Improvements in Water Meters.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 8th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 7th Apr., 1894
Improvements in Water Meters.
I, WILLIAM CURLE, of 98, Crampton Street, Newington Butts, in the County
of Surrey, Bath and Trunk Maker do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
My invention relates to improvements in water meters and the objects of it are
to provide a meter which will work with any or a varying pressure, shall have all
its bearings and the like out of water, will register accurately, and be efficiently
safe-guarded against the lifting of the supply valve.
In carrying the invention into effect I provide a vessel separated by a horizontal
diaphragm into two chambers. The upper is the measuring chamber. The water
is delivered into the measuring chamber near the diaphragm through a suitable
pipe which is controlled by the supply valve. The spindle of this valve is
prolonged through a suitable stuffing box, its opposite end resting in or on a
suitable bearing. The valve is preferably of such a construction that the motion
of the spindle through an arc will open it and a reverse of that motion close it.
The rush of water into the measuring vessel is checked down to a steady delivery
by a ball or float the rise of which is adapted to engage a lever connected with the
valve so as to close the latter as much as may be necessary.
Two floats or balls are made fast by their stems to the said spindle at about
right angles with it, one on one side and the other on the opposite side of the
vertical plane passing through the axis of the spindle. The rising water lifts one
float-say the front one-and pulls the back one to the front of the vertical plane
whereupon its lift closes the valve. The closure of the valve is timed by the
position of the two floats to be effected when the given quantity of water has
entered the measuring chamber.
.
An arm preferably from the stem of the first mentioned float engages with a
suitable registering device.
A second arm from, preferably, the same float is adapted to lift a third arm
pivotted to the side of the measuring vessel and from this third arm depends the
spindle of the valve on the diaphragm through which the water flows into the
second chamber. The lead of this valve consists of skeleton wires arranged
triangularly in plan instead of the usual three wings heretofore used. The
substitution of the wires for the latter expedites the flow of the water. The latter
falls into an open bowl or receiver supported at a suitable height in the second
chamber and flows from the receiver over its sides as well as through a port of a
definite size formed in or near the bottom thereof. The receiver contains a float
the spindle of which is led upwards through the diaphragm and a pipe standing
up therefrom to the outer end of the third arm above mentioned to which it is
connected. The point at which the diaphragm valve is connected to this arm is
between its outer end and its pivot.
As the third arm drops, following the water escaping from the measuring vessel
into the second chamber, the diaphragm valve settles on to its seat by the time the
said vessel is empty. The emptying receiver is checked by the size of the port in
the bottom of it.
A counterpoise equal to the pressure in the main is provided for the purpose of
closing the supply valve. It is hung on a lever connected with the latter. This
counterpoise is itself counterpoised by the power of the float in the receiver,
through a suitable connection. This latter float is strong enough to keep the
supply valve closed against the pressure in the main, even if the first mentioned

page_text: counterpoise is out of action. If both fail then the second float is capable of
keeping the said valve on its seat. The invention therefore provides three
guarantees against the valve lifting.
Suitable overflows and air pipes are provided.
The draw off from the bottom chamber is preferably from the middle of the
bottom, which is dished accordingly to facilitate flushing. The diaphragm is
inclined or dished for the purpose of expediting the emptying of the measuring
chamber.
Dated this 9th 1. of Lun 1202
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Meters.
I, WILLIAM CURLE of No. 98 Crampton Street, Newington Butts, in the
County of Surrey, Bath and Trunk Maker, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements in water meters, and the objects of it are
to provide a meter which will work with any, or even with a varying, pressure of
water which shall have all its bearings and the like parts out of water; which
will register accurately, and which will be efficiently safe-guarded against the
accidental lifting of the supply valve.
In order that the invention, and the best means of carrying it into practical
effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will now describe it and them in detail,
referring in so doing to the accompanying figures which are to be taken as part of
this Specification and read therewith.
Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation omitting the registering mechanism and a
portion of the diaphragm, and shewing the position of the several parts when the
measuring chamber is about one third full.
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 5.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, taken after the removal of part of
the side and illustrating the action of the water in the receiver upon the receiver
float.
Figure 6 is a side elevation illustrating a modified construction of the pair of
floats.
Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a is the case of the meter; and a', its removeable
cover. b is a diaphragm dividing the case into two chambers e and d. The top
chamber c is the measuring chamber. The bottom chamber serves to catch the
measured water as it falls from the receiver. e is the supply pipe through which
the water to be measured is delivered into the measuring chamber, as indicated by
the arrow in Figure 1. f is the stop valve adapted to control the supply pipe.
g is the delivery pipe from the valve f. Its mouth stands just clear of the
diaphragm b. is an ordinary ball, and is its stem having its fulcrum in a
knuckle joint projecting from the opposite end of the chamber c. The function
of this ball is to check the rush of the water from the supply pipe e past the valve f,
and it does this by gradually shutting off the supply as the water rises in the
measuring chamber. 3 is a stop for the ball stem 4'. The necessary connection
between the valve fand the ball is as follows. ¡ is a horizontal bar and i, are
a pair of fingers held fast thereto and at a right angle therewith, in any convenient
way. The details of the way in which they are so held are variable. They are
described in full further on. The two fingers i, engage in grooves cut in

page_text: opposite sides of the valve spindle f. f' is a lug from the valve shell and through
this and the device which holds the armi and the fingers fast together, there is
passed a pin f, which, therefore, provides a fulcrum for the bell crank lever i ii,
of which is the longer and the fingers with the intermediate parts, the shorter
arm. The outer end of the arm i is cranked as shewn in Figure 3 so as to make
it stand in the path of the ball stem has the ball h rises. The latter is stopped by
its stem contacting with the stop ³ before the valve is quite closed.
j, j are a pair of floats. They are held together at an angle, as shewn in
Figure 2, by a cranked bar . The angle in question is, preferably, rather less
than a right angle. This pair of floats turns upon the fixed horizontal rod k as
their axis, and which rod is shewn as being made fast by one end to the measuring
chamber and by the other, to the outer end of the shell of the valve f. k' is a bush
made fast to the rod for the purpose of giving the pair of floats a longer bearing
upon the rod k, and ², k² are distance pieces right and left of it. The float j is
shewn by the full lines in Figure 2 as hemispherical with the flat side uppermost,
but it may be spherical, or three fourths of a sphere, as indicated by the respective
dotted lines in the same figure. The positions of the floats j, j relatively to each
other, as well as to their axis A, is of importance, for a reason which will appear
further on.
When the water in the chamber c is too low to affect them, the float j
stands with its centre on one side of the vertical plane which passes through the
axis k; the float j standing entirely on the other side. One of the functions of this
pair of floats is to work the registering mechanism 1. The latter is contained in a
case on the outside of the adjacent end of the measuring chamber C, and the
connection between the floats and it consists-referring to Figures 2 and 3-of an
arm carried by the float j, the said arm taking into a loop on the end of an
arm, the opposite and eyed end of which latter turus loosely upon the axis /
upon which there is fixed a ratchet wheel fast to the first wheel of the
registering mechanism, and with which ratchet wheel engages the gravity poise 17
pivotted on the side of the said arm l. The other and more important function of
the pair of floats in question is to control the supply valve. The connection
between them and the valve f is by means of an arm m carried by the float j and
standing under the arm n described further on. The angle at which the two
floats, stand with relation to each other, provides for the former of them pulling
the latter past the vertical plane already referred to, to its own side thereof,
thereby bringing the buoyancy of both floats to bear upon the valve. They are,
therefore, made of the proper size, and set in the proper position, for effecting the
closure of the valve f by the time that the measuring chamber c is full. When the
chamber c is empty, the bottom of the float j is higher than the top of the ball h,
as shewn in Figure 1. The rise of the said float is gradual, being not faster than
that of the water in the chamber c, but at the moment that the centre of the float j'
passes the vertical plane which contains the axis k, the said float is in deep water,
and consequently comes up with a rush, but remains submerged even at the top of
its travel, thereby maintaining a closing action equal to its full buoyancy upon the
valve. The arm is pivotted to the back of the vessel c so as to work by the
side of the pair of floats, . The pivot illustrated is a knuckle joint n'. n is a
loop on its under side through which there is passed one end of the arm n³. The
latter has its fulcrum in the before mentioned pin to receive which the said lever
is provided with a forked end n' with the two cheeks of which the fingers i are,
respectively, integral. The arm n is therefore the longer arm of a bell crank lever
of which the forked end n' and the fingers constitute the shorter.
is the discharge valve. It is suspended by a rod o' from the arm and has its
seat in the diaphragm bin which is formed the discharge port of which it controls.
