IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Bertrand Jacout, Director of Waterworks, at
Rheims, in the Empire of France; for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATER METERS."
Sealed the 16th April 1861, and dated the 18th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Bertrand Jacout at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th October 1860..
I, ALFRED BERTRAND JACOUT, Director of Waterworks, at Rheims, in the
Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS," to be as follows:-
Water is measured in, my improved meter by being admitted from an inlet
chamber into a measuring chamber of a known capacity, and from thence
expelled through an outlet chamber to the service pipe; and every time the
said measuring chamber is filled, it is registered on suitable dials; the said
meter is wholly put in motion by the measured water, which in its passage
through it looses but little of its initial pressure.
I form the measuring chamber by the adjunction of two concave dishes,.
between which I insert a diaphragm of elastic impermeable substance, and

page_text: each half or side of this measuring chamber is provided with two valves fitted
on the same stem, one for admission and the other for emission of the water to
and from the measuring chamber, and so arranged that when one valve is open
the other is closed, and vice versà, the lower valve forming the inlet and the
upper one the outlet. Each set of these valves acts in opposition with one
another, id est, whilst one is admitting unmeasured water to one side of the
diaphragm, the other is emitting measured water from the other side, and vice
versà, and each set is opened and closed alternately and simultaneously by
motion imparted from the elastic diaphragm.
My improved meter is constructed in the following manner :-The water is
admitted to the inlet chamber placed below, through a perforated plate, wire
gauze, or other analogous substance, for the purpose of arresting the impurities
it may contain, and branches off to one of the inlet valves above-mentioned, the
other one being closed, and enters the measuring chamber on one side of the
diaphragm,' which it gradually drives up against the opposite face of the said
chamber, thereby expelling by the outlet valve of the other stem a correspond-
ing quantity of the water it contained on its said opposite face; the valves are
then reversed by means of a lever, the lower extremity of which is attached
near the centre of the diaphragm, whilst its upper extremity rises in the outlet
chamber, where it oscillates on a fixed centre, and by its action on a cross lever,
placed also in the outlet chamber, acts simultaneously on the two valve stems,
to which it's outer extremities are attached, depressing the stem on the one side
and thereby intercepting the passage of further water into the measuring
chamber, and opening the same to the outlet chamber, and on the other side
raising the valve stem, and thereby opening the inlet valve to the measuring
chamber, and closing the outlet valve of same.
In order to count the vibrations of the diaphragm, and consequently the
quantity of water passed through the meter, I make, use of dials, to which I
transmit an intermittent rotatory motion borrowed from the alternate and
intermittent motion of the diaphragm levers, by any known and appropriate
mechanism, and in some cases where the meter is placed in an inconvenient
position to inspect or read off the dials, I cause a rod from the oscillating top
of the diaphragm lever to pass through a stuffing box in the outlet, chamber,
and work a small pump placed on the outside of this outlet chamber, the said
pump being charged with alchohol or other liquid not subject to congeal, but
at a very low temperature, and connected by a pipe with the piston of.another
pump placed in a more accessible and convenient position, the alternate rise
and fall of the liquid in the first pump communicating a to-and-fro motion to

page_text: the piston of the second pump, from whence I obtain the rotatory motion for
the dials. The action of this latter mechanism is somewhat similar to that
produced by the muscular motions of the heart at each pulsation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Bertrand Jacout in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
BERTRAND JACOUT, Director of Waterworks at Rheims, in the Empire of
France, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alfred Bertrand, Jacout, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred
Bertrand Jacout, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alfred Bertrand Jacout, my executors, administrators, 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," upon the condition (amongst others).
that I, the said Alfred Bertrand Jacout, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 Alfred Bertrand Jacout, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is:
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My improved meter is composed of a feed chamber 'receiving water from
the main, and admitting it to the measuring chamber formed by thejadjunction
of two concave dishes bolted together, so as to constitute a hollow chamber, in
which the elastic diaphragm vibrates, and on either side of the said measuring

