Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Depth of Liquid in Vessels.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Loft, 3rd Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Sept., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Depth of Liquid in
Vessels.
FRANCIS CHARLES CLARE York Cottage Mary Road Stechford Worcestershire
Traveller do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I form a float of cork, wood hollow metal or other suitable material and shape
which affords sufficient buoyancy for my purpose.
I make a hole through this float of a suitable shape and through which I cause to
pass a spiral spindle or rod of any suitable material which is pivoted at the top &
bottom into dises or plates but so that the spindle can freely rotate in the same.
These discs or plates are kept apart at any convenient distance by rods or wires which
are firmly and rigidly attached to both discs or plates and the float will work vertically
up and down these rods or wires by attachments to the said floats to preserve its
strictly vertical movement.
The hole in the float is shaped so the spiral spindle freely moves and as the float
rises or falls it causes the spiral spindle to revolve, and on the upper disc or plate a
pointer or finger is firmly attached to the upper part of the spindle and as the spindle
moves, as acted on by the rise and fall of the float the height of the liquid in the
vessel is indicated.
There are several plans for indexing the depth of the liquid according to circum-
stances as a large reservoir would require rather different registration to a small one.
More than one float can be used joined together say by a strap of metal across each
float through which metal the spiral spindle will pass and rotates as it does with the
single float the spiral spindle also could be made of strands of wire and the discs or
plates and the wires which keep them at the required distance apart could be made
in one piece of metal or wire or cast without deviating from the principles of my
Invention.

page_text: I, FRANCIS CHARLES CLARE of York Cottage, Mary Road, Stechford, Worcester-
shire, Traveller, 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:-
My invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for indicating the depth
of liquid in vessels and is particularly suitable for such vessels as Lamp reservoirs and
has the advantages of not only indicating when the vessel is full or partially full
but also when it is empty or nearly empty while at the same time the indicator can be
arranged so as not to interfere with the shape or design of the vessel.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried into
practice I have appended hereunto a sheet of drawing upon which I have illustrated
my invention applied to the reservoir of a lamp a sufficient portion only of the reservoir
being shewn for the application to be seen.
Figure 1 is a part section through a portion of an oil reservoir A shewing also a
section of my apparatus which is fixed thereto.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan on line 1. 2.
Figure 3 is a plan of the indicator.
I form the float B of cork, wood, hollow metal or other suitable material and shape
which affords sufficient buoyancy to revolve the twisted spindle C as the float B rises
or falls. This twisted spindle or rod C passes through the float B and is pivotted at
the top and bottom 2 into the discs or plates D and E so that the spindle C can
freely rotate in the same. These discs or plates are kept apart at any convenient
distance by the rods or wires e¹ and e² which are firmly and rigidly attached to both
dises the float being provided with the ears 3 and 4 which slide upon the rods e
and and thereby help to steady the float and prevent it from revolving. The hole c
in the float B is so shaped as to allow the twisted spindle C to rotato as the float rises
and falls. Above the top disc D the pointer or finger S is firmly attached to the top
of the spindle C and as the spindle is revolved by the rise or fali of the float Bas
before described the height of the liquid in the vessel is indicated the two extremes of
empty" and "full" being marked by the E and F upon the top of the indicator D.
More than one float can be used together say by a strip of metal joining two or more
floats together through which metal the twisted stem would pass. The spindle may
be made of strands of wire and the discs or plates D and E and the rods el and e²
may be made in one piece of metal or cast without deviating from the principle of my
invention.
"

page_text: The top disc D is shewn forming part of the sunk cap which is screwed into
the top of the vessel A but I may modify the attachment to the vessel to suit the
particular shape or design.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
In improvements in apparatus for indicating the depth of liquid in vessels the
twisted stem C in combination with the float B substantially as and for the purpose
herein set forth and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1888.
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant.