In- PROVEMENTS IN REGULATING THE FLOW OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS IN PIPES AND VALVES, AND DETERMINING THE QUANTITY PASSING THROUGH THE SAME
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Alfred Nicholson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
November 1865.
I, JOSEPH ALFRED NICHOLSON, of Adelaide Place, London Bridge, in the
City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN REGULATING THE FLOW OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS IN PIPES AND
VALVES, AND DETERMINING THE QUANTITY PASSING THROUGH THE SAME," to be as
follows, that is to say:-
i
My Invention consists, 1st, of a regulator, the rising and falling shaft of
which has a hollow chamber formed at the bottom thereof, which chamber
is fitted with a piston or ring externally, and also has a flexible bag or fluid
holder attached to its lower end. The flexible fluid holder is placed in a
cylinder closed at the bottom, and within which cylinder the piston works
up and down. The flexible holder is charged with murcury, oil, water, or
any suitable liquid, which passes therefrom into the hollow chamber of the
piston rod, and vice versa, alternately through a small aperture in the latter
as the shaft rises and falls. When the said rod is lowered into its normal
position the murcury or other fluid in the flexible holder passes through the
aperture into the chamber and compresses the air within, which thus acts as
a spring, and, together with the specific gravity of the fluid, forces it back

page_text: again into the flexible holder underneath; pressure being now applied to the
head of the piston rod it will desend, carrying down the piston and causing
the fluid to again pass through the aperture into the chamber, the size of the
aperture and quantity of fluid regulating and determining the time of the desent
of the piston and the quantity of water or other liquid passing through the
pipe and valves connected therewith.
2ndly, of a regulator formed as above described, either with or without the
flexible fluid holder, and having a valve fitted in the bottom of the hollow
chamber of the piston opening downwards and allowing the murcury or other
fluid to pass and freely enter into the flexible holder or directly into the
cylinder as the piston is raised, and slowly back through a small aperture in
the valve as the piston desends, the size of the aperture and quantity of fluid
regulating and determining the flow and quantity of water in the pipe or
valve as before explained; thus a small quantity of fluid when suitably prepared
continues to be used repeatedly, and the chamber and holder being hermetically
sealed the introduction of grit or foreign substances which might render it
inoperative is guarded against.
3rdly, in lieu of the valve last described in the bottom of the hollow chamber
of the piston, I form an opening to receive a pin attached to the murcury or
fluid holder, and rising and falling into and out of the chamber. This pin
is made hollow and has a lateral opening in the side near the bottom, and the
top part of the said pin is made less than the opening in the chamber, so that
when the piston is raised a sufficient height the murcury in the said chamber
can flow freely therefrom into the fluid holder below. When the piston in
falling causes the hole to arrive at the large part of the pin, the murcury
can only pass from the fluid holder into the chamber above through the
small lateral and vertical hollow in the pin. The opening which traverses the
said pin may be lined or fitted with a flexible outer packing ring or cup to
keep it tight.