IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND INDICATING THE QUANTITY OF LIQUID DRAWN OFF THEREBY
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Anthony Hardcastle, of the lown an
County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND INDICATING THE QUANTITY OF LIQUID DRAWN
OFF THEREBY."
Sealed the 8th March 1867, and dated the 11th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Anthony Hardcastle
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th September 1866.
I, ROBERT ANTHONY HARDCASTLE, of the Town and County of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND INDICATING THE QUANTITY OF LIQUID
DRAWN OPP THEREBY," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for measuring
liquids drawn from casks or other vessels. This object is effected by the inter-
position of a cistern or tank of known capacity which first receives from the
vessel of supply the liquid to be measured. The number of times this cistern
or tank is replenished is registered, and it then remains at the option of the
operator how much or how little of the contents of this cistern are drawn off
at each manipulation. Connected with this tank or cistern is a cock or other
suitable contrivance arranged so that the cistern can only be filled when
the exit from the cistern is closed, nor be filled or even partially filled
without being registered, and can never receive an addition of liquid while

page_text: being emptied. A small air valve attached to the cistern allows the inlet and
exit of the liquor; this can be used if required as a float for allowing the
height of the liquor in the measuring cistern to be ascertained.
When a
cock is used it can be so constructed that the inlet and exit to and from the
measuring cistern may be in the same plug, or two plugs may be employed,
or a cock and valve actuated by the same handle. These openings in the cock
or cocks or cock and valve are to be so made that they fill the cistern at one
part of their revolution and empty the same at another part. The covers of
the cock, plugs, or other contrivances are so arranged that both operations
cannot be simultaneously carried on, and catches, springs, or other means are
so arranged as to prevent the attendant from filling the cistern without
registration, but at the same time allow the liquor to be drawn from the
cistern in any convenient quantity. It will be evident that a valve or slide
can be similarly used to effect the same object, whereby a small amount of
movement may allow liquor to be drawn from the cistern, a larger amount of
movement closing the exit and opening the inlet passages, the larger move-
ment alone being registered. Catches, springs, or other means are employed
to prevent the attendant filling the cistern without registration, as before.
Any usual means of registration by wheels, catches, or ratchets, in connection
with dials, may be employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Anthony Hardcastle in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ANTHONY HARDCASTLE, of the Town and County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Anthony Hardcastle, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Anthony
Hardcastle, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Robert Anthony Hardcastle, 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

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS POR MEASURING AND INDICATING THE QUANTITY OF LIQUID
DRAWN OFF THEREBY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Robert Anthony Hardcastle, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Robert Authony Hardcastle, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for measuring
liquids drawn from casks or other vessels. This object is effected by the
interposition of a cistern or tank of known capacity, which first receives from
the vessel of supply the liquid to be measured. The number of times this
cistern or tank is replenished is registered, and it then remains at the option
of the operator how much or how little of the contents of this cistern are
drawn off at each manipulation. Connected with this tank or cistern is a cock
or other suitable contrivance, arranged so that the cistern can only be filled
when the exit from the cistern is closed, nor be filled or even partially filled
without being registered, and can never receive an addition of liquid while
being emptied. A small air valve attached to the cistern allows the inlet and
exit of the liquid; this can be used, if required, as a float for allowing the
height of the liquor in the measuring cistern to be ascertained.
When a
cock is used it can be so constructed that the inlet and exit to and from the
measuring cistern may be in the same plug, or two plugs may be employed,
or a cock and valve actuated by the same handle. These openings in the
cock or cocks or cock and valve are to be so made that they fill the cistern
at one part of their revolution and empty the same at another part. The
covers of the cock, plugs, or other contrivances are so arranged that both
operations cannot be simultaneously carried on, and catches, springs, or other
means are so arranged as to prevent the attendant from filling the cistern
without registration, but at the same time allow the liquor to be drawn from
the cistern in any convenient quantity. It will be evident that a valve or
slide can be similarly used to effect the same object, whereby a small amount of
movement may allow liquor to be drawn from the cistern, a larger amount of
movement closing the exit and opening the inlet passages, the larger move-

