IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bristow Hunt, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS." A communication from
abroad by Gerard Sickels and John H. Thorndike, of Boston,
Massachusetts in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said bristow Hunt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th January 1869.
I, BRISTOW HUNT, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS," (a communication
to me from abroad by Gerard Sickels and John H. Thorndike, of Boston,
Massachusetts, in the United States of America,) to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and
effective apparatus for accurately measuring the flow of water.

page_text: The Invention consists in so constructing a valve piston or sleeve
resting on a ring provided with double inclines that as the water is let
in above the piston or sleeve will be pressed downwards, thus causing a
downward spiral movement of the sleeve, the said piston or sleeve being
provided with slots or ports on its sides, so arranged in relation to ports
in a hollow shaft or in an outside cylinder (as the case may be) as to
change the direction or current of the water from one side to the other
of the movable wing in the lower cylinder, whereby a semi-rotating
motion is imparted to the shaft, in turn acting upon the cone ring, so
as to cause a change in the position of the cone ring relatively to the
sleeve or piston. The lower cylinder is made of any suitable metal open
at the top and provided with a flange, upon which rests the bottom of
an upper cylinder of smaller diameter, the two being properly secured
together. The upper cylinder is divided into two chambers by means
of a diaphragm, in the upper one of which is the induction pipe and in
the lower the eduction pipe. Upon the top of this cylinder is secured
a cap provided with an upwardly projecting flange so as to form a
chamber or space in which the proper registering apparatus may be
placed. A hollow shaft is provided having its lower bearing in a
depression in the bottom of the lower cylinder, its upper end being
provided with a pintle passing through the cap, and which may be
connected with the registering apparatus. The shaft is made to fit
snugly, but so as to move freely in the bottom of the upper cylinder; it
is divided into two chambers by means of a partition which extends the
whole length of the shaft, and also extends through a slot in that part
of the shaft which is in the lower cylinder, so as to form a wing, on each
side of which and extending beyond its edges are pieces of leather or
other suitable material extending to the top, bottom, and periphery of a
chamber or compartment in the said cylinder, so as to render the wing
water-tight at its edges and still allow it to move freely in such cylinder.
On each side of the wing in the hollow shaft is an opening to allow of
the entrance and oxit of the water. On the inner side of the lower
cylinder is a stationary partition bearing against the shaft and made
water-tight, thus dividing the said cylinder into two chambers or compart-
ments, to which water is admitted through conveniently arranged
chambers and openings. The upper part of the hollow shaft is provided
with openings or upper ports and lower ports communicating through
one series of chambers to another series of chambers. Around the portion
of the shaft in the upper cylinder is a sleeve provided with a flange

page_text: which bears against the under side of the diaphragm, and also with
downwardly extending arms, in the lower ends of which latter are
arranged rollers; these rollers rest upon a loose circular rim provided
with double inclines on its upper surface and short projections on the
outer periphery, while on its inner periphery it has two flanges which
meet in another flange around the shaft, the movement on the rim on
the flange being limited to the distance between the ends of the two
flanges by means of short projections on the other flange. The move-
ment of this rim with the shaft in the cylinder is also limited by
projections, against which other projections on the outer periphery of
the rim strike when the latter is moving round its centre. The sleeve
is provided with upper slots or ports and lower ones, the latter being
situated one on each side of the sleeve between arms, in such a manner
that both are nearer to one and the same arm than to the other, while
the upper openings or ports are similarly arranged on the opposite side
of the sleeve. A circular plate is fitted over the pintle before mentioned,
and provided with two downwardly projecting pieces, which slide in
grooves in the shaft and limit the play of the sleeve to the space between
the edges of the square open slots or recesses in the upper portion of
the sleeve. A registering device may be attached to the pintle, each
movement of the latter indicating the amount of water passing through
the meter.
In a modification of this Invention the hollow shaft may be dispensed
with, and the sleeve may be connected with a piston operated in the
same manner as the sleeve.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
-filed by the said Bristow Hunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BRISTOW
HUNT, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
5 second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Bristow Hunt, Her special licence
that I, the said Bristow Hunt, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Bristow Hunt, my executors,
àdministrators, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATER METERS," (a communication to me from abroad by Gerard Sickels
and John H. Thorndike, of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States
of America,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Bristow
Hunt, 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 Bristow Hunt, 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 in writing, and on reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to say:-
The object of this Invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and effective
apparatus for accurately measuring the flow of water.
The Invention consists in so constructing a valve piston or sleeve
resting on a ring provided with double inclines, that as the water is let
in above the piston or sleeve will be pressed downwards, thus causing a
downward spiral movement of the sleeve, the said piston or sleeve being
provided with slots or ports on its sides, so arranged in relation to ports
in a hollow shaft or in an outside cylinder (as the case may be) as to
change the direction or current of the water from one side to the other
of the moveable wing in the lower cylinder, whereby a semi-rotating
motion is imparted to the shaft, in turn acting upon the cone ring so as
to cause a change in the position of the cone ring relatively to the sleeve
or piston. The lower cylinder is made of any suitable metal open at
the top and provided with a flange, upon whicb rests the bottom of an
upper cylinder of smaller diameter, the two being properly secured
together. The upper cylinder is divided into two chambers by means of

