IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING LIQUIDS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Pattman Trueman, late of John Street,
Pentonville, in the County of Middlesex, and now of Woodbridge,
in the County of Suffolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 14th August 1874, and dated the 20th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by tho said Henry Pattman
Trueman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th February 1874.
I, HENRY PATTMAN TRUEMAN, late of John Street, Pentonville, in the
County of Middlesex, and now of Woodbridge, in the County of Suffolk,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING LIQUIDS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a simple and convenient apparatus for
accurately measuring all kinds of liquids.
The said apparatus is constructed with an outer case or vessel, which
may be made of any suitable material, such as iron, copper, tin,

page_text: be
porcelain, and glass, according to the nature of the liquid that may
brought in contact with it; and the shape of the said case may be
varied as found desirable.
At or near the bottom or other suitable part of the said case or vessel
I admit the fluid to be measured till it reaches a desired level within
the said case, which level is determined and maintained by the adjust-
ment of a float connected with a valve, an arrangement of syphons, or
other means, for effecting the same purpose. If a valve is used I prefer
an equilibrium valve, which will close equally under different pressures.
In the bottom of the said case I place a tube of any desired size and
any suitable material, whose upper extremity shall rise a given height
above the level of the liquid admitted by the aforesaid syphons or valves,
and whose lower extremity passes through a water-tight joint and com-
municates with the external air.
The said apparatus also has a vessel or series of connecting vessels
whose internal cubical contents shall be equal to or slightly in excess
of the highest quantity that will be desired to measure at one operation.
The said vessel or vessels are fitted to slide vertically on the aforesaid
tube, being provided with a stuffing box, which allows the tube to
pass through the bottom and project any desired distance beyond the
extreme height of the said vessel on its being depressed or lowered into
the liquid. I effect the raising or lowering of the sliding vessel on tho
tube by means of a wheel and rack, crank and connecting rod, eccentric,
internal cam, or a device consisting of a barrel and flexible straps, or
other contrivance. Thus it will bo obvious that when the aforesaid
vessel or vessels shall be lowered into the outer case the liquid which is
admitted by the aforesaid valve or syphon arrangement will rise, and
on the further depression of the vessel below its surface will completely
fill and overflow it; but the tube which rises above the level prevents
the escape of any fluid contained in the vessel and its surrounding
case.
Furthermore it is evident that on raising the vessel it will emerge
from the fluid in which it has been been immersed accurately filled, and
on its further upward movement will elevate any fractional part or the
whole of its contents above the extremity of the tube, thus allowing the
escape of any desired portion down the said tube into a vessel arranged

page_text: In cases where extreme accuracy is needed the part which slides upon
the aforesaid tube is composed of a series of vessels of any given capacity,
placed one above the other, and connected by a short tubo or passage
passing from the extreme bottom of the upper to the top of the next
lower vessel, and so on to the end of the series. When this arrangement
is used the extreme lowest part of any desired vessel or number of vessels
may be brought to the level of the tube, whose upper extremity in this
case should have a bell mouth, so as to nearly fill the tube or neck
which connects the vessel or vessels with those immediately under it.
I effect the complete filling of either of the aforesaid vessels by a
series of tubes whose lower ends communicate with the lowermost part of
the vessel or series of vessels, and which tubes are arranged around the
outside, or wholly or partially inside the said vessel; the expulsion of
the air contained in the same is effected by the gradual rise of the fluid
in the vessel, the air escaping by a tube whose height is sufficient to
keep its upper part always above the level of the fluid surrounding it.
To ensure the correct and accurate working of these various parts when
enclosed in their case I connect to the wheel and rack and other lifting
arrangements a lever which describes an arc over the face of a graduated
disc, on which is engraved denominations of quantity; a pin on the
said lever or hand is made to fall into notches or holes made in the disc
for its reception; these notches or holes coincide with the positions into
which the lever is moved to bring any desired quantity or lower part of
any of the aforesaid series of vessels to the top of the tube.
In order that it may be ascertained when the vessel to which the
machine is attached ceases to supply the measure through being empty
or otherwise, I place a glass tube or glass slip in a conspicuous part of
the apparatus to show at a glance the level of the contained liquid,
which will always remain the same until the supply ceases.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Pattman Trueman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
PATTMAN TRUEMAN, late of John Street, Pentonville, in the County of
Middlesex, and now of Woodbridge, in the County of Suffolk, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Pattman Trueman,
Her special licence that I, the said Henry Pattman Trucman, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry Pattman Trucman, my executors, administrators, and 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, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING
LIQUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Pattman Trueman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the 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 Henry Pattman Trueman, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings forming a part of this Specification:-
My Invention relates to a simple and convenient apparatus for
accurately measuring all kinds of liquids.
The said apparatus has a measuring vessel enclosed within a case or
chamber, into which the liquid to be measured is admitted by means of

