AN IMPROVED LIQUID MEASURING AND REGISTERING APPARATUS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward George Rivers, of Norwoodbury Lodge,
Thornton Heath, in the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, for an invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward George Rivers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th May 1882.
EDWARD GEORGE RIVERS, of Norwoodbury Lodge Thornton Heath in the County
of Surrey, Civil Engineer "AN IMPROVED LIQUID MEASURING AND REGISTERING
APPARATUS
This invention is designed to afford a check upon and prevent fraud in the
measurement and sale of wines spirits or other liquids. It consists in the combi-
nation of a measuring cup or vessel with registering mechanism which records and
shews the quantity of liquid that has passed through the said apparatus during a
day or other period of time.
The said cup or vessel may be of any convenient form and has attached to it a
box or chamber containing the registering mechanism. The said cup or vessel is
provided with two taps. One of these taps is in direct communication with the
supply pipe and adinits the liquid therefrom into the said vessel. The other tap is
suitably arranged for discharging the liquid from the vessel. The two taps are
connected by means of a spindle so arranged as to allow for any variation in the
depth of the vessel in fitting the taps therein. From the inlet or supply tap a stem
or spindle which I term the tap spindle extends through the top of the apparatus
and is provided with a handle for manipulating the same. The inlet and outlet
apertures of the aforesaid taps are so arranged that one is completely closed or shut
off before the other is opened.
The registering mechanism consists of toothed wheels and dials arranged in
combination with the said tap spindle as follows;-a cog or tooth is fixed on the said
spindle in such a position as to engage during one part of its rotation with a pinion
on one half of a ratchet clutch-device the other half of this clutch device being
fixed or formed on another pinion which gears with a vernier or dial wheel. This is

page_text: an internally toothed wheel and has the registering numbers marked on its upper
face and arranged in combination with a mark or point on the rim of the box.
This wheel gears by means of a pin on its face with a wheel which I term the
"hundreds" wheel. I provide for the escape of air from the cup or vessel by
means of a ball valve fitted to a seat in the tap spindle but this object may be
attained by other means such as a groove in the said spindle with an air vent
through the same. A locked cap secures the dials and permits easy access to the
same by any person having the key who after reading or inspecting the apparatus
can move the dials back to zero.
I may modify the aforesaid registering mechanism in any manner which will
enable me to use the same for the above purpose-For instance I may place on the
tap spindle a collar formed and arranged to act on a cam fixed on a spindle
extending at right angles from the tap spindle and carrying a spring clutch and
ratchet wheel. The said ratchet wheel gears with one of the dials. This dial is
connected by a pinion with another dial. This mechanism is properly arranged in
combination with the aforesaid taps.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward George Rivers in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th November 1882.
EDWARD GEORGE RIVERS, of Norwoodbury Lodge, Thornton Heath, in the
County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, "AN IMPROVED LIQUID MEASURING AND
REGISTERING APPARATUS
"
My invention is designed to afford a check upon, and prevent fraud in, the
measurement and sale of wines, spirits, or other liquids. For these purposes,
according to my said invention I combine a measuring cup or vessel with registering
mechanism which records and shews the quantity of liquid that has passed through
the said apparatus during a day or other period of time.
The said cup or vessel may be of any convenient form and size, and has attached
to it a box or chamber containing the registering mechanism. The said cup or
vessel is provided with a two-way plug or tap, which is suitably connected to the
registering mechanism. One of the said ways is in direct communication with the
supply pipe and admits the liquid therefrom into the said vessel; the other way is
suitably arranged for permitting the escape of the liquid from the vessel. The
spindle of the said plug or tap extends through the top of the apparatus and is
provided with a handle for manipulating it. The inlet and outlet apertures or
ways of the aforesaid plug or tap are so arranged that one is completely closed or
shut off before the other is opened. The registering mechanism consists essentially
of toothed wheels and dials arranged in combination with the said plug or tap as
hereinafter set forth. I provide for the escape of air from the aforesaid cup or
vessel by means of a ball or float valve fitted to a seat in the same. But this object
may be attained by other means, such as a groove in the said spindle with an air-
vent through the same.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure. 1. is a side elevation of my improved liquid measuring and registering
apparatus
Figure 2, is a plan and
Figure 3, a vertical sectional elevation of the same.
