Improvements in Apparatus for Registering the Quantity of Beer or the like passing through Beer-engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Feb., 1891-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Registering the Quantity of Beer or
the like passing through Beer-engines.
We, CHARLES GROOMBRIDGE, of 74, Grosvenor Park Road, Walthamstow,
in the County of Essex, Inventor, and WILLIAM ALFRED SOUTH, of 40, New
Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Veterinary Surgeon, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for registering the quantity
of beer, or the like, passing through beer engines, which quantity, on delivery to
the consumer, can be accurately ascertained on reference to a graduated dial or
dials so placed as to be within view of the attendant.
For this purpose the apparatus, which is so constructed as to be attached to, or
fixed beneath, the bar of a public house, hotel, or the like, is provided with, say,
two dials one of which is marked off into degrees corresponding to -pints, pints,
and quarts, the other dial being marked off to indicate gallons. Ench of said dials
is provided with an index hand, the axis of which is in connection, through a
suitable train of wheels or gearing, with the pump of a beer engine whose piston-
rod is connected with a rack into which works a toothed quadrant. On the axis
of this toothed quadrant is a pinion gearing with a toothed wheel, on whose axis
turns loosely a ratchet wheel which carries the index hand of the pints, etc. dial.
This ratchet wheel is also provided with a pinion, which gives motion to a suitable
counting or registering train.
Engaging with this ratchet wheel are two spring pawls or clicks, one moving
with the before mentioned toothed wheel and, by its movement, causing the ratchet
wheel to rotate, and the other operating to prevent the back or return movement of
the ratchet wheel. By the movement of the piston rod of the pump, motion is
imparted through the gearing to the index hands, and at the same time a spring is
caused to be wound up so that when it is desired to restore the index hands to zero
the before mentioned pawls are disengaged from the ratchet wheel and the parts
regain their normal position by the unwinding of the spring.
The registering gearing is so arranged that at each complete revolution of the
pints, etc. index hand, the gallons index hand is caused to move one degree, thus
indicating the drawing off of one gallon of liquid for each degree moved over.
Dated this 2nd day of New 1800
ERNEST DE PASS,
78, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Registering the Quantity of Beer or
the like passing through Beer-engines.
We, CHARLES GROOMBRIDGE, formerly of 74, (rosvenor Park Road,
Walthamstow, in the County of Essex, Inventor, and now of 115, Fairbridge Road,
Hornsey Rise, in the County of Middlesex, and WILLIAM ALFRED SOUTH, of
40, New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Veterinary Surgeon, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what inanner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for registering the quantity
of beer or the like passing through beer-engines, and which quantity, on delivery to

page_text: the consumer, or otherwise, can
be accurately ascertained on refereure to a
graduated dial, or dials, so placed as to be within view of the operator.
For this purpose the apparatus is so constructed as to attached
beneath the bar of a public house, hotel, or the like, and is provided with, say, two
dials, one of which is marked off into degrees or divisions corresponding
pints, pints, and quarts, and the other into degrees or divisions corresponding to
gallons. Each of said dials is provided with an index-hand, the axis of which is
be
to
or
fixed
to half
gearing,
with
the
in connection, through a suitable train of wheels or
pump of a
heer-engine whose piston rod is connected with a rack into which works a toothed
segment or quadrant. On the axis of this toothed segment or quadrant is a pinion
gearing with a loosely mounted toothed wheel or segment on whose axis is fixed a
ratchet wheel which carries the indes-hand of the half pints, e, dial. This ratchet
wheel is also provided with a pinion which gives motion to a suitable counting or
registering train. Engaging with the ratchet wheel are two spring pawls or
clicks, one moving with the before mentioned
its movement causing the ratchet wheel to rotate, and the
or return movement of said
or
segment,
and
by
other operating to
By
the movement
gearing. to the
toothed wheel
prevent the back
ratchet wheel.
of the piston rod of the pump, motion is imparted, through the
index hands and, at the same time, a spring is caused to be wound up so that
when it is desired to restore the index-hands to zero, the before mentioned
pawls are disengaged from the ratchet wheel and the parts regain their normal
position by the unwinding of the spring. The registering gearing is so arranged
that at each complete revolution of the half pints, etc. index-hand, the gallons
index hand is caused to move one degree or division thus indicating the drawing
off of one gallon of liquor for each degree or division moved over.
And in order that our invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect we proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a from elevation, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 3 is
a transverse vertical section showing our improved apparatus applied to a beer-
engine. It is to be understood that a separate apparatus is provided for each
handle.
a is one of the handles of the beer-engine which is connected to the piston rod
of the pump in any ordinary and well known manner, as for instance by means of
the lever, link d, and connecting role. To the piston rod is connected, by meals
of the arm, the rack, which is caused to reciprocate between guides, at
ench to and fro movement of the handle a The rack engages with a toothed
gearing with
h"
carrying the index hand *.
segment on the axis hand carried by the same axis is a pinion
another tooth segment loosely mounted on the axis
Thus as the rack reciprocates, an oscillatory movement is transmitted to this Inst
mentioned toothed segment, and by means of the spring controlled pivotted pawl?
carried thereby, and engaging with the ratelet wheel an intermittent rotation is
imparted to the axis i upon which the ratchet wheel is rigidly mounted. The index
hand is thus caused to travel around the dial the distance of one division each
time the rack performs its upward movement. A retaining-pawl, controlled by a
spring, prevents the ratchet wheel revolving in the opposite direction during the
backward movement of the pawl 7. The motion of the axis is
transmitted to the
axis m' by means of the train of toothed wheels j, k, l, m, these wheels being so
arranged and the number of their teeth so proportioned that for each complete
revolution of the index hand indicating the half pints, pints, and quarts, the
index and carried by the axis m', will travel the distance of one division, over
the dial m, and so indicate the number of gallons" drawn.
In order to enable the index hands to be brought back to zero, we employ a
spring m³, one end of which is connected to the axis m' of the toothed wheel mand
the other end is connected to the framing of the mechanism, and as the toothed
wheels revolve during the registering operation this spring becomes gradually
wound up. The two pawls,, are connected together by the slotted link

page_text: which is furnished with a finger piece ³, so that when the door o is opened this
finger piece is disclosed through the aperture o' (see Fig. 1). By operating the
finger-piece the two pawls are disengaged from the ratchet wheel, which is then
free to revolve in the opposite direction, and with it the wheels j, k, l, m, under the
influence of the spring m² until the index hands arrive at their zero positions
where they are stopped by the pin m³ on the wheel m coming against the abutment m
carried by the framing n. The apparatus in then in condition to commenco a fresh
series of registering operations.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The improved apparatus for registering the quantity of beer or the like,
passing through beer-engines, whereby on any of the handles of such engines being
operated, the exact quantity of liquor delivered can be accurately ascertained on
reference to a graduated dial, or dials, corresponding to the handle operated, and
arranged within view of the operator, substantially as described and shown with
reference to the annexed drawings.
2. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the means or mechanism
for permitting the quantity of liquor passing through beer-engines to be readily
ascertained and registered, on a dial or dials, substantially as described and shown
in the annexed drawings.
3. The means for restoring the hands of the dials to zero, consisting in the
arrangement and combination of the spring controlled pawls,, engaging in the
teeth of the ratchet wheel, the slotted link connecting said pawls and provided
with the finger piece, together with the spring m², pin m³, and abutment ne,
substantially as described and shown with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the
annexed drawings.
4. The combination with beer-engines of the improved apparatus above claimed,
for registering on a dial or dials the quantity of liquor drawn or delivered by such
engine, on any of its handles being operated, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of "1001
ERNEST DE PASS,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.