IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Albert Eugene Hughes Johnson of the city of Washington
in the District of Columbia and United States of America Patent Solicitor
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS communicated to him
by Lewis Hallock Nash of the city, county and State of New York in the
United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Albert Eugene Hughes
Johnson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th September
1883.
ALBERT, EUGENE, HUGHES JOHNSON of the city of Washington, in the District
of Columbia and United States of America Patent Solicitor IMPROVEMENTS IN
"WATER METERS a communication to me from Lewis Hallock, Nash, of the city,
county and State of New-York in the said United States of America.
This invention relates to that class of inventions in Water Meters for which the
said Lewis Hallock Nash has obtained Her Majesty's Letters-Patent N° 166 and
dated the 6th of June 1879.
A distinctive characteristic of the present invention consists also of a piston
(which may also form a valve) adapted to have an eccentric or side rocking
movement upon continually changing lines of contact within and across the centre
of a circular chamber of the meter case to effect the division of said chamber at two
or more continually changing contact points on its sides into receiving and
discharging spaces which communicate with the inlet and the outlet; the
continuous passage of the water through said chamber being effected by the
revolving motion of the piston around its own axis, the inflow and the outflow
taking place at the opposite sides of the piston.
This compound movement of the piston is effected by the relative shape thereof
and that of the inner walls of its case and by the direct action of the water upon
the piston, for, as the latter rocks from one bearing point to another directly across
the center of the chamber it is at the same time revolved by the force of the flow
to effect the measurement, by suitable registering mechanism, of the water passing
through the chamber.
The continually changing points or lines of contact at different parts of the

page_text: piston and of the chamber walls and of the continually changing volumes of the
receiving and discharging spaces formed thereby allow the water to flow through a
valve or through the piston valve ports, into and from these spaces as they fill and
discharge without impeding its flow or lessening its force.
The object of the present invention or improvements are to produce a more
uniform rolling motion of the piston upon its side bearing points to reduce the
wear upon such points, to obtain greater accuracy of measurement and to lessen
the expense and labor in the manufacture of the meter and to this end the invention
consists:
In the combination in a rotary water meter of a piston having circumferential
projections composed of a salient bearing point or face, projecting from segmental
bearing surfaces or shoulders having their lateral edges beveled and being equi-
distant from one another to form recesses between them, with a chamber the
interior periphery of which presents similar recesses and projections adapted to
intermatch and form a joint with the piston on one side, the projections of the
piston and of the chamber forming the division joint on the opposite side of the
piston.
In making the projections on the inner wall of the piston chamber of soft metal.
This constitutes one of the important features of the present improvements. In
the letters patent hereinabove referred to the construction of the meter is such that
the division of the chamber is effected on one side by the direct bearing of the
-piston projection upon the wall of the chamber between its projections, and on the
other side by the bearing of the piston projection upon the projection of the chamber
wall, producing more or less slip or slide and consequent wear at these points in
the rolling-rocking movement of the piston from one bearing point to another.
By means of the peculiar bearing surfaces above referred to I provide a means
whereby the piston is caused to roll in a uniform manner upon its bearings without
wear or slipping. To this end I make the bearing projections of the chamber wall
of soft metal like that known as "Babbit metal" by casting them on ribs of said
chamber wall
These projections and recesses on the chamber wall and piston periphery are
such as to form an engagement similar to that of gear teeth at one side only of the
piston. At this point its bearing rib does not make the engagement but the
separate wall projection of soft metal matches with the recess in the piston by a
close joining, so that the bearing parts at the opposite side of the piston will be
caused to pass each other without producing the least slipping of the engaged
bearing parts at the opposite side.
To still further enhance the above described advantages the piston is preferably
made of hard rubber and of a specific gravity about equal to that of water.
The invention further consists in the construction of the meter case and its heads.
To lessen the cost of this construction the chamber forming case is cast with the
lower case or chamber head and with the inlet and outlet ducts which latter
communicate by a passage outside of the chamber wall with a separate top case or
chamber which forms an enclosing case for the dial mechanism and into which the
outlet ports of the valve open.
By this construction a saving in metal is effected as well as in labor.
A further important feature of this improvement is, as already stated, that the
piston projection is relieved from making the bearing upon the chamber wall at
the interlocking side and instead the bearing at this point is made by the separate
smooth chamber-wall projection upon another part of the piston so as to form a close
holding of the latter at such point.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Albert Eugene Hughes Johnson in the Patent Office on the
25th January 1884.