Figure 4, is a horizontal section on the line x, x, Figure 3,
Figure 5 is a similar view showing the parts in position when registering
Figure 6, is a horizontal section on the line y, y, Figure 3 and.
Figure 7, is a horizontal section on the line 2; 2, Figure 3,
A represents the measuring cup or vessel through the centre of which passes
the two-way plug or tap B.; to the spindle of this tap is fixed the lever or
double arm C. To one end of this arm is pivotted the click or pawi D, which
is retained in position by a spring a and is arranged to come in contact with a
pin b, fixed in the box H containing the registering mechanism, when the tap is
turned to permit the escape of the liquid, A toothed wheel E is fitted to turn
freely upon the spindle of the tap, above the lever C. This toothed wheel is
graduated as shown in Figure 2, and is provided with a pin c, which, at each
revolution of the said wheel, engages with one of the teeth on a smaller wheel F
and turns this wheel a distance equal to one of the graduations thereon. These
graduations can be seen through the glass G, in the top of the box H containing
the registering mechanism, without the necessity for opening the said box
The click or pawl L is pivotted on a pin or stud fixed in the box H, and is
acted upon by a spring d which tends to hold one arm of the said pawl against
the wheel E and the other arm against a cam or excentric e provided with a square

page_text: pin which passes through a hole in the side of the box H to receive a suitable
key, The pawl L is made with a small incline f, against which the pin g in one
end of the lever C is adapted to press when the tap is being opened to permit the
escape of the liquid.
In the upper part of the cup or vessel A I form an air-passage h arranged to be
closed by the valve i actuated by the float k, when the said cup or vessel is filled
or nearly filled.
The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows, that is to say:-When
the plug or tap B is in the position shown in Figure 3, the way is open to admit
the liquid from the supply pipe into the cup or vessel A. The passage permits
the air to escape from the said cup as the liquid rises therein, and the said passage
is closed by means of the float valve as soon as a certain quantity of liquid has
entered the cup A. The plug or tap B is then turned in the direction of the arrow
in Figure 2. In this operation the communication between the supply pipe and the
cup is first shut off, the lever C then being in the position shown in Figure 4, On
further turning the plug or tap B in the same direction the click D comes against
the pin b (as shown in Figure 5) and is thereby turned on its pivot so as to engage
with one of the teeth of the wheel E which is thus caused to register one, the
pawl L having been temporarily disengaged from the said wheel by the pin g acting
upon the incline and compressing the spring d; this action is instantaneous and
occurs when both the passages of the plug or tap are closed, that is to say, after the
inlet has been closed and before the outlet coinmences to open, so that no liquor
can be drawn without recording and no record can be taken without opening the
outlet. It will be seen that, as soon as the pin g has passed the incline f of the
pawl L, the latter is free to engage with the next tooth of the wheel E, which
action takes place when the click D is released from the pin b, When the plug or
tap is still further turned in the same direction, the way m permits the escape of
the liquid from the cup or vessel A into any suitable receptacle, A key is provided
for turning the cam or excentric e so that it will act on the short arm of the click
or pawl Land disengage the same from the wheel E, which will then be free to be set
to any position by means of the milled flange n at the top of the boss or hub of
the said wheel. Therefore, after the record has been read or inspected, the dial can
be moved back to zero by any person having the said key.
I may modify the aforesaid registering mechanism in any manner which will
enable me to use the same for the above purpose. For instance, I may place on
the spindle of the plug or tap a collar so formed and arranged as to act on a cam
fixed on a spindle extending at right angles from the tap-spindle and carrying a
spring clutch and ratchet-wheel; the said ratchet-wheel gearing with a dial, which
is connected by a pinion with another dial. This mechanism is properly arranged
in combination with the aforesaid cup or vessel,
Having thus fully described my said invention and the manner of performning the
same I wish it understood that I claim :-
The improved liquid measuring and registering apparatus consisting of the cup
or vessel having the two-way plug or tap passing through the same, in combination
with the registering mechanism, all constructed and arranged to operate, sub-
stantially as, and for the purposes, specified.
In Witness whereof I the said Edward George Rivers have have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Sixth day of November in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two