IMPROVE- MENTS IN GAS METERS.
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Corn Bent, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Gas Meter Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS METERS.
Sealed the 27th October 1859, and dated the 26th May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Corn Bent at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th May 1859.
I, JAMES CORN BENT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gas
Meter Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
These improvements relate to wet gas meters, and are for the purpose of
maintaining the water constantly at a proper level, whereby a more correct
measurement is secured. This is effected by the application of a water-lifting
lever, worked by a cranked wheel in gear with the ordinary index shaft wheel,
and at each revolution of such wheel a cup at each end of the lever dips
into a supply tank, takes up a small quantity of water, and deposits it into the
measuring chamber.
. Secondly, the application of two floats to the ordinary valve, whereby one
valve is made to answer the purpose of two.
This is effected by placing one
float in the portion of: the meter in connection with the measuring chamber,

page_text: and the other in one of the supply tanks, and connecting them together in
such a manner that should the water get too low, either in the supply tank
or in the measuring chamber, the floats would fall, close the valve, and stop
the gas.
Thirdly, my improvements consist in the employment in some cases of two
supply tanks instead of one, that is to say, the front box of the ordinary meter
may be divided into three compartments, the centre one forming a chamber
for the reception of the waste water, and the other two to act as the supply
tanks.
Fourthly, my improvements consist in another method of securing a more
correct measurement (than with the meters in general use at present); and
this is effected in the construction of the drum or measuring wheel of the
ordinary meters by placing in the centre portion of the drum a blank cylinder,
closed either at one or both ends. If closed.at-both ends, this cylinder acts
as a float, thereby reducing to a great extent the friction on the axle shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Corn Bent in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CORN BENT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gas Meter Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Corn Bent, Her special license that I, the said James Corn
Bent, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Corn Bent, my executors, administrators, or 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, au Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said James Corn Bent, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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

page_text: 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 James Corn Bent, 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 (that is to say) :-
My improvements relate to the description of gas meters known by and
technically termed "wet meters," and my improvements are intended to
render such meters capable of accurately measuring the gas that passes through
them, for supplying the burners with gas that may be in connection with such
meter or meters; and I effect this by maintaining the water in the measuring
chamber or body of the meter at the proper or adjusted height; not that
this in itself is new, as many meters have been constructed to effect this
object, adopting a hollow arm or scoop, which is made to rise and fall, or
vibrate on a fixed axis above the water level of the measuring chamber. the
hollow arm or scoop descending into a spare reservoir, from a motion derived
from the axis of the main drum of the meter, and as the arm or scoop rises
above the water level of the measuring chamber, the water it contains will
flow into it, and by this means is kept in a uniform condition, whatever
amount of evaporation may be taking place; but as all the action of the drum,
and motion for regulating the capacity of the measuring chamber, as well as
the train of wheels in connection with the index for denoting the quantity of
gas used (which is the sole use and object of gas meters), is derived from the
pressure on the gas as it enters the meter, it must be evident that the less
power absorbed in effecting this object must be a great advantage, and tends
not only to the general endurance of the meter, but to its permanent accuracy
for indicating the quantity of gas passed through it, and to effect this desired
object I use a balanced lever, with a scoop at each end, for alternately lifting
the water from a spare reservoir into the measuring. chamber, the. elevated
end forming a counterpoise with the lower end,.so that the small quantity of
water contained in the scoop is all that is absorbing power in its elevation.
Under the fourth head of my Provisional Specification, and with a view also
of decreasing the resisting force of the revolving drum (by the pressure of
the gas), I described as one of my improvements the introduction of an air-
tight concentric compartment in the measuring drums of gas meters, and,
which chamber I purposed placing parallel with the axis of the drum, and of
such a diameter that the whole of this chamber should be below the water
level or line of the meter, so that by its displacement it should give its equi-
valent weight towards the sustaining the drum on its axis or bearings,

