DRY GAS METERS."
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Foxall at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd July 1880.
JOHN FOXALL, of Newport, in the County of Monmouth.
DRY GAS METERS."
[
IMPROVEMENTS IN
The object of my Invention is to construct a dry gas meter which shall be more
elegant in design, more accurate in registering, and give a steadier and brighter
light than those at present in use, and at the same time occupy less space.
For this purpose I use a four way circular valve instead of the six way valve
formerly used. I also fit inside the meter a governor which regulates the pressure
and prevents any undue pressure in the street main from taking effect at the
burners. This governor consists of an expanding chamber through which the gas
must pass on its way to the burners, and which has a valve so attached to it that
when the pressure of gas increases the chamber expands and causes the valve to
close, and vice versa.
The diaphragms are fitted with guides, so that they will open and shut
horizontally and give rotary motion to the valve cover to which they are connected
by suitable levers and rods. This gearing is also connected to an endless screw
and worm wheel for indicating or registering the amount of gas passing through
the meter. The index is placed on the front of the meter and is read like a clock
or watch, so that the consumer may see how much gas he has consumed as easily
as he can see what time it is by his watch.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Foxall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd January
1881.
JOHN FOXALL, of Newport, in the County of Monmouth.
DRY GAS METERS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
The object of my Invention is to construct a dry gas meter which shall be more
elegant in design, more accurate in registering, and give a steadier and brighter
light than those at present in use and at the same time occupy less space.
For this purpose I use a four way circular valve, or slide valves may be used, if
desired; I also fit inside the meter a governor which regulates the pressure and
prevents any undue pressure in the street main from taking effect at the burners.
This governor consists of an expanding chamber through which the gas must pass
on its way to the burners, and which has a valve so attached to it that when the
pressure of gas increases the chamber expands and causes the valve to close, and
vice versa.
The diaphragms are fitted with guides, so that they will open and shut
horizontally and give rotary motion to the valve cover to which they are connected
by suitable levers and rods. This gearing is also connected to an endless screw
and worm wheel for indicating or registering the amount of gas passing through
the meter. The index is placed on the front of the meter, and is read like a clock
or watch, so that the consumer may see how much gas he has consumed as easily
as he can see what the time is by his watch.
Having described the nature and object of my Invention, I will now proceed to
ascertain more particularly by the aid of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
in what manner my said Invention may be performed or carried into practical
effect.
a,
b;
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a dry gas meter constructed in accordance with
my Invention; Figure 2 is a sectional elevation through the line and Figure 3
is a plan, with the cover of the meter removed so as to show the arrangement of
the gearing for working the valve cover, the four way valve being shewn in dotted
lines; Figure 4 is a sectional elevation through the line c, d; Figure 5 is a plan
of the underside of the valve cover; and Figure 6 is a section of the same through
the line e, f; Figure 7 is a plan of the four way valve.
The reference letters apply to the same parts in all Figures. A, A, are the
diaphragms, which are so arranged that they will open to the full width of the
casings in which they are placed, and are fitted with guides B, B, so that they will
open and shut horizontally. These guides may consist of pieces of wire, or other
suitable material, passing through bearings fixed to the casing of the meter and
bent at their extremities in the inanner shewn in Figure 4, or arranged in any well
known and suitable manner so as to take on to the ends of the wire or other
rods C, C, fixed on the diaphragms; D, D, are rods fixed to the vertical
spindles E, E, and fitting on to the ends of the wire rods F, F, fixed on the
diaphragms. Two levers G, G, are fixed on the upper ends of the vertical
spindles E, E, and are connected by two links H, H, to a crank I on the spindle K
of the valve cover L in such a manner that the motion of the diaphragms as the
gas passes through the meter causes the valve cover to rotate and open or close the
ways through the valve as required.
On the spindle K is fitted an endless screw M, which gears into a worm wheel N

page_text: on the spindle O, and thereby actuates a suitable train of spur wheels and pinions
for indicating and registering the amount of gas passed through the meter. The
index is placed on the front of the meter, and is constructed after the manner of a
dial of a clock or watch, having a long hand and a short one; the former in making
one revolution causes the latter to move one tenth of a revolution, which may be
arranged to represent either a hundred or a thousand cubic feet, or any desired
number of cubic feet. The smaller index P may be used, if necessary, to indicate
one cubic foot or more as desired.
The four way valve R is fixed to the top of the casing S, the valve cover L
resting upon it, and the whole being enclosed in a small casing T, which forms a
continuation of the inlet pipe, and which is fitted with a small stuffing box where
the valve cover spindle K passes through it.
The governor V for regulating the pressure of the gas consists of an expanding
chamber of leather or other suitable material secured to the top of the casing S,
and having a valve W suspended by means of a light spindle from the centre of it
in such a manner that when the pressure of gas increases it causes the chamber to
expand and thereby raises the valve W towards its seat, thus reducing the inlet
passage of the governor until the pressure diminishes, when the valve will again
fall by reason of its own weight.
This governor may be fitted either inside the meter or independent of it
altogether, or the meter may be made and used without a governor if desired.
A hole through the centre of the valve R communicates with the outlet X, and
the valve cover L has a recess Y in its under side, as shewn in Figures 5
and 6, which is so shaped as to correspond with the said hole and one of the ways
of the valve, and thus open communication between any of the measuring chambers
and the outlet X.
The operation of the meter is as follows:-The casing of the meter is divided
into two compartments, A¹, B', in which are fitted two leather chambers C, D',
closed at the ends by the diaphragms A, A. Supposing the meter to be full of gas
and the way b of the valve R to be open to the inlet T, the gas passes through the
way b into the compartment B2, and acting on the diaphragm compresses the
leather chamber D₁, the gas from which is forced through the way c under the
valve cover L, and through the hole in the centre of the valve R into the outlet X.
The movement of the diaphragm causes the valve cover to rotate a quarter of a
revolution and thus open the way a and admit gas from the inlet T into the
compartiment A', the leather chamber in which is compressed, the gas being forced
out of it through the way d into the outlet, as before described in the case of the
way c. During this operation the valve cover is turned another quarter of a
revolution and the way c is opened to the inlet while the way b is put into
communication with the outlet. The gas from the inlet passes through the way c,
and fills and expands the leather chamber D¹, forcing the gas contained in the
compartment B¹ through the way b under the valve cover as before to the outlet.
The same operation then takes place with the leather chamber C¹, and so on.
I am aware that some of the parts hereinbefore described and shewn in the
accompanying Drawings are old, but they have been inserted in order to render
the Drawings and description more intelligible, and I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details hereinbefore described, but what I claim
as my Invention, and desire to have secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
Firstly. The arrangement and construction of dry gas meters in the manner and
for the purposes substantially as liereinbefore described and shown in the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
Secondly. The use of the four way valve, substantially as and for the purposes
herein before described.
Thirdly. The use of a governor, arranged and constructed substantially as
herein before described and shewn in the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: Fourthly. The improved index or register for registering the amount of gas
consumed, substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Foxall, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
JOHN FOXALL. (L.S.)