Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 22nd June, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 17th Aug., 1888
WILLIAM FORD STANLEY, Engineer, of Cumberlow, South Norwood, Surrey, do
hereby declare the nature of my sail invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to the class of Spirometers used for measuring the air capacity
of the lungs by a person breathing out the utmost continuous breath and is particularly
for additional parts thereto. The Spirometer may be of any kind applicable to this
purpose including the ordinary capacity kind or those with fans or helix or of any
form of meter used for measuring fluids.
The additional parts, the object of this invention are mechanical arrangements by
which a penny, halfpenny or other coin may be used to open an aperture or may
remove a detent in such a manner as to place the Spirometer or the recording part
thereof, in a condition ready for use, it being otherwise blocked or stopped.
To carry out this invention 1 make an ordinary Spirometer which I enclose in a
case and carry a mouth tube through the case which is made partly of flexible tube so
as to fit conveniently by means of a mouthpiece to the mouth. This tube will pre-
ferably hang down in front of the case when out of use, but it may move upwards, or
sideways, or push in and pull out. Either this tube preferably, or another part of the
apparatus is made by its movement to open an aperture or to remove a detent so as
to set the Spirometer or the recording part thereof in such a condition that the volume
of the expiration of the breath may be recorded, but such aperture or detent will not
be placed in this condition unless a penny, halfpenny or other coin (whichever is
decided) form part of the mechanical arrangement to open the aperture or remove the
detent. In practice this operation may be more conveniently performed by merely
moving the mouthpiece to its position for use. The aperture inentioned may be a
cock, valve, slide, or other mechanical equivalent. The detent may be put in action
through a tooth, pressure, or other meaus. The penny or halfpenny may be caused to
го

page_text: open the aperture, or remove the detent, either by its own weight or by pressure, or
to form a connecting link or fulcrum to a lever or other mechanical equivalent, to
effect this through the movement of the mouthpiece or of a seperate part of the
apparatus to set the Spirometer or the recording part thereof free to act.
The Spirometer will be necessarily modified to suit the mechanical additions here 5
specified.
Apparatus Connected with Spirometers.
WILLIAM FORD STANLEY Cumberlow South Norwood Surrey Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this 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 the class of Spirometers used for measuring the air capacity
of the lungs by a person breathing out the utmost continuous breath, and is particularly
for additional parts thereto, and does not relate to the class of instruments sometimes
called pneumometers by which the muscular strength of the lungs is ascertained by
the use of a pressure guage, or other method of registering the muscular power of the
lungs, and not the capacity thereof. The Spirometer may be of any kind applicable
to this purpose, either a gasholder of which the capacity is known, or a gas meter,
or by the breath passing over fans, or otherwise, and the capacity indicated on fixed
or revolving dial or dials, or fixed, or sliding scale, or scales, the additional parts, the
object of this invention are mechanical arrangements by which a coin may be used to
open an aperture, or may remove a detent in such a manner as to place the spirometer,
or the recording part thereof in a condition ready for use, it being otherwise blocked,
or stopped. To carry out this invention I take an ordinary Spirometer which I
enclose in a case, and carry a mouth tube through the case, which may be made partly
of flexible tube, so as to fit conveniently by means of a loose mouth piece fo the
mouth. This mouth piece may be of paper, skin, rubber, or other suitable material,
and will be delivered each time the machine is used from a suitable receptacle.
tube will preferably fall down in front of the case when out of use, but it may move
upward, or sideway, or push in, and pull out to produce the necessary power to open
the valve, and to deliver the mouth piece. Either this tube preferably, or another
part of the apparatus actuated by it, is made by its movement to open an aperture, or
to remove a detent so as to set the Spirometer, or the recording part thereof in such a
The

