IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING, CHECKING, CONTROLLING, INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE MOVEMENTS, SPEEDS, AND QUANTITIES OF LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS PASSING IN OR BETWEEN GIVEN TIMES, THE IMPROVEMENTS APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE SPEED OF MACHINERY GENERALLY IN PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph John Tylor of 2 Newgate Street in the City of
London Civil Engineer, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING, CHECKING, CONTROLLING, INDICATING
AND REGISTERING THE MOVEMENTS, SPEEDS, AND QUANTITIES OF LIQUIDS OR
FLUIDS PASSING IN OR BETWEEN GIVEN TIMES, THE IMPROVEMENTS
APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR
INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE SPEED OF MACHINERY GENERALLY
IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph John Tylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd February 1883.
JOSEPH JOHN TYLOR, of 2, Newgate Street, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer * IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR
MEASURING, CHECKING, CONTROLLING, INDICATING, AND REGISTERING, THE MOVE-
MENTS, SPEEDS, AND QUANTITIES, OF LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS PASSING IN OR BETWEEN
GIVEN TIMES, THE IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING
BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE SPEED
MACHINERY GENERALLY;
"
OF
This invention relates partly to improvements in piston meters, and partly to
improvements in apparatus for indicating, registering, and recording, the move-
ments, speeds, or quantities, of liquids or fluids passing through meters in or between
given times or the speed of any moving machinery. Part of the said invention
relates to improvements on the invention for which Letters patent were granted to
me and to William Alfred Tylor dated 21st July 1880 N° 3007.
The object of the present invention is to simplify, perfect, and cheapen apparatus
for similar purposes already in use.
i
The improvements in piston meters relate particularly to such meters as have
two uncontrolled, unconnected, or independent pistons, each of which is so related
1

page_text: to the valve arrangements of the other that each piston at some point in its stroke
reverses the valve of the other; also to meters in which a smaller piston or a
diaphragm is arranged to operate the valve of a larger piston. The said improve-
ments consist in placing each of the valves (which may be in the form of plug
cocks) in an enlarged part of the cylinder itself instead of in a separate chamber,
each cylinder being provided with separate inlets and outlets, the chief object of
this part of the improvements being to prevent shock, or to cushion the fluid or
liquid. The cylinders with their cover are so arranged in an improved casing that
they can be easily taken to pieces and opened out for cleaning or repair without
disturbing the supply pipe to the meter, there being only one joint to open.
I also employ a back pressure valve to prevent the escape of water from the
consumer's service pipe when the meter is removed.
The pistons or rains move sometimes alone and sometimes together, the strokes
of the pistons may be of different lengths and the pistons of different sizes, but
the mechanism is by preference so arranged that the intervals between the move-
ments of the pistons shall be as small as possible. I sometimes make the pistons
or rams of a light material such as ebonite for example so that they will float, and
1 arrange that when rams are employed they shall work through comparatively
narrow collars in the cylinders so as to reduce the surfaces in contact and I find in
practice that with this arrangement no packing is required.
In order to avoid the irregularity sometimes caused by variation of stroke when
one of the piston movements is not recorded, I sometimes substitute a diaphragm to
work the valve of the measured piston, or the strokes of the two pistons-may be of
different lengths, or the pistons of different sizes, the form of the case, and
"arrangement of inlets and outlets being modified accordingly.
I prefer to employ plug cocks in these arrangements provided with the necessary
pasanges instead of flat valves as the latter are found in practice not to be
sufficiently tight for the small velocities of water which occur in domestic supplies.
I also prefer to use plug cocks in order to avoid arrangements requiring two flat
surfaces in each valve chamber to be kept liquid tight as is the case in some forms
of meter.
The registering movement is connected to one of the pistons or rams and may
consist of a rack and pinion, a cam and ratchet or a quick screw with automatic
arrangement to prevent registration of the back stroke. The inechanism is also so
arranged that registration ceases as soon as the meter stops.
I also provide means of correcting or adjusting the registering of the meter from
the outside without taking the meter to pieces.
The improvements in registering apparatus relate to arrangements whereby a
pointer or diagram is made to indicate instantaneously the number of revolutions
or strokes in a given time of a meter or any other machine. These arrangements
consist of a friction roller adapted to rotate in contact with and at right angles to
a disc which it causes to rotate slower or faster according as it is moved radially
further from or nearer to the centre of the disc. The said friction roller is connected
with a time escapement by means of a special friction clutch the result being that
each change of speed is indicated at a glance by a pointer on a dial or graphically
1mm

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph John Tylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd August 1883.