There is a certain amount of play given to the rod o' in the head of the valve o, as
indicated by the dotted lines at o³ on Figure 2. The object of this play is to
prevent the valve o being lifted off its seat before the desired quantity of water has
entered the measuring chamber, as well as before the supply valve has been fully
closed. The lead of the valve consists of a skeleton o' made up of wires arranged

page_text: triangularly in plan. The substitution of the wires for the usual three wings,
expedites the flow of the water through the port o%. The latter does not deliver
directly into the chamber d but into an intermediate receiver p through the shoot pl.
The receiver p is a vessel suspended from the underside of the diaphragm b. pis
a float adapted to work freely up and down in the said receiver. It is suspended
by a rod from the front end of the arm n. p is a tube standing up from the
diaphragm b around the hole p³ in the latter, through which the rod ps works. The
object of the tube p is to prevent the water flowing down through the hole ps. It
is continued upwards to a little above the level at which the water stands in the
measuring chamber c when the latter is full. p is a discharge port from the
receiver p into the chamber d. It is much smaller than the port o².
9 is an arm connected with the valve f by being made fast to the downward
continuations ³, 3 of the cheeks of the forked end and which downward con-
tinuations also serve the same purpose for the arm i. So far the arm g is a
prolongation of the arm i, and is per se the longer arm of a bell crank lever having
its fulcrum on the pin f and the parts, n₁ and for its shorter arm. q' is a
counterpoise upon the outer end of the said longer arm q. The weight of
the counterpoise is adjusted to be equal to the pressure in the supply pipe e.
is the discharge port from the chamber d, the bottom of which is dished towards
its centre where the port is made. is a pipe provided for the free escape of air
from the chamber d. The tube p also serves the same purpose.
The invention constructed as described and illustrated works as follows. When
the ball is in the position shewn in Figures 1 and 2, that is, with the chamber c
empty or nearly so, the water rushes through the pipe e past the valve f and floats
the said ball upwards, gradually closing the valve f and shutting off the water
accordingly. By the time that the rise of the ball his stopped by the stop ³, the
delivery into the chamber has slowed down to the extent that the water rises
gradually therein and with a level surface. The rising water next engages the
float and begins to lift it, thereby bringing the arm to bear against the arm n,
swinging it upwards accordingly and taking the weight of the arm n, the discharge
valve 0, its rod o' the float pand its rod p³ off the arm³, thereby freeing the
counterpoise q' which forthwith closes the valve down upon its seat. The loop n²
is, at that moment, clear of the underside of the arm, but the float j' has been
pulled past the vertical plane of the axis k', and rising with a rush, lifts the arm ³
further and the discharge valve o off its seat. The motion of the floats j, j', arm n
and rod without lifting the valve o off its seat, is rendered possible by the play
at ³.
As soon as the port o2 is open, the water flows through it and the shoot pl
into the receiver p. The escape of it from the chamber e leads to the drop of the
floats and j and would lead to the drop of the arm n, the premature closure of
the port o² and opening of the valve f, only that such drop and premature closing
This
and opening are prevented by an accumulation of water in the receiver p.
accumulation is caused by the smallness of the discharge port p as compared with
the size of the port o³, and is necessary for the successful operation of my invention.
Its function is to keep the float p² up to the top of the vessel P and, consequently,
the valve o off, and the valve on, their respective seats. The buoyancy of the
float p2 is not less than the pressure in the supply pipe e.
The easy escape of
the water from the vessel beyond the quantity which is necessary to keep the
float p2 up in the last mentioned position, is provided for by cutting away the top of
the vessel p along the front and sides, as shewn in Figures 2 and 5.
water has flowed out of the measuring chamber c, the float p² begins to drop; next,
the valve o reaches its seat and closes the port o²; and lastly, the arm n engages the
arm and the combined weight of the said arm (n), the rod o', the float p² and its
rod p³, opens the valve f against the weight of the counterpoise q
When all the
The modification in the construction of the pair of floats j, j which is illustrated
in Figure 6 consists in pivotting them independently of each other on the rod k and
combining with their stems a device by which they can be held together as soon as
it becomes necessary for the purpose of the invention that the float j should pull

page_text: the float after it. The cranked bar is accordingly replaced by j³ and jª, the-
former being the stem of the float j' and the latter, a lug on the float, which lug acts
as a stem. The stem and lug are pivotted on the rod k side by side or knuckle-
wise. is a shoulder on the lug and a projection from the stem j³, the said
projection standing in the path of the lug for the purpose of locking the float j³ to.
