Improvements in Thermometers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Sept., 1896--Accepted, 10th Oct., 1896
Improvements in Thermometers.
I JAMES JOSEPH HICKS of 8 Hatton Garden, in the County of London,
Meteorological Instrument Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to an improved arrangement and combination of parts
forming a maximum and minimum thermometer and relates to that class in which
the thermometric tube is provided with a bulb at one end and an expansion chamber
at the other end, the bulb and the tube being supplied with a suitable thermometric
fluid within which is a length of mercury, one end of which indicates the present
temperature on the maximum scale and the other end the present temperature on
the minimum scale, a registering index being placed within such tube beyond cach
end of the mercury.
Heretofore such class of thermometer has been mounted in a horizontal direction
and in consequence the thermometric fluid has had a tendency to creep past the
length of mercury thereby rendering the thermometer unreliable.
According to my invention I obviate this evil in the following manner. I place
the thermometer tube in an upright position, employ only a short length of mercury,.
say from to an inch in length, spring indices having preferably glass springs
and a dense thermometric fluid, such for instance as sulphuric acid or creosote,
which will keep the mercury clean. In some cases 1 connect to the upper end of
the thermometric tube another tube parallel therewith which has the expansion
bulb at its free end and is supplied with two recording indices thereby enabling a
record to be kept of previous readings of the thermometer. All the said indices
are set by a magnet as is well understood.
In carrying my invention into effect I may use two scales as heretofore to act in
combination with the two ends of the mercury or I may use only a single scale
extending from end to end of the thermometric tube in which case the present
temperature would be indicated by either end of the mercury except that in one
direction the number of degrees represented by the length of mercury would have
to be allowed for.
When using a recording tube the same scale may serve for both tubes.
Dated this 5th day of December 1895
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Thermometers.
I, JAMES JOSEPH HICKS, of 8 Hatton Garden, in the County of London,
Meteorological Instrument Manufacturer, 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:-
The invention relates to an improved arrangement and combination of parts
forming a maximum and minimum thermometer, and relates to that class in which

page_text: the thermometric tube is provided with a bulb at one end and an expansion
chamber at the other end, the bulb and the tube being supplied with a suitable
thermometric fluid, within which is a length of mercury, one end of which indicates
the present temperature on the maximum scale and the other end the present
temperature on the minimum scale, a registering index being placed within such
tube beyond each end of the mercury.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 an edge or side view of a maximum and
minimum thermometer having only a single tube, and
Fig. 3 is a front view of a tube for a maximum and minimum thermometer
having two parallel tubes connected together, one of which is used as the
thermometric tube whilst the other serves as an additional recording tube.
Heretofore maximum and minimum thermometers have been mounted in a
horizontal direction and, in consequence, the thermometric fluid has had a tendency
to creep past the length of mercury, thereby rendering the thermometer unreliable.
According to my invention I obviate this evil in the following manner. I place
the thermometer tube a in an upright position, employ only a short length of
mercury b, say, from to an inch in length, spring indices e having preferably
glass springs, and a dense thermometric fluid, such, for instance, as sulphuric acid
or creosote, which will keep the mercury clean. d is the thermometric bulb and
e the expansion chamber. In some cases, as shown at Fig. 3, I connect to the
upper end of the thermometric tube a, another tube f parallel therewith which has
the expansion chamber e at its free end and is supplied with two recording indices g g,
thereby enabling a record to be kept of previous readings of the thermometer.
All the said indices c and g are set by a magnet, as is well understood.
In carrying my invention into effect I may use two scales, as heretofore, to act
in combination with the two ends of the mercury b, or I may use only a single
scale, as shown at Fig. 1, extending from end to end of the thermometric tube a, in
which case the present temperature would be indicated by either end of the
mercury, except that in one direction, the maximum, the number of degrees
represented by the length of mercury would have to be allowed for.
When using a recording tube as represented at Fig. 3, the same scale may serve
for both tubes, in which case it would be located between the tubes a and f
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. The improved maximum and minimum thermometer constructed as herein
described and illustrated.
2. In maximum and minimum thermometers, the combination of a vertical
thermometric tube having a thermometric bulb at one end and an expansion
chamber at the other end, a short length of mercury, a dense thermometric fluid,
and registering indices, substantially as herein set forth.
3. Tu maximum and minimum thermometers, the combination of a vertical
thermometric tube, a thermometric bulb at the lower end of such tube, a second
or recording tube connected to the upper end of the thermometric tube, an
expansion chamber at the lower end of such second tube, a short length of mercury,
a dense thermometric fluid, and maximum and minimum indices in each tube,
substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 7th day of September 1806
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.