JOSEPH JOHN TYLOR, of 11 Little Queen Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR
MEASURING, CHECKING, CONTROLLING, INDICATING, AND REGISTERING THE MOVE-
MENTS, SPEEDS, AND QUANTITIES OF LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS PASSING IN OR BETWEEN
GIVEN TIMES, THE IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING
BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE SPEED OF
MACHINERY GENERALLY"
This invention relates partly to improvements in piston meters, and partly to
improvements in apparatus for indicating, registering and recording the move-
ments, speeds, or quantities of liquids or fluids passing through meters, in, or between
given times. Part of the said invention relates to improvements on the invention
for which Letters Patent were granted to me and to William Alfred Tylor dated
21 July 1880 No. 3007.
The object of the present invention is to simplify, perfect and cheapen apparatus
for similar purposes already in use especially when intended for the measurement
of small daily consumptions of water, such as those for domestic use, or where the
water has to be measured at the rate of a gallon an hour or upwards, which object
has never before been obtained in practice so far as I am aware except by the use
of leathered pistons which frequently set fast with moderate pressures.
The improvements in piston meters relate particularly to such meters as have
two uncontrolled, unconnected or independent pistons or rams each of which is so
related to the valve arrangements of the other, that each piston or ram, at some
point in its stroke, reverses the valve of the other: also to meters in which a
smaller piston or ram or a diaphragm is arranged to operate the valve of the larger
piston or ram.
In meters of this class, as heretofore constructed, the registrations vary as much
as fifteen per cent when passing small quantities of water at low velocities, by
reason of the variation of the stroke of the unregistered piston or ram to which
they are liable when working under those conditions. In order to obviate this
defect I make the smaller piston or rain only just large enough to work the valve
of the larger and of as short a stroke as is consistent with efficiency; by this means
the error is reduced to an unimportant amount. I also place each of the valves
(which I prefer to be in the form of plug cocks) in an enlarged part or prolonga-
tion of the cylinder itself instead of in a separate chamber distinct from the
cylinders each cylinder being provided with separate inlets and outlets, instead
of inlets to the two cylinders opening into one common chamber and the outlets
from the two cylinders opening into another common chamber. The chief object of
this part of the improvements being to prevent shock, or to cushion the fluid or
liquid. The cylinders with their cover are so arranged that they can be easily
removed and opened out for cleaning or repair without disturbing the supply pipe
to the meter, there being only one joint to open.
In sheet 1 of the drawings is illustrated a piston meter constructed in accordance
with this invention. Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through the two cylinders
on line XX of Figure 2, which is itself a horizontal section at line 1-1 of Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a plan of the top of the cylinders at line 2-2 of Figure 1 with the
whole of the cover removed, Figure 4 is a section at line 3-3 of Figure 1, Figure 5:

page_text: is a complete plan with the cover in place, Figure 6 a plan at line 4-4 of Figure 1
with the upper part of the cover removed, and Figures 7, 8 and 9 sections on lines
5-5, 6-6, and 7-7 respectively of Figure 2. A and A' are the two cylinders,
B and B are the corresponding pistons or rams working through collars C and Ci
respectively, D is a slem or rod formed on, or secured to, the plunger B, and
having a toothed rack formed therein which gears with a pinion E fixed on the
spindle F, by which the counting apparatus is actuated through the medium of a
pawl and ratchet wheel G, and worm gearing in such manner that the said counting
or registering apparatus is moved a distance proportional to the length of stroke
of the plunger actually effected. H and H¹ are cock plugs working in the cases
I, I¹ contained in the enlarged parts, extensions or prolongations of the cylinders
'A, A' formed by the cover J which cover contains a partition K separating the
two cylinders with their enlarged parts from each other. L L' are prolongations
of the cock plugs H, H' forming guide stems which take into holes in the screw
plugs M, M which screw plugs can be removed when it is required to examine or
remove the plugs H and H. N, N₁ are springs which press the plugs H and H¹.