page_text: ment alone being registered. Catches, springs, or other means are employed
to prevent the attendant filling the cistern without registration, as in the
arrangement before referred to. Any usual means of registration by wheels,
catches, or ratchets in connection with dials may be employed.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
performed or carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hamounts annexed
Figure 1 shows a front view, Figure 2 a back view, Figure 3 a vertical
section, and Figure 4 a plan in section of apparatus for drawing off, measuring,
and indicating the quantity of liquid drawn off, arranged so as to act in
accordance with my improvements.
a is the plug of the cock, the passages through which are so arranged that
when in one position the liquid is allowed to flow from the cask or vessel of
supply through the connecting pipe band passage b' up into the vessel or
chamber c (the capacity of which is known). When the measuring chamber
is filled the supply is cut off by turning the plug a a quarter of a revolution or
thereabouts, and then by turning the plug another quarter of a revolution in
the same direction any portion of the contents of the chamber c can be drawn
off as required, the outflow from the chamber being cut off by turning the
plug a quarter of a revolution back again or to the point at which both the
inlet and outlet passages are closed, as shown at Figure 4.
Figure 5 shows the position of the plug a and its passages when filling the
measuring chamber c; and Figure 6 shows the position of the plug a and its
passages when liquid is being drawn from the chamber c through the outlet d;
e is an air valve, which allows the air to escape from the chamber c whilst
liquid is flowing into it. When the measuring chamber c is filled the liquid
causes the buoyant valve e to float, and thus close the air passage, preventing
any overflow through the air passage. When liquid is drawn from the
measuring chamber c the valve e descends and admits air to allow sufficient
liquor to run off, as required. f is a disc fixed on the end of the plug a; this
disc is formed with cam surfaces, and with two steps or falls, which act as
teeth to prevent the backward rotation of the plug a at two points in its
revolution. The cam surfaces in their rotation in one direction press back
the spring catch or bolt g, and just before the inlet is opened by turning the
plug to fill the measuring chamber c the step (1) passes the spring bolt g, and
prevents the plug from being turned back, at the same time a pin f* on the
disc facts on one of the teeth of the wheel h, causing it to register the last

page_text: delivery of the contents of the chamber c.
When the chamber c is again
filled by placing it in communication with the inlet passage thereto the further
rotation of the plug in the direction of the arrow cuts off the flow of liquid to
the chamber c, and causes the step (2) in the disc f to pass the spring bolt or
catch g so that the plug a cannot be moved back to re-open the inlet passage
to the chamber c. In this position the plug a can be turned forward and
backward as an ordinary tap to open and close the outlet passage d for the
purpose of drawing off any quantity of the contents of the chamber c, as
required, until the whole of its contents are discharged, when it can be refilled
and registered by the revolution of the plug a in the direction of the arrow as
before described. Each revolution of the toothed ratchet wheel h moves the
toothed ratchet wheel i one tooth by means of the pin or projection h³ on the
wheel h acting on the wheel i to move it one tooth forward, so as to register
the revolutions of the plug a and wheel h on the dials j and k to indicate the
number of times the chamber c has been filled and drawn off. Other arrange-
ments of counting apparatus for counting and recording higher numbers than
that shewn (as is well understood) may be employed for the purpose of
registering the number of revolutions of the plug a, if desired. A valve
actuated by the plug may be placed on the inlet pipe before it reaches the
cock to relieve tl e constant pressure on the plug; this valve can only be opened
when the plug is turned to admit liquid to the chamber. The measuring
chamber c may be made of glass, earthenware, metal, or other suitable
material, and if transparent may be graduated to indicate the contents. In
place of the arrangement of apparatus previously described a cock and valve
may be employed, the cock having an inlet passage only from the measuring
chamber, the plug having a disc thereon, as in the previous arrangement, to
actuate the indicating apparatus. A cam or other contrivance on the disc
raises the valve, and allows the measuring chamber to fill, and on turning the
plug the valve closes the plug, being then at liberty for drawing off the liquid
from the measuring chamber in any number of separato quantities. In this
arrangement the valve has an inlet to the measuring chamber separate from
the cock.
Figure 7 shows a vertical section of apparatus arranged as above described.
The plug a of the cock in this arrangement of apparatus has but one passage
for drawing off the contents of the measuring chamber c. On the end of the
plug a a disc or cam f is fixed, formed with one step or fall only, and when it
is desired to fill the measuring chamber c by turning the plug a, the cam f
raises the rod f so as to actuate the lever fattached to the rod f³, and
rocking lever f; f is a valve attached to the valvo rod f, and when the

page_text: supply is cut off the valve f³ is pressed tightly on to its seating in the
cylinder f, as shown at Figure 8. This valve arrangement consists of a
cylinder fo, with piston or valve moving loosely therein. The cylinder cover
consists of a disc of india-rubber f7 attached to the piston rod, and held
firmly between the top plate or cap of the cylinder by screws, as shown. A
spring catch or bolt g is placed so as to engage with the cam f before it begins
to raise the valve, and prevents the plug a from being turned back when the
cistern is filled. The india-rubber disc f' acts as a spring to keep the piston
or valve f tight on its seat, but may be assisted by a spring placed on any
convenient part of the valve rod f" or levers connected therewith. A pin f*
on the disc or cam f actuates the counting and recording apparatus, as in the
arrangement previously described, and a similar air valve permits egress and
access of air as required. A slide valve may be arranged to accomplish a
similar result in accordance with my improvements, the liquid being admitted
to the measuring chamber at one part of its stroke or movement, the outlet
passage being opened to draw off the contents of the measuring chamber
when the slide is moved into another position.
Having thus described the nature of my improvements, and the manner of
performing or carrying the same into practice, what I claim is, the so
arranging apparatus for measuring and indicating the quantity of liquid
drawn off from casks or other vessels that after the measuring chamber has
been filled any separate quantity of the contents thereof can be drawn off
without re-opening the inlet passage, and in causing the contents to be
registered before the measuring chamber is again refilled, in the manner herein
described and shown in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Anthony Hardcastle, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
R. A. HARDCASTLE. (1.s.)