IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Withers, of Handsworth, in the County c
Stafford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS."
Sealed the 13th July 1869, and dated the 10th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Withers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th May 1869.
I, JOHN WITHERS, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER
METERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement, and
combination of apparatus for measuring liquids, and for registering the
quantity measured, and consists in combining one or more horizontal
cylinders of any known capacity, provided with pistons and rods
working through stuffing boxes at each end with a peculiar arrangement
of self-acting inlet and outlet valves, and with a self-acting slide valve

page_text: for directing the flow of the water to each end of the measuring
cylinder or cylinders alternately. To each end of the measuring cylinder
there is fitted a cylindrical valve case having two lateral openings
communicating through the end of the measuring cylinder with the
interior thereof. In each of these valve cases work two piston valves
disposed that when one of the openings, say the inlet, is open to the
cylinder the other or outlet shall be closed, and vice versa. The
spindles of these piston valves are connected together by an oscil-
lating beam or lever which causes one pair of piston valves to descend
when the other is ascending, the pressure of the water in the inlet
pipe leading to the cylindrical valve cases alone serving to work the
valves. In order to direct the flow of water into the opposite ends
of the measuring cylinder alternately I adapt a slide or other suitable
valve to the inlet pipe, which valve I work by the aid of a vertical
tipping lever centred at its lower end and having a weight on its upper-
extremity. This lever is acted upon by an arm or projection on the
measuring piston rod at each stroke, so as to cause the weighted lever
to tip over in one direction or the other, and by its impulse to change
suddenly the position of the slide or other valve. The counting or
registering mechanism is worked by a pinion gearing into rack teeth
formed on the measuring piston rod, or by any other suitable mechanical
contrivance for transmitting motion from such rod. The whole is enclosed
in a suitable framework or casing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Withers in the Great Seal Patent Office 2
on the 10th November 1869..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WITHERS, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our 3
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Withers, Her special license that I, the
said John Withers, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such

page_text: others as I, the said John Withers, my executors, administrators, or
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 WATER METERS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Withers, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 John Withers, 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
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement,
and combination of apparatus for measuring liquids, and for registering
the quantity measured, and consists in combining one or more horizontal
cylinders of any known capacity, provided with pistons and rods working
through stuffing boxes with self-acting inlet and outlet valves and
self-acting slide valve, for directing the flow of the water to each
end of the measuring cylinder or cylinders alternately. According to
one arrangement I fix to the outer ends of the measuring cylinders a
cylindrical valve case having two lateral openings communicating
through the end of the measuring cylinder with the interior thereof.
In each of these valve cases work two piston valves so disposed that
when one of the openings, say the inlet, is open to the cylinder the
other or outlet shall be closed, and vice versa. The spindles of these
piston valves may be connected together by an oscillating beam or
lever which causes one pair of piston valves to descend when' the other
is ascending, the pressure of the water in the inlet pipe leading to the
cylindrical valve cases alone serving to work the valves. In order to
direct the flow of water into the opposite ends of the measuring
cylinder or cylinders alternately I adapt a suitable valve or valves to

page_text: the inlet pipe or pipes, which valves I work by the aid of a weighted
lever acted upon by a moveable or fixed arm or projection at each
stroke, so as to cause the weighted lever by its impulse to change
suddenly the position of the slide or other valve or valves. The counting
or registering mechanism may be worked by a pinion gearing into
rack teeth formed on the measuring piston rod, or by any other suitable
mechanical contrivance for transmitting motion from such rod. The
whole is enclosed in a suitable framework or casing.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for
that purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet
of Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding
parts in all the corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation, and Figure 2 is a corres-
ponding plan of a double cylinder arrangement of water meter
constructed according to my said Invention. A, A', are two measuring
cylinders, each provided with a fluid-tight piston B, B', working therein
attached to the rod C, which is common to both cylinders. To the
outer ends of these two cylinders there is fitted a cylindrical valve
case D, D', and within each of these cases work two piston valves a, a¹,
and b, b', the two valve spindles c, c', of which are connected to the
opposite ends of a vibrating lever E working on a fulcrum F. e, e',
and ff, are openings made in the two outer ends of the cylinders
communicating with the cylindrical valve chambers and alternately
opened and closed by the piston valves a, a¹, and b, b', respectively
as herein-after described. The lower ends of the two cylindrical valves
communicate with the inlet pipe G by the slide valves g, g', which
are carried on rigidly connected valve spindles h, h¹, and are opened
and closed alternately as herein-after explained. The valve spindles
h, h, work through stuffing boxes i, i, and are connected together
by a slotted piece k, in the slot of which works an arm H keyed on
to the piston rod C, and consequently travelling to and fro with the
pistons in the measuring cylinders A, A¹. The slotted piece k is con-
nected by the open or slotted frame with a vertical weighted tipping
lever I oscillating on a fixed centre K, and carrying a bob weight L
at its upper extremity. This weighted lever I is guided in its oscil-
lating motion by the slotted guide M fitted between the fixed stops N, N.