against their seats. 0, 0¹ are levers fixed to the stems L L' of the plugs H H¹,
the free ends of these levers take into slots P P¹ formed in the stems D and D' of
the rams B B¹. The up and down motion of the rams B and B is thus caused to
operate the levers 0.01 and thereby the plugs H H to effect the admission of the
liquid to and its discharge from the cylinders. Qis the inlet for liquid to the
meter, and R. the outlet for liquid from the same. The inlet passage com-
municates with the narrow passage-S-formed-in-the-top of the cover J. One end
of the passage S communicates with the inlet passage T in the casing-I-leading-to
the cock plug H, and the other end with the inlet passage T' in the casing I'
leading to the cock plug H. The outlet passage R is in communication with the
narrow passage U also formed in the top part of the cover J. One end of this
passage U communicates with the outlet passage V in the casing I leading from
the cock plug H and the other end with the outlet passage V₁ in the casing. I'
leading from the cock plug H. The passages S and U are covered water tight
and thus separated from each other by the upper cover J¹ containing the inlet and
outlet passages Q and R. A passage W leads from the cock plug H¹ into the
passage W₁ (Figures 3 and 4) which communicates with the lower part of the
cylinder A¹ by the hole W. A passage X' leads from the cock plug H¹ into the
upper part of the cylinder A'. A passage similar to W leads from the cock plug H
to the passage Y¹ (Figures 3 and 4) which communicates with the lower part of the
cylinder A by the hole Y and a passage X similar to X' leads from the cock
plug H into the upper part of the cylinder A. It will now be understood that as
the ram B approaches the lower end of its stroke it operates the plug H¹ by means
of the lever O¹ and liquid is thereby admitted to the upper side of the ram B¹
through the passages QST', the plug H', and the passage X', the liquid below the
said ram B¹ being then free to escape through the passages WW' W the plug H'
and the passages V₁ U and R. The ram B₁ then makes a down stroke, and when
near the end of such down stroke it operates the plug Ḥ by means of the lever O
so as to put the upper end of the cylinder A in communication with the outlet
passage R by the passage X the plug H and the passages V and U and the lower
end of the cylinder A in communication with the inlet passage Q by the passages
ST the plug H and the passages Y¹ and Y. The ram B then makes an up stroke
and when near the end of such up stroke it reverses the position of the plug H³
whereby the liquid is allowed to escape from above the ram B¹ through the
passage X the plug H' and the passages V' U and R and fresh liquid to enter
below the ram B₁ through the passages QST" the plug H¹ and the passages
W W W. The ram B¹ then makes a stroke upwards, and when approaching the
end of such upward stroke it reverses the position of the plug H whereby the
liquid is allowed to escape from below the ram B through the passages Y² Y₁
the plug H and the passages V U and R and fresh liquid to enter above the ram B
through the passages Q ST,-the-plug.H and the passage X whereby the ram B is

page_text: caused to make another stroke downwards reversing the position of the plug H' as
before thus completing the cycle of operations.
The effect of employing separate narrow inlet and outlet passages for each
cylinder instead of comparatively large inlet and outlet chambers common to both
cylinders is to cushion the liquid and thereby to prevent shock. These narrow
inlet and outlet passages should be so proportioned and so arranged that at the
end of the strokes of the pistons or rams when the two pistons are drawing from
the same inlet passage and discharging through the same outlet passage the flow
of water shall not be sufficient to cause a serious shock. The pistons or rams move
sometimes alone and sometimes together and in order to make the error or
irregularity in measurement, sometimes caused by variation in the length of stroke
of the piston or ram which does not act upon the registering apparatus as small
as possible, the said piston is by preference made as small and with as short a
stroke as is consistent with efficient working of the valve of the larger piston or
ram but I sometimes substitute for the smaller piston or ram a diaphragm to work
the valve or cock of the measuring piston or ram, such an arrangement is illustrated
in Figure 11 sheet 2 of the drawings, in which B₁ represents a diaphragm made
of india rubber or other suitable elastic material which operates the valve or cock.
of the piston or ram B in the same manner as the small ram B¹ in Figure 1
operates the plug cock of the ram B in that Figure. Figure 12 shows a diaphragm
B' for the same purpose but which is made of a corrugated disc of metal instead of
india rubber.
I also employ a back pressure valve to prevent the escape of water from the
consumer's service pipe when the meter is removed. This arrangement is
illustrated in Figure 10 sheet 1 the upper part of which Figure shows a section
through the top cover J' of the meter taken on line 8-8 of Figure 5. Q is the
inlet passage to the meter and R the outlet leading to the consumer's service pipe.
Z is the back pressure valve which closes when the meter is disconnected from the
top cover J¹ and prevents the escape of water from the consumer's service pipe as
above described. When the meter is so disconnected for the purpose of cleaning
or repairing or otherwise the plate a (Figure 10) with a connecting passage b
formed therein may be secured to the top cover in place of the meter, and the
supply of water be thereby continued through the passage b.
I prefer to make the pistons or rams of hardened india rubber or gutta percha
which is somewhat elastic and of nearly the same specific gravity as water and [
prefer to make them hollow so that they will float in water the advantage of
which is that pistons or rams so constructed will move with a much smaller head
of water than the pistons or rains at present in use. Such material will also take
a smooth polish and is so hard as not to get scored in working in a metallic
cylinder or through a metallic collar. The elasticity of the material tends to
relieve the shock and to produce noiselessness and prevents the pistons or rams
from becoming indented or flattened they can consequently be allowed to move
much more quickly than metallic pistons or rams without causing shock.
