piston c in its movement in the
cylinder a by its rod c' and the stud c² may operate on the lever d to
cause the stud ďa³ to act alternately upon one and then on the other of
the ends or sides of the groove f¹ in the lever f to bring the weight ƒ³
into a position from one side to just past the centre towards the other,
when that weight will act at once to take the lever fover to the extreme
position in a direction opposite to that in which it last rested, and so on,
alternately producing at each motion a sudden and positive movement.
On the axis f are also affixed two other arms or a crutch h, h, the end
of each of which arms is provided with a small roller / adapted to act
on the opposite sides of the fin ¹ projecting upwards from the valve i.
This valve i is formed with a centre pin 2 to turn in the fixed bearings j,
and whilst it constantly covers the passage k it is capable in the move-
ment given to it by the arms h, h, of alternately covering the passages
and m.
The passage k communicates directly by the passage k¹ with
the outlet passage ². The passage communicates directly with the
upper portion of the cylinder A above the piston c, whilst the passage m
communicates by the passage m³, m², with the lower portion of the
chamber A below the piston c. By these means water or other fluid
· conducted by the passage n into the chamber B will be directed by the
valve to flow into the chamber A alternately above and below the
piston, according to the position of the parts as shewn by the Drawings;
fluid flowing into the chamber B will now be passing through the open
passage m, and passages m³, m², into the chamber A below the piston,
whilst water or other fluid previously received into that portion of
the chamber A above the piston will be passing out therefrom by
the passage
into the interior of the valve i, and thence by the
passages k, k', and k², for service, and this will proceed until the piston
has been raised sufficiently to enable the stud c³ carried by the piston
rod c¹ to move the arms d and for the stud d³ to act on the lever f
and carry its weight f just past the perpendicular, when it will fall
suddenly over, and in doing so the other of the arms will come against
the fin of the valve i to cause that valve to make a partial rotation

page_text: on its axis i³, when its outer end will be moved from over the passage
to over the passage m, so that the water or other fluid passing into the
chamber B will then pass by the passage into the portion of the
chamber A above the piston, and the water or other liquid which had
passed into the chamber below the piston will be caused to flow back
by the passages m², m³, and m, to the valve i, and thence by the
passages k, k¹, and k², for service, until the pin dis again brought into
action again to change the position of the weight f' and valve i, and so
on alternately. To prevent the piston c from turning, and thereby
drawing the pin c³ out of the slot in the arm d, the piston rod is formed
hollow to receive and move to and fro on the square or other suitably
shaped bar o, and the part c' of the interior of the piston rod is formed
to a corresponding figure. p is a spindle, the upper end of which
passes through a suitable stuffing box into an index chamber provided
with suitable registering means for registering the movements of the
apparatus. The lower part of this spindle p is supported in a suitable
bearing, and it carries a ratchet wheel p', the teeth of which are taken
into by a ratchet or driver q from the arm d². It will thus be seen that
the space traversed in either direction by the piston c in the chamber A
becomes the measure of quantity of fluid passed through the apparatus,
and that quantity being ascertained, will be registered by suitable
registering means as is well understood.
Having thus described my Invention and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that variations
may be made therein without departing from the peculiar character of
my Invention; but what I claim is, the adaptation or combination of
means whereby a piston and moveable weight operate to change the
position of a valve and thereby the direction of the flow of the fluid
to be measured in meters for measuring water or other fluids, substantially
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Angus Croll, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Fifth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
A. ANGUS CROLL. (L.S.)