AN IMPROVED METER FOR MEASURING AND INDI- CATING THE MEASURE OF LIQUIDS.
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robjohn, of Islington, London, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METER FOR MEASURING AND INDI-
CATING THE MEASURE OF LIQUIDS.".
Sealed the 20th October 1853, and dated the 21st April 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robjohn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st April 1853.
I, WILLIAM ROBJOHN, of Islington, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METER FOR MEASURING
AND INDICATING THE MEASURE OF LIQUIDS," to be as follows:-
My improved meter for measuring and indicating the measure of
liquids consists, first, of a cylinder of metal, containing a quantity of
water equal to that desired to be measured. For instance, if the
meter is to measure a quart, then the cylinder is to contain a quart; or
a pint, if the meter is to measure that quantity. There is a lever in
this cylinder which actuates mechanism on the inflow of a like quantity
of liquid, causing this mechanism to (register, by means of dials and

page_text: numerals, the quantity of liquid entering and passing out of the
cylinder. The liquid to be measured is passed through a long tube
into a double acting valve or cock, and thence into the cylinder, when,
in accordance with the law of hydrostatics, the pressure being equal in
all parts, an equal quantity of fluid is displaced, and passes out through
the valve or cock named, the pressure exerted actuating the lever
which sets in motion the mechanism for registering. No fulid can pass
through without being registered; and the same meter will register, by
means of different dials, any quantity that may be desired, from a gill
to a hogshead or butt. The meter may be so adjusted as to permit the
flow of only a desired quantity, and may be set so that a number of
gallons or other quantities may pass through and be registered without
requiring attention from any attendant.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robjohn, in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 21st October 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM ROBJOHN, of Islington, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robjohn, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robjohn, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robjohn, my executors,
administrators, and 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 "AN IMPROVED
METER FOR MEASURING AND INDICATING THE MEASURE OF LIQUIDS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robjohn, by

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robjohn, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, that is to say:
My Invention consists of a self-acting apparatus for measuring fluids,
and indicating upon dials the exact amount of fluid passed through the
meter. Fig. 1, Shect A, represents an external view of the apparatus.
as adapted for the use of licensed victuallers, and arranged to measure
different kinds of liquids; but the apparatus may be used singly, or
any number may be combined, to suit the particular purpose for which
it is required. It is applicable also to measuring fluids, either in
large or small quantities, from half a gill (or less, if required,) to a
hogshead or butt, for brewers, distillers; or water companies. Fig. 2,
Sheet B, represents a front view of the internal arrangement of the
mechanism, with merely the dial plate removed. Fig. 3, is a view of
the opposite side or back of the instrument; and Fig. 4, is an end view
or front view of the right hand side of Fig. 1. A, Figs. 2, 3, is the in-
duction tube, connected by a union joint with the supply pipe. B, is a
four-way cock, communicating with the cylinder C, by the pipe D.
The cylinder C, Figs. 2, 3, 4, contains a piston of the ordinary kind,
the rod of which works in a guide; a tube F, on the top of the cistern
E, permits its casy ascent and descent. Upon the axis or shaft G,
which passes through the cistern E, are fitted two levers, one within
the cistern E, and the other, H, upon the outside: this is connected by
a pin to the rod I, which.has, at its upper end, a slot in which the cross
lever K, works. The lever K, is secured at one end to the spindle I,
which is supported by the framing M; the outer end of the lever K,
works in a slot formed in the upper end of the rod N, which is con-
nected at the lower end to the crank O. Upon the outer side of the
lever K, is secured a piece of brass or other metal, P, cut to the form

