Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1888
I, GEORGE HENRY CHURCH Junior, of Chesnut Villa, Lower Road, New Charlton,
in the County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to
be as follows:-
The object of my invention is the improved construction of a tap or instrument for
automatically measuring and delivering different quantities of liquid.
I construct my improved apparatus substantially as follows: I employ a vertical
cylinder, or reservoir, which forms the measuring vessel. This cylinder, or reservoir,
is provided at the bottom with a valve forced upwards into its seat by a spring. A
piston is fitted to slide within the cylinder or reservoir and is operated by a piston-rod
having a suitable handle at the upper end, but a lever may be employed to move the
piston-rod if desired. The piston rod passes through a stuffing-box on the top of a
hollow projection on the cover of the cylinder; it is not fixed rigidly to the piston,
but is provided near the lower end with a coned, or other suitably formed valve,
which fits in or upon a seating on the upper side of the piston. A perforated flange
is fixed on the extreme end of the rod to raise the piston, but sufficient play is left
for the said valve to open and close. When the piston-rod is pushed down this valve
closes and carries the piston down with it, and when the hand is removed from the
handle aforesaid, the reaction, of a coiled spring, which surrounds the piston-rod
between the stuffing-box and the said handle, raises the piston again to the top of the
cylinder. The supply pipe for the liquid enters the aforesaid hollow projection on
the top of the cylinder. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing the
cylinder to be full of liquid and it is desired to empty it, the piston-rod is pushed
down, this first causes the valve to seat in the piston, and then carries the piston with
it, driving out all the liquid under the piston through the spring valve in the bottom
of the cylinder. If there be any head of liquid on the supply pipe, this will assist
to drive down the piston, as soon as the valve therein is closed. On releasing the

page_text: handle the coiled spring aforesaid raises the piston-rod and opens the valve in the
piston, thus making communication between both sides of the piston, so that the piston
can rise with the rod as the liquid flows through. By this means no vacuum can form
in the reservoir, and it is completely and automatically filled each time, while the
emptying can be performed very quickly as the liquid is forced out by a positive
pressure. When the piston is depressed to the full stroke, the cylinder is quite
emptied, but by partially rotating, more or less the handle aforesaid, suitable stops
can come into action, which limit the stroke of the piston, so that the varying
quantities of liquid may be drawn from the same cylinder.
My invention is specially applicable for use in bars and restaurants for rapidly and
accurately drawing-off spirits, wine or beer.
Dated this 1941 ...
1000
AMBROSE MYALL,
21, Cockspur Street, London, S.W.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Measuring Liquids Automatically.
I GEORGE HENRY CHURCH, Junior, of Chesnut Villa, Lower Road New Charlton,
in the County of Kent, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this 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 the improved construction of a tap or instrument for
automatically measuring and delivering different quantities of liquid.
In the accompanying four sheets of drawings, Fig. 1. is a sectional elevation of
a tap constructed according to one method of carrying my invention into practice;
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the upper part of Fig. 1. at right angles thereto; Fig. 3 is
a sectional elevation of a tap of somewhat modified arrangement; Fig. 4. is an
external elevation and Fig. 5 is a plan of Fig. 3; Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are cross-
sections through the lines XX, Y Y, ZZ and in Fig. 3; and Figs. 10 and 11,
12 and 13, 14 and 15, are similar cross-sectious to Figs. 8 and 9 but shewing the
parts in different relative positions.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
In Figs. 1 and 2, the actual measuring part of the apparatus consists of a reservoir,
which is preferably formed, as shewn, of a vertical cylinder A. A nozzle B is pro-
vided at the bottom and the opening or passage C leading thereto is closed by a
valve D forced upwards into its seat by the spring E. This valve is shown as conical,
but it may be flat, globular or of other suitable form, if desired, and may be provided
with an India-rubber, leather or other suitable packing. A piston F is fitted to slide
within the cylinder A, and is provided with a cup-leather, H or other suitable packing.
