Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1887
Specificaton Accepted, 18th Oct., 1887
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., the General Patent
Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents do
hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad by Charles
Berbaut, of Liège, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer) and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In the annexed drawing
Figure 1 represents a vertical section taken through the centre of the water meter.
Figures II, III and IV are views of the turbine.
Figures V, VI and VII, are views of the regulator.
Figure VIII is a view of the dial.
The apparatus is constructed of metal and consists firstly of the case or body 1 of
the meter, closed by means of a screw-down cover 2, and containing clockwork
mechanism for indicating the consumption of water; secondly of a case 3, screwed
into the interior of the meter at the centre thereof and containing a turbine 4 made
of ebonite; the case 3 has holes in its upper part for the passage of the water to the
outlet. The lower part is closed by a box in which is placed a dise 5, provided with
oblique holes and forming the regulator; the said disc is secured by means of a nut
and by turning the disc the size of the passages for the water can be increased or
diminished and the speed of the meter be regulated; thirdly, of the ebonite turbine 4,
having recesses inclined in the opposite direction to that of the holes of the regulator
and provided at its lower part with vanes or wings 6. The number of the recesses
and vanes as well as their height and width should be proportionate to the size of the
meter.
The clockwork mechanism is actuated by a worm 11 fixed to the upper part of the
shaft 12, of the turbine. This worm operates a set of three wheels which communicate
movement to three other wheels by means of a pinion.
The dial figure VIII is marked with 50 long lines or divisions which by means of a
small pointer 13 serve to indicate the myrialitre and with 50 shorter lines or divisions
which together with the long lines (making 100 in all) serve by means of a long index
or pointer 14 to indicate the five cubic metres; the index or pointer of the small

page_text: dial 15, indicates by each figure the passage of 500 cubic metres so that the whole of
the dial indicates 5000 cubic metres.
The action of the meter is as follows:
Water enters the apparatus through the lower screw union 7, passes through a
filter 8, and is projected through the oblique holes of the regulator onto the turbine
which it causes to rotate, firstly by striking the vanes and secondly by passing
through the recesses inclined in an opposite direction to the holes of the regulator.
The water then passes through the holes 10 in the turbine case to the screw-union
outlet 9.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
A water meter actuated by means of a turbine of ebonite or hardened india rubber
having inclined recesses and vanes or wings at its lower part with a regulator having
holes inclined in the opposite direction to that of the recesses of the turbine the whole
being arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.