IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING LIQUIDS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robert Johnson, of Red Lion Square, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS
FOR MEASURING LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 3rd December 1878, and dated the 20th June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robert Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1878.
JOHN ROBERT JOHNSON, of Red Lion Square, in the County of Middlesex. "Iμ-;
PROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING LIQUIDS."
Many attempts have been made to improve this description of apparatus, and
particularly for measuring tho vinous and spirituous liquids sold in retail at public
houses.
This apparatus consists for the most part of an intermediate vessel, into which
the fluid passes from the barrel or store vat, by means of a two-way cock, which
when in one position admits the liquid into the measuring vessel, and in the other
position cuts off the supply and enables the liquid to be drawn off therefrom. The
amount of such liquid admitted within the vessel is regulated by means of a
float, which rises at the determined point and cuts off the escape of air within the
vessel, and thus arrests the further ingress of the liquid from the store vat. When
the vessel becomes full it is drawn off by a separate cock, or by a second way in the
barrel of the same cock, into thic vessel of the purchaser at once, and without the
use of any other measure if the quantity required be that of the contents of the
intermediate vessel, but by the use of the usual portable measures when smaller
quantities are required.
Such modes of measurement have answered the purpose for which they were
designed vory imperfectly, inasmuch as the float when it lias nearly reached the point
at which it should arrest the ingress of the liquid has so nearly closed the valve,
and the escape of air is consequently so much retarded, that the proper action of
the float is prevented, as it rises so slowly as to be practically inoperative from loss
of time. The same result arrives on turning the cock to draw off the liquid from

page_text: the measuring vessel. The valve being shut, sticks and admits the air with
difficulty unless of large area, and thus loss of time in retailing the liquor is
caused, and counterbalances the other advantages of the apparatus, namely, those of
recording against the servant of the retailer the amount of liquor sold.
I obviate the inconveniences described by making the float of the intermediate
vessel act, not directly upon the valve, but upon a tumbler which is made to fall
over its centre by the action of the float, which tumbler in falling shuts off the
valve instantaneously, thus avoiding the loss of time complained of.
I avoid the loss of time in drawing off the fluid by making a small cam on the
surface, or within the substance of the plug of the two-way cock raise a separate
valve which admits the outer air to the interior of the vessel to replace the fluid
withdrawn, and when the cork is turned in the other position the rod of the valve
is acted upon by a spring to close it. Or I fix a fine tube from the cock to the top
of the intermediate vessel, so that when the cock is turned to draw off the whole or
a portion of the liquid from the measuring vessel, an opening in barrel of the cock
makes a communication between the fine air tube and the outer air and admits the
latter to replace the liquid as it is drawn out.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Robert Johnson in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 20th
'December 1878.
JOHN ROBERT JOHNSON, of Red Lion Square, in the County of Middlesex. "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING LIQUIDS."
Many attempts have been made to improve this description of apparatus, and
particularly for measuring the vinous and spirituous liquids sold in retail at public
houses.
These attempts consist for the most part of an intermediate vessel, into which the
fluid passes from the barrel or store vat by means of a two-way cock, which when
in one position adinits the liquid into the measuring vessel, and in the other position
cuts off the supply and enables the liquid to be drawn off therefrom. The amount
of such liquid admitted within the vessel is regulated by means of a float which
rises at the determined point and cuts off the escape of air within the vessel, and
thus arrests the further ingress of the 'liquid from the store vat. When the vessel
becomes full it is drawn off by a separate cock, or by a second way in the barrel of
the same cock, into the vessel of the purchaser at once, and without the use of any
other measure if the quantity required be that of the contents of the intermediate
vessel, but by the use of the usual portable measures when smaller quantities are
required.
Such modes of measurement have answered the purpose for which they were
designed very imperfectly, inasmuch as the float when it has nearly reached the
point at which it should arrest the ingress of the liquid has almost closed the valve,

