AN IMPROVED LIQUID METER
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Leander Wolcott Boynton, of Hartford, Connecticut,
United States of America, now of 8, Southampton Buildings, London, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED LIQUID METER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Leander Wolcott Boynton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th August 1878.
LEANDER WOLCOTT BOYNTON, of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of
America, now of 8, Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED LIQUID
METER."
This Invention relates to a machine for measuring water and other liquids, the
liquid being measured in a cylinder and expelled therefrom by the action of a
piston moving in the same.
a
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a double piston having
recess or space between the heads, and operating in a main cylinder in connection
with a slide valve and a valve case containing the main valve placed within a
chest connected with the main cylinder, also with a lever pivoted to the valve case
and extending down through the exhaust port into the cavity in the double piston
of the main cylinder, and connected at the upper end with the slide valve by means
of which (together with the ports and openings made in the main cylinder and
valve case) the said valves and piston are operated, all of which will be more fully
herein-after described. The upper side of the said cylinder is faced off to a plane
flat surface, where the inlet ports together with a supply passage or aperture
extending up in the casting from the inlet pipe open out.
The valve case is bolted down to this flat surface with its inlet spaces corre-
sponding in size and position with the ports in the cylinder face, and with an
opening in its lower side corresponding with the exhaust port in the cylinder; and
this valve case,
which may have one or both its ends bolted thereto and made
removable, contains the main valve, having four discs made to fit properly the

page_text: interior of the said valve case. Two of the said discs are made near one end of the
valve and the other two discs near the other end thereof, with an opening provided
through the middle portion of the valve, and the latter is provided with wings on
each side to close the inlet ports in the case, as required. The lower side of the
said case is provided with ears into which a lever is pivoted, and the slide valve
moves to and fro between suitable guides provided on the top of the said valve case,
the said slide valve being provided with lugs or any equivalent arrangement, so
that the upper end of the said lever may readily engage with the slide valve to
move it.
The aforesaid valve case is provided with ports at the top near each end, and also
with side ports in one or both sides, the aforesaid inlet spaces and the said side
ports and the two said inlet spaces being in the same vertical plane as the opening
of the inlet ports in the cylinder face.
"
The interior of the valve case may be of any desired form in its cross section,
and the aforesaid main valve is of such corresponding form as to fit closely the
interior of the valve case, but to slide to and fro freely therein. This main valve,
which in the arrangement herein described, is of cylindrical form in its cross section,
is provided with two discs at one end and two others at the other end, as herein-
before stated, and with a space between the two at either end equal to the width
of the inlet space in the lower side of the case at either end, and the two inner
discs extend in towards the middle of the valve on both sides, forming the afore-
said wings of sufficient depth and width to completely cover the side ports on the
inside when the valve is moved to and fro for that purpose. The valve case is pro-
vided with ears into which is pivoted the said lever, which extends up through an
opening in the main valve and into a cavity or hollow of the slide valve, and
engages with the aforesaid lugs on the inside of said valve, or into a recess made
therein, so that the lever may move the said valve to and and fro freely when in
operation.
It is evident that this lever may be pivoted. either inside the case or in the
upper side of the cylinder quite as well; but I prefer to pivot it in the ears for
convenience, as the lever may be removed with the valve, and it is simple in its
construction. This lever when the valve case is placed upon the flat surface of the
cylinder and secured thereto extends down into the cylinder through the exhaust
port to a point between the pistons, and in practice the lever should be made
sufficiently small to permit the water or other liquid to pass freely all around it in
passing down through the exhaust port, with guides or other means for preventing
the main valve from acquiring any rotary movement as it moves to and fro.
When all the parts are in place a chest is placed over the valve case and slide
valve, and bolted to the faced part of the cylinder. The orifice of the outlet opens
directly into the cylinder midway of its length.
In a meter constructed according to this Invention the opposite ends of the
cylinder which are made to hold any proper quantity of water or other liquid are,
by the operation of the parts above described, alternately filled and emptied, and
the number of times this is done is indicated upon a register connected either with
the pistons or with the slide valve in the chest, as may be most convenient and
desirable.
