Year: 1888

page_text: I, HERBERT WOODVILLE MILLER of 1B Campien Hill Road Kensington W.
Electric Light Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an electric meter operating on the known principle that
a current of electricity in a circular conductor produces continuous rotation of
another conductor which is parallel to and free to revolve round an axis perpendicular
to the plane of the circular conductor.
On a vertical axis I fix a hollow cylinder of copper or other conducting metal
within a cylindrical casing which may be of iron and which is surrounded by coil of
insulated wire. I arrange the ends of the inner hollow cylinder so as to dip into
mercury, the upper part being for this purpose made with a tubular end having a lip
bending over into an annular basin containing mercury.
.
A counter
The lower part is preferably immersed to a certain depth in the mercury, so that
its buoyancy may relieve the weight on the lower pivot of the axis.
worked by gearing from the axis, las dials and indices shewing the number of
revolutions made by the inner cylinder. The electric current to be measured, or a
known fraction thereof, is passed partly through the inner cylinder and partly through
the outer coil, or separate currents may be passed through them. The cylinder is thus
caused to revolve and the indices of the counter record the number of revolutions,
which is proportional to the quantity of electricity passed through the apparatus.
The inner cylinder instead of being in one piece, may consist of numerous wires or
strips arranged circularly around the axis. For indicating volts or ampères the
rotation of the cylinder is opposed by a suitable resistance.
Dated this 95th dov of July 1888
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant

page_text: I, HERBERT WOODVILLE MILLER of 1B (ampden Hill Road, Kensington, W.
Electric Light Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an electric meter operating on the known principles that
a current of electricity in a circular conductor produces continuous rotation of another
conductor which is parallel to and free to revolve round an axis perpendicular to
the plane of the circular conductor.
On a vertical axis I fix a hollow cylinder of copper or other conducting metal
within a cylindrical casing which may be of iron and which is surrounded by a coil
of insulated wire. I arrange the ends of the inner hollow cylinder so as to dip into
mercury, the upper part being for this purpose made with a tubular end having a lip
bending over into an annular basin containing mercury. The lower part is preferably
immersed to a certain depth in the mercury, so that its buoyancy may relieve the
weight on the lower pivot of the axis. A counter worked by gearing from the axis
has dials and indices shewing the number of revolutions made by the inner cylinder.
The electric current to be measured or a known fraction thereof is passed partly
through the inner cylinder and partly through the outer coil, or separate currents
may be passed through them. The cylinder is thus caused to revolve and the indices
of the counter record the number of revolutions which is proportional to the quantity
of electricity passed through the apparatus. The inner cylinder instead of being in
one piece may consist of numerous wires or strips arranged circularly around the
axis. For indicating volts or ampères the rotation of the cylinder is opposed by a
suitable resistance.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section of an Electric Meter
according to my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are sections shewing modified forms thereof.
In these several figures like letters of reference are employed as far as possible to
indicate similar parts.
Referring first to Fig 1, on a base A of insulating material is fixed an iron cylinder B
which is surrounded by a coil C of insulated wire. On a central vertical axis. D is
fixed a cylinder E of copper or other suitable conducting metal, its lower lip dipping
into mercury F which connected to a conductor. The upper end of the cylinder E
is contracted to a tube having an overhanging lip projecting down into mercury G
which is connected to another conductor. The axis D to which the cylinder E is
fixed by a boss H and disc I of insulating material, is connected to the gearing of a
counter indicated at J, by which the number of revolutions. of. the cylinder E
is registered. K is a casing enclosing the instrument with a glass at L
through which the dials of the counter J can be seen. A current of electricity
being passed through the coil and a current also through the mercury F and G
and lengthwise of the cylinder E, the cylinder is caused to revolve and the number

page_text: of its revolutions as indicated by the counter J is proportional to the quantity of
electricity which acts on the instrument. Instead of a cylinder E parallel wires or
strips of metal may be employed.
In Fig. 2, a number of descending strips or wires E each having an ascending
limb E are arranged as shewn, the wires or strips E being attached to a disc I of
insulating material and sending down limbs E' into mercury F, whilst the ascending
limbs E¹ are electrically connected to the axis D which dips into mercury G. In
this case there are two coils the one above and the other below the iron
cylinder.B.
In Fig. 3 there is an outer coil C acting on the outer wires E and an inner
coil C¹ having a current of opposite direction to act on the inner wires E', the current
between the mercury F and G passing in the one direction along the wires E and
in the opposite direction along the wires E'.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
An electic meter consisting of a cylinder or of a number of conducting wires or
strips fixed parallel to an axis around which conducting wires are coiled, connections
whereby, an electrical current is transmitted longitudinally along the cylinder or the
equivalent wires or strips and a current is transmitted circularly through the coils,
and a counter geared to the axis, arranged and operating substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of April 1889.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.