When rams are employed I prefer that they shall work through comparatively
narrow collars in the cylinders (instead of bearing throughout the full length of
the cylinder) as shown in. the cylinder A Figure 1, and in both cylinders in
Figure 13 so as to reduce the surface in contact, and I find in practice that with
this arrangement when hardened india rubber is used for the rams no packing is
required, and if preferred the collars may be bushed with the same material. The
lower end of the collar in the cylinder A' for the ram B¹ to work through may
with advantage be made solid with the cylinder so as to avoid the annular space
shown in which air may sometimes accumulate.
Figure 14 shows an arrangement in which asbestos packing c is employed in the
bush & inserted into the narrow collar to make a water tight joint round the
metallic ram B this is specially applicable when hot liquid is to be passed through
the meter.

page_text: Figures 15, 16 and 17 show arrangements of cup leathers for making tight joints
between the ram and the collars.
I prefer to employ plug cocks as shown in the drawings provided with the
necessary passages instead of flat valves as the latter are found in practice to offer
too great resistance to movement and not to remain sufficiently tight for the small
flows of water which occur in domestic supplies. I also prefer to use plug cocks in
order to avoid arrangements requiring two flat surfaces in each valve chamber to
be kept liquid tight as is the case in some forms of meter. The plugs of these
cocks are preferably made of hardened india rubber similar to that used for the
pistons or rams. The chief advantages of these plug cocks being placed in
separate chambers as shown and as above described are that the connecting
passages are simplified, crossing of the ports or passages is avoided, and that the
passages can be drilled out from the top, bottom or sides of the casings. whereas it
is difficult to ensure the soundness and proper placing of such passages in small
meters when cast in by coring in the usual way. These plug cocks especially
when arranged as above described also offer facilities for the application of
leverage to move them which is an important advantage for small flows as
compared with valves which move at the same speed as the pistons by which they
are actuated.
An important feature resulting from the arrangements of meter above described
is that the valves or cocks are so arranged that if the pistons or rams become
stopped-by-dirt or other derangement the supply of water through the metor is
also stopped.
Figure 18 shows an arrangement in which the plug cock H¹ operated by the
larger piston or ram is made as small as possible, and the plug cock H operated by
the smaller piston or ram is made larger to suit the supply of liquid to the
larger piston or ram, the object of this arrangement is to avoid as much as possible
the effect of the frictional resistance of a large valve on the measuring piston or
rain.
Figure 19 shows an arrangement of slide valve in place of a plug, cock, applicable
more especially to the larger sizes of meters where the measurement of small
quantities of liquid is not so important as in the smaller sizes. It will be seen
that the operation of the valve is effected by two inclined planes on the stem of
the piston or ram which alternately act on the valve as the piston or ram approaches
the end of its upward and downward strokes.
The registering movement is connected to one of the pistons or rams, preferably
that which constitutes the measuring instrument and may consist of a rack and
pinion and ratchet as shown in Figure 1 for example, or of a quick pitch screw
with automatic arrangement to prevent registration of the back stroke as illus-
trated in Figure 20, in which B is the measuring ram with a stem D projecting
upwards therefrom e is a quick pitch spiral groove or screw thread formed in
such stem. is one half of a ratchet clutch loose on the stem D and free to slide
up and down a short distance in the lower arm of a fixed bracket g. A pin h fixed
in the half clutch ftakes into the spiral groove e so that as the ram B. rises and
falls the half clutch f is caused to rotate backwards and forwards by the action of
the spiral groove on the pin h. is the other half of the ratchet clutch which is
also loose on the stem D and is free to turn in the upper arm of the fixed
bracket g.
It has formed on its circumference a toothed wheel j which gears with
the toothed wheel k on the spindle of the counting mechanism. When the ram B
begins to make a stroke upwards the friction. of the pin in the spiral groove e
causes the half ratchet clutch f to rise until its ratchet teetli come into gear with
those of the half ratchet clutch i, after which the further upward movement of the
ram B and its stem D causes the spiral groove e to turn the half ratchet clutch f
by the pin h. The half clutch turns the half clutch i and the gearing j, k,
operates the counting mechanism. When the ram B begins its downward stroke
the friction of the pin h in the spiral groove e, combined. with the weight of the
half ratchet clutch fcauses the latter to fall out of gear with the half ratchet clutch &

page_text: into the position shown in the drawing so that as the ram continues its descent
and turns the half clutch f backwards by the spiral groove e and the pin h the
said half clutch f does not act upon the half clutch i to turn it backwards. By
this arrangement the upward stroke only of the ram is registered, the registering
apparatus remaining stationary during the descent of the ram.