page_text: chamber are placed an inlet and an outlet valve fitted on the same stem, and
in an enlargement of one of the chambers containing these valves I prefer
placing the mechanism for actuating these valves (instead of in the upper
part of the meter); the top part of the meter is closed with a bonnet or box
somewhat similar in shape to the feed chamber, and from which the measured
water is expelled; and, lastly, of clockwork and dials connected with the
meter by a pipe containing alcohol, or other appropriate liquid for registering
the aniount of water which has passed the meter.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved
meter in section through A, A, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a lateral elevation of same
complete; Fig. 8, a plan in section through B, B, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a plan of
top chamber; Fig. 5, an elevation of dial plate; and Fig. 6, an elevation of
the back of dial plate with parts attached, partly in section. The Figs: 1 to 4
are at a scale of one-fifth, and the others half the real size.
Water from the main is admitted in the meter through the inlet a, r, from
whence it -traverses the perforated shield or grating g (for cleansing it of
impurities), and presents itself to either of the inlet valves S" or S, which.
may be open, and in the case that the valve S be open, (as represented in
the Drawing, Fig. 1,) it enters the measuring chamber on the left side of the
diaphragm d, which it pushes back, thereby driving through the valve S the
air contained on the other face of the diaphragm, on starting the meter or
measured water if it has already been worked when the chamber is completely
charged, the admission and emission valves S", S, and S, S¹, are reversed in
the following manner: To the diaphragm d are attached the two plates P, to
which are fixed the two. guide rods t, t', these latter carry with them a heavy
roller R, P, the axis of which enter vertical slots in the plate c, v, Fig. 1; as
the diaphragm moves back it draws with it this heavy roller R, P, which runs
up on the inclined plane P, I, balanced on a centre A, and provided at each
extremity with stops pins 6 and 6', for the purpose of being maintained
alternately inclined, either from right to left, or from left to right, by means
of the catches d and d¹; on arriving at the extremity of its stroke the inner
face of the cam l strikes the catch d, and disengages it from the pin b, whereou
the roller R, P, by its weight bears down that extremity of the inclined
plane P, Iand reverses the valves by the action of a fork r attached to the.
said inclined plane, and working between collars on one of the spindles, it
consequently closes the inlet valve S, and opens the outlet valve S', and as
this spindle of these valves is connected with the other spindle by the beam
E, E, it at the same time opens the inlet valve S", and closes the outlet
2.

page_text: valve S, meanwhile the stop 6' on the other extremity of the inclined plane,
rises and engages itself on the catch d', ready for the return of the roller, thus,
water will be admitted on the other face of the diaphragm, and vice versa ;,
this action will continue until the water is cut off, either at the inlet a, r, or.
the outlet orifice I, Fig. 2.
The motions or vibrations of the diaphragm are transmitted to the dials. or,
recording apparatus by the following parts, over the roller R, P, is suspended,
a rod ff, cast in one piece with the head h and the axis j, see Fig. 3;.,this,
rod, therefore, rises and falls with the roller, and by a spring catch fitted on
the part h, it thereby imparts rotary motion to the ratchet wheel k, the,
pall k serving to prevent it turning too far, or turning back whilst the catch.
is rising; the ratchet wheel K is keyed on a small spindle, which traverses.
the meter case in a stuffing box, and carries externally a double cam, shewn,
in dotted lines, Fig. 1, which, by its rotation, raises and lowers the vertical.
rod t, v, Fig. 2, thereby working the piston q in its box, or cylinder u, which,
by its action on the liquid therein contained, and conveyed by a tube, imparts,
the same to-and-fro motion to the piston q' in the cylinder n', Fig. 6.. The
weights a, x, are for the purpose of balancing the weight of the column of.
liquid contained in the tube c, v, Fig. 2 and 6, so as to reduce, as, much,
as possible the force necessary for giving motion to the said column..of.
liquid. Each motion or pulsation of the liquid is registered on the. dials by
the following apparatus (see Fig. 6). The piston q¹ is provided with a ring. or.
ferrule, on the circumference of which is turned a series of circular edge-
shaped indentations, into which enter two knife edges adapted to the ex-
tremities of the flexible arms, composing the lever L, which, consequently,
follows the motion of the said piston. This arrangement has been adopted to
obviate inaccuracies in registration which might arise from the expansion in
the liquid employed, which might cause the dials to register when, the meter
was at rest; should the liquid expand, the arm L' attached to Lwill rotate
until it meets a fixed stop, and then should the expansion continue, the piston
and ferrule will rise, and the arins L will open, and allow the points to adjust.
themselves in the corresponding indentations; if, on the other hand, the liquid
contracts, a contrary effect will take place; on the same axis as L, L¹, is
placed a hollow tube, the extremities of which are closed by small plates, and
on this tube are situated the pivots of the arm M, which can at the same
time rise and fall in the slot N, so that when the arm L. rises, M will rise
also, and thereby act on one of. the teeth of the first dial.ratchet; each of.
these four dial ratchets.Q is provided on its circumference with ten teeth, and
on its external face with the same number of teeth; the arm M in rising