The working parts of the machine may be made of metal that will not easily
corrode, and the main valve may be made of hard india-rubber, or its axial portion
may be made of metal with hard india-rubber discs secured thereon, as hard india-
rubber is much lighter and the valve may be made cheaper.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Leander Wolcott Boynton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th February 1879.
LEANDER WOLCOTT BOYNTON, of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of
America, now of 8, Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED LIQUID
METER."
My Invention relates to a machine or apparatus for measuring water and other
liquids, and termed a liquid meter. The said machine is constructed with a cylinder
in which a chamber or space for holding a determined or given quantity is filled
with liquid, which is thereby measured and is then expelled therefrom by the action
of a piston moving in the said cylinder.
According to the said Invention I provide the said cylinder with a double piston,
having a space between its heads, and operating in the said cylinder in connection
with a slide valve and a valve case containing a main valve placed within a chest
connected with the said cylinder. A lever pivotted below the valve case extends
down through the exhaust port into the space between the heads of the double
piston in the cylinder, and is connected at its upper end with the slide valve; by
means of this valve and the arrangement of ports in the cylinder and valve case
the said valves and piston are operated, as more fully herein-after described.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing in which,―
Figure 1 is a plan of the aforesaid cylinder with the chest and valve case
removed.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same with the chest removed; but with the valve case.
and lever in place.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the chest valve case, main
valve cylinder, and piston; Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line x, x,
Figure 3; Figure 5 is a side view of the said valve case and slide valve.
Figure 6 is a plan of the main valve.
Figure 7 is a plan or top view of the slide valve.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
a is the cylinder containing the double piston whose two heads b', 62, are con-
nected by the part b. The said cylinder is provided with the admission ports c and
the exhaust port d, as clearly shewn in Figure 3. On the upper side of the said
cylinder I plane a flat surface or port face a¹, from which the ports c and d
extend.
The valve case e is fitted tightly and bolted down to this flat surface a¹, with its
ports e¹ corresponding in size and position with the ports c and with an opening
in its lower side corresponding with the exhaust port d in the cylinder a, and this
case e, which may have one or both of its ends bolted thereto and made removable,
contains the main valve f, which is constructed to fit properly the interior of the
case e.
It will be seen, by reference to Figure 6, that the said main valve is of a flat
oblong shape, consisting of a rectangular frame with ports through which the water
passes from the case e to the cylinder. The top of the case e, on which the slide
valve h moves to and fro, is also formed with a central port e³ and with two ports
e¹, es, at or near each end, for the purposes herein-after specified; or I may modify
the construction of this valve by making it with discs near its ends and with
an opening through the middle portion of the valve, the latter being pro-
vided with wings on each side to close inlet ports formed in the side of the
case e; but I prefer the form of valve shewn in the Drawing. The lever g is
pivotted or fulcrummed at the sides of the ports below the front face, as shewn
at gl. The slide valve h moves to and fro between suitable guides formed by the
sides of the upper plate e** of the case e. The upper extremity of the said lever
being properly formed, as shewn at g², to fit the cavity h¹ of the valve h; or the

page_text: latter may be formed with lugs or otherwise arranged to readily engage with the
said lever moved by the same. The said slide valve h is made hollow and with a
central aperture or port h¹ and two apertures h³ near its ends, and which commu-
nicate through the hollow portions h³ with the said central aperture. The said
hollow portions h³ form arches or bridges over apertures or passages h¹, extending
from side to side of the valve, and which serve for the admission of the liquid from
the interior of the chest to the interior of the case e, as herein-after described.
The case e is provided with the ports es, e, near its ends, and also with the central
ports e, es, as shewn in Figure 3, and these ports are in the same or nearly the
same vertical plane as the ports c, c, and e¹, e¹, as shewn in Figure 3.
The interior of the said case e may be of any desired form in its cross section,
and the valve fis of such corresponding form as to fit closely the interior of the
case while free to slide to and fro freely therein.
