AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF METER FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER LIQUID BODIES.”
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Fischer, of Ulm, in the Kingdom of
Wurtemburg, and of Albert Buildings, Queen Victoria Street, in
the City of London, for the Invention of " AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION
OF METER FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER LIQUID BODIES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Fischer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th September 1873.
I, JOSEPH FISCHER, of Ulm, in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg, and of
5 Albert Buildings, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " AN IMPROVED
CONSTRUCTION OF METER FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER LIQUID BODIES," to
be as follows:-
•
This Invention relates to an improved construction of meter for
O measuring the passage of water and other liquid bodies, and consists of

page_text: .
a circular box or casing in which a drum is caused to revolve in one
direction only by the pressure of the liquid. The drum has two or more
sliding plates within it, which are alternately forced outwards by the
action of springs, and alternately drawn inwards by the action of a cam
or eccentric fitted within the. casing. The liquid enters through a
nozzle, and forces the extended plate forward in a circular direction, the
plate carrying the drum round with it for about one half of its revolution,
when the plate gets acted upon by the cam, and is drawn into its sleeve
or pocket in the drum so as to bring its outer edge clear of a stop piece
arranged between the inlet and outlet ports. The axle of the drum is in
connection with a counting apparatus, and this registers the number of
revolutions, and consequently the successive fillings of the casing.
The cam is so made that as soon as the drawn-in plate passes the inlet
port it becomes released, and shoots out under the action of its spring
to occupy a position for the liquid to act against and force round.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Fischer in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
FISCHER, of Ulm, in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg, and of Albert 2
Buildings, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, 2
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Fischer, Her special licence
that I, the said Joseph Fischer, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Fischer, 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 g
therein expressed, should and lawfully might mako, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED

page_text: CONSTRUCTION OF METER FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER LIQUID BODIES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Fischer, 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 Joseph Fischer, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a circular box or casing in which a drum is
caused to revolve under the action of inflowing liquid, the drum being
provided with sliding plates acted upon alternately by a spring and a
cam. The spring is enclosed in arms of the drum, and is contracted by
the cam to pass a stop piece fitted in the casing, the axle of the drum
being in connection with registering mechanism, whereby the quantity
of liquid passing through the casing is shown by index fingers upon dial
plates.
'
The construction of the improved meter and its method of action will
be well understood by reference to the accompanying Drawings, in
which Figure 1 shows the meter in sectional elevation; Figure 2, an edge
view; and Figure 3, a vertical transverse section, with one of the sliding
plates at the bottom of the casing as being acted upon by liquid upon its
opposite face, and the other sliding plate drawn in, and the spring
contracted by the cam for the edge of the plate to clear the stop piece.
A is one side of the casing preferably cast in a piece with the side
ring B, on which are lugs C, O, to enable the opposite side piece D to
be firmly attached by bolts or clips in a water-tight manner. E is the
drum of skeleton form with a rigid axle, one arm of which drops into an
aperture in the side plate A, and the other passes through the other side
plate D, the end of it being cut or formed with an endless screw for
operating the registering or counting mechanism, the index hands
indicating upon dials in the usual manner the number of revolutions of

page_text: the drum, and consequently the number of fillings of the casing, the
area or capacity of which being determined by the diameter and width.
of the apparatus.
The drum E is formed, as shown, with two of its arms F, F, hollow for
the reception of a coiled or helical spring, the ends of which act alter-.
nately upon the sliding plates G, G, to push them out against the inner
face of the ring B, to travel round in contact with it. A cam H is fitted
upon the side plate A, and it is embraced by the notched portions I, I,
of the sliding plates G, G, for about one half of their revolution. During
the remainder portion of the revolution they are free, and are entirely
under the action of the springs, as before explained, the plates being
guided round by the drum, and taking on to the cam again at a after
travelling a fixed distance. I fix a fly piece J near the central portion
of the side plate A as a guard, so that should from any unforeseen
circumstance the springs not shoot the plates out as they leave the cam
end 6 this guard would act upon the inner edge of each plate, and force
it outwards to bring it into position for the notch to take the cam at a.
-
In practice I arrange the ring B with feet or with a base plate M, and
fix it near to the service or the main supply pipe of say, a dwelling
house. I then attach by solder or by a union joint the nozzle N to the
incoming end of the service, and the nozzle P to the outgoing end of the
service. The water then enters the casing in the direction of the arrow,.
and forces the plate G, which is extended round in a circular direction
towards the part of the casing marked Q, the other sliding plate having
by this time under the action of the cam been brought past the stop
piece R, which may be solid or hollow, and ready to be released from
the cam to take up a position for the excentric portion of the cam to
draw it in and to compress the spring, which it does, in order that the
plate may clear the stop piece to take up the position again by the
expansion of its spring for the incoming water to act upon, the water
within the casing being pushed towards and out of the nozzle P to be
led to any part of the building, or as desired.
I do not 'limit myself to the number of springs or sliding plates, as
they may be increased as desired.
faut
Having now described the nature of my Invention I claim,―
The construction of apparatus in the manner and for the purpose set

page_text: "
Secondly. I claim the arrangements of sliding plates, springs, cam,
and stop piece acting in unison, as and for the purposes set forth and
shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Fischer, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of March One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.