Improvements in Measuring Faucets.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1899-Accepted, 16th Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Measuring Faucets.
I, JOSEPII LIVINGSTON DELAFIELD, residing at 475, Fifth Avenue, in the City,
County and State of New York, United States of America, Attorney and Coun-
selor at Law, 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 measuring faucets for liquids, and has particular
reference to that class of such devices by means whereof beer and other liquids,
especially liquids under pressure, may be drawn and measured from a cask or
other receptacle; the objects of the invention being to produce such a device
which will register with accuracy the liquid withdrawn; which will not clog
up or become obstructed in its mechanism by the liquid or any sediment there-
of; which will freely deliver all of the liquid measured; which will not only be
simple in construction and easy of operation, but which may also be readily taken
apart for cleaning; in which the-flow of the liquid will be directed only through
that portion of the mechanism which is actually necessary to be submitted to the
action of the flowing liquid, in which the liquid shall not come in contact with
the rest of the registering mechanism, and may be cut off rearwardly thereof
by closing or turning off the faucet in the usual manner; and in which the pass-
age or throat of the faucet may be regulated or adjusted according to the extent
of flow which may be necessary or may be found desirable.
Hitherto registering devices have been suggested and attempted, in which a
fan-shaped wheel or spirally twisted blades have been interposed in the liquid
passage of the faucet and connected with the gearings of a registering mechanism
or indicating dial, but these have been mostly inefficient and complicated, and
have not worked accurately, and in order that the indicating dial might con-
veniently be seen, the operating mechanism was nearly always necessarily located
in the horizontal shank of the faucet rearward of the stop cock or valve thereof,
or alternatively the indicator must have been placed on the sides of the faucet
with resulting inconvenience
The present invention consists first in a new body portion for the faucet, having
a horizontal shank, an upwardly inclined cylindrical extension for the indicating
dial and attendant mechanism, a downwardly inclined outflow portion and spout
at equivalent angles to the faucet-shank and the extension for the works of the
device, and a valve just rearward of the junction of the three parts; second, in
an improved registering mechanism especially produced for such a faucet from
what has hitherte heen known, with many differentiations and simplifications;
and third in an adjusting and regulating means for contracting the faucet-throat
in front of the valv

page_text: Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Fig. 1 is a side view
of the measuring faucet, showing in outline the interior arrangements thereof;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the same; Fig. 3 is a central vertical longi-
tudinal section of the faucet and its various parts; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a
portion of the faucet with the indicating hand and dial removed; Fig. 5 shows
a strainer disc to be placed over the end of the supply pipe; and Fig. 6 shows a
certain bearing ring to be inserted in the forward end of the faucet.
In said drawing, a indicates the body portion of the faucet, which is irregularly
tubular, and, preferably, somewhat elbow-shaped in order to give downward
inclination to the spout portion 6, from which the liquid issues.
The opposite or rear end c is normally horizontal when in operative position,
and is adapted to be secured against a suitable wall or partition of any kind and
receive the liquid from a receptacle suitably disposed at any convenient point
behind said partition. For this purpose the extremity of the end c is interiorly
threaded, as at c¹, to screw onto a corresponding exteriorly threaded pipe-sec-
tion d, which extends through said partition. An ornamental collar or ring e
loosely surrounds the projecting threaded end of said pipe-section d, and is
adapted to be engaged by the end c of the body portion of the faucet and be
pressed firmly against the partition by the screwing on of said body portion.
The end of the pipe section d which projects at the rear of the partition is
threaded, as at and receives a nut f, adapted to be screwed tightly against the
partition to hold the pipe-section d firmly in place.
Against the end of the pipe section is laid a perforated strainer disc g to
prevent any foreign substances in the liquid from passing into the faucet, and
also the exteriorly flanged end of a short tube h, to which a supply pipe may be
attached by any suitable means. A coupling piece having at one end a rim
projecting radially inward to engage the flanged end of said tube h screws onto
the end of the pipe section d, and holds said tube h, and strainer disc g, in place,
Suitable gaskets or washers (not shown) may be inserted to make a tight joint.
At the bend in the body portion of the faucet, said body portion is somewhat
enlarged downward and at the sides, and an integral seat provided for a tapering
plug-valve or stop cock j. Said valve forms an impervious ground joint with
its seat or sheath, after the manner common in such valves, and has a passage or
perforation k, and adapted to be brought into coincidence with the passage, 1, 11,
extending through the faucet. The smaller end of the plug valve projects
from its seat or sheath and receives a short stiff spiral spring m Figure 4, and a
nut n, by which said plug valve is held with elastic firmness in its place. At
the opposite or larger end, said valve is provided with a suitable handle o,
Figure 2, of any ordinary construction, and with a radially projecting pin p,
which works in a recess p¹, cut in the edge of the valve seat or sheath and engages
the opposite ends thereof to limit the movement of the valve, as will be under-
stood.
The forward downwardly inclined portion of the faucet is exteriorly threaded
at its extremity to receive a spout-end of nozzle y, from which the liquid may
issue. The extremity of the portion of the faucet is, further, interiorly recessed
or bored out to a larger diameter for a short distance, as at r, to provide a seat
for a bearing ring . Said ring is formed of a flat strip of resilient metal bent
into circular shape, but not having its contiguous ends joined, as will be more
clearly understood by referring to Figure 6. At one point in the circumference
of said ring, a fold or loop rl is formed, which extends radially inward and has
an aperture or bearing r, at the end of said fold or loop and at the centre of the
ring. Said ring being inserted in its seat r, retains its position by its own expan-
sive elasticity and provides a central bearing, for the lower end of the inclined
or longitudinal shaft s, of a fan wheel similar in shape to what is sometimes
employed in propellers, longitudinally arranged within the tubular end b, of the
body portion of the faucet."

page_text: Said fan wheel consists of a series of blades s¹, radially projecting from the
shafts near its lower end, and twisted out of a plane passed through said shaft,
in a manner common to propeller blades or semi-spirally to be engaged by the
outflowing liquid, and caused to turn the shaft. At its upper end the shaft s
passes through a passage way t, bored through the integral partition a' forming
the upper surface of the faucet passage 1, and projects into a chamber 2, con-
taining the indicating mechanism. This chamber 2 is formed in the upper part
of an integral extension all of the body portion of the faucet, said extension
projecting forwardly and upwardly from the angled junction of the front and
rear portions of the faucet, and said chamber being separated from the flow-pass-
age of the faucet by the bottom or integral partition .
The extension a is of a cylindrical shape in cross section and at its upper
end is exteriorly threaded to receive a rim 3, which holds in place a glass plate 4,
covering the chamber 2. The inner walls of the chamber are recessed, as at 5,
to receive a packing ring 6, and a dial plate 7. A plate 8 suitably secured by
screws to a lug or lugs 9, on the side of the chamber, projects into the centre
of the chamber and forms a bearing for the upper end of a central vertical
arbor 10, having a bearing 11, in the bottom of the chamber. Said arbor 10
carries near its lower end a worm wheel 12, keyed thereto, said worn wheel being
engaged by a co-operating worm 13, on the upper end of the fan-wheel shaft s.
At its upper extremity, above the dial plate 7 the vertical arbor 10 carries a
hand 14, which is adapted to indicate on the dial plate 7, the quantity of liquid
drawn out through the faucet. This dial, because of the inclined position of the
extension a, is forwardly slanted and thus is conveniently read by the observer
as he stands in front of the faucet. An arm 15 projects from a lug 16, suitably
disposed on the inner wall of the chamber 2, and is bent downwardly and per-
forated near its end to provide a bearing for the upper end of the fan-wheel
shafts.
The operation of the faucet is as follows:-
When the plug-valve is turned to bring the opening into alignment with
the passage the liquid flows through the faucet, and striking the fan-wheel
blades s causes the fan-wheel and its shafts to rotate. This motion is imparted
through the worm 13 to the worm-wheel 12 and thence to the arbor 10, and in-
dicating hand 14, which hand shows on the dial-plate the amount of liquid pass-
ing through the faucet. Since this faucet is intended, more particularly, to be
used in connection with liquids under uniform pressure, it is evident that uni-
form velocity will be given to the fan-wheel as the liquid flows out and accurate
measurements are thus secured.
At the junction of the passage and, a somewhat contracted throat 23 is
preferably formed, and it is in the back part of this throat, adjacent to the end of
the passage, that the valve or stop-cock is placed.
