Year: 1889

page_text: I, FREDERICK GUTZKOW, of No. 18 Columbia Square, in the City and County of
San Francisco, and State of California, one of the United States of America, Mining
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 water-meters of that class known as piston-meters; and my
object is to construct a cheap and accurate meter, the employment of hydraulic
pressure exclusively for the actuation of the parts, and reversing the stroke by means
of a mechanism which will be hereafter more fully explained.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, etc.
The Figure shows a vertical section taken through the apparatus, showing its
interior, with the piston and valves at one end of the stroke.
The meter consists of a main cylinder A, B, having a piston C, fitted to move
within it. This piston is made hollow for lightness, with both ends closed and with
the central portion of smaller diameter than the ends, so that a chamber H is formed
between the ends, as shown. D, E is the valve-chamber having two independent
piston-valves F, F¹, and G, G', fitted within it.
The two end-chambers D, and E, of the cylinder are of larger diameter than the
central portion, and the valves consist of two cylindrical heads each, the outer
ones F, and G, being of larger diameter than the inner ones F¹, and G', the two
parts of each being connected together by a shaft or shank, as shown.
Water is admitted into the central portion of the valve-chamber through the
pipe or passage 1, and it is discharged alternately through the pipes or passages 2,
and 3.
4, and 5 are the pipes or passages connecting the opposite ends of the cylinder A, B,
with the valve-chamber, these pipes opening into said chamber upon each side of the
inlet-pipe 1, and between it and the discharge-pipes 2, and 3.
6 is a passage leading from the center of the valve-chamber D, E, into the center

page_text: of the cylinder A, B, and 7, and 8, are passages leading respectively from the
opposite ends of the valve-chambers D, or E, into the cylinder A, B, opening therein
at such points, that when the piston C is at one end of the stroke, the passage 6
will open into one end of the chamber H, and the passage 7 into the opposite end.
The passage
8 will open into the portion B of the cylinder. In the valve-chamber
is a stop, against which the onds G, and F, of the valves are checked in their move-
ments towards the center, as shown.
The operation will then be as follows:-The valve F, F¹, being at the right
end of the cylinder D, E, and the valve G, G', having moved as far to the right
as the stop in the valve-chamber will admit, water under pressure entering through
pipe 1, will pass between the smaller ends F1, and G¹, of the two valves, and will
enter the pipe 4, which is open by reason of the valve F, F¹, being at the extreme
right end of its stroke, passing through the pipe 4, as shown by the arrow, and into
the end B of the cylinder, driving the piston before it until it reaches the end of
its stroke, in which position it is now shown.
The water under pressure which enters through the pipe 1, also passes through the
passage 6 into the chamber H, of the piston C. When the piston reaches a point near
the right end of its stroke, the passage 7 will be exposed so as to open into the
chamber H, and the water under pressure then passes through the passage 6, the
chamber H, and the passage 7, to the outer end of the chamber D, where it presses
upon the larger piston F, and thus overcomes the pressure upon the smaller
piston F¹.
These pistons, connected by a shank, as above described, are then moved toward
the left, and connect 4, and 2.
Water is now allowed to escape through 4, and 2, from the end B, of the water-
cylinder. The pressure upon the piston G, will also be relieved by means of the
passage 8, so as to allow it to move toward the left. The pistons F, F¹, and G, G¹,
then move in unison toward the left end of the cylinder D, E.
The valve F, F, comes to rest, but G, G¹, continues to move toward the left under
the continued pressure on G' from 1, and opens 5 to the water under pressure.
Water will then commence to flow through this passage or pipe and into the end A
of the water-cylinder, thus starting the piston C, on its journey toward the left end
of the cylinder.
The valve F, F¹, having come to rest in such a position that the passages 2,
and 4, communicate with each other through the space about the shauk of this
valve, and between the pistons F, F, allows the water in the left end B of the cylinder
to escape through the pipes 4, and 2.
The piston G, G¹, continues its motion toward the left, and completes the opening
of the port 5. When the chamber H, has reached such a point as to uncover the
passage 8, it allows it to receive water through the passage 6, and the chamber H,
in the same manner that water was previously delivered through 6, and 7.
When this takes place, the valve G, will be again forced to the right, the inlet-
passage of the right end A of the cylinder will be closed, and the inlet-passage to the
left end will again be opened, and the operation repeated.
By this construction it will be seen that the whole operation of reversing the
movements of the valves and of the piston within the meter is effected by the pressure
of the water, and the independent movements of the valves prevent any stoppages or
dead points.
The piston C cushions itself at each end of the stroke, either by partially closing
the outlet of water, or by means of a projection which enters a corresponding recess
in the end of the cylinder, or by other similar or suitable means.
In order to facilitate explanation, the drawing represents the two double-headed
piston-valves moving in one single continuous chamber, but they may also move each
in its separate chamber by having two inlets, for the water under pressure, in place
of the one marked 1 in the present drawings.
This allows the cylinder A, B, to be made shorter, but does not change the hydraulic
'movements and actions, as described.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is :-
1. The main cylinder with the piston having the chamber H, the valve-chamber
with the two independent reciprocating valves, having each two unequally-sized
flanges or heads, and supply and discharge-passages connecting with the cylinder, as
shown, in combination with the pipes or passages 6, 7, and 8, substantially as and
for the purpose herein described.
2. In a reciprocating meter, the means for reversing the stroke of the piston and
preventing dead points, consisting of the independent double-headed piston-valves,
either in line with each other in a single continuous valve-chamber, and actuated
during each stroke in the same direction, partly at different times and partly together,
or each double-headed piston-valve in its separate valve-chamber, substantially as
herein described.
3. In a meter, the main cylinder with a reciprocating piston, having a chamber H,
at its central portion, a valve-chamber, the ends of which are of larger diameter
than the intermediate connecting portion, in combination with independent valves,
each having heads or flanges of different diameters fitting the ends and intermediate
portion of the valve-chamber, the supply and exhaust pipes opening into the valve-
chamber, the pipes connecting the valve-chamber with the ends of the main cylinder
and the supplemental passages 6, 7, and 8, substantially as herein described.