Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for Indicating and Recording at a Distance Changes of Level or Position of Water or other Fluid in Reservoirs, Tanks, or Tide Ways, or of Gas Holders, or other Structures or Articles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application,
6th
Feb.
1000
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 7th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 7th Jan., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for Indicating and Recording
at a Distance Changes of Level or Position of Water or other Fluid
in Reservoirs, Tanks, or Tide Ways, or of Gas Holders, or other
Structures or Articles.
We, JOHN BARR, of 39, Dundonald Road, Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr,
North Britain, Engineer, and WILLIAM MCWHIRTER, of 214, Holm Street, in
the County of Glasgow, North Britain, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say:-
Our said invention comprises improvements in apparatus of the kind described
in our Patent Specification No. 5575 of 1893, and more particularly in the
receiving and indicating part of such apparatus.
In the said receiving and indicating apparatus right and left electro magnets
are arranged for acting oppositely on the indicating mechanism accordingly as
a positive or negative current is transmitted by the line wire (from a reservoir
for example). The electro magnets are placed horizontally opposite to each other
and act on separate armatures. Each armature is fixed to the lower arm of a
curved two-armed lever, centered on the framing at a short distance above the
electro magnet, its unner arm extending upwards and over towards the middle.
and having at its end a pawl for acting on a comparatively large wheel formed
with specially shaped teeth. Each curved lever is provided with an adjustable
counterbalancing weight just sufficient to move its armature away from the
electro magnet when unattracted; and adjustable stops provided with rubber
buffers are arranged to limit the movement. The curved levers act on separate
wheels which are fixed on one spindle having on it a pinion gearing with a spur-
wheel on the spindle carrying the indicating pointer arranged to move over a
dial. The teeth to be acted on by the pawls of the curved levers are pointed and
made each with one side radial and with the other side inclined; and the radial
and inclined sides of the teeth of one wheel are reversed relatively to those of
the other wheel. When not acting on the wheels the pawls of the curved levers
are quite clear of the teeth so that either wheel can be moved without being pre-
vented by the engagement of the teeth and pawl of the other wheel. Each pawl
is iointed to an adjustable piece at the end of its curved lever. and normally
extends downwards: and it moves the wheel by acting on the inclined side of.
a tooth when depressed by a movement of its curved lever caused by the electro
magnet. A stop at the joint of the pawl prevents it from being moved aside in
one direction by the resistance of the tooth, but it is free to move in the other
direction, when rising after a depression, there being a small counter weight to,
return it to its normal position. The acting part of the pawl is, preferably, a
small antifriction roller on a pin fixed in the pawl.
Dated this Twenty fifth day of February 1909
EDMUND HUNT.
Applicants' Agent.

page_text: Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for Indicating and Recording
at a Distance Changes of Level or Position of Water or other Fluid
in Reservoirs, Tanks, or Tide Ways, or of Gas Holders, or other
Structures or Articles.
We, JOHN BARR, of 39, Dundonald Road, Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr,
North Britain, Engineer, and WILLIAM MCWHIRTER, of 214, Holm Street, in
the County of Glasgow, North Britain, Electrical 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,
that is to say:-
Our said invention comprises improvements in apparatus of the 'kind described
in our Patent Specification No. 5575 of 1893, and more particularly in the
receiving and indicating part of such apparatus.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood we hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings
to be hereinafter referred to in describing our improvements.
Figure, 1, is a plan of our improved apparatus. Figure, 2, is a front elevation,
with a portion of the framing and other parts removed to show the mechanism
clearly. Figure, 3, is a side elevation, and Figures, 4, 5, and 6, are respectively
a plan, a front elevation, and a side elevation of details, drawn to a larger scale.
