AN IMPROVED WATER AND GAS METER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED WATER AND GAS METER."-A communica-
tion from abroad by Joshua Mason, of Paterson, in the State of New
Jersey, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th July 1867.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED WATER AND GAS METER," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a new and improved water and gas meter, and
consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts whereby water or gas
may be measured in the most accurate manner and by means not liable to get
out of repair or become deranged by use.
The meter consists of a cylinder of any suitable dimensions and provided
with a plunger. The cylinder has a chamber at one end, and within this there
is a valve chamber containing a sliding valve composed of a rod having two
circular discs or heads upon it and a circular plate at one end; this plate is

page_text: perforated with holes to form a communication between the interior of the
valve chamber and the small chamber. The valve chamber is open at both
ends and is provided with three ports which extend circumferentially around
the interior of the valve chamber. One port communicates with the supply
pipe, another with a water passage which leads into the rear end of the cylinder,
and the third communicates with the discharge pipe. The plunger has a forked
bar attached to one end of it at its centre and to each end of this bar a rod is
attached. These rods are parallel with each other and pass loosely through
flanges or bent ends of two plates connected by a pin or pivot to one end of a
rod which passes loosely through the valve and has a head on its outer end.
A toothed segment is suspended within the cylinder and gears into a pinion,
one end of the shaft of which is provided with a crank and the opposite end
provided with a crank wheel, the wrist pin of which passes through an arm
connected to a crank which works an index arm and counting apparatus.
When the inlet port is open the water will pass from the supply pipe into the
rear end of the cylinder and will force back the plunger. After the plunger
has moved back the position of the valve is changed and the water will be let
in behind the plunger, which will thus be driven in the opposite direction.
The reciprocating motions of the piston or plunger communicate motion by
means of the sector rack to the indicator.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the

page_text: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED WATER AND GAS METER," being
a communication to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to a new and improved water and gas meter, and
consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts, whereby water or
gas may be measured in the most accurate manner and by means not liable
to get out of repair or become deranged by use.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of
the improved meter taken in the line x, x, of Fig. 3; Fig. 2, a plan or top
view of the same; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken in the line a¹, x,
of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken in the line y, y, of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a detached view of a part pertaining to the same.
The meter consists of a cylinder A which may be of any suitable dimensions,
and is provided with a plunger B, Fig. 1. The cylinder A has a chamber C
at one end of it, and within this chamber there is a valve chamber D containing
a valve E which is a sliding one, and is composed of a rod a having two
circular discs or heads 6, 61, upon it, and a circular plate F at one end; this
plate is perforated with holes c to form a communication between the interior
of the valve chamber and the chamber C. The valve chamber is open at both
ends and is provided with three ports d, d', d", which extend circumferentially
around the interior of the valve chamber. The port d communicates with the
supply pipe G, the port d' with a water passage H which leads into the rear
end of the cylinder A and the port du communicates with the discharge pipe
or faucet I. The plunger B has a forked bar J attached to one end of it at
its centre and to each end of this bar a rod K is attached. These rods are
parallel with each other and pass loosely through flanges or bent ends of two
plates L, L, the main portions of which are parallel with each other. The outer
nds of these plates L, L, are connected by a pin or pivot bolt e to one side of a

page_text: rod M which passes loosely and longitudinally through the valve E and has a
head on its outer end. The outer ends of the rods K are provided each with a
screw nut g to bear against the flanges or bent ends of the plates L, L, as the
plunger B reaches the termination of its movement in the direction indicated
by arrow 1. N is a toothed segment which is suspended within the cylinder A
and gears into a pinion O, one end of the shaft of which is provided with a
crank h, and the opposite end is provided with a crank wheel i, the wrist pinj
of which passes through an arm k connected to a crank 7 on the inner end of
a shaft P, the outer end of the latter being provided with a pendent arm Q
having a pawl R attached, which works into a ratchet m, the shaft of the
latter having an index n which works over a graduated dial plate o. The shaft
P passes through a stuffing box p into the cylinder A to avoid leakage from
the cylinder around the shaft. The crank h is connected to a spiral spring S,
the upper end of which is fitted on the pin or shaft on which the segment N
is suspended. The plates L, L, have a pin q passing through them, and this
pin passes into a slot r in the segment N as shewn in Fig. 1. When the
valve E is in the position shewn in Fig. 1, to wit, the port du between the disc b
and the plate F, the water will pass from the supply pipe G into the port
and thence into the passage G and through the same into the rear end of the
cylinder A as indicated by the blue arrows and will force back the plunger B in
the direction indicated by the arrow 1. After the plunger has moved a certain
distance in this direction the forked bar J comes in contact with the plates
L, L, when the latter are shoved forward and consequently the rod M and the
segment N will be moved as it is connected to the plates L, and the pinion O
will be turned so that the crank h will distend or stretch the spring S until the
crank h passes its centre, when the spring S immediately contracts and suddenly
throws the segment N forward and causes a shoulder s on the rod M to actuate
the valve E and slide or shift it so that the discs b, b', will be in the position
shewn in red and the water from the supply pipe G be made to act upon the
opposite side of the plunger as indicated by red arrows and move the plunger
in the direction indicated by the arrow 2, while the water in the cylinder at the
opposite side of the plunger will be forced back as indicated by the red arrows
through passage H and the port d" and out of the discharge pipe or faucet I.
As the plunger B approaches the termination of its movement in the direction
indicated by the arrow 2, the segment N is drawn back in consequence of the
rods K, K, drawing back the plates L, L, and the pinion O will be turned in
a reverse direction, and the spring S will be distended until the crank h passes
its centre when the spring will instantly contract and suddenly throw the
segment N in the direction in which the plunger is moving, and will cause the

