IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID METERS, WHICH MAY ALSO BE USED AS PUMPS OR MOTOR ENGINES.
Year: 1875

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake,. & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID METERS, WHICH MAY ALSO
BE USED AS PUMPS OR MOTOR ENGINES. -A communication from abroad
by Jock Herbert Shedd, of Providence, and Stephen Arnold Jenks,
of Pawtucket, both in Rhode Island, United States of America.
"
-
caled the 16th October 1875, and dated the 1st September 1875.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 1st September 1875, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
Declaration, on the 1st September 1875, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.

page_text: .
and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and
have made solemn Declaration that it has been communicated to me
from abroad by Joel Herbert Shedd, of Providence, and Stephen Arnold
Jenks, of Pawtucket, both in Rhode Island, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
scal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming a
part of this Specification :—
This Invention is especially designed for use in the construction of
meters for measuring the quantity of water supplied by water companies
or municipalities to consumers; but the same organization which cha-
racterizes it makes the apparatus also useful in case power is applied
from the outside to work it as a rotary pump, or in case water is made
to pass through it under considerable pressure it will serve as a motor to
communicate power to other machinory.

page_text: The said Invention consists essentially in the following combination
of elements which have the qualities assigned to them respectively, that
is to say :-
First. A cylindrical chamber having an inlet for the admission of
the stream of liquid, and an outlet for the discharge of the contents of
the cylinder.
Second. Three radial wings or blades so mounted as to revolve around
a common central axis within the cylindrical chamber.
Third. A shaft parallel with the axis of the shaft around which the
radial wings revolve, and which first-mentioned shaft is the driver
for the registering apparatus, or for communicating power to other
machinery, according as the apparatus is used as a meter or as an
engine.
Fourth. Three eccentric ellipso-circular gear wheels combined respec-
Lively with the three radial wings or blades, and three corresponding
eccentric gear wheels or evolutes, all keyed to the aforesaid driving
shaft, and arranged in position according to the law of the operation of
the apparatus, as herein-after explained, cach cvolute being in engage-
ment with its fellow eccentric gear wheel belonging to one of the three
radial wings or blades.
A represents a metallic case, which is made with a central cylindrical
chamber B, the surface of which has been smoothly and truly bored. A
diaphragm or partition C separates the chamber B from a second chamber
or enclosed space D, which would otherwise be a prolongation of the
chamber B. In this second chamber the gearing herein-after described
is located. The diaphragm O constitutes one of the heads of the
cylindrical chamber B, and the opposite end of the cylinder is closed by
another head E. An inlet pipe F and an outlet pipe G both commu-
nicate with the interior of the chamber B, the former being connected
with the street main, and the latter with the pipes of the building to be
supplied with water.
In Figures 3 and 5, 1, 2, and 3 represent radial blades whose lengths
are severally exactly the same as the length of the interior of the chamber,
and whose widths are severally equal to the length of a radius of the
cylinder. The ends and the outer edges of each blade should be faced
to make a practically water-tight joint under the varying conditions of.

page_text: use with the heads of the cylinder and with its interior surface. Theso
blades are all sleeve jointed to each other, as shown in Figure 2, around
a common axis which coincides with the central axis of the cylinder B,
and around which axis they severally revolve independently of cach
other. The sleeve jointed spindles of the several radial blades pass
through the diaphragm O, which separates the cylinder B from the
chamber D, and to the spindle of each blade an eccentric ellipso-circular
gear wheel c, Figure 8, is secured.
H, Figure 2, is the aforesaid driving shaft, which is mounted in suitable
bearings, as shown, and upon which are keyed three evolute cccentric
gear wheels b, Figure 8. Such gear wheels are respectively in engage-
ment with the gear wheels c connected with the spindles of the revolving
blades, one of such gear wheels on the shaft having its appropriate fellow
upon the spindle of one of the radial blades. Now it is evident that with
this character of gearing, although all the three blades will, if power bc.
applied to the driving shaft H, revolve around their common axis in the
same time, yet their rates of motion relatively to each other will be very
different during their revolution, and cach blado in succession may be
arranged to move through a certain part of its revolution at a much
greater rate of speed than that at which the other two blades are moving
while going through the remaining part of their revolution. The law
of movement of the blades enables them to perform in succession the
function of plungers to drive forward a portion of the liquid passing
through the meter, and create a suction to draw liquid into the apparatus
through the inlet, and the function of diaphragms to preserve a sepa-
ration between the incoming stream and the outflowing discharge.
The operation of the said apparatus as a meter may now be under-
stood upon referring to Figures 3 and 5. Suppose water under pressure
to be admitted through the inlet pipe F, Figure 5, the pressure upon
the surface of the blades 1 and 2, which stand respectively upon each
side of the inlet port, will be the same, but the blade 2 is obliged to
yield to the pressure, and commence to revolve, for the reason that in
this position of the blades the gear wheel 2', Figure 7, which is con-
nected with the spindle of such blade, is capable of exerting its maximum.
power upon its fellow gear wheel 23 on the shaft H, whilo at the same
time the gear wheel 1' belonging to the blade 1 exerts mimimum power
upon its fellow gear wheel 12 on the shaft. Hence the tendency of the
incoming stream to move the blade 2 in the direction of the arrow is

page_text: greater than under the existing conditions is the tendency to move
blade 1 in the opposite direction. Blade 2 therefor acts as a plunger,
and blade 1 as a diaphragm.
The movement of blade 2 necessarily causes the shaft H to act as a
driver, and compel blades 1 and 3 to follow the direction in which blade 2
is revolving. So great is the difference between the rate of movement
of blade 2-relatively to that of blades 1 and 3 that while it is moving to
the position shown at Figure 3 blades 1 and 3 have only moved to the
position shown in the same Figure.
By the time that blado 2 has reached the position given for blade 3 in
Figure 5 blade 1 in that Figure will have moved to the position shown
in the samo Figure for blade 2, and blade 3 will have moved to the
position marked for blade 1. Blade 1 now in turn becomes the plunger,
and blade 3 the diaphragm. After blade 1 has moved to the position
marked in Figure 5, blade 3 (this latter blade having meanwhile
moved from the position shown for blade 1 in Figure 5 to the position
shown for blade 2) it becomes in its turn the plunger, and blade 2' the
diaphragm.
Each blade while acting as à plunger forces out through the dischargo
outlet a known quantity of water, which is easily registered by means of
the registering dials, Figure 1, whose train of wheels is put into motion
by the revolution of the driving shaft H, whose end, as shown in Figure 2,
is formed with teeth which engage with the first toothed wheel of the
train shown at Figure 6.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim, an apparatus for measuring
liquids, and capable also of being used as a pump or as a motor engine,
consisting of the following elements or organisms in combination :-A
close cylindrical chamber provided with an inlet for the admission of the
stream of liquid, and an outlet for the discharge of the contents of the
cylinder three radial blades severally mounted to revolve around the
common central axis of the cylinder within the chamber, and a driving
shaft combined with said blades by gearing, whereby the said blades
will be enabled to revolve severally in the same time, but relatively to
each other at different rates of speed, so that each shall act successively
as a plunger (when the apparatus is used as a pump or as a meter, or act

page_text: as a wheel float when the apparatus is used as an engine,) and as a
diaphragm to separate the incoming stream from the outflowing dis-
charge, as above specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this First day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
JA. EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE.. (L.S.)