Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1887
Specification Accepted. 30th Dec.. 1887
I. MELVIN PALMER FREEMAN of Somerville, in the County of Middlesex and State
of Massachusetts, United States of America. Manufacturer. do hereby declare the
nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in water-meters and it is carried out as
follows; reference being had to the accompanying drawings where Fig. 1 represents
a longitudinal section of the improved meter; Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of
the valve mechanism; and Fig. 3 represents a cross-section on the line X Y shown in
Fig. 2. Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different
parts of the drawings.
A is the middle portion of the water meter shell and A' A represent the cylinders
at opposite ends of said water chamber A as usual. a¹ and all are the heads respec-
tively secured to the ends of the cylinders A' A" as shown in Fig. 1.
B is the piston
rod having attached to its ends the pistons B1 and B", said pistons having in their
outer ends the respective yielding bunters 611 to prevent inetallic contact between the
said pistons and the cylinder ends as is common in meters of this kind.
A³ is the top
plate or cover with its inlet a³ leading to upper portion of central chamber A as
shown in the drawings.
C is the valve base secured to the cored out bottom plate D, said valve base having
ports cc and d, the two former communicating respectively by means of the
passages and with the outer ends of the cylinders A' and A" as shown in
Fig. 1; the port d is in direct communication with the outlet D¹ in the base D.
F is the reciprocating slide valve located on top of valve-base C and adapted to slide
between it and the stationary valve cover G as shown. The valve F has a pair of
vertical openings and made through it, such openings being separated from each
other by means of the bridge as shown in Fig. 1. The valve F has in its ends the
flexible bunters F1 and F adapted to stop against the respective downwardly
projecting lips G¹ and G" on the cover G when said valve is moved to its limit of
stroke in either direction and thus prevent metallic contact between the valve ends
and the lips G¹G" during the operation of the meter. 91 and 9" are perforations in
the cover G for conducting the liquid from the central chamber A to the outer ends

page_text: of the cylinders A¹ A". ³ and are collars on the piston rod B for automatically
operating the valve levers during the reciprocating motion of the pistons B¹
and B
To opposite sides of the valve base are secured the studs or pins hh to which
are loosely pivoted the levers H H having segmental teeth H H in their upper ends
as shown in the drawings, said teeth meshing in tooth racks f³ f3 on the sides of the
valve F. To said pins h, h, or upon sleeves h h on the levers H H are pivoted
loosely the weighted levers I I such levers being connected together above the valve
cover G by means of the cross bar 1¹ and having chambered upper extensions 1" ["1
preferably loaded with lead 13, 13 or other heavy metal as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.
The cross bar 1 is cast in one piece with the levers II by which great strength is
obtained and by which said levers are rigidly united so as to cause them to work
properly without danger of one getting loose from the other. To the upper extensions
of the weighted levers I, I, 1 secure in a detachable manner by means of screws
or screw bolts i the cam plates, ¹, which are preferably made of hard wood such as
lignum vitae or analogous material.
As the piston rod B reciprocates, its collars 63 64 come in contact with the cam-
plates and turn the levers II on their fulcra and in so doing the sides of the
slotted lower portions 1* I* of said levers come in contact with pins or side projections
11 on the toothed levers H, H and thereby cause the latter to be swung on the
fulcra, h, by which the valve F is reciprocated. Heretofore in meters of this
kind the slidė valve has had side projections actuated directly by the slotted and
weighted levers, but this is objectionable as it is liable to cause undue friction
between the valve and its seat by the inclined pressure of the slotted levers on the
said valve pins, besides requiring unnecessary amount of power to operate the valve.
Such objections are obviated by the construction as shown and by these means I
am able to move the valve in a true linear direction forward and back with a minimum
of power and with the least amount of frictional resistance.
By having the cam plates made of lignum vitae or equivalent or analogous
material, the levers 1 I are operated by the collars 63, 6 without the metallic click or
blow usually occuring where both collars and cam plates are made of metal.