page_text: !
thereby diminishing its dead weight, but since commencing this Patent I
have discovered that this is 'not new, as it already forms the subject of a
Patent.
Having now described the object and purpose of my Invention in gas
meters, I will, by the aid of the Drawings hereunto annexed, show how my
improvements may be beneficially carried into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a front view of a meter constructed of the ordinary shape,
with a view of showing that the meters now in
use may be readily altered or
The front plate, shown in a
fitted with my improvements at a trifling cost.
front seperate view at Fig. 5, is removed for the purpose of showing the
interior or the supplementary reservoir for keeping up the supply of water to
the measuring chamber or water line in the body of the meter, with which
the chamber J is in connection, and which part has also its front removed,
and exhibited detached at Fig. 4. A is the front axis of the measuring
drum, on which a worm wheel is placed, which gives motion to the horizontal
wheel B, which, having a bevilled wheel on its under side, gives motion to
the corresponding bevilled wheel marked C, on which a crank pin D is
fastened, which gives motion to the arm E, and this arm is connected with
the crank pin F, and which crank is in connection with the arm G, to which
my balanced lever H, H, is fastened, and as the distance from the centre of
the wheel C to the crank pin D is much shorter than the centre of the crank
pin F is to the centre G, it is evident that while the crank pin D is con-
tinuously moving around in the direction of the arrow, the crank pin F will be
lifted up and down through the segment of a circle, shown in dotted lines, at
the same time alternately vibrating the balance lever H, H, the ends of which
being hollow, as at H', a small quantity of water will be elevated with it,
which, when passing up above the horizontal line, the water it contains will
run towards the centre, and run backward over a lip into the measuring
reservoir or water line, as at I; the broken dotted lines crossing the several
parts in this chamber represents the water, and the same description of lines,
as at J, J, represents the water in the supplementary chamber. K and L are
balance floats, one working in the supplementary chamber, and the other in
the measuring or water line chamber, but the both are connected to the same
lever for keeping the valve open, through which the gas is emitted into the
meter through the supply pipe M; and, for example, I will suppose it now
entering the meter, and descending the tube N to the dotted circle O, where
it passes at right angles into the body of the meter, exerting its force in the

page_text: compartments of the drum above the water line, causing it to turn in the
direction of the arrow P, and by the pressure of the gas acting on this drum,
the several parts are put in motion, as before described, from the worm
wheel on the axis A, and as long as the gas is turned on, the parts will continue
to work, and by the revolution of the wheel B, a train of wheels behind the
dial Q is put in motion, operating on the hands, by which the quantity of gas
passed through the meter will be duly indicated.
And I will now suppose
that, from evaporation, the water in the suplementary chamber has been used
up, the consequence will be that the balance float K will descend, and thereby
close the valve, shown in dotted lines marked R, and cut off the supply of
gas, and thus indicating the condition of the meter, which I now remedy by
opening the waterway S, and add a supply of water, which I may do until I
have gorged the meter, or over-supplied the water, so as to cut off the supply
of gas to the drum, by causing the water to flow over the lip T and front, as
exhibited detached at Figure 4, and over the same lip of the tube N at T, in
Figure 1, down which it will flow to the waste water box U, untill it rises
above the supply tube, shown in dotted lines at O, which will cut off the
escape of the gas from passing to the drum; and this state or condition is
easily rectified by removing a screw plug from the little waste pipe V, which
will allow all surplus water to flow out untill the water in the reservoir J is
as much below the water in the measuring reservoir I as the lip T of the
pipe N is below it, thus leaving the meter in proper condition for work, which
it will continue to do until, as before described, the supply for the evaporation,
which is constantly going on, has exhausted the supply chamber J; and as
the scoops will take up more or less water at each alternate elevation, according
to the depth or quantity of water in the reservoir J than may be required, I
have provided an overflow pipe, marked W, the lip of which being set. to the
exact position or desired level of the water line in the measuring chamber or
body of the meter, as indicated by the dotted lines Z, Z, will allow the surplus
supply to flow back again from the measuring chamber into the reservoir J.
This pipe I prefer making of soft metal which enables me to elevate or depress
it, in order to arrive at the desired adjustment before soldering up or fixing
on my front plate. And in order that the water shall not be throttled or
confined in the water-line chamber from the true measuring chamber in the
body of the meter, into which it first enters from the supply pipe S, I form a
hole through the back of the water-line chamber into the body of the meter,
as at X. Fig. 2 is a side view of Figure 1, with the end of the front box
removed, simply for the purpose of showing the projection of the water-line
chamber I from the back plate of this part, as also the reservoir J, with the

page_text: 'end of the lever H', in the same position as exhibited at Figure 1. The waste
pipe V is shown in dotted lines bent down on the inside, for the purpose of
keeping its lower end immersed in water to prevent the escape of gas; and
in this view I am also enabled to exhibit the outlet for the gas, marked Y.
Fig. 3 is simply the reverse end of Figure 2, and Fig. 6 is a top view of the
lever H, showing the spouts or lips near the axis for the water to run over
into the reservoir, as before described, the arms of the lever affording facilities
for this, from its being bent up and soldered, where desired, from block tin.
Having thus not only given a general description of my improvements in
wet meters, but also the way in which the same may be carried into effect, I
wish it understood that I do not purpose confining myself to any of the exact
details herein described and exhibited, as the whole are capable of considerable
modifications, and applicable to all size meters, without departing from the
spirit of my Invention; as, for instance, the lever H'may be weighted and
'closed up on one end, so as to form a counterpoise for the other, which may
be confined solely to the elevating of the compensating water; but what I
claim, and wish protected by these my in part recited Letters Patent, is, the
application (for the purpose of maintaining the water line of the measuring
chamber of wet gas meters) of a balance lever, as herein described and
exhibited, marked H, as also the arrangement of the floats K and L, as
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Corn Bent, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
JAMES CORN BENT. (L.S.)