page_text: shown by Fig. 2: this piece of metal P, has a curved edge, forming.
two arcs of a circle, P¹, P', resting against the roller Q. A spring R,
screwed to the base plate S, carries, on its upper end, the arm T, in
which the roller Q, works; the arin T, works on an axis t¹, and is
furnished with stops t", ", to limit its motion. The crank 0,
upon the rod N, is the external part of the valve of the four-way
cock B, and is retained in its position by the pressure of the spring U,
against its outer end. At the back of the crank O, a brass plate V, is
fastened to the cock B, having two notches cut in its edge V, V₁; a
pin V, which passes through the crank O, travels in these notches,
which serve to limit the action of the crank, and prevent its motion be-
yond a certain point. Connected with the four-way cock B, is the
outlet cock W, and pipe w¹; to the handle 1, of the cock W, is
fastened a spring w, the other end of which is secured to one of the.
small rods c', which sustain the bottom of the cylinder C. In the
Figures shown on Sheet B, the cylinder C, is drawn to the size of an
instrument for measuring by half gills, and when the instrument is in
use it always contains exactly that quantity. Thus the fluid flows.
through the pipe A, passing the valve of the cock B, down the pipe D,
into the cylinder C, the piston of which it lifts, and forces the fluid
contained therein into the cistern E, whence it passes down the pipe X,
and out by the cock W, and outlet pipe w¹.
I will now describe the manner in which the train of wheels work for
indicating the quantity passed and registered. Upon the spindle E, is
fixed a lever Y, working with and parallel to the lever K; to its outer
end is secured by a pin the metal plate Z, which has a long slot Z', cut
in its centre; upon one side of this plate are fixed four pins 2, 3, 5, 2. A
spindle A', supported by the framing M', M', passes through the slot in
the plate Z. Upon the end of the spindle, but close to the plate, is
fastened a cam B'; the spindle A¹, towards the front part, is flattened
out so as to admit of a slot a¹, being cut therein; this slot is fitted so
as to be opposite the teeth of the wheel C¹, one of which is always held
by the slot. The wheel C', is carried by the spindle C", and has upon
its periphery a stud or. pin 1, which, upon its revolution, moves the
pinion D, round one tooth; this, in is turn, moyes the wheel E, one

page_text: tooth. The wheel E, has four studs on its periphery, which actuate
the teeth of the pinion F', and finally the wheel G¹. In order to
prevent the wheels C¹, E', and G', moving backward, or more than is
required, the teeth are held by springs secured to the framing M'; 'the
spring 2, holds the teeth of the wheel C'; it has, at its outer end, a
steel stud, which falls between the teeth. When the spindle A', re-
volves, the flattened portion, where the slot is cut, presses against the
spring 2, and lifts the stud out from the teeth, allowing the wheel to
move forward one tooth, when it falls into the next tooth, and again
rests upon the spindle A'. The spring 3, is fastened to the framing in.
like manner to the last, and presses against the pinion D', and by. it.
holding the wheel E, steady. The spring 4, acts upon the pinion F.
Every half gill passed through the meter will move the wheel C', one
tooth; and when it has made one revolution, the stud 1, upon its.
periphery will move the wheel E', one tooth, which will indicate that
one gallon has passed through; and when the wheel E', has made one
revolution, the wheel G', will move, showing that one hogshead or butt
has passed through (or whatever quantities the wheels may be ar-
ranged for); the exact amount will be shown by indices upon the dial
plate in front of the apparatus. The spindle A', which moves the:
wheel C', is put in motion by the liquid, as follows:-Supposing the
lever K, to be at its lowest point, that is, its outer end at the bottom.
of the slot in the rod N, the lever Y, to which is fixed the plate Z; will
also be at the lowest point, and in this position the cam B',. will be re-.
versed, and the roller Q, will be at the top of the metal plate P, and
the crank O, at its lowest point. The valve of the cock B, is now in a
position that will allow the liquid to escape by the outlet pipe w', and
admit fluid by the pipe A. Upon turning the handle 20", the liquid
lifts the piston, carrying with it the lever H, and rod I, which lifts the
lever K, to the position shown in the drawings. This movement also:
lifts the lever Y, and the plate Z; the pins,, of which, in its ascent,
striking against the cam B', cause it to make a half revolution, and
assume the position shown in the drawing. In doing this, it carries
round the spindle A', the sides of the slot in which, pressing against the
forward tooth of the wheel C, cause it to niove one tooth, while the