ALBERT EUGENE HUGHES JOHNSON of the city of Washington in the District of
Columbia and United States of America Patent Solicitor IMPROVEMENTS IN
"WATER METERS" a communication to me from Lewis Hallock Nash of Brooklyn
in the county of Kings and State of New York one of the United States of
America
This invention relates to improvements in rotary water meters of the kind
known as the "crown-meter" for which Letters Patent were granted to me under
date of January 15, 1879
A distinctive characteristic of the crown-meter consists of a piston (which may
also form a valve) adapted to have an eccentric or side rocking movement upon
continually changing lines of contact within and across the center of the circular
chamber of the meter-case to effect the division of said chamber at two or more
continually-changing contact points on its sides into receiving and discharging
spaces which communicate with the inlet and with the outlet the continuous
passage of the water through said chamber being effected by the revolving motion
of the piston around its own center, the inflow and the outflow taking place at the
opposite ends of the piston. This compound movement of the piston is effected
by the relative shape of the piston and the inner walls of its case and by the
direct action of the water upon the piston, for as the piston rocks from one
bearing-point to another directly across the center of the chamber, it is. at the
same time revolved by the force of the flow to effect the measurement by suitable
registering mechanism of the water passing into and from the chamber. The
continually changing points or lines of contact at different parts of the piston and
of the chamber-walls, and of the continually changing volumes of the receiving and
discharging spaces formed thereby, allow the water to flow through a valve or
through the piston valve-ports into and from these spaces as they fill and discharge
without impeding its flow or lessening its force. The objects of the present
improvements on the crown-meter are to produce a more uniform rolling move-
ment of the piston upon its side bearing-points, to reduce the wear upon the
bearing points, to obtain the greatest accuracy of measurement, and to lessen
the expense and labor in the manufacture of the meter. The accompanying
drawings illustrate the improvements in which Figure 1 represents a vertical
central section, and Figure 2 a horizontal section taken on the line x x of Fig. 1.
showing a piston which also constitutes the valve in the relation it occupies in
dividing the chamber into receiving and discharging spaces; Figure 3 a top view
of the piston, showing its valve ports, and Figure 4 a vertical section of the
same. The piston C.is made of hard rubber which has nearly the specific gravity
of water. I prefer the construction shown, with valve ports formed within the
piston and adapted to operate within a chamber having water passages formed
in its opposite inlet and outlet heads, so that in whatever position the piston
may be the valve-ports at one end of the piston will always communicate
with the inlet passage and the valve-ports at the other end of the piston will
always communicate with the outlet passage of the chamber during the con-
tinually-changing points of division of said chamber made by the sidewise rolling
movements of the piston. The piston has circumferential radial projections c and
recesses & between the said projectious, while the interior wall of the chamber has
radial projections e and intermediate recesses f, the projections and recesses both of
the piston and of the chamber walls being equal to the depth of said chamber. The

page_text: relative shape of these projections and recesses is such as to adapt the chamber
projections to fit within the piston recesses and formn a bearing joint on one side of
the chamber, and at the other side to form such bearing joint by the contact of the
projections of the chamber and piston, as the piston is caused to revolve and to
rock sidewise across the center of the chamber, thereby forming continually
changing lines of bearing or contact to divide said chamber into receiving and
discharging spaces A B into and from which the water has an unobstructed flow
and a positive displacement without loss of pressure in said flow. In the
presentation of the present improvements I deem it unnecessary to fully describe
the principle embraced in such construction and operation further than is necessary
to an understanding of these improvements. The valve within the piston is formed
by a central space D and E in each end, of equal depth and area and an annular
space F and G surrounding each central space of equal depth and area.
These
annular spaces communicate with each other by means of interior diagonal passages
crossing in opposite directions. The central space D at the inlet end of the piston
communicates with the annular surrounding space G at the outlet end of the piston
by the diagonal passages ggg while the annular central space E at the outlet end
of the piston communicates with the annular space F at the inlet end of the piston
by the diagonal passages h h h as shown. Ports e' are arranged in the heads A¹ B¹
of the chamber in communication with the inlet and the outlet central openings D E
in the piston and in the heads of the case.
Each of the chamber-heads forms a shell, and the ports therein correspond in
number with the recesses in the chamber wall and said ports e communicate by
curved passages with ports opening at said wall-recesses f within the chamber.