The piston is operated by a piston-rod J having a handle K at the upper end, but a
lever or other suitable mechanical arrangement inay be employed to move the piston-
rod if desired. The said piston-rod passes through a stuffing-box consisting of a
recess I, formed in the top of the hollow projection M on the cover N of the cylinder,
and containing a leather or other suitable packing-ring P, compressed by the screw
gland Q. The piston-rod is not attached rigidly to the piston, but is provided near
the lower end with a coned, or other suitably formed valve R, which fits in or upon a
seating S in the piston. Á perforated flange T or other suitable device is fixed on
the extreme end of the rod J, to raise the piston, but sufficient play is left for the
valve R to open and close. When the piston-rod is pushed down by means of the
handlo K, the valve R closes and carries the piston down with it, and when the hand
is removed from the handle K, the reaction of the helical spring V, automatically
raises the piston again to the top of the cylinder through the flange T, which then
bears on the underside of the piston. The spring V bears at one end against the
handle K, and at the other end against the gland Q. It is surrounded by a sleeve W,
which is free to rotate, but is kept in position by means of a flange W¹ on its lower

page_text: end, which fits into a recess in the gland Q. The said gland is formed in two parts Q
and Q, between which the flange W is confined. The part Q is attached to the
part Q by the screws a. A short tube is provided on Q, forming a bearing within
which the sleeve W can rotate, and it also forms a stop to limit the stroke of the
handle K and consequently of the piston F. The supply pipe c for the liquid, enters
the hollow projection M and is connected to the reservoir containing the liquid by a
pipe, or it may be attached directly to the said reservoir.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing the cylinder A to be full of
liquid and it is desired to empty it, the piston-rod is pushed down by means of the
handle K, this first causes the valve R to seat in the piston and close, and then carries
the piston down with it until the handle K comes in contact with the edge of the
tube b, when the piston will have driven out the liquid through the spring valve D.
If there be any head of liquid on the supply pipe c, this will assist to drive down
the piston, as soon as the valve R therein is closed. On releasing the handle K the
spring V raises the piston-rod and first opens the valve R, thus making communication
between both sides of the piston, so that the piston can rise with the rod as the liquid
flows through. By this means no vacuum can form in the cylinder A, and it is
completely and automatically filled each time it is operated, while the emptying can
be performed very quickly, as the liquid is forced out by a positive pressure.
The tube is of such length that it does not permit the piston to make a full stroke,
and consequently the entire contents of the cylinder are not expelled, but two
notches d d are formed in the edge of the tube and by partially rotating the handle K,
so that it can enter these notches, a longer stroke is obtained and a larger proportion of
the contents of the cylinder can be expelled. It is obvious that two or more sets of
notches of varying depths may be provided, so that varying definite quantities may
be obtained as desired.
When the head of liquid on the supply pipe is considerable, the strength of the
spring E which closes the valve D at the bottom of the cylinder has to be increased
to ensure the said valve closing against the pressure due to the head of liquid and to
prevent leakage through it, and the pressure then required on the piston to open
such valve may become inconveniently great. To remedy this objection I modify the
construction of the apparatus as shewn in Figs. 3 to 15 inclusive. In place of the
valve R in the piston and the spring valve D at the bottom of the cylinder, I employ
two plug cocks e and f. The plug e in the piston is formed on, or firmly fixed to the
piston-rod J, and the plug fin the bottom of the cylinder is provided with a stem g,
which enters a deep hole bored up the plug e. This stem g. is slotted, and a pin
passes through the lower end of the plug e and through the slot in the stem g, so that
while the piston F is free to be moved up and down in the cylinder A by means of the
handle K, both cocks can be operated in any position of the piston by rotating the
handle K. And to prevent the piston turning a pint is fixed in the cover N which
slides in a sheath u fixed in the piston and closed at the bottom to prevent the liquid
running through. The piston F is formed with a circular projection on the upper
side to afford sufficient seating for the plug e. The plug seats in a similar pro-
jection in the bottom of the cylinder. The arrangement of the passages in the
cocks is shewn more clearly in the cross-sections Figs. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14 and 15.
The plug e is hollow and has two openings and in the side, while there is one
opening m in the seating i. The plug is also hollow, and has an opening n in the
side, while there is one opening o in the projection j, extending about half-way
round.
A pointer p is attached to the sleeve W to indicate, in connection with suitable
marks upon the top of the gland Qas shewn in Fig. 5, the relative position of the
cocks e and f. When the pointer is opposite the mark "shut" the relative position
of the cocks is as shewn in Figs. 10 and 11, the cock fis closed, but the opening k
in the cock e is opposite the opening m so that liquid can flow through into the
cylinder. On rotating the. handle till the pointer is opposite the mark "2" the
cocks, assume the position shewn in Figs. 12 and 13. the opening-k moving past.
the opening and closing the cock e, but the opening n moves opposite the end of

page_text: the opening o and thus opens the cock f. The piston can then be depressed by the
handle K and the liquid expelled. If the head of liquid be great, the piston may
descend by the pressure of the liquid on its upper surface alone, and thereby expel
the liquid underneath it. The handle is then turned back to "shut" restoring the
cocks to their former position as in Figs. 10 and 11, when the piston being placed
in equilibrium, as regards the pressure of the liquid, will rise through the medium
of the spring V, the cylinder A refilling with liquid as the piston rises. The "2" or
other corresponding mark signifies that the quantity of liquid expelled from the
cylinder, when the pointer is opposite such mark, is that obtained by the stroke of
the piston which is defined in length by the handle K coming in contact with the
edge of the tube b. To obtain a greater quantity of liquid the pointer is turned until
opposito the mark "3," or other suitable sign, when the handle K can descend into
the notches dd, as before described. The opening in the plug fis, in this position,
still within the opening o by reason of the length of the latter the position of the
cocks, in such case, is shewn by Figs. 14 and 15.
In this form of tap, the tube b is free to rotate on the sleeve W² sufficiently to
enable the handle to be returned to the "shut" position when it is in the notches, so
that the piston can rise. End motion is prevented and the amount of rotation of the
tube limited by the pin q entering a groover, the tube on the rising of the handle K,
automatically returns to its normal position through the medium of the flat coiled
springs. An additional feature of this modified form of tap, is, that when the
pointer pis opposite the mark "open," the second opening in the plug e is opposite
the opening m in the seating, but by reason of the length of the opening o, the
opening n in the plug is still within it, so that in this position of the cocks, shewn
in Figs. 8 and 9, there is a clear way through the apparatus, and it can be used
like an ordinary tap to draw a continuous stream.
In both forms of my apparatus, the essential features are, that definite measured
quantities of liquid can be rapidly and forcibly expelled, either by the pressure of
the hand, or the head of liquid on the piston or by both combined, while the measuring
chamber is automatically and completely refilled each time, without the possibility
of the formation of any vacuum, or of the entrance of air, thus obviating the necessity
of employing air valves for the admission or exclusion of air, as is usual in many
forms of measuring taps for liquids.
It may also be noticed that when the piston is at the end of its stroke, there will
always be some liquid left unexpelled beneath it, but such liquid cannot escape from
the reservoir, because a vacuum would be formed underneath the piston, the liquid
is therefore held in its place, although the bottom valve D or cock f, may be open.
Any suitable form of counting or recording mechanism or device may be added
to my apparatus to register the quantity of liquid drawn off by it.
Although I have represented my apparatus as arranged in a vertical position,
it is obvious that it will work equally well in a horizontal, or other desired
position.
My invention is specially applicable for use in bars and restaurants for rapidly and
accurately drawing off spirits, wine or beer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. An apparatus for measuring various definite quantities of liquid, in which
the liquid is expelled from the apparatus by a positive mechanical pressure on a
piston.
2. An apparatus for measuring various definite quantities of liquid, in which the
liquid is expelled from the apparatus through the medium of the pressure of the
head of liquid between the apparatus and the reservoir to which it is connected.
3. An apparatus for measuring various definite quantities of liquid, provided with
piston to expel the said liquid, and two valves, one of the said valves being seated
in the piston, substantially as herein set forth.

page_text: 4. An apparatus for measuring various definite quantities of liquid, so constructed,
that the said apparatus can also be used as an ordinary tap to draw a constant stream
of liquid, substantially as herein set forth.
5. An apparatus for measuring various definite quantities of liquid constructed
substantially as herein set forth, with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
6. An apparatus for measuring various definite quantities of liquid, constructed
substantially as herein set forth, with reference to Figs. 3 to 15 inclusive, of the
accompanying drawings.