page_text: spindle A', by its revolution, catches the next tooth, holding the wheel
until the mechanism is again put in motion. At the next descent of
the lever Y, the pins on the plate Z, will strike against the cam B', re-
versing its position, as before described; thus every ascent and every
descent of the lever H, causes a half revolution of the cam B', a revo-
lution of the spindle A, and a movement of one tooth of the wheel C",
to accomplish which, exactly half a gill must pass through the meter
at every rise and fall, which will be duly indicated upon the dial plate.
In this manner any number of hogsheads, or any quantity, may be run
through and measured; but I have also so arranged the apparatus as
that it may be set to measure a specific quantity; for example, one,
two, or any number of half gills, pints, quarts, or other quantities,
which, when passed through, the action ceases, and no more liquid
can pass through. This is effected by setting an index to the required
number of measures upon the vertical scale of the dial plate; the index
is fastened to a long piece of brass H', into the top of which is screwed
the handle h", which projects above the case of the apparatus. At the
bottom of the plate H', is fastened a spring F, set at right angles to
the piece of metal to which it is secured; to the face of this spring is
rivetted a piece of metal, the front of which is cut into a series of
notches, shown in dotted lines, Fig, 2. The outer edge of the piece H',
runs against a friction roller ", and upon the opposite side is a
similar roller K, which is secured to a spindle K', fastened to the
framing M.
The spindle K', also carries a small roller, which is
pressed upon by the spring K", which is perforated at its outer end, to
allow the upper part of the spindle 7, to pass through it, and by which
it is held upright. Beneath the plate S, and secured to it, is a bearing
m, which supports a small lever n; the outer end of this lever is per-
forated to admit the lower part of the spindle 1; two small bosses n', n',
are formed on the spindle to retain it in its position. The other end of
the lever 1, is notched, as shown by the dotted lines, Fig. 2. Upon the
upper side is a small hole, to receive one end of the spring n". The
back part of the handle wl, is of a segmental form, and has upon one
side of it a small stud, which rests against the side of the bearing m,
the handle being retained in this position by the tension of the

page_text: spring w. By means of the handle ", the index upon the dial face-
may be readily set opposite the quantity desired to be measured. In
drawing up the handle, the notched piece of metal upon the face of the
spring I, easily passes the teeth of the wheel C', by reason of the
elasticity of the spring. In lifting the handle, the curve o, cut in the
plate H, and in which the roller K, rests when this part of the appa-
ratus is not in use, causes the roller k, to rise and lift the spring ", the
pressure of which is consequently removed from the spindle 7, and the
outer end of the lever n, allowing the spring n", to exert its downward
pressure upon the inner end of the lever n. When the handle w", is
turned on," the notch at the end of thelever catches the end of the
segmental portion of the handle when it glides from under the lever,
and holds it firmly in that position. The serrated piece of metal on the
spring I', is fitted so that, according to the number of measures de-
sired to be drawn, a like number of notches must pass the wheel C'.
For example, if four half gills be the quantity desired, the index must
be set opposite that figure; and as the wheel C', revolves, each tooth
will drive the spring I, down one notch; and the instant the last has
passed, the pressure of the spring ", forces down the roller k, and the
spindle 7, which has the effect of pressing down the lever n, and conse-
quently releasing it from the handle w", which is instantly turned "off"
by the spring w, at the exact quantity required; and as no more will
pass through the instrument, no other measures are necessary. The
arrangement of the dial face must of course be adapted to the particu-
lar purpose to which the apparatus is to be applied. The Figure shown
upon Sheet A, represents the form of instrument adapted to a licensed
victualler's counter: some carving, or other ornamental device, may be
introduced at the lower part, in order to conceal the supply pipes. I
propose to employ this meter in lieu of the beer engine, that is to say,
instead of pumping beer through an engine, it is drawn through the
meter, and is thus measured at the same time, when used for this pur-
pose. The meter must have a crank handle, the rod of which commu-
nicates with the piston movement of the meter. By this arrangement
the meter acts also as a pump; this is shown by dotted lines at
Sheet A, Figure I.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details herein shown and described, as
the same may be varied to suit the particular purposes to which my
Invention is applicable, without departing from the principle of the In-
yention. But I claim the mechanical arrangement and construction of
the apparatus or instrument for measuring fluid, substantially as herein
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robjohn, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
W. ROBJOHN. (L.S.)