During the rocking motion of the weighted levers II and after they pass by
their central position they are moved to the limit of their stroke by the momentum
and gravity of their upper weighted ends, and for the purpose of arresting them
gradually and to prevent their vibration or shaking when brought to a stop
against the cover G I make on the cross bar a pair of projections 33 (one or
more on each side of such cross bar) which are caused to enter recesses or dash-
pots in the top of cover G as shown in Fig. 1; such recesses or dash
pots being normally filled with the liquid in chamber A it will be seen that
such liquid will act as a cushion when the projections fall into the dash pots g³
and thus gradually and noiselessly arrest the fall of the levers I without any jar
or shock. The projections may be made of any desired form as may best suit
the purpose for which they are intended and they may be made of any desirable
material and secured to the bar l' or other portions of the levers as may be
found practicable without departing from the spirit of my invention. The recesses
or dash-pots g³ may be made tapering as shown in Fig. 1, or of other shape as
may be desired.
The operation of this my improved meter is as follows:
The different parts being in their respective positions as shown in Fig. 1, the
liquid under pressure in chamber. A passes through opening g", in cover G, as
well as from below the left end of the valve F into valve opening and thence
through port cand channel C to the rear end of cylinder A causing the
pistons B, B and piston-rod B to move towards the right during which the liquid in
cylinder A is forced through passage O!, port c¹, valve opening and port d out
through the delivery pipe D³. As the pistons B", B' continue to move onward in said
direction, the collar 6 comes in contact with the cam-plates and cause the
levers II to be swung on their fulera h h to the central position shown in Fig. 2 and

page_text: a little beyond such central position after which the weighted levers I I are caused by
their own gravity to swing to the limit of their stroke and during such latter move-
ment of said levers they come in contact with the pins h¹, h" on the toothed
levers H H causing the latter to turn around the fulcra h h in the same direction and
by the engagement of the teeth H' on said levers in the toothed racks f³ ³ on the
slide valve F the latter is moved in a linear direction to the limit of its stroke and is
stopped noiselessly by its bunter F' coming in contact with the lip G₁ on the end of
cover G, and the weighted levers I I gradually stopped by the projection 13 entering
the dash-pot ga at the right end of cover G, and by the reversal of the said valve F
the motion of the pistons B', B" in the direction mentioned is gradually stopped
and their motion reversed with a corresponding reversal of the flow of the liquid
and so on.
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. In a water meter the valve mechanism as described consisting of the oscillating
weighted levers I, I, pivoted in their lower ends, and the pivoted toothed levers H H
having the respective toothed ends H H and projections combined with the
valve F having teeth or projections intermeshing with the toothed levers H as and
for the purpose set forth.
2. The slide valve F having teeth or projections f³ and the pivoted levers H, H
having teeth or projections H'H' intermeshing with the teeth on the valve and having
projections combined with the weighted pivoted levers I, 1, adapted to actuate
the toothed levers H, H as set forth.
3. In a water meter the reciprocating pistons B₁ B" piston rod B and projections
thereon as described combined with the weighted levers II pivoted in their lower
ends and provided with the detachable cam-plates, made of lignum vitae or
analogous materials as and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a water meter, the weighted pivoted levers II having stop projections, or
plungers combined with the plate G and its recesses or dash-pots g³ ³ as and for
the purpose set forth.
5. The cylinders A' A" and the reciprocating pistons B₁ B" with the piston rod B
and projections thereon, combined with the weighted levers I, I, pivoted in their lower
ends, the pivoted toothed levers H, H actuated by said weighted levers as described
and having teeth or projections intermeshing with teeth or projections on the slide
valve Fas and for the purpose set forth.
6. The ported cover G, stationary ported valve base and ported slide valve F
having teeth or projections f³ ³ combined with the pivoted toothed levers H H
meshing into the teeth on the valve and the pivoted levers II for actuating the
levers H H and valve F as set forth.
Dated this 29th day of November 1887.