AN IMPROVED METER FOR REGULATING AND REGISTERING THE FLOW OF LIQUIDS AND GASES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jan Anthony Muller, of Amsterdam, in the
Kingdom of Holland, at present residing at Christopher Street,
Finsbury Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED METER FOR REGULATING AND REGISTERING THE FLOW OF
LIQUIDS AND GASES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jan Anthony Muller
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th July 1868.
I, JAN ANTHONY MULLER, of Amsterdam, in the Kingdom of Holland,
at present residing at Christopher Street, Finsbury Square, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED METER FOR REGULATING AND REGISTERING THE FLOW OF LIQUIDS
AND GASES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved meter for regulating and
registering the flow of liquids and gases; and the said meter consists
of a hollow cylindrical chamber, in which works a water and air tight.

page_text: piston or diaphragm, the said cylinder having a cover at each end pro-
vided with a stuffing box, through which a tappet works, the tappet in
the top cover being operated upon by the ascent of the piston or
diaphragm, and the tappet in the bottom cover by the descent thereof.
Both at the top and bottom of the said cylinder is a port for the
admission of the liquid or gas, and opposite to these said ports are other
ports for the exit of the liquid or gas.
Valves or slides actuated by levers in communication with the tappets
operated by the piston or diaphragm, as aforesaid, are worked over
these said ports in their respective valve cases in such manner that the
liquid or gas is admitted alternately to the top and bottom of the
cylinder, thus accurately regulating the supply thereof.
By means of cog. wheels and pawl and ratchet, or other equivalent
gear, in connection with the tappets operated by the piston or dia-
phragm the supply of liquid or gas can also be accurately registered
on an ordinary indicator.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Jan Anthony Muller in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAN
ANTHONY MULLER, of Amsterdam, in the Kingdom of Holland, at
present residing at Christopher Street, Finsbury Square, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Jan Anthony Muller, Her special licence
that I, the said Jan Anthony Muller, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Jan Anthony Muller, 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 "AN IMPROVED METER FOR

page_text: REGULATING AND REGISTERING THE FLOW OF LIQUIDS AND GASES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jan Anthony Muller, 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 im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jan Anthony Muller, 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 Sheet
of Drawings (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to an improved meter for regulating and
registering the flow of liquids and gases; and the said meter consists
of a hollow cylindrical chamber, in which works a water and air tight
piston or diaphragm, the said cylinder having a cover at each end pro-
vided with a stuffing box, through which a tappet works, the tappet in
the top cover being operated upon by the ascent of the piston or.
diaphragm, and the tappet in the bottom cover by the descent thereof.
Both at the top and bottom of the said cylinder is a port for the
admission of the liquid or gas, and opposite to these said ports are other
ports for the exit of the liquid or gas.
Valves or slides actuated by levers in communication with the
tappets operated by the piston or diaphragm, as aforesaid, are worked
over these said ports in their respective valve cases in such manner that
the liquid or gas is admitted alternately to the top and bottom of the
cylinder, thus accurately regulating the supply thereof.
By means of cog wheels, and pawl and ratchet, or other equivalent
gear, in connection with the tappets operated by the piston or diaphragm
the supply of liquid or gas can also be accurately registered on an
ordinary indicator.
In one modification of my Invention, instead of having tappets working
through the stuffing boxes of the cylinder covers and actuated by the
piston, as before stated, I make the said tappets solid with, or screwed
or otherwise fastened to the piston, so that the said piston shall have

page_text: two rods, one working through the top and the other through the bottom
cover in such manner that the levers will be actuated by tappets fixed
to each end of the piston rods in the same or in a similar manner
as before stated.
In another modification of my Invention I use a piston having one
rod only, the said rod working through the top cover, and having at
its upper end a boss or shoulder to which is affixed a projecting pin
engaging in a curved plate or disc affixed to a lever having at its end
a suitably formed weight, the said lever working in a slotted bar or
other similar device, so that by the rising and falling of the piston rod
in the curved plate the weighted lever is caused to oscillate, and its
oscillatory motion is imparted through the slotted bar to the levers
working the valves; or, if preferred, only one valve and its casing may
be used as in an ordinary steam cylinder. A ring or rings of leather
or other suitable material may be affixed to the piston to cleanse the
cylinder from any dirt or other injurious matter that may have entered
with the water or other fluid; also, instead of the double capacity only
of the cylinder being registered the piston rod may be made to indicate
the quantity of fluid or gas passing through the cylinder both during the
up and down strokes of the piston by having two pawls or catches
engaging with the indicating gear, one acting in an upward and the
other in a downward direction.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood I will proceed
to describe the same, with reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in
elevation of a meter constructed according to one modification of my
Invention; Fig. 2, a plan of the same; Fig. 3, a view partly in section
and partly in elevation of a meter constructed according to another
modification of my Invention; and Fig. 4, a plan of the same.
In Figs. 1 and 2 a is the cylinder; b, the top cover; and c the bottom
cover, which may rest on or be fastened to a suitable stand if required;
d are the valve cases, and e the valves working therein; f, the valve
spindles, which may engage with straps or buckles instead of being
screwed or otherwise fastened to the valves themselves, as shewn. g are
the levers which actuate the valves by means of the tappets h fixed to
the spindles or to piston rods, as the case may be, and the said tappets
may strike the levers on their top sides instead of beneath, if desired.

page_text: The upper piston rod or tappet may be kept always in the same position
by means of the guides j affixed to any convenient part of the cylinder
cover, and a weight k is placed at the top of the spindle i, so that the
said spindle shall not remain suspended in its stuffing box after the
piston has left it. It will however be evident that the said weight k will
not be required when the piston rod or rods is or are solid or fixed to
the piston. On the weight k is affixed a pivot in which works the pawl
or catch for actuating the wheel m attached to the indicating gear n,
which by means of the rotation of the spindle o causes the quantity of
fluid or gas passing through the cylinder to be accurately registered
on an ordinary indicating dial; p is the passage for the admission of
the fluid or gas, and q the passage for the escape thereof.
In Figs. 3 and 4 a¹ is the body of the cylinder having the piston b¹
working therein, to the top of the rod c¹ of which is affixed the cross
head d having a projecting pin e', on which may revolve a bush if
required, the said pin e¹ and its bush engaging in the groove f¹ during
its up stroke, and in the groove g₁ during its down stroke, by which
means the lever with its balance weight i¹ is carried over from one
side of the centre line j'to the other side thereof, carrying with it the
slotted bar k, having its ends engaging with levers, which by means
of other levers m² operate the valves n', and thus cause the fluid or gas
from the passage o' to be alternately admitted to the top and bottom of
the piston, thereby regulating the admission thereof. To the top of the
cross head d is affixed the pivot p', on which works the pawl or catch q¹
engaging in the indicating gear ³, and accurately registering the
quantity of fluid or gas passing through the cylinder as before described.
The said crosshead may work in guides & so as to keep the piston rod
always in the same position, and the lever may work in guides t' if
required, or the pin e' may in some cases work in grooves cut in the
balance weight itself. Pieces of india-rubber or other elastic material u¹
may be placed in the valve cases and in the guides t, and other similar
positions, so as to form cushions for receiving the shock of the various
working parts, and springs may be attached to the casing behind the
valves or to the valves themselves, in order to keep them close up to
their respective faces.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of my said Inven-
tion I claim the improved meter for regulating and registering the flow

page_text: of liquids and gases as herein described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I; the said Jan Anthony Muller, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight
J. A. MULLER. (L:S)