AN IMPROVED METER FOR ELECTRIC CURRENTS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M. and
W Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents for an Invention of AN IMPROVED METER FOR
ELECTRIC CURRENTS communicated to him from abroad by Georges
Hochreutiner and Anthelme Boucher both of Lausanne, Switzerland
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th April 1883.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
"AN IMPROVED METER FOR ELECTRIC CURRENTS [communicated to him from
abroad by Georges Hochreutiner and Anthelme Boucher both of Lausanne,
Switzerland]
This Invention relates to a meter for electricity wherein the measure of the
current which traverses the line is denoted by means of indications furnished by the
gases resulting from the electrolysis of acidulated water or other suitable electrolytic
solution these gases acting mechanically on appropriate registering apparatus such
as ordinary or electrical machine-counters or gas meters and the like.
The Invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
which show various examples of arrangements for carrying out the Invention.
Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a meter for electricity wherein the
gases disengaged by electrolysis are caused to actuate directly an ordinary mechanical
counter.
Figure 2. is a plan view of the vessel wherein the electrolysis is effected shewing
the arrangement of the plates constituting the electrodes. Figures 3 and 4 shew
details of the electrodes. Figure 5 shews a more simple meter wherein the
electrolysis takes place in the same vessel as that in which the gases are measured
the disengagement of the gases acting on an electric counter by currents transmitted
at determined intervals.
The same letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures. a is the vessel

page_text: wherein the electrolysis of water or other liquid takes place. This vessel which
may be of any suitable form and material and may either be separate from or
combined with the measuring apparatus for the gases. It contains the electrolytic
liquid and the whole or a part of the line current enters the same by the wires b
and two platinum or other suitable electrodes c connected thereto and so arranged
and constructed as to present a large extent of surface. The connections of the
wires b with electrodes c may be made in any suitable way but the following
method is preferred. The electrodes c have at one end a socket d (Figure 3) in
which is soldered a copper plug e having a screw hole tapped in it to receive the
screw threaded end of the wire b. The part of this wire which traverses the liquid
may be covered with an indiarubber or other tubular sheath ƒ Figure 1. The
platinum electrodes c are insulated from one another by thin strips of caoutchouc
or other flexible insulating material g cut of the comb form shown in Figure 4.
The two electrodes c and the insulating strips 9 are superposed as shown in
Figure 3 and rolled up together of the spiral form shown at c Figures 1, 2, 5.
In figure 1 the gases disengaged by electrolysis in vessel a pass off through tube h
and escape under water contained in the measuring vessel i. The gases rise beneath
a measuring funnel shaped bell k attached to a lever arm pivoted at and con-
nected to a three armed frame m n to each of whose free extremities is jointed a
pendent click. The click o is acted on by a weighted lever p p' whilst the click q
engages with a ratchet wheel r which gears with the unit wheel of the counter-
train 8.
Each time the gas collected beneath the bell k has displaced sufficient water to
obtain the floating power necessary to move the mechanism the bell k moves
suddenly in the direction of the arrow X and the parts assume the position shown
by broken lines Figure 1. In this movement the click o escapes from the weighted
lever P whilst the click a descends and engages with another tooth of wheel r as
shown by the drawing. In assuming this new position the bell allows a portion
of the gases collected beneath it to escape and again sinks to its initial position and
in this motion the click o reengages with weighted lever p and click a turns
ratchet r to the extent of one tooth. In Figure 5 the principle is the same. The
gases are disengaged beneath a bell receiver w having an opening at top beneath
the mouth of the funnel shaped bell k which is oscillated by the floating power
obtained by the displacement of liquid by the gases as before. In this case however
the lever carries the weighted lever p and the bent arin u makes contact with a
plate v and thus closes the circuit of an electric counter at each oscillation of the
bell /
The form and arrangement of the parts may be varied without departing from
the Invention. For instance the counterweight levers p might be replaced by
springs or their equivalent and the arrangement of the mechanism intermediate of
the funnel shaped bell and the registering or counting mechanism may vary according
to the kind of counting mechanism employed.
The containing vessels above referred to are furnished with a Mariotte's bottle
or other means of maintaining a constant level of liquid therein. In lieu of the
measuring mechanism above described an ordinary gas meter may be used.
The gases on leaving the meter may be passed through suitable chemical solutions
before being allowed to escape into the open air for the purpose of affording by the
chemical reactions to which they give rise a means of checking the indications of
the register, or the gases may be stored in a gasholder.
The registering mechanism may be graduated in any suitable way according to
requirements.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th October 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents.
"AN IMPROVED METER FOR ELECTRIC CURRENTS." A communication to me from
abroad by Georges Hochreutiner and Anthelme Boucher, both of Lausanne,
Switzerland.
This Invention relates to a meter for electricity wherein the current traversing
the line is measured by the volume of the gases resulting from the electrolysis of
acidulated water or other suitable electrolytic solution, the gases acting mechanically
on appropriate registering apparatus such as ordinary or electrical machine counters
or gas meters and the like.
The Invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
which show various examples of arrangements for carrying out the Invention.
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of a meter for electricity wherein the
gases disengaged by electrolysis are caused to actuate directly an ordinary machine
counter. Figure is a plan view of the vessel wherein the electrolysis is effected
showing the arrangement of the plates constituting the electrodes. Figures 3 and 4
show details of the electrodes. Figure 5 shows a more simple meter wherein the
electrolysis takes place in the same vessel as that in which the gases are measured,
the disengagement of the gases acting on an electric counter by currents transmitted
at determined intervals.
The same letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.
a is the vessel wherein the electrolysis of water or other liquid takes place. This
vessel may be of any suitable form and material and may either be separate from
or combined with the measuring apparatus for the gases. It contains the electrolytic
liquid and the whole or a part of the line current enters the same by the wires b
and two platinum or other suitable electrodes c connected thereto and so arranged
and constructed as to present a large extent of surface. The connections of the
wires b with electrodes c may be made in any suitable way, but the following
method is preferred:-The electrodes c have at one end a socket d (Figure 3) in
which is soldered a copper plug e having a screw hole tapped in it to receive the
screwthreaded end of the wire b; the part of the wire which traverses the liquid
may be covered with an indiarubber or other tubular sheath f, Figure 1. The
platinum electrodes c are insulated from one another by thin strips of caoutchouc
or other flexible insulating material g cut of the comb form shown in Figure 4.
The two electrodes c and the insulating strips gare superposed as shown in Figure 3
and rolled up together of the spiral form shown at c Figures 1. 2 and 5.
In Figure 1 the gases disengaged by electrolysis in vessel a pass off through
tube and escape under water contained in the measuring vessel i. The gases
rise beneath a measuring funnel shaped bell k attached to a lever arm / pivoted at 11
and connected to a three armed frame m n, to each of whose free extremities is
jointed a pendant click. The click o is acted on by a weighted lever p p³, whilst
the click o engages with a ratchet wheel which gears with the unit wheel of the
counter train 8. Each time the gas collected beneath the bell / has displaced
sufficient water to obtain the floating power necessary to move the mechanism, the
bell k moves suddenly in the direction of the arrow X and the parts assume the
position shown by broken lines, Figure 1. In this movement the click o escapes
from the weighted lever p whilst the click a descends and engages with another

page_text: tooth of wheel r as shown by the drawing. In assuming this new position the
bell allows a portion of the gases collected beneath to escape and again sinks to its
P and
initial position, and in this motion the click o re-engages with weighted lever
click g turns ratchet r to the extent of one tooth.
In Figure 5 the principle is the same. The gases are disengaged beneath a bell
receiver w having an opening at top beneath the mouth of the funnel shaped bell k
which is oscillated by the floating power obtained by the displacement of liquid by
the gases as before. In this case however the lever carries the weighted lever p
and the bent arin u makes contact with a plate v and thus closes the circuit of an
electric counter at each oscillation of the bell k.
The form and arrangement of the parts may be varied without departing from
the Invention. For instance, the counterweight levers p might be replaced by
springs or their equivalent and the arrangement of the mechanism intermediate of
the funnel shaped bell and the registering or counting mechanism, may vary
according to the kind of counting mechanism employed.
The containing vessels above referred to are furnished with a Mariottes' bottle
or other means of maintaining a constant level of liquid therein. In lieu of the
measuring mechanism above described, an ordinary gas meter may be used.
The gases on leaving the meter may be passed through suitable chemical solutions
before being allowed to escape into the open air for the purpose of affording by
the chemical reactions to which they give rise, a means of checking the indications
of the register, or the gases may be stored in a gasholder.
The registering mechanism may be graduated in any suitable way according to
requirements.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is.
1st A meter for electricity in which the current is measured by the volume of
the gases resulting from the electrolysis of acidulated water or other suitable
electrolytic solution as herein specified.
2nd The combination of mechanism for the purpose of measuring the current by
the volume of the gases disengaged by electrolysis, consisting of a bell k, levers 2
and m n, weighted lever pp', and click q, as hereinbefore described and shown in
Figure 1, the bell being immersed in liquid and capable of being oscillated by the
gases disengaged by electrolysis in another vessel as specified.
3 The arrangement shown in Figure 5 in which the electrolysis and the
measurement of the gases is effected in the same vessel by means of the receiver w
and the oscillating bell k and lever acting to close the circuit of an electric
counter by means of suitable contacts u v, all as hereinbefore shown and described.
4th The combination for the purpose specified, of a vessel in which electrolysis
may be effected with any suitable meter for directly measuring the volume of gas
disengaged by the electrolytic action.
5th The employment in an electrolytic bath for the purpose specified, ef electrodes
constituted as described and represented in Figures 2. 3 and 4 of the drawings.
In Witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have here unto sel
my hand and seal this tenth day of October, A.D. 1883.
A
וג
CLARK (1.5)