This arrangement of the ports is the same in both the chamber heads and doubles
the capacity of the valve. The curved passages in the heads stand one way in
the inlet-head and in the opposite direction in the outlet head so as to direct the
water into the chamber on opposite sides of the piston and in the same direction
with its revolving motion so that both heads have corresponding ports in which
some of one set communicate with the central valve spaces in the piston during its
movements and the other set opening directly into the cylinder chamber. Between
and joining these heads the piston valve works in its side rocking and rotary
movements so as to constantly change its communication with said head ports e¹
but not with the inlet and the outlet central ports of said heads. This construc-
tion gives greater capacity to the valve, and serves to balance the pressure of the
water on each side of the piston because E and F are the outlet spaces communi-
cating with each other while D and G are inlet spaces and communicate with each
other. The piston has a shifting connection with the dial mechanism by means of
a central stem H to accommodate the side rocking movement across the center of
the chamber, as shown in the said patent of January 15, 1879 to which reference
is made. The important matter of this improvement is the reduction of wear
upon the piston projections. In the said patent, the division of the chamber is
effected on one side by the bearing of the piston projection direct upon the wall of
the chamber, between its projections and on the other side by the bearing of the
piston projection upon the chamber wall projection producing more or less slip or
alide and consequent wear upon these bearing points in the rolling rocking move-
ment of the piston from one bearing point to another. I provide a new joint-
forming construction whereby the piston is caused to roll in a uniform manner
upon its bearings without wear or slipping. For this purpose I make the bearing
projections of the chamber-wall of soft metal like that known as "Babbitt metal
These separate bearing parts are cast upon ribs i on the inner side of the chamber
wall within a form which leaves the wearing surfaces smooth and finished.
These separately cast bearing parts become in being cast, rigidly fastened to the
wall-ribs, which may be of dovetail or other form to make a lock for the soft
metal. These bearing projections are formed with straight sides r and flat side
projections & and the recesses d of the piston are of corresponding form so as to
effect an engagement with the piston projections similar to that of gear-teeth at

page_text: one side only of the piston. At this engaging side of the piston the bearing rib
does not make the engagement, but the separate wall projection e of smooth soft
metal, matches with the recess d in the piston by a close joining, so that the
bearing parts at the opposite side of the piston will be caused to pass each other
without producing the least slipping of the engaged bearing parts. The outer
angles of the recesses of the piston are trimmed off, so as not to interfere with the
proper movement of the piston The smooth hard surface of the rubber of the
piston and the smooth surface of the soft metal bearings of the chamber produce
very great advantage in easy movement and in the maintenance of a close joining
action of the piston.
To lessen the cost of manufacture I cast the chamber forming case with the
lower chamber-head and with the inlet and outlet passages I and J, the latter
communicating by a passage J outside the chamber wall, with a separate top-
chamber L which forms an inclosing case for the dial mechanism, and into which the
outlet ports of the valve open as shown in Fig. 1. This construction saves metal
and much labor in completing the meter. The arrows show the direction of the
flow of the water. An important matter of this improvement is that the piston
projection is relieved from making the bearing upon the chamber wall at the inter-
locking side, and instead the bearing at this point is made by the separate smooth
chamber wall projection upon another part of the piston so as to form a close holding
of the piston at such point. I have described the piston recesses d as being of a
corresponding form to the chamber wall projections e, and it will be seen that the
recess d is formed of a flat surface bounded by straight right angle sides, corre-
sponding to the flat sides of the soft-metal wall projections of the case, the
corners of said right-angle recess sides being beveled or rounded to prevent
binding in the angles of the soft metal projections.
I claim;-
1 The combination in a rotary water-meter, of a piston having circumferential
projections and recesses, constructed substantially as described, with a chamber
having wall projections adapted to intermatch and form a division point with the
piston on one side, the projections of the piston and of the chamber forming the
division point on the opposite side of the piston substantially as described.
2nd The combination in a rotary meter of a piston having circumferential
projections and recesses substantially such as described, with a chamber having
separate wall projections of soft metal corresponding with the said piston-recesses
for operation as described
3rd The combination of the chamber-forming case having interior wall ribs upon
which bearing projections of soft metal are cast with the piston adapted to operate
upon said separately cast chamber-bearings for the purpose specified
4th The water-meter case herein described formed with the lower head having
ports, and the inlet and the outlet passages as shown and described combined with
a separate top head and a separate top inclosing case as described.
5th In a water-meter the combination of the hard rubber piston having circum-
ferential projections and recesses, with a chamber-forming case having wall
projections of soft metal corresponding with the recesses of said piston for the
purpose specified
In witness whereof I the said Albert Eugene Hughes Johnson have hereunto set
my hand and seal this thirty first day of December in the year of our Lord, One
thousand Eight hundred and Eighty three
TITAN
HTTATITIO
TATTOOZ
EUGENE HUGHES JOHNSON (L.D.)
TALLOUTLY