Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Registering Flows of Water or other Fluids and the Application of the same to Rotary or other Meters.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1889
Specification Accepted, 4th May, 1859
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Registering Flows of
Water or other Fluids and the Application of the same to Rotary
or other Meters.
HENRY HERBERT SPORTON of Glen House, Chase Side, Enfield in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, and ERNEST WHITE of Hughenden Arlington Park Gardens
South, Gunnersbury in the county of Middlesex Gentleman, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in Registering Apparatus and the
application thereof to Rotary and other Water Meters so that a flow of Water passing
through any Rotary or other Water Meter can be automatically registered on a
Diagram-paper by the attachment of this appliance.
According to this Invention we attach to the body of an ordinary Rotary Meter or
other meter an Iron Frame with suitable adjusting screws, this Frame rises Vertically
above the said meter, on the outside of the Body of the meter to a suitable heigth
above the meter, and then runs Horizontally directly over the Centre of the Index
of the Meter; this Iron Frame has also a Table or projection on it upon which an
ordinary Clock is fixed and this Clock has a suitable Barrel on which is wound a
Wire or Silken Cord, this Wire or Cord is carried from the Barrel on the Clock
over two suitable Pullies which are connected to the Horizontal portion, or Top
portion of the Iron Frame before described; this Wire or Cord is made. to bang
directly over the Centre of the Index of the Meter.
This Wire or Cord supports a Cylindrical Drum on this Drum is. attached a
Diagram Paper in the usual manner, this Cylindrical Diagram Drum is lowered by
the Clock which unwinds the Wire or Cord off of the Barrel which is attached to the
Clock and thus causes it to lower. This lowering of the Diagram Drum is Regulated
by the Clock and in the Drawing annexed the Drum is made to lower a Quarter
of an inch per hour so that the Drum will lower Six Inches in 24 Hours..
The Barrel on which the Wire or Cord is wound is so arranged that it can be
thrown out of gear from the Clock and the Wire or Cord on this Barrel can be
unwound or wound up so that the Diagram Drum can be adjusted to any particular
height or hour of time.

page_text: To that portion of the Iron Frame which is directly above the Centre of the
Index of the Meter is attached a small Hollow Tube, this Tube at the Lower End
has a Solid End with a Centre point which can be made adjustable this Centre
point fits into a Step or Guide which is formed in the Top of the Spindle which
projects from the interior of the Meter.
The Wire or Cord which supports the Diagram Drum passes down the inside of this
Tube and is connected with the Diagram Drum by a pin which passes through this
Tube there being a suitable Slot in this Tube which allows this pin and also Diagram
Drum to be moved up and down in a vertical direction by means of the clock
and Wire or Cord; this Slot in the tube also prevents the Drum from turning
round.
One of the Spindles which carries the Index pointers in the ordinary meters is
carried up above the Top of the Meter and to this is attached an shaped pencil
carrier which has attached a suitable spring to keep the Pencil in contact with the
Diagram Paper which is placed round the Diagram Drum.
This Diagram Paper is divided into equal divisions vertically and according to
which spindle of the Index the Pencil holder is attached the Divisions of the Diagram
represent (if the Diagram is divided into Ten Equal parts) 10, 100, 1,000, or
10,000 Gallons; The Diagram is also divided with Horizontal Lines which represent
the time and if divided into 24 equal divisions each division will represent one
hour.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect
we have shewn in the Drawing hereunto annexed an ordinary Rotary Meter which
has our Antomatic Registering Appliance attached and constructed in accordance
with our Invention but we wish it to be clearly understood that our appliance is
applicable to any-similar-meter if inverted or placed in any other position.
The annexed Drawing shows an elevation-of-an ordinary Rotary Meter with our
Automatic Registering Appliance with Letters of reference attached.
A. shews the Body of an ordinary Meter.
B. shews the Iron Frame attached to Body of the meter.
B&B are the adjusting screws in the Iron Frame which secures the Iron Frame
firmly with the Body of the Meter.
B shews the table or projection on the Iron-frame on which the Clock fixed.
B & B shews the pullies attached to the Iron Frame on which the Wire or Cord
traverses.
B shews the attachment of the small Hollow Guide Tube with the Iron-Frame.
C. shews an ordinary Clock.
C shews the Clock Hour spindle with a small Spur wheel fixed on same, this. spur
wheel gears into Spur-wheel C.
Cshews a large Spur wheel and Barrel upon which the Wire or Cord is
wound.
D. shews the Wire or Silken Cord which is wound round Barrel and is carried
over the guide pullies B & B and is connected on to the Pin which supports the
Diagram Drum E.
E. shews the Diagram Drum upon which is placed the Dingram paper.
F. shews the Hollow Guide Tube which is attached to the Iron Frame at B; this
Hollow Tube also acts as Guide for the Diagram Drum E.
Fshews the Slot in the Hollow Tube through which the pin passes to support the
Diagram Drum E. and also the mode of attaching the Wire D with the pin which
supports the Diagram Drum.
Fshews the Solid end of the Hollow Guide Tube with a Centro point end.
G. shows the Spindle projecting from the interior of the Meter this spindle being
attached to one of the Spindles of the Index pointers.
G' shews the Step or Guide at the top of the Index Spindle which forms a suitable
Bearing or Guide for the Pointed end of the Hollow Guide Tube F2.
H: shews the shaped pencil carrier which has a suitable pencil holder and Spring
for keeping in contact the pencil with the Diagram paper at H³.

page_text: The action of this Invention is as follows.
The Clock (being wound up and the Diagrain Drum E. with a Diagram paper
upon same being raised to its highest point, the pencil carrier being attached to the
Index Spindle which carries the Index Pointer say to the Index Spindle which makes
one completo Revolution for 10,000 Gallons of Fluid passing through the meter and
the Diagram paper being divided into Ten equal parts vertically and also into 24 equal
divisions Horizontally each of the Horizontal Divisions represent one Hour and each
of the Vertical Divisions will represent 1,000 Gallons. In the annexed Drawing the
first Horizontal Division from the Bottom of the Diagram Drum represents 12 o'clock
Noon and also the Diagram is divided into Ten Equal Divisions Vertically as described
above and the Index Spindle which projects above the Top of the Meter is connected
with the 10,000 Index pointer that is the pointer which makes one Complete
Revolution for 10,000 Gallons of Fluid passing through the meter. The pencil (or
other marking apparatus) being inserted in the Pencil Holder and made to press
lightly upon the Diagram paper. We now imagine that the Fluid is passing through
the ordinary Meter at the Rate of 1,000 Gallons per hour, this quantity of Fluid
passing through the Meter causes the same to be registered upon its Dial, and with
our Appliance attached it also registers this amount upon the Diagram Paper by the
following means: The fluid passing through an ordinary meter causes the Mechanism
within the Meter to be set in motion this motion is transmitted through the Index
pointer to which our Appliance is attached, to the pencil Holder and causes this
pencil holder and pencil to revolve round the Diagram Drum in a Concentric manner.
The fluid passing through the Meter at the rate of 1,000 Gallons per Hour will
cause the pencil to trace a line on the Diagram Paper from one Vertical Line to
the next vertical line and if the Clock is set in motion at the same time the Clock
will unwind the Wire or ('ord D. off of the Barrel C and will thus have caused
the Diagram Drum E. to have lowered to the next Horizontal line forming the
first division and thus indicated that 1000 Gallons of Fluid had passed in One Hour
and if the quantity of Fluid in the next hour equals 10,000 Gallons the pencil will
trace a fine Line right round the Diagram paper which equals 10 divisions and at the
same time the clock would have lowered the Diagram drum to the next Horizontal
line forming the second Division or Second Hour and would have thus registered that
10,000 Gallons had passed through the meter in the second hour.
These Variations of Flows of Fluid passing through an ordinary Meter varies
indefinitely but this variation can be accurately recorded during any space of time by
the application of our Automatic registering apparatus to any fluid meter which has
an ordinary Index or Dial Counter.
The object of this apparatus is to attach it to any ordinary fluid Meter so that the
quantities of Fluid passing through the Meter at any given time Day or Night can be
accurately defined.
There are several other modes than that described of making this appliance for
instance the Diagram Drum can be attached to any of the Index Spindles within
an ordinary Meter similar as we describe in the attachment of the Pencil Carrier
to the Index Spindle, and the pencil can be attached to the Clock so that it will
act the same as the Diagram Drum being lowered by the clock. Also a Flat
Circular Disc can be used for carrying a Circular Diagram and this Circular Disc and
Diagram can be attached to the Index Spindle and the Cock made to work the pencil
across the Diagram paper.
Having now described our Invention and the best mode known of carrying it
into effect we wish it to be clearly understood that we do not confine ourselves
to the precise details shewn as these may be varied indefinitely but what we desire
to claim is.
First. The attachment of this apparatus or any similar apparatus to an ordinary
meter for the purpose of registering the variation of the Flows of Fluids or Gases.
Second. The mode of attaching this apparatus with an ordinary Meter as described
in the accompanying drawing.

page_text: Third. The mode of supporting the Diagram Drum E. by the Wire or Cord D
and the arrangement by which the Diagram Drum can be lowered by means of the
Clock C
Fourth. The Guide Tube F. and the slot in this Guide tube F¹ by which means the
Diagram Drum is prevented from turning round.
Fifth. The general construction, combination and arrangement of our automatic
registering appliance substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 19th day of January 188a
HENRY HERBERT SPORTON..
ERNEST WHITE.