AN IMPROVED COMBINED WATER METER AND FORCE PUMP
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
COMBINED WATER METER AND FORCE PUMP."-A communication from
abroad by Elihu Spencer and Thomas Stephens, both of New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 16th July 1867, and dated the 6th April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th April 1867.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Con-
sulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED COMBINED WATER METER AND FORCE PUMP," a communication,
to be as follows:-
The said Invention relates to the adaptation of a force pump to a water
meter in order that the combination of the two principles developed by the
two instruments may be productive of two results, viz., measuring, and at the
same time by the same motive power elevating the fluid to a designated
height. At certain seasons of the year, and under certain circumstances, the
pressure of the water from the reservoirs is inadequate to elevate the fluid

page_text: to certain desirable localities, consequently, a great want of some simple
mechanical power has long been felt to assist in elevating the fluid, and it is
with a view of supplying this deficiency that this combination has been effected.
I employ two cylinders and sliding valves (working in a valve chamber common
to both of them), the said cylinders and valve chamber being arranged together
in a box, in whose rear side is placed the water supply pipe. A crank shaft,
which is connected with the pistons by a yoke, gives motion through a worm
and toothed wheel to a dial which indicates through a fixed index the quantity
of water discharged. A box is provided which encloses on all sides except
the front an apparatus made and arranged according to my Invention. A
water supply pipe passes through the back of the said box into a valve
chamber placed between two pump cylinders which stand on the bottom of
the box. Studs are cast with the box and project from its inner side to form
supports and guides for piston rods and bearings for a crank shaft; another
stud is provided, upon which is formed a spindle for carrying a toothed wheel,
upon which spindle a dial is placed. Upon the point of the said spindle an index
is fixed, which remains stationary while the toothed wheel which carries the
dial rotates below it. Two valve seats are formed within a valve chamber, and
slide valves are fitted to the said seats; the valve stems are suitably attached
by links to eccentrics placed on the horizontal crank shaft which is driven
from the pistons. The cranks placed on the shaft work in oblong slots formed.
in the piston rods; ports are formed which communicate with the upper
and lower parts of each cylinder above and below its piston; the said ports
open through the valve seats into the valve chamber at such points that they
may be alternately covered and uncovered by the slide valves; channels are
arranged to communicate with the supply pipe. When any of the said ports
or channels are uncovered by the slide valves the water is discharged from the
cylinders into one of the spaces of the valve chamber, whence it escapes into
a discharge pipe. The force pumps are situated directly above and in line
with the cylinders; valves are formed in the plungers of the said pumps ; valves
are also arranged in connection with the pipe, through which the water from
the meter is admitted into the pumps, and other valves are placed at the top
of the pumps through which the water passes into an elevating pipe. A pulley
is attached to the driving shaft, and the latter also carries a pinion which gears
into and gives motion to a toothed wheel which in turn transmits motion to
the crank shaft; the said pulley and pinion serve to increase the power of the
meter when it is requisite to obtain a greater elevation of the water.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence that I, the said William
Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Robert Lake, 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 COMBINED WATER METER AND FORCE PUMP," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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 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 Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, of
which Fig. 1 is an elevation of a water meter in connection with a force pump
and gearing for the purposes herein-after explained; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross
section in the plane indicated at a, a, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan or top view
of Fig. 1.
The said Invention relates to the adaptation of a force pump to a water
meter, in order that the combination of the two principles developed by the
two instruments may be productive of two results, viz., measuring and at the
same time by the same motive power elevating the fluid to a designated
heighth. It will be admitted as a well known fact that at certain seasons of