In these drawings the same reference letters and numerals are used to mark
the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
In receiving and indicating apparatus of the kind described in our earlier
Specification No. 5575 of 1893 and of which an improved modification is shown
on the accompanying drawings, right and left electro magnets, A, B, are arranged
for acting oppositely on the indicating mechanism, accordingly as a positive or
negative current is transmitted by the line wire (not shown) from a reservoir or
other similar structure. The electro magnets, A, B, are suitably fixed to the
framing C, of the apparatus and are placed horizontally opposite to each other,
and act on separate armatures, A 1, B 1. Each armature, A 1, B 1, is fixed respec-
tively to lower curved arms or levers, A2, B2, fixed to spindles, D, E, mounted
in centres or bearings, I) 1, E1, on the framing, C, at a short distance above the
electro-magnets, A, B. Upper curved arms or levers, A 3, B3, (preferably made
separate from the lower arms A2, B2,) are fixed to the spindles, D, E, and extend
upwards and over towards the middle having fixed at their ends forked pawls, F, G,
for acting on comparatively large wheels, H, J, formed with specially shaped
teeth. The lower curved levers or arms, A2, B2, are dach provided with an
adjustable counterbalancing weight, A4, and B4, just sufficient to move the
armature A 1, or B1 away from the electro magnet, A, or B, when unattracted;
and adjustable stops, K, L, fixed in a bracket, M, and provided with rubber
buffers, K1, L1, are arranged to limit the movement. The upper curved
levers, A3, B3, act on separate wheels, H, J, herein before referred to, which are
fixed on one spindle, N, mounted in centres or bearings, N 1, N 2, on the fram
ing, C, and having on it a pinion, N 3, gearing with a spurwheel,. N 4, on the
spindle, N 5, carrying the indicating pointer, P, arranged to move over a dial on
the dial plate, P 1. The teeth, H 1, J1, of the wheels, H, J, to be acted on by the
pawls, F, G, of the curved levers, A3, B3, are pointed and made each with one
side, H2, radial and with the other side, H 3, inclined, and the radial and inclined
sides of the teeth of one wheel are reversed relatively to those of the other wheel
as shown in Figure, 2. When not acting on the wheels, H, J, the pawls, F, G,

page_text: of the curved levers, A 3, B3, are quite clear of the teeth, H 1, J1, so that either
wheel can be moved without being prevented by the engagement of the teeth
and pawl of the other wheel. Each pawl, F, G, is jointed to an adjustable
piece, F1, G 1, fitted on the end of each curved lever, A 3, B3, and normally
extends downwards, and the pawl, G, for example as shown in Figure, 5, moves
the wheel, J, and thereby the indicating pointer, P, by acting on the inclined
side, H3, of a tooth, J1, when depressed by a movement of its curved
levers, B2, B3, caused by the electro magnet, B, acting on the armature, B1,
attached to the lever, B2. The wheel, H, is similarly moved but in a reverse
direction when the pawl, F, is depressed by a movement of its curved
levers, A2, A.3. A stop, Q, is provided at the joint of each pawl, F, G, which
prevents the pawl from being moved aside in one direction by the
resistance of the tooth, but it is free to move in the other direction
to a limited extent, when rising after a depression, there being a
small counter weight, R, attached to it to return it to its normal
position. The acting part of the pawl is, preferably, a small antifriction roller, S,
working on a pin, S1, fixed in the jaws of the pawl. To insure steadiness in the
working of the apparatus, there is provided a round toothed spacing, or braking
wheel, T, which is fixed on the spindle, N. A finger in the form of a roller, T 1,
fixed to the end of a blade spring, T2, attached to the framing, engages with the
teeth and thereby insures a steady movement of the wheel, T, and other parts of
the indicating mechanism. The pulley, U, fixed to the spindle, N5, is employed
for actuating the recording apparatus in the same manner as described in our
earlier Specification hereinbefore referred to, or the recording apparatus may be
actuated by bevil gearing or in any other convenient way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1 The construction, combination, and arrangement of parts constituting the
improvements in automatic apparatus for indicating and recording at a distance
changes of level, or position of water or other fluid, in reservoirs, tanks, or tide
ways or of gas holders, or other structures or articles substantially as herein before
described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of November 1898.