page_text: and the escape of air is consequently so much retarded that the proper action of the
float is prevented, or if it act it rises so slowly as to be practically inoperative from
loss of time. The same result is arrived at on turning the cock to draw off the
liquid from the measuring vessel. The valve being shut, and only operated upon
by the column of liquid in the measuring vessel, sticks, and admits the air with
difficulty unless of large area, and thus loss of time in retailing the liquor is caused
and counterbalances the other advantages of the apparatus, namely, those of
recording against the servant of the retailer the amount of liquor sold.
I obviate the inconveniences described by making the float of the intermediate
vessel act, not directly upon the valve, but upon a tumbler which is made to fall
over its centre by the action of the float, which tumbler in falling shuts off the
valve instantaneously, thus avoiding the loss of time complained of.
I avoid the loss of time in drawing off the fluid by making a small cam on the
surface, or within the substance of the plug of the two-way cock raise a separate
valve which admits the outer air to the interior of the vessel to replace the fluid
withdrawn, and when the cock is turned in the other position the rod of the valve
is acted upon by a spring to close it. Or I fix a tube from the cock to the top of
the intermediate vessel, so that when the cock is turned to draw off the whole or a
portion of the liquid from the measuring vessel an opening in the barrel and plug
of the cock makes a communication between the air tube and the outer air, and
admits the latter to replace the liquid as it is drawn out.
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings,
Figure 1 is a vertical section, and Figure 2 is a side elevation of the liquid
measuring apparatus constructed according to my Invention.
Figure 3 is a partial plan or top view with the cover removed; Figure 4 is a plan,
Figure 5 is a front view, and Figure 6 is a vertical section of the lower parts of the
apparatus with the measuring vessel removed therefrom.
Figure 7 is a sectional elevation showing the registering dial; and Figure 8 is
a sectional elevation, and Figure 9 a sectional plan showing the counting and
registering mechanism.
a is the measuring or intermediate vessel into which the liquid passes from the
barrel or store vat by means of the supply pipe 6 and a two-way cock c, the plug c¹
of which has two holes or passages c³, c³, formed therein at right angles the one to
the other, so that when the passage c³ is in line with the pipe 6 liquid will flow
from the store vat or barrel into the measuring chamber a, and the outlet through
the pipe & will be closed, whilst when the passage o³ is in line with the pipe & the
contents of the measuring vessel a may be drawn off therefrom through the cock or
tap e, and the inlet to the measuring vessel a from the store vat closed. The
amount of liquid admitted within the vessel is regulated by means of a float f, the
spindle f¹ of which is provided with a valve f, which is capable of shutting against
the valve seat g so as to arrest the further ingress of liquid to the measuring
chamber at the desired time. For this purpose, according to my Invention, I mount
the float floosely upon its spindle between collars, and I mount on such
spindle above the valve seat g other collars f³, fo, which operate a forked lever h',
the axis h of which is provided with a weight or tumbler h², so that when the float
in rising has carried the valve f nearly to its seat g the collar f³ shall act on the
forked lever h³, so as to throw the weight or tumbler hover into the position shown
by dotted lines, whereby such weight or tumbler will suddenly complete the motion
of the valve f and cause it to close firmly against the seat g, thus avoiding the loss
of time before referred to.
The float is guided in the manner shown to obviate as much as possible friction
in the motion of the parts, but other suitable guides may be employed. In falling

page_text: the float acts against the collar fs, and thus operates the weight or tumbler h² to
return it to the position shown in full lines; the descent of the float being limited
by the stops f. I avoid the loss of time in drawing off the fluid by making a
small cam c on the surface, or, as shown in the Drawings, within the substance of
the plug c, raise a separate valve k, by acting upon the lower end of a rod or wire k',
to which such valve is connected, and thus admit the outer air to the interior of the
vessel a to replace the fluid withdrawn; and when the cock is turned in the other
position the rod k of the valve k is acted upon by a spring to close the valve.
At the upper part of the cover of the vessel a is an eye-hole a' covered by glass,
as shown, through which a ball or indicator f³ carried by the spindle f¹ may be
seen to rise or fall on the liquid being admitted to or drawn off from the vessel a,
by which means it can be readily ascertained when the vessel is filled.
As represented at Figure 10 I sometimes in lieu of the valve k fix a tubo to the
cock c, which tube extends nearly to the top of the vessel a, so that when the plug c¹
of the cock is turned to draw off the whole or a portion of the liquid from the
measuring vessel a, an opening e' in the plug c' makes a communication between
the air tube and the outer air, and admits the latter to replace the liquid as it is
drawn out.
The plug c¹ is operated by a handle c* fixed thereto, and motion is communicated
to the counting gear and registering hands by means of a stud or projection co fixed
to the plug c, which stud c acts to give a to-and-fro motion to a lever m, carrying
a driver m², which gives motion to the first wheel n of a train of gearing, giving
motion to hands or pointers working over a suitable dial as shown; other suitable
arrangements of gearing may however be employed.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode I prefer
to employ in carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I
claim is the peculiar construction of means or mechanism by which the action of
the apparatus for measuring liquids is rendered more certain and definite than has
heretofore been attained; substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Robert Johnson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
T T
TATIANAN