page_text: a float and valve, or other suitable contrivance, and any desired portion
of the said liquid may be measured and delivered from the apparatus by
the proper adjustment of the said inner vessel within the outer case or
chamber.
The manner in which the said Invention may be most advantageously
carried into practise may be readily understood by referring to the
accompanying Drawings, which I will now proceed to explain, but I
wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise form, con-
struction, or arrangement of the various parts, except in those particulars
which are essential to the efficient action of the said apparatus, as
herein set forth.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved apparatus; Figuro 2 is
a horizontal section on the lino x, x, Figure 1; Figure 3 is a vertical
section on the line y, y, Figuro 2.
Liko letters indicate the same parts
throughout the Drawings.
The said apparatus is constructed with an outer case or chamber a,
which may be mado of any suitable material, such as iron, copper, tin,
porcelain, or glass, according to the nature of the liquid to be measured,
and the shape of the said case may be varied as found desirable.
At or near the bottom or other suitable part of the said case or vessel a
I admit the fluid to be measured till it reaches the desired level within
the said case, which level is determined and maintained by the adjust-
ment of a float b, of hollow metal or other suitable material, connected
with a valve c. I prefer to employ an equilibrium valve, as shown,
which will close equally under different pressures. Instead of a valve
I may use an arrangement of syphons, or other suitable means, for
admitting the liquid to the vessel a. In the bottom of the case a I fix
a vertical delivery or discharge tube d, of any desired diameter, and any
suitable material, whose upper extremity shall rise a given height above ·
the level of the liquid admitted by the aforesaid valve, and whose lower
extremity passes through a water-tight joint at e and communicates
with the external atmosphere.
The said measuring vesself preferably consists of a series of connected

page_text: measured at one operation. The said vesself is fitted to slide vertically
on the aforesaid tube by means of a stuffing box, shown in dotted lines
at g, Figure 1, which allows the tube d to pass through the bottom and
project any desired distanco beyond the extreme beight of the said
vessel when the same is depressed or lowered in the liquid.
I effect the raising and lowering of the sliding vessel f on the tube d
through the medium of toothed wheels h, i, and racks j, or by a crank
and connecting rod, or an eccentric or internal cam, or a device con-
sisting of a barrel and flexible straps, or other suitable contrivance.
It will be obvious that when the aforesaid vessel ƒ shall be lowered in :
the case a the liquid which is admitted by the aforesaid valve or syphon
arrangement will rise, and on the further depression of the vessel f
below its surface will completely fill and cover the said vessel; but the
tube d, which rises above the level, prevents the escape of any of the
fluid contained in the vessel and its surrounding case.
1
Furthermore it is evident that on raising the vessel fit will emerge
from the fluid in which it has been immersed accurately filled, and on
its further upward movement will elevate any fractional part or the
whole of its contents above the top of the tube d, thus allowing the
escape of any desired portion of liquid down the said tube into any a
receptacle or vessel provided to receive the said liquid.
In cases where extreme accuracy is needed the vessel f, which slides
upon the aforesaid tube, is, as above specified, composed of a series of
sections or portions, as shown in Figure 3, of any given capacity, placed
one above the other, and connected by short central tubes f¹, which 2
form passages from the bottom of the one portion to the top of the
portion next below it throughout the entire vessel; but if desired a plain
cylindrical measuring vessel may be employed in place of this peculiarly
constructed vessel. When this peculiar construction is used the
extreme lowest part of any desired portion or number of portions of the 3
said vessel may be brought to the level of the tube d, whose upper
extremity in this case should have a bell mouth d*, as shown in dotted
lines, Figure 1, so as to nearly fill the tube or neck f¹.
To prevent the
premature escape of any of the liquid down the tube d I provide the
same with a small valve or stopper d'. When the vessel f is raised a 3
bar d² or other device in the tube 7 engages with the said valve and
raises it from the tube d.

page_text: I effect the complete filling of the aforesaid vessel, or any portion or
portions thereof, by a series of tubes / whose lower ends communicate
with the lowest part of the vessel f, as shown. These tubes k are
arranged around the outside, or wholly or partially inside, the said
vesself; the expulsion of the air contained in the same is effected by
the gradual rise of the fluid in the vessel, the air escaping by a tube 7,
which forms an extension of the upper part of the vessel f, and whose
height is sufficient to keep its open upper end always above the level of
the fluid surrounding it.
To ensure the correct and accurate working of the various parts of
this apparatus when enclosed in their case a, as shown, I connect to the
wheels and racks, or other lifting arrangement, a lever m, which
describes an are over the face of a graduated disc n marked with
denominations of quantity; a pin o on the said lever or handle is made
to fall into notches or holes made in the disc for its reception; these
notches or holes coincide with the positions into which the lever mis
moved to bring any desired quantity of the liquid, or the lower part
of any of the aforesaid portions of the vessel f, to the top of the tube.
In order that it may be ascertained when the reservoir or vessel to
which the apparatus is attached ceases to supply the measurer through
being empty or otherwise I provide the case a with glass tubes p, or
glass slips, through which the level of the contained liquid can be
observed at any moment.
By the employment of the devices above described this level will
always remain the same while the supply of liquid to the apparatus is
maintained.
This improved apparatus, which I call a polyometer, has a great
advantage over others wherein are used a number of loose measures,
liable to bo mislaid and used for dissimilar compounds, and subject to
derangement, accidentally or otherwise. And the said apparatus, as
herein described, or substantially so, may be used for every purpose
where given quantities of liquid are required to be measured or
discharged.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. An apparatus for measuring liquids, which with one measuring
vessel, when the same is adjusted to measure any quantity of liquid not

page_text: exceeding its capacity, will without further attention discharge that
quantity and no more.
Second. The measuring vessel, constructed in the peculiar manner
shown, and fitted to slide upon a central discharge or delivery tube, as
hercin set forth and for the purposes specified.
Third. The apparatus herein described, constructed with the afore-
said measuring vessel enclosed in a case or box and arranged in com-
bination with a valve or any suitable device for maintaining the level of
the liquid, and with the central tube and the other parts of the said
apparatus, as shown in the Drawings, and operating as herein set forth
and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Pattman Trueman, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninteenth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
HENRY PATTMAN TRUEMAN. (L.S.)
Witness,
HENRY JAMES Noone,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.