AN IMPROVED METER FOR WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Charles Hood, of 220, Bridge Road,
Battersea, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METER FOR WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Charles Hood
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th May 1873.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES HOOD, of 220, Bridge Road, Battersea, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METER FOR WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS," to be
as follows:
My Invention has for its object the correct measurement of water or
other liquids as they pass or flow through pipes or other channels, and
to register the amount which has passed through in a given time. For
this purpose I take a screw of suitable size, and pitch and insert it in a

page_text: cylinder in such a manner that although the screw can freely revolve
within the same the outside of the threads of the screw shall fit truly to
the bore of the cylinder. The water or other liquid in passing through
this cylinder causes the screw to revolve, and each revolution represents
a given quantity of water or other liquid having passed through the
meter.
In order to register the number of revolutions made by the screw, and
thus the quantity of water or other liquid which has passed through the
barrel or cylinder, I take another cylinder and attach it to the end of
the first-named one to contain suitable gear for transmitting the motion
of the revolving screw to an index dial outside the meter. This gear is
protected by a box or case from contact with the water or other liquid
which is passing through the cylinders. An inlet piece is attached to
the end of the cylinder in which the screw revolves, and an outlet piece
at the end of the other cylinder, and perforated plates are inserted
between each of these joints. These plates are for the purpose of
carrying the bearings or centres upon which the screw revolves, and
also for preventing any solid matter from entering the motor.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Charles Hood in the Great Seal Patent a
Office on the 26th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHARLES HOOD, of 220, Bridge Road, Battersea, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 1
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Charles Hood, Her special licence
that I, the said William Charles Hood, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Charles Hood, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,

page_text: 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 WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Charles Hood, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Charles Hood, 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 :-
The object of my Invention is to measure or indicate the quantity of
water or other liquid which is passed through the meter, and to register
the same on a dial. For this purpose I use a screw of a continuous
thread and suitable pitch placed inside a cylinder or working barrel, the
outside of the thread of the screw fitting truly to the bore of such
cylinder. The water or other liquid being admitted to one end of this
measuring cylinder or working barrel will by pressing on the threads or
blades of the screw cause the screw to revolve, when the water or other
liquid will pass through. Each revolution of the screw will thus denote
a certain quantity of water or other liquid having passed through the
meter, and by means of suitable gear driven by a worm on one end of
the spindle of the screw such quantity is registered on an ordinary
counter.
The water or other liquid to be measured is first admitted into a
cylinder somewhat larger than the measuring cylinder or working barrel.
Inside this second cylinder is a box or cage which answers the purpose
of carrying one end of the screw spindle from which, by means of a
worm thereon, motion is communicated to the registering gear. The
rush of water or other liquid is thus prevented from coming in contact
with the gearing. At each end of the measuring cylinder or working

page_text: barrel are perforated plates or discs which act as baffle plates to mitigate
or prevent any sudden jerk or excessive pressure, and one of which holds
a centre to carry the end of the screw spindle next the outlet; they
also prevent any solid matter from entering the meter.
In the accompanying Drawing Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 show the meter
as arranged to be used horizontally, and Fig. 6 shows the same as con-
structed to be placed vertically.
Fig. 1 is a plan; Fig. 2, a sectional elevation; and Fig. 5, a cross
section of the meter.
Figs. 3 and 4 show a plan of the perforated plate and elevation of the 1
outlet piece to which it is attached.
In Fig. 2 A is the measuring cylinder or working barrel; B is the
second cylinder through which the water or other liquid is first admitted;
C is the screw; c, the screw spindle; ƒ and g are the two perforated
plates or discs, f being the inlet, and g the outlet; d is a bearing to 1
carry the end of the screw spindle next the gear work, and K is the back
or bottom of this bearing. It will be seen that the screw spindle passes
through f, and terminates at that end in the bearing d, whilst the other
end of the spindle at 9 works on a conical centre fixed in g The
object of this is that whereas when the water or other liquid enters in 2
the proper direction as shown by arrows on the Drawing the screw
spindle will be pressed against and bear principally on the conical centre
at g, whilst the other end at d does not touch or press against K;
but in case of back pressure the action would be reversed, and the
spindle would be jammed back on K and would not revolve, consequently 2
the registering gear would not receive motion.
When the meter is required to be placed in a vertical position I prefer
to admit the water or other fluid on one side, as in Fig. 6, instead of at
the end as in a horizontal meter, and in that case the registering dial is
at the top. A is the measuring cylinder or working barrel; B, the inlet g
cylinder; C is the screw, and c the screw spindle; and fand 9 are the
two perforated plates or discs, of which f is the inlet, and g the outlet.
The screw spindle is here shown as bearing on centres at both ends, but
the top end may be carried by a bearing similar to d in Fig. 2.
Having now explained the nature of my Invention, and the means
3
whereby the same is to be carried out I wish it to be understood that

page_text: what I claim to be new and of my Invention is the application of a
screw working in a barrel or cylinder, which screw receives motion from
the water or liquid passing through such cylinder, and by that means
drives the registering gear, substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Charles Hood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
0 Witness,
WILLIAM CHARLES HOOD. (L.S.)
THOMAS D. EAGLES,
23, Fenchurch Street,
London, E.C.