page_text: a diaphragm, in the upper one of which is the induction pipe and in the
lower the eduction pipe. Upon the top of this cylinder is secured a cap
provided with an upwardly projecting flange, so as to form a chamber
or space in which the proper registering apparatus may be placed. A
hollow shaft is provided having its lower bearing in a depression in the
bottom of the lower cylinder, its upper end being provided with a pintle
passing through the cap, and which may be connected with the regis-
tering apparatus. The shaft is made to fit snugly but so as to move
freely in the bottom of the upper cylinder; it is divided into two
chambers by means of a partition which extends the whole length of
the shaft, and also extends through a slot in that part of the shaft which
is in the lower cylinder, so as to form a wing, on cach side of which
and extending beyond its edges are pieces of leather or other suitable
material extending to the top, bottom, and periphery of a chamber or
compartment in the said cylinder, so as to render the wing water-tight
at its edges and still allow it to move freely in such cylinder. On each
side of the wing in the hollow shaft is an opening to allow of the
entrance and exit of the water. On the inner side of the lower cylinder
is a stationary partition bearing against the shaft and made water-tight,
thus dividing the said cylinder into two chambers or compartments, to
which water is admitted through conveniently arranged chambers and
openings. The upper part of the hollow shaft is provided with openings
or upper ports and lower ports communicating through one series of
chambers to another scrics of chambers. Around the portion of the
shaft in the upper cylinder is a sleeve provided with a flange, which
bears against the under side of the diaphragm, and also with downwardly
extending arms, in the lower ends of which latter are arranged rollers.
These rollers rest upon a loose circular rim provided with double inclines
on its upper surface, and short projections on the outer periphery, while
on its inner periphery it has two flanges which meet in another flange
around the shaft, the movement on the rim on the flange being limited.
to the distance between the ends of the two flanges by means of short
projections on the other flange. The movement of this rim with the
shaft in the cylinder is also limited by projections, against which other
projections on the outer periphery of the rim strike when the latter is
moving round its centre. The sleeve is provided with upper slots or
ports and lower ones, the latter being situated one on each side of the
sleeve between arnis in such a manner that both are nearer to one and
the same arm than to the other, while the upper openings or ports are

page_text: similarly arranged on the opposite side of the sleeve. A circular plate is
fitted over the pintle before mentioned, and provided with two down-
wardly projecting pieces, which slide in grooves in the shaft and limit
the play of the sleeve to the space between the edges of the square open
slots or recesses in the upper portion of the sleeve. A registering device
may be attached to the pintle, each movement of the latter indicating
the amount of water passing through the meter.
In a modification of this Invention the hollow shaft may be dispensed
with, and the sleeve may be connected with a piston operated in the
same manner as the sleeve.
"
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for
Improvements in Water Meters," I will now proceed to describe
more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may
be distinctly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings
illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures, and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof,
that is to say:-
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Figure 1 represents a central
vertical section of the improved water meter; Figures 2 and 3 side views
of the upright hollow shaft in different positions; Figure 4, a horizontal
section through the line A, B, Figure 1; Figure 5, a similar view
through the line C, D, Figure 1; Figures 6 represent detached ports of
the apparatus; and Figures 7 and 8 vertical and horizontal sections of a
modification of the Invention.
a is the lower cylinder, open at the top, provided with a flange b, upon
which rests the smaller cylinder c. The upper cylinder c is divided into
two chambers by a diaphragm d; in the upper one of these is an induc-
tion pipe e, and in the lower an eduction pipe f. A cap 9 provided
with a flange h is secured to the top of cylinder c. This flange forms a
chamber i, in which the registering apparatus may be placed. j is a
hollow shaft having its lower bearing in a depression in bottom of
cylinder a, its upper end being provided with a pintle k to be connected
to the registering apparatus. This shaft is divided into two chambers 1, 11,
by a partition m extending the whole length of the shaft, and through
a slot in that part of the shaft in cylinder a so as to form a ring n, on
each side of which and extending beyond its edges are pieces of leather
or other material extending to the top, bottom, and inner sides of the