the float; at the proper moment and keeping them locked until the former has been
pulled past the vertical plane far enough for its own buoyancy to assert itself. The
dotted representations of the pair of floats represent the terminal positions due to
the buoyancy of the float j. The intermediate dotted lines represent the highest
position of the float . The arms 12 and in are shewn as carried by the float j¹
instead of being by the float j. It is indifferent to which float they are connected
provided that their proper connections with their correlated mechanisms are duly
provided for.
If the ball broke down, the only mischievous consequence would be that the
motion of the float j' might, at the first, be a little unsteady. Beyond this, the-
invention would act satisfactorily.
The counterpoise q' is primarily relied on for keeping the valve ƒ shut down on
its seat against the pressure in the supply pipe e. If it, or its connecting mechanism,.
refuse to act, the buoyancy of the float p2, acting through the rod p³ and the arm »,
will keep the said valve on its seat against the said pressure.
These two.
inechanisms provide, between them, two independent and efficient checks against the
valve lifting off its seat, and a third is provided by the pair of floats j and j', in all,.
three independently acting and independently efficient checks.
It is to be distinctly understood that my invention does not limit me to the use
of the bell crank lever or other mechanisms illustrated for connecting the ball or
any of the floats or the counterpoise to the supply valve, or the receiver float to
the pair of floats, inasmuch as any other connecting mechanisms capable of
providing for the discharge of the several functions of the parts named may be
employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a supply valve, of a pair of floats adapted to be acted
upon by the rising water in turn, for the purpose of closing the said valve and
preventing it lifting off its seat.
2. The combination with a pair of floats, the two floats of which are adapted to
be acted upon by the rising water in turn, of a ball cock and valve adapted to check
the rush of the water from the supply pipe, as set forth.
3. The combination with the valve adapted to control the supply to the measuring-
chamber of a water meter, of two floats fast or working together at different levels,.
and standing, when the said chamber is empty, with their centres on opposite sides
of the vertical plane containing the horizontal axis about which they are adapted
to move.
4. The combination with the valve adapted to control the supply to the measuring
chamber of a water meter, of two floats fast or working together at different levels and
standing, when the said chamber is empty, with their centres on opposite sides of the
vertical plane containing the horizontal axis about which they are adapted to move ;.
a discharge valve adapted to be lifted off its seat by the rise of the said two floats;
a receiver open to the port controlled by the discharge valve, and a float in the said
receiver adapted, by being connected to the said discharge valve, to keep it off its
seat and the supply valve on its seat until the measuring chamber is empty, as set
forth.
5. The combination with the valve adapted to control the supply to the measuring
chamber of a water meter, of two floats fast or working together at different levels
and standing, when the said chamber is empty, with their centres on opposite sides
of the vertical plane containing the horizontal axis about which they are adapted.

page_text: to move; a discharge valve adapted to be lifted off its seat by the rise of the said
two floats; a receiver open to the port controlled by the discharge valve; a
counterpoise adapted to close the supply valve, and a float in the said receiver
adapted by being connected to the said discharge valve and under the influence of
the rising water, to keep the said discharge valve off its seat and the supply valve
on its seat, and adapted by its weight, aided by that of the discharge valve, to
keep the supply valve off its seat; as set forth.
6. The combination with the supply pipe and measuring chamber of a water
meter, of two floats fast or working together at different levels and standing, when
the said chamber is empty, with their centres on opposite sides of the vertical plane
containing the horizontal axis about which they are adapted to move, as and for
the purpose set forth.
7. The combination of supply valve to measuring chamber, receiver, and float in
the latter adapted to prevent the supply valve lifting after the measuring chamber
is full, as set forth.
8. The combination of two floats fast or working together at different levels, and at
such an angle with each other that they can be on opposite sides of the vertical
plane which contains the horizontal axis about which they are adapted to move, and
a connection between them and the supply valve whereby the lifting of the latter is
prevented after the measuring chamber is full, as set forth.
Dated this 8th day of March 1894.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.