The lever g, when the case e is placed upon the flat surface or port face of the
cylinder and secured thereto, extends down into the cylinder through the exhaust
port d between the piston heads 61, 62. It will be seen that the said lever is so
arranged in the exhaust port that there is sufficient space for the water to pass
freely all around it down through the said exhaust port.
When all the above-described parts are in place the chest k is placed over the
case e and slide valve h, and bolted to the flange or faced part of the cylinder. The
inlet and outlet orifices a², a³, are opposite each other at the centre of the cylinder.
The outlet aperture or passage a³ extends directly through the side of the cylinder,
as shewn in Figure 4.
The operation of this improved apparatus is as follows, that is to say.:-Suppose
water to be admitted from a head or reservoir through the port a² to the chest k,
and the double piston to be at one end of its stroke or with one of the heads or
pistons close to the adjacent end of the cylinder a, the lever g will consequently
have its upper end thrown over in the opposite direction, so that the slide valve h
will uncover the port e' at the end of the casing e, corresponding with the end of
the cylinder now occupied by the piston, as shewn in Figure 3. The water
entering through this open port e into the space inside the case e between its end
and the end of the main valve f forces the latter away from the said end of the
case, so that one of the ports fl of the said valve is in line or coincident with the
ports e, e¹, and c; the water then enters the aperture h¹ in the valve h, and passes
through the ports e, f¹, e¹, and c to the aforesaid end of the cylinder and drives the
piston back toward the other end of the said cylinder. The head or piston thus
acted upon by the water comes in contact with the lower or inner end g³ of the
lever g, thereby reversing the same and moving the slide valve to uncover the
other port of the case e, and a corresponding movement of the main valve and
piston takes place in the opposite direction, the said valve being thereby moved
to bring its other port f¹ in line with the corresponding ports es, e', and c, and its
central port or aperture into a position to form a communication between the
ports c and d of the cylinder.
The hollow portions h³ of the slide valve serve as exhaust ports or passages,
through which the liquid which has entered the end of the case e to move the
valve fin one direction can escape to permit the said valve to return or move in
the opposite direction; this exhaust or discharge of the water takes place through
the said hollow parts of the valve h to its central aperture h¹, and thence through
the ports e and d and through the exhaust orifice as at the side of the cylinder a.
The liquid that enters at each stroke or movement of the piston at one end of the
cylinder a is by the next stroke or reverse movement of the said piston forced from
the space between the piston and the end of the cylinder through the port c into
the central aperture or port of the valve into the port d, and through the latter
into the space between the piston heads 6', 62, in the cylinder, and thence out
through the discharge orifice a³. In this manner the ends of the cylinder, which
may be of any desired capacity, are alternately filled and emptied, and the number
of times this operation takes place is counted upon registering mechanism con-

page_text: nected either with the pistons or with the valve h in the chest, as may be most
convenient and desirable. I prefer however to arrange this registering mechanism
on the top of the chest, as shown at o, and to impart the required movement to the
same from the valve h by means of an inclined or cam slot p in the back or top of
the said valve or in a piece fixed thereon, and a lever q connected with the index
mechanism and provided with a shank which projects into the said slot, as shewn
in Figure 3.
The working parts of the said apparatus or machine should be of metal that will
not easily corrode. The valve fƒ may be provided with india-rubber cushions f* at
its ends to prevent or diminish noise in its working.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I claim, a machine or apparatus constructed
with a cylinder which contains a double or double-headed piston, and with a chest
containing the main valve and its case and a slide valve, which slide valve is
arranged to be operated by the double piston through the medium of the lever .
passing through the main valve, and which apparatus is provided with the apertures,
ports, and passages in the said cylinder, case, and valves, and with registering
mechanism, all so arranged that the liquid admitted to the said chest will pass.
to the cylinder and will be measured in and discharged from the same, as above.
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Leander Wolcott Boynton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
L. W. BOYNTON. (L.S.)