page_text: condition that the volume of the expiration of the breath may be indicated, but
such aperture, or detent will not he placed in this condition unless a coin, or the like
forms part of the mechanical arrangement to open the aperture, or to remove the
detent. In practice this operation may be most conveniently performed by merely
moving the mouth piece to its position for use. The aperture by which the breath
enters before mentioned may be placed in connection with a cock, valve, slide, plug,
or other mechanical equivalent. The detent may be a tooth active through pressure,
or other release. The coin, or the like may be caused to open the aperture, or remove
the detent either by its own weight, or by pressure, or to form a connecting link, or
fulcrum to a lever, or other mechanical equivalent to effect this through the movement
of the mouth piece or of a separate part of the apparatus to set the Spirometer, or the
recording part thereof, free to act. The Spirometer will be necessarily modified to
suit the mechanical additions here specified particularly as to its absorbtion of the
moisture of the breath which would otherwise obstruct the mechanism, or cause incon-
venience to the user, for which purpose I use a porous, or absorbant lining to the tube
which is rendered antiseptic, or a receptacle connected therewith containing an
absorbant body, as quick line, by this arrangement the apparatus is also disinfected-
To bring the index hand back to zero if the spirometer is a capacity vessel over a
liquid used to contain the respired air. The capacity vessel in descending in the
liquid carries with it a counterbalance weight up to a position of sufficient potential to
bring the index hand back to zero by reaction, which it effects by the release of a
detent, by a part of the descending vessel pressing this detent at or near its lowest
position during descent, or if a sliding scale is used the scale would simply be con-
nected to a cord over a pulley, which would be drawn up as the capacity vessel
descended, or if the scale were fixed the index would be attached to a counterweight,
and read into the scale, or the index may be fixed to the vessel itself and read upon a
scale direct; in any of these methods I prefer to use a valve for the escape of the air,
so that the index may be held an instant of time before returning, which valve may
be opened by the mouth tube being placed back to its normal position; or the index
may return automatically. If the Spirometer is a gas meter, or other rotary meter
then the rotation carries with it a ratchet arrangement which is hereinafter described,
and illustrated in figure 5. One method of carrying out this invention is particularly
described by the accompanying drawings described as follows.
Fig. 1. shows a front elevation of machine reading upon a dial A. B is the
opening through which the mouthpieces are delivered. C. C. is the mouth tube locked
in its resting position; it is fitted with a ball, and socket at D, so that it can be moved
in a position to suit the user when the tube is unlocked, and elevated. E is a tray for
the used mouth pieces to fall into. F. is a slot for the reception of coin. Fig. 2. is a
front elevation with the front of case removed showing the internal construction.
C. C. is the mouth tube working on trunions in brackets G. G. the left hand of which
is made like a cock, the plug of which forms one trunion, and it is so arranged that
when mouth tube is in position shown, the passage is closed, but when mouth tube is
elevated the plug turns thereby, opening the passage through to tube H which is
connected to Gas Meter I. The detent J locks the arm L, which is firmly fixed to the
mouth tube thus preventing it being lifted unless released by a coin, or the like:
the coin is passed through the slot from the outside of the case it falls through
conduit M into a tray N, and the weight of the coin depresses the lever to which N is
fixed, and to which also the detent J is fixed, sufficiently to allow the arm L to be
released, and allow the mouth tube C to be lifted, but not sufficiently to shoot the coin
out of the tray. As the mouth tube is lifted the arm L is depressed, and so by a
projecting rod O attached thereto actuates the mouth piece delivery mechanism herein-
after described, and illustrated at Fig. 4. The mouth pieces are contained in slide P,
and are held up to delivery mechanism by block running in slide, and spring Q.
when
When the person has used the machine the index will have revolved to indicate the
number of cubic inches, or other measure of his lung capacity, and the index revolving
will draw bucket R up tube S to a corresponding distance, the said bucket being
counterbalanced by weight T sliding in tube U.. The person then leaves hold of

page_text: mouth tube which is returned to its locking position by weight V, and in so doing
tilts detent J by pawl W, which will be seen acts with back stroke only upon a pin in
end of J, sufficient to shoot the coin out of tray N, the coin then falls into the bucket R.
which will be seen is partly open on one side, the weight of coin causes bucket to fall,
and by this returning index to zero by mechanism bereinafter described, and
illustrated at Fig. 5; when the index is at zero, the bucket will have reached an
opening in the bottom of tube S. corresponding with its own opening, the coin then
falls out into drawer X, the other part of drawer Y, receives the used mouthpieces ;
suitable openings are made in the case for the various purposes required.
Fig. 3. shows a transverse section through the case of the machine, the mechanism
being represented in elevation, the corresponding parts are all lettered the same as,
and the description is as in Fig. 2, and it therefore needs no further explanation.
Fig. 4. shows an enlarged elevation of mouth piece delivery mechanism, the lever a
is depressed by projecting rod 0, figs. 2. and 3. coming in contact with end piece b.
which will be seen by dotted lines acts on downward stroke only, the end piece lifting
against spring C when projecting rod O returns, the lower end of lever a. passes
through a slot in a plate d. sliding in guides, it will thus be seen that when the lever a.
is depressed, it will move the plate d. forward, thus pushing out the top mouthpiece f.
(which falls through opening in case), and when lever a. returns, which it does by a
small spring e. the next mouth piece is lifted in position for delivery by spring Q. fig. 2.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a paper mouthpiece.
Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of mechanism for returning the index to zero.
g. is the
pulley over which the cord carrying bucket R, and counterweight T, fig. 2. passes,
and it also carries the index hand, both are fixed to a sleeve which revolves on a
spindle, the toothed wheel . is fixed to the driving spindle of meter, and is geared
into tooth wheel i. upon which is fixed ratchet wheel j. the pawl k. is carried on a
separate plate 7. running loose on centre, and is held into ratchet wheel j. by a spring;
all these with the exception of . run on a fixed spindle attached to the meter below
the driving spindle which carries . Beneath the pawl k. will be seen a small slot
cut through plate 1. and through this a pin m. attached to pulley g: passes, it will
be seen that when the weight of bucket, and counterweight are equal, the pawl k.
will be held into ratchet wheel j. and the whole arrangement locked for turning to
the left, but when the coin is in the bucket, that side becomes the heavier, and
therefore draws the pulley round to the right, the pin m. then lifts pawl k. out of
ratchet wheel, and when free continues to turn free to the right, until index is
at zero, when the coin falls from bucket, and the weights being equal the arrange-
ment again becomes locked by the pawl k. falling into ratchet wheel j.
1
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:
1. A Spirometer, or lung capacity measurer being fitted with the supplementary
mechanical parts herein described, and partly shown by the drawings herewith.
2. The use in connection with a Spirometer, or lung capacity measurer, of a coin
or the like taking apparatus, which releases or opens a part of it to render it
active.
3. The use, and delivery of a cone, or covering to the mouth piece of paper, or
other suitable material as specified.
4. The use of disinfectants, and moisture absorbant bodies in connection with
Spirometers as herein specified.
5. Bringing the index of a Spirometer back to zero as herein specified.
Dated this 22nd day of Juns 1000
WM. FORD STANLEY.