page_text: slides over these teeth, but on falling moves round the ratchet a quantity
corresponding to one tooth, or a tenth of a revolution, thereby communicating
the same amount of motion to its corresponding dial, which passes one figure
representing a gallon, or any other volume of water according to the number
of teeth and diameter of ratchet K, Fig. 1, and the solid contents of the
measuring chamber. Each of four ratchet wheels, except the last one to the
right, is pierced with a rectangular hole m', in which the foot of the arm M
can penetrate for the purpose; after having successively advanced each of the
units of traversing this first ratchet between the figures q and o to operate in
the same manner, the second wheel, or tens, and ultimately the third and the
fourth; each individuel dial is made to follow the rotation of the corresponding
ratchet by being fitted in the following manner:-The units dial and the
outside ratchet are keyed on the spindle, the tens dial and the second ratchet
fitted on a hollow shaft running loose over the spindle, the hundreds dial
and third ratchet on a second tube running over the first tube, and the
thousands dial and last ratchet on a third tube running on the second tube;
besides the registrations of these edge dials each unit or volume of water
passed is marked on an outer circular dial, 'shewn in Fig. 5, by a needle fitted
on the same spindle as a pinion F, which receives a continuous rotary motion
from the to-and-fro motion of the arm L', which at the extremity, by which it
embraces the said pinion, is provided with a double rack, and by this arrange-
ment fractions of the units registered on the edge dials can be read off on
the circular dial, Fig. 5. The two inner eccentric dials are for marking
the days and months of the year, when the quantities registered are read off';
the outer one is for the months, divided in twelve parts, and the inner one in
thirty or thirty-one parts, to represent the days; the months and days are
marked off by moveable needles, which are set by hand. In order to prevent
the arm M from registering on the edge dials before the needle has arrived at
zero on the circular dial, which indicates the commencement of a fresh unit,
I make use of an horizontal arm X resting on a small cam fitted on the same
shaft as the pinion F. In order to be assured that the registering apparatus is
at all times sufficiently charged with alcohol, I place on the top of the piston a
glass pipe T, U, through which the liquid should be constantly visible. I can
also in case the circulation of the liquid be intercepted, place a small safety
valve near the cylinder u, to prevent strains or breakages. If it be preferred,
I can place the counting and registering apparatus in or on the meter itself,
and actuate it with any of the parts in motion therein, and thereby suppress
the pumps
and special mechanism for working them, as above described.
I claim as new in this improved meter,-

page_text: 1stly, the manner of admitting and emitting water through balanced valves,
as described and illustrated.
2ndly, the peculiar mechanism for actuating or reversing the said valves.
3rdly, the mode of registrating the vibrations of the diaphragm on appropriate
dials, which may be situated at a distance from the meter itself.
4thly, the mechanism described for causing the rise and fall of the liquid in
the registering cylinder, to impart the requisite motion to the registering or
recording dials, both for units and fractions of units.
'j
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Bertrand Jacout, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
(L.S.) A. B. JACOUT.
I