page_text: the year, and under certain circumstances, the pressure of the water from the
reservoir is inadequate to elevate the fluid to certain desirable localities,
consequently, a great want of some simple mechanical power has long been
felt to assist in elevating the fluid, and it is with a view of supplying this
deficiency that this combination has been effected.
Having shown the object of the said combination, I will now proceed to
demonstrate the practicability, and working of the same. In this improvement
in water meters I employ two cylinders and sliding valves working in a valve
chamber common to both of them, the said cylinders and valve chamber being
arranged together in a box in whose rear side is placed the water supply pipe. A
crank shaft, which is connected with the pistons by a yoke, gives motion through
a worm and gear wheel to a dial which indicates through a fixed index
the quantity of water discharged. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
The letter A designates a box which encloses on all sides except the front
an apparatus made and arranged according to my Invention. A water supply
pipe O passes through the back of the box into a valve chamber M, which
is between two pump cylinders B, B, that stand on the bottom of the box as
shown in the Drawing. The letters I designate studs which are cast with the box
A, and project from its inner side so as to form supports and guides for the
piston rods C, C, and bearings for the crank shaft D; 1' designates a stud upon
which is formed a spindle that carries a toothed wheel F, upon which spindle
is placed a dial, upon the point of the spindle is fixed an index which remains
stationary while the toothed wheel F which carries such dial rotates below it.
R, R, are two valve seats formed within the valve chamber M, to which are
fitted slide valves N, whose valve stems T are suitably attached by links to
eccentrics G, placed on the horizontal crank shaft D which is driven from
the pistons C, C; J, J, are cranks placed on the shaft D, and working in
oblong slots formed in the piston rods after the well known method of
converting a rectilinear into a rotary motion; K, K1, K2, K³, are ports which
communicate with the upper and lower parts of each cylinder above and
below its piston and open through the valve seats into the valve chamber at
such points that they may be alternately covered and uncovered by the slide
valves N; the letters L, L, designate channels which communicate with the
supply pipe O; when any of the said ports or channels are uncovered by the
slide valves the water is discharged from the cylinders into one of the spaces
S of the valve chamber, whence it escapes into the discharge pipe P; a, a,
represent the force pumps which are situated directly above and in line with
the cylinders B, B; b, b, represent the plungers of the pumps 4, a; c, c, are
valves in the plungers of the pumps a, a; d, d, are valves operating in

page_text: connection with the pipe P through which the water from the meter is
admitted into the pumps; e, e, represent the valves at the top of the pumps
through which the water passes into the elevating pipes P, p, above; f, represents
a pulley attached to the driving shaft h; g, is a pinion also attached to the
driving shaft h, which mashes into and gives motion to a gear wheel i, which
in turn transmits the motion to the crank shaft D; the pulley f, and pinion g,
before described serve to increase the power of the meter when it is requsite
to obtain a greater elevation of the water.
The operation is as follows:-The water enters the cylinders in the manner
before described, and forces up the piston rod C, C, and at the same time
causes the plungers b, b, of the force pumps a, a, to rise correspondingly, and
by the force of the water to open the valves e, e, and force the water into and
through the elevating pipes P, p, above. Upon the completion of the upward
stroke of the piston rods C, C, the valves e, e, close, and the valves c, c, of the
plungers b, b, open and allow the water which the pipe P has thrown in
beneath them to pass through, thus completing the stroke and forcing the
contents of the force pumps a, a, into the elevating pipes P, p, at each stroke.
Having thus described my Invention what I claim and desire to secure
by Letters Patent is,-
1st, a water meter made and arranged substantially as above shown, that is
to say, consisting of two cylinders having a common valve chamber between
them, within which valve chamber are placed two slide valves operated
substantially as described by means of a shaft, rotated by proper connections
from the pistons of the cylinders, such shaft carrying a worm E which rotates
a toothed wheel F whose spindle carries a fixed index as above set forth.
2nd, I claim combining with the apparatus mentioned in the proceeding
clause the force pumps a, a, as set forth.
3rd, I also claim the use of the appliance f, h, g, i, in combination with the
meter and force pumps, all operating in manner substantially as and for the
purpose or purposes described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second
dex of October in the year of our Lord 1867.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE HASELTINE.