page_text: cylinder a so as to render the wing water-tight at its edges, but still
allow it to turn freely. On either side of the wing n is an opening p, p',
so as to allow of the entrance and exit of the water. q is the stationary
partition also water-tight, and dividing the cylinder a into two com-
partments o, o', to which the water is admitted by the chambers 1, 1',
and openings p, p', respectively. The shaft j in cylinder c is provided
with upper ports and lower ports s, these respectively communicate
with the chambers 1, 1', and m, m¹. Around a portion of the shaft j is
a sleeve t provided with a flange u supporting the diaphragm d and
arms with rollers 10, which run upon a loose circular rim x with double
inclines (Figures 2 and 3) on its upper surface, and projections y on the
outer periphery, and on the inner it has two flanges z (Figure 5) meeting
in a flange a around the shaft j, the movement of the rim x on the
flange a being limited between the ends of flanges by the pro-
jection 6 on the flange a¹. The movement of this rim with the shaft
in the cylinder i is also limited by projections c¹, against which the
projections y on the outer periphery of rim x strike when the latter
is moving round its centre. The sleeve t (Figures 2 and 3) is provided
with upper ports e¹ and lower ones f', the latter being situated one on
each side of the sleeve between the arms vin such a manner that both
are nearer to one and the same arm than to the other, the upper
ports e¹ being similarly arranged on the opposite side of the sleeve. A
circular plate g₁ encircles the pintle k, and is provided with pieces h¹
(sliding in grooves in the shaft j), which limit the play of the sleeve to
the space between the edges of the recesses i¹ (Figure 6) in the upper
portion of the sleeve t.
Figures 7 and 8 represent a modification of the improved apparatus
in which the hollow shaft is dispensed with, and the sleeve is connected
with a piston operated in the same manner as the sleeve t.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The sleeve t being in
such a position that the port f¹ is open as well as the port 8, the wing n
in such a position in relation to the partition q as to make the chamber c
very small, and the rollers wo being in the hollow of the rim x (Figure 2)
water is admitted through the induction pipe e into chamber m, and
passing through port f¹ into chamber of shaft j enters through p into
chamber o and forces wing n to one side, turning the shaft j, all the
ports attached to it retaining their relative positions, until the pro-
jections y on rim x strike against the projections c' and arrest the rim,

page_text: the shaft continuing to turn, and the pieces ¹ on plate g¹ force the
sleeve t to turn with the shaft and the rollers w to ascend the inclincs
on the arm x, thereby raising sleeve t until projections &¹ on flange a¹
strike against the ends of rims 2, at which moment the sleeve t (the
rollers of which have reached the highest point of the inclines on
rim x) is forced down the other side of the inclines by the pressure of
the water on the diaphragm d a distance equal to the width of slot fi
closes the port p, at the same time opening port p₁ and port s; at this
moment the wing n is in such a position relatively to partition q as to
make chamber o¹ very small, the chamber o being filled with water.
The shaft and sleeve are now in the position shewn in Figure 3, the
water continuing to flow through induction pipe e into chamber m,
through port r, flows into chamber o', forcing wing n back to its original
position. The wing forces water in chamber o back into chamber of
shaft j, which is now open into the chamber m' and out at the eduction
pipe f, and so the operation continues.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for
'Improvements in Water Meters," together with the manner in which
the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I
would remark, in conclusion, that I claim as the Invention (commu-
nicated to me by the above-named Gerard Sickels and John H.
Thorndike, the general arrangement of apparatus for the purposes set
forth, as herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, the same constituting an improved water meter, or
any mere modification or imitation thereof acting in the same or a similar
manner; but more especially I claim,-
Firstly. A valve piston or sleeve in combination with a wing provided
with double inclines, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Secondly. The reciprocating hollow shaft j and partition n, and the
ports and openings connected therewith, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
Thirdly. The sleeve t in combination with the shaft j, constructed and
operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fourthly. The combination of rollers to and double inclines x, x¹, with
the sleeve t, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fifthly. The diaphragm d in combination with sleeve, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.

page_text: Sixthly. In combination with the chambered reciprocating shaft j,
the openings p, p', and wing n, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Seventhly. The combination of shaft j constructed as described with
the wing and partition q, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
And, lastly. The combination of the cylinders a, c, the shaft j, and
sleeve t, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bristow Hunt, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.