page_text: The water to be measured enters by the inlet pipe G and passes through
one or other of the two slide valves g, g', (as shown in my Drawings)
the water is entering by the open slide valve g the other valve g¹ being
at that time closed. As the water enters the valve chamber D it forces
up the piston valves a, a', thereby opening the inlet aperture e¹ leading
into the measuring cylinder A, and closing at the same time the outlet
aperture e, by the piston valve a. During this movement the vibrating
lever E has caused the opposite piston valves b, b1, to descend thereby
closing the inlet aperture f' of the second measuring cylinder A¹ and
opening the outlet aperture f of that cylinder. The water is thus free
to enter the empty cylinder A forcing its piston B before it, whilst
that in the full cylinder A' is being expelled by the piston B¹ through
the outlet aperture f into the outlet pipe O. As each cylinder contains
a given quantity of water it follows that at each stroke of the pistons
a corresponding measure of water will be expelled from one or the
other of the two cylinders. Just before the pistons have completed
their stroke the arm H strikes against the end of the slotted piece k
and tips the weighted lever over to the opposite side, such lever in its
movement carrying along with it the two slide valves g, g', closing the
valve g, and opening the valve g', when the same movements are
repeated with reference to the cylinder A', that is to say, the water
to be measured enters the cylinder A' whilst the measured water
in the cylinder A is expelled through the outlet pipe the weighted
lever is again tipped over to its original position, and the operations
are continued. By registering or counting the strokes of the pistons
it is obvious that the amount of water which has passed through the
meter can be readily ascertained. For this purpose a rack m is fitted
to the piston rod C, which rack gears with a pinion n on a spindle o
leading direct to a counter, such spindle being so arranged in any well-
known manner that it will only actuate or impart an impulse to the
counting mechanism which is contained in the box Q at cach double.
stroke of the measuring pistons.
Figures 3 and 4 represent respectively a longitudinal section and
end elevation of a modified arrangement wherein a single measuring
cylinder only is employed in lieu of two, as in the first described
arrangement. A is the measuring cylinder, B the piston working therein,
and C the piston rod provided with a cross head which slides along

page_text: the guide rods C. This rod C carries a rack m for actuating the
counting mechanism through the pinion n on the spindle O. This rod
also carries a pendulous weighted lever I having a bob weight L in
its lower extremity which actuates the inlet valves in the manner
herein-before explained. e and fare apertures made one in each end
of the measuring cylinder A, such apertures communicating respectively
with the branch pipes D, D', which communicate with the opposite
ends respectively of the inlet pipe G. Other openings in this inlet
pipe communicate with the outlet pipe O, and all these openings are
alternately opened and closed as required by the piston valves g, g',
carried by the one valve spindle h. To the outer end of this valve
spindle there is attached a slotted frame k guided in its longitudinal
movement by the fixed guide . P is a fixed projection over which
the lower end of the weighted lever I is drawn at each stroke of the
piston B.
In order to prevent the end of the lever 1 from leaving
the slot in the piece K when elevated by passing over the projection P
as shewn in Figure 3, the sides of the slotted piece are raised slightly
as at p. The Drawings represent the water as entering the cylinder A
from the inlet pipe G by the inlet aperture f, the valve g¹, being in
such a position as to close the communication at that end with the
outlet pipe O, whilst at the same time the water is being expelled
from the opposite end of the cylinder through the aperture e into the
outlet pipe o, the valve g being in such a position as to bring the
outlet pipe into direct communication with the interior of the measuring
cylinder just before the piston completes its stroke in either direction
the tail of the weighted lever I slips off the projection P, and the
weight L causes the lever to strike against one end or the other of
the slotted piece k, thereby suddenly reversing the positions of the two
valves g, g', when the operations above described are repeated, and
the water is admitted to the reverse end of the measuring cylinder
and so on, cach alternate stroke being duly counted by the counting
mechanism in the box Q as before described.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may
be used or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,

page_text: the peculiar combination of measuring cylinder or cylinders, and instan-
taneous self-acting valves worked by weighted levers in the manner
and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by my
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Withers, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of November
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JOHN WITHERS. (L.S.)