page_text: plates L, L, to move the rod M in a corresponding direction, so that the head f
will move back the valve E to its original position so that the water will be
cut off in its flow as indicated by the red arrow and made to pass again through
the passage H as before, and move the plunger B in the direction as indi-
cated by the arrow 1, the water which previously passed into the cylinder
(as indicated by the red arrows) being forced through the chamber
C through the perforations c, in the plate F, and thence out. through
the discharge pipe or faucet I as also indicated by blue arrows. When the
Invention is used as a gas meter the operation is precisely the same. By
referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the pinion O is connected with its
shaft by means of a pin a* which is fitted tightly in the shaft, but passes into
a slot or notch 6* in the hub of the pinion which slot is considerably wider
than the pin a* and admits of the pinion having some play on its shaft.
The object of this is as follows:-When the plunger B is working the
toothed segment N and the pinion O, the latter turns its shaft through the
medium of the pin a*, but the instant the crank h passes its centre, the crank
shaft by means of the spring S drives the pinion, and the rack, and the
valve.
Now it is necessary for the accurate working of the meter that the changes
of the valve be prompt, and this is effected by means of the slotted hub as it
gives the crank h a little "lead" until the space or slot in the hub of the
pinion is taken up, which although small in the hub is considerable on the
crank pin and it comes to its work with a little blow and into a position more
favorable for the action of the spring. By adjusting or turning the nuts g of
the rods K, K, the latter may be virtually lengthened or shortened, and
consequently the stroke of the plunger B graduated as may be required, and
an exact measurement of the water is obtained and any irregularity in the
bore of the cylinder is compensated for. The bar J. to which the rods K, K,
are attached is connected to the plunger B by a screw or pin c* to form a
swivel connection and admit of the plunger casually turning within the
cylinder without affecting any of the parts attached to it. The amount of
water discharged is indicated by the pointer or index n on the dial o, which is
operated each time the pawl R is shoved in the direction of the arrow 3 which
occurs at every alternate movement of the plunger B, or each time the plunger
reaches one end of the cylinder. The valve E works in a balanced
state, and still is not liable to casual derangement or movement of any
kind.
Having now described the Invention, which has been communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent as aforesaid, and having explained the manner

page_text: of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent, as aforesaid.
First, the sliding valve E composed of the circular discs 1, and the
perforated plate F and fitted within the circular chamber D provided with
ports d, d', d", extending circumferentially all around the interior of the
chamber and placed or arranged in relation with the supply and discharge
pipes G, I, passage H, chamber C, and cylinder A, to operate in the manner
and for the purpose set forth.
Second, the operating of the valve E from the plunger B through the
medium of the rods K, plates L, rod M, segment N, pinion O, and spring S,
connected with the crank h of the shaft of the pinion O arranged as shewa
and described.
Third, the connecting of the pinion O to its shaft by means of the fixed
pin a* in the latter, and the slot 6* in the hub of the pinion, such parts being
applied to a water or gas meter and used in connection with a valve operating
mechanism pertaining thereto as set forth.
Fourth, the adjustable connection between the plunger B and the valve rod
M composed of the rods K provided with screw nuts 9 and the plates L or
other equivalent arrangement for the purpose specified.
Fifth, the attaching of the bar J to the plunger B by means of a swivel
connection in the manner as and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)