The valve is designed to be, at all times, turned to the limit of its movement
in the direction in which it is being oscillated, and to increase or diminish the
flow of liquid through the faucet, an elastic strip of metal 26, is placed longi-
tudinally in the throat just forward of the valve j, and one end thereof secured to
the wall of the passage by a screw 17. The free end of said strip 26 points towards
the outlet g, and is engaged on its outer side by an adjusting screw 18, extending
through the wall of the passage from the outside. By turning said screw 18
either way, the strip 26 may be made to project a greater or less distance into
the passage, and thus vary in a corresponding degree the flow of liquid.
The passage way bored through the body portion a' for the fan wheel shafts,
is at its lower end enlarged, as at 19, and has in communication with the inner
end of said enlargement, an air vent 20. Said air vent 20 permits the liquid to
flow quickly and entirely out of the end of the faucet, when the valve is
closed, thus avoiding dripping.
It will be noted that the valve or stop cock j is placed at the forward end of

page_text: the horizontal passage 7, and back from the fan wheel and all apertures or oppor-
tunities for leakage so that there can be no escape of liquid when said stop-cock
is closed, and the faucet is shut off rearwardly of the whole registering mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A measuring faucet, comprising an approximately horizontal rear portion
or shank, a forward and downwardly inclined portion or spout, an upwardly direc-
ted cylindrical extension containing registering mechanism and a dial-plate, a fun-
wheel revolubly mounted in the passage of the spout, and having its shaft directed
upwardly into the extension and operatively connected with the mechanism there-
in, and a valve or stop-cock at the junction of the rear portion, the front portion,
and the upper extension of said faucet, and adapted to shut off the faucet rear-
ward of the mechanism thereof, substantially as set forth.
2. A measuring faucet, comprising a body-portion having angled members b
and c, and an upwardly directed extension a, a fan wheel in the member b
mounted upon an inclined shaft entering the extension a", and having a worm
thereon, a vertical arbor mounted in said extension and provided with a worm-
wheel engaging the worm, a hand or indicator upon said arbor, and a dial-plate
beneath said hand; said faucet being provided with a stop cock rearward of the
registering mechanism, substantially as set forth.
3. A measuring faucet comprising a body portion having angled members
and c, and extension a", a fan-wheel revolubly mounted in the member regis-
tering mechanism and a dial plate located in the extension a, and actuated by
said fan-wheel, a stop cock rearward of said mechanism, a movable and adjustable
strip 26 arranged in front of said stop-cock to regulate the flow of liquid, and an
adjusting screw in the side of the faucet to manipulate said strip, substantially
as set forth.
4. A measuring faucet, provided with a tubular portion having a fan-wheel
longitudinally pivoted therein a bearing ring inserted in a recess formed in the
interior surface of said tubular body portion, said bearing ring consisting of an
elastic strip of metal bent to conform to the walls of the passage in said tubular
body and having a loop or fold projecting radially inward from the circumfer-
ence with an eye or socket at the end of said loop or fold for said fan wheel, sub-
stantially as set forth.
5. The measuring faucet herein described, having a body portion having an
upper chamber, a lower flow passage and a perforated integral partition between
said chamber and passage, a fan-wheel arranged in said passage and having
its shaft projecting through the perforation in said partition into said chamber,
a bearing ring for said shaft arranged in said passage, and an arm projecting
from the inner surface of said chamber and providing bearings for the upper end
of the said shaft, substantially as set forth.
6. A measuring faucet comprising an elbow-shaped tubular body portion
adapted to be connected at one end to the source of supply and to discharge liquid
from the other end, a chamber for registering mechanism formed above the bend
in said body portion and registering mechanism therein, a fan-wheel pivoted in
the forwardly and downwardly inclined arm of the body portion, and having a
shaft extending upward through the wall of the flow passage into the said cham-
her and connecting with the registering mechanism, the perforation for said
shaft being enlarged for a short distance in from the flow passage and communi-
cating with the open air by a lateral aperture, an elastic ring arranged inside of
the forwardly and downwardly inclined passage and providing a bearing for the
lower end of the fan-wheel shaft, a regulating strip fastened at one end flatwise
against the interior wall of the flow passage and an adjusting screw for forcing
the other end out from the wall to obstruct the flow passage, and a stop-cock for

page_text: shutting off the flow of liquid at a point nearer the source of supply than said
regulating strip, fan-wheel shaft, perforation, and fan wheel, substantially as set
forth.
Dated this 20th day of July 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, Agents.