I also provide means of correcting or adjusting the registering of the meter from
the outside without taking the meter to pieces. The arrangement for effecting
this is illustrated in Figure 13. The stem D' is screwed into the ram B' and there
is a nick m formed in the bottom of the ram to receive the point of a screw driver
which can be inserted through a hole in the base. of the meter when the plug n
is removed therefrom. The length of the piston or ram can thus be increased or
decreased at pleasure, the effect of increasing the length is to shorten the stroke
and thereby the traverse of the valve or cock, and that of decreasing the length is
to lengthen the stroke and consequently the traverse of the valve or cock. This
arrangement can be applied to either or both of the pistons or rams.
Figure 21 shows another arrangement for the purpose of preventing the shock
occasioned by the striking of the pistons or rams against the bottoms of the
cylinders. p is a plug fixed to the bottom of the cylinder, the bottom of the
ram B has a recess formed in it corresponding in shape and dimensions to the
plug p. As the ram approaches the bottom of its stroke and the recess in the rain
passes over the plug p the liquid in the recess meets with a certain amount of
resistance to its escape past the plug p whereby a cushioning effect is produced
which has the effect of bringing the rain gradually to rest so as to prevent the
shock. One or more small holes q may be drilled from the surface of the ram to
the recess to allow of the gradual escape of part of the liquid from the recess in
that way also if required. I may also use a loose plug or piston similar to that
used in "waste not" cocks.
Having now described the nature of the said invention and the manner in which
the same is to or may be carried into effect 1 would have it understood that [
make no claim generally to the construction of meters with unconnected,
uncontrolled or independent pistons or rams as the same is not new nor do I make
any claim to registering apparatus for indicating and registering the speed of
machinery generally as set forth in my provisional specification but what I do
claim is:
First. The arrangement and adaptation of the valves (preferably constructed as
plug cocks) in enlargements, extensions or prolongations of the cylinders
themselves instead of in chambers separated from the cylinders as
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 2 and 18 of the drawings
hereto annexed and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The combination of two uncontrolled, unconnected or independent pistons
or rams with valves or plug cocks operated by levers which are moved
by such pistons or rams as herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 1, 2, 11 and 13 of the drawings hereto annexed.
Third. The use of two uncontrolled, unconnected or independent pistons or rams
the displacement of one of which is small as compared with that of the
other, each such piston or ram operating the valve or plug cock of the
other by means of a lever whether the arrangement is that in which the
large piston or ram works a small valve or cock and the small piston rain
or diaphragm works a large valve or cock or otherwise whereby the error
of registration which occurs in meters with uncontrolled pistons or rams
when passing small quantities of liquid, or liquid at low velocities is
more or less completely obviated as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in Figures 1, 2 and 11 of the drawings hereto annexed.
Fourth. The construction of meters with a secondary cover containing the inlet
and outlet passages, from which the body of the meter comprising the
cylinders and their main cover with all the working parts can be removed
without disturbing either the supply or delivery pipes such upper cover

page_text: being provided or not with a back pressure valve to prevent escape of
liquid from the consumer's service and to which cover can be secured a
plate or false cover containing a passage through which the supply can
be maintained after the meter is detached as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figure 10 of the drawings hereto annexed.
The use of hollow pistons or rams composed of hardened india rubber
working through collars whereby the said pistons or rams are made light
and therefore specially applicable to the measurement of domestic or
other small supplies without danger of the pistons or rams sticking as
herein before described.
The means of correcting or adjusting the registration of the measurement
by lengthening or shortening the piston or ram by screwing the piston
or ram and its stem more or less into or out of each other by means of a
screw driver inserted through a hole in the bottom of the meter without
taking the meter to pieces as herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 1 and 13 of the drawings hereto annexed.
th. The arrangement of the inlet and outlet passages in such manner that
when the two pistons or rams are near the end of their strokes at the
same time, and both are drawing liquid from the same inlet passage and
discharging into the same outlet passage the flow of liquid shall not be
sufficient to cause a serious shock as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in Figures 25,6,7 and 8 of tlie-drawings-hereto annexed,
. The general arrangement and construction of liquid meters with two
uncontrolled, unconnected or independent pistons or rams each. of which
operates the valve (preferably a plug cock) of the other by means of a
lever each such valve or cock being contained in an extension or pro-
longation of its appropriate cylinder substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in the drawings hereto annexed.
witness whereof, I, the said Joseph John Tylor have hereunto set my hand
al this twenty first day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand
hundred and eighty three.