IM- PROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Hudson, of 227, Blackfriars Road, in the
County of Surrey, Gas Meter Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS."
Sealed the 26th June 1860, and dated the 3rd January 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Hudson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents,. with his Petition, on the
3rd January 1860.
I, FREDERIC HUDSON, of 227, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey,
Gas Meter Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention' has for its object improvements in gas meters. In order to
maintain a constant water level in the measuring compartment of a gas meter,
a combination or series of troughs set in a zig-zag arrangement, one above the
other, is used, the succeeding troughs being inclined to each other in such
manner that the lowest trough when caused to vibrate shall deliver the water
taken up by it into the end of the next above it, and so on in succession as the
series is caused constantly to vibrate to and fro, all excess of water beyond
that necessary to keep up the constant. level flows back, to be again raised by
the vibrating troughs. The series or combination of troughs may be put in.
motion or caused to vibrate in any convenient manner; but it is preferred

page_text: that the requisite vibratory motion should be communicated by means of a
crank pin on the axis usually employed to give motion to the registering
apparatus of the meter. And such crank pin is caused to act within an
opening formed in the axis on which the combined series of troughs is
mounted, so that as the crank pin is caused to revolve, it alternately acts on
the curved sides of the opening, and acts on the series of troughs in such
manner as to cause the troughs to incline first in one direction and then in the
other, and provision is made for stopping the working of the meter should
there be any attempt to work the meter in the reverse direction, and this is
done by the crank pin coming against a stop formed at one side of the opening
in the axis within which it works. The extra supply of water, as heretofore,
is contained in a suitable compartment of the meter, which is enclosed or
cased in. One or more of the lower troughs is constantly in the water, so
long as the supply is not used up, and provision is made to stop the supply of
gas to the meter by closing the supply valve as soon as the series of troughs
have no water to lift, and this is accomplished by means of a lever which has
a trough at one end, from which the water is taken by the lowermost of the
series of troughs, and so soon as all the water has been taken, the superior
weight of the other end of the lever is brought to act on the supply valve, and
so cut off the supply of gas to the meter; and in place of having the box
within which the supply valve is placed fixed to the meter, and the guide for
the float also fixed to the side of the meter, as heretofore, the box and guide
are combined together, and the upper surface of the box is provided with a
pipe which enters the supply pipe of the metery; which means the position
of the float may be correctly set, and then the pipe fixed or soldered in its
place correctly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederic Hudson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8rd July 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERIC 3
HUDSON, of 227, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey, Gas Meter
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the

page_text: said Frederic Hudson, Her special licence that I, the said Frederic Hudson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Frederic Hudson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
5 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
GAS METERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederic
Hudson, 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 Frederic Hudson, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in gas meters. In order to
maintain a constant water level in the measuring compartment of a gas meter,
a combination or series of troughs set in a zig-zag arrangement one above the
other is used, the succeeding troughs being inclined to each other in such
manner that the lowest trough when caused to vibrate shall deliver the water
taken up by it into the end of the next above it, and so on in succession as
the series is caused constantly to vibrate to and fro, all excess of water beyond
that necessary to keep up the constant level flows back, to be again raised by
the vibrating troughs. The series or combination of troughs may be put in
motion or caused to vibrate in any convenient manner; but it is preferred
that the requisite vibratory motion should be communicated by means of a
crank pin on the axis usually employed to give motion to the registering
apparatus of the meter. And such crank pin is caused to act within an
opening formed in the axis on which the combined series of troughs is
mounted, so that as the crank pin is caused to revolve, it alternately acts on
the curved sides of the opening, and acts on the series of troughs in such
manner as to cause the troughs to incline first in one direction and. then in
the other, and provision is made for stopping the working of the meter shouki
there be any attempt to work the meter in the reverse direction, and this is
done by the crank pin coming against a stop formed at one side of the opening
in the axis within which it works. The extra supply of water, as heretofore,

page_text: is contained in a suitable compartment of the meter, which is enclosed or
cased in. One or more of the lower troughs is constantly in the water so long
as the supply is not used up, and provision is made to stop the supply of gas
to the meter by closing the supply valve as soon as the series of troughs have
no water to lift, and this is accomplished by means of a lever which has a
trough at one end, from which the water is taken by the lowermost of the
series of troughs, and so soon as all the water has been taken, the superior
weight of the other end of the lever is brought to act on the supply valve, and
to cut off the supply of gas to the meter.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a transverse section of a gas meter, constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the same, partly in section, and with
the front of the case removed; Figure 3 is a plan with the upper part of the
case removed. a, a, is the external case, and 6 the drum of the meter; c is
the axis of the same; these parts are of the ordinary construction, the axis
carrying a worm d giving motion to the first counting wheels on the vertical
axis f. The front compartment of the meter is divided into two parts by a
partition g in the inner compartment, or that in which the wheel e is situated ;
the water is maintained at the same level as in the drum chamber, with which
it communicates; the outer compartment is that which contains the supply of
water to be lifted into the inner compartment. On the vertical axis f is a
crank arm having a crank pin h mounted on it; i is an axis having bearings
at i, i¹, it has an opening at the centre for the passage of the crank pin h, so
that this axis i is in fact a ring mounted on centres diametrically opposite to
each other, on which it can rock;. are parts of the ring or axis i standing
up above the level of the bearings at ¹, i¹, they are curved on the sides
nearest the axis fin such a manner that the crank pin h as it is carried round
may strike them alternately, and tip the ring from side to side. Figure 4 is a
vertical section of the ring or axis i and the parts working therewith; i³ is an
arm on the axis i, it has fixed to it the frame j carrying the troughs j¹, j, j¹
of which the form and arrangement is clearly shown in the Drawing; as these
troughs are tipped from side to side by the apparatus already described, water
will be taken up by. them, and it is transferred from trough to trough until it
is thrown into the spout k, which delivers it into the inner compartment of the
meter; any excess of water lifted into this compartment flows back into the

page_text: outer or supply compartment. When the meter is first set to work it is filled
with water, the excess flowing out by an overflow pipe l, as is usual. If it is
attempted to work the meter in the wrong direction the crank pin h becomes
locked in the recess 4 on the ring or axis i; m is the supply pipe of the
meter, from which the gas enters the box n containing the supply valve o; on
the stem of this valve is a float p; this float has guides p', p', fixed to it, which
pass down through guide holes in the bottom of the box; it is not necessary
to make these holes water-tight, as they open into the inner compartment of
the meter; the arrangement of the supply valve, as above described, is not
precisely that ordinarily adopted. I do not, however, make any claim to the
arrangement thereof. Figure 5 is a front view (with part of the case removed
and partly in section) of the front compartment of the meter showing the
apparatus I employ to close the supply valve when the water in the supply
chamber falls short, it consists of a lever q turning on a centre q¹; at one end of
this lever is a trough, which being immersed in the supply chamber remains
full of water so long as there is a proper quantity of water therein; it is from
this trough that the rocking frame j, with its troughs bails up the water; r is
a weight resting on the other end of the lever g; it is convenient to give
this weight the form of a cup, so that it may retain water within it after the
water level in the supply chamber sinks below it, it will thus press with greater
force on its end of the lever q, just as the other end of the lever is lightened
by the bailing out of the water from the trough thereat. The weight r is con-
nected by a bent wire s to the stem of the supply valve o, so that when the
weight descends the valve descends with it. In some cases the cup weight r
may be employed to close the valve without the assistance of the lever q.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Hudson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
FREDERIC HUDSON. (L.S.)