IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Bray, of Ashton-under-Lync, in the
County of Lancaster, Brassfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS."
Sealed the 11th June 1872, and dated the 13th December 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Bray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th December 1871.
I, JOSEPH BRAY, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster,
Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS," to
be as follows:-
My Invention relates principally to water meters, but the said
Invention or parts of it may be applicable to meters employed in the
measurement of other fluids.
My Invention relates in the first place to the pistons of the said meters,
and has for its object to render the said pistons fluid-tight without the

page_text: employment of the ordinary packing. For this purpose I make the
piston of the meter of a cylindrical form, and I connect each end of the
said piston with the corresponding end of the cylinder in which the said
piston works by means of a flexible tube made by preference of
caoutchouc. As the piston moves towards either end of the cylinder the
one tube folds within itself, the other tube unfolding at the same time.
As the said piston moves to and fro it gives motion to a lever which
actuates the valve to which the second part of my Invention relates. I
make the said valve of a conical form, with a cavity in the side com-
municating with the inlet port, and as the said valve rocks on its axis
the said cavity communicates alternately with each of the ports for the
passage of water to and from the cylinders. A corresponding cavity
connected with the aforesaid cavity is formed on the opposite side of the
valve in order to balance the pressure on the said valve. The water
issuing from the cylinder flows through ports into the interior of the said
valve, which communicates with the outlet passage. As it is of impor-
tance that the spindle of the said valve shall work in a fluid-tight manner I
employ a flexible tube to make a joint between the said spindle and the
bush in which the said spindle works, one end of the said tube being
attached to the said spindle and the other end to the said bush, leather
or other material being employed to prevent the collapsing of the said
flexible tube.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Joseph Bray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th June 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BRAY, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster, Brassfounder,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in tho
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Bray, Her special license that
I, the said Joseph Bray, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Joseph Bray, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: 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 APPARATUS
FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Bray, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Bray, 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 and acccompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
My Invention relates principally to water meters, but the said
Invention or parts of it may be applicable to meters employed in the
measurement of other fluids.
My Invention relates in the first place to the pistons of the said
meters, and has for its object to render the said pistons fluid-tight
without the employment of the ordinary packing. For this purpose I in
each case make the piston of a cylindrical form, and I connect each end
of the said piston with the corresponding end of the cylinder in which
the said piston works by means of a flexible tube made by preference of
caoutchouc. As the piston moves towards either end of the cylinder the
one tube folds within itself, the other tube unfolding at the same time.
As the said piston moves to and fro it gives motion to a lever which
actuates the valve to which the second part of my Invention relates. I
make the said valve of a conical form, a cavity in the side thereof
communicating with the inlet or exit port, and as the said valve rocks
on its axis the said cavity communicates alternately with each of the
ports for the passage of water to and from the cylinder. A corresponding
cavity connected with the aforesaid cavity is formed on the opposite side
of the valve in order to balance the pressure on the said valve. The water
issuing from the cylinder flows through ports into the interior of the
said valve, which communicates with an outlet passage. As it is of
importance that the spindle of the said valve shall work in a fluid-tight

page_text: manner I employ a flexible tube to make a joint between the said.
spindle and the bush in which the said spindle works, one end of the
said tube being attached to the said spindle and the other end to the
said bush, leather or other material being employed to prevent the
collapsing of the said flexible tube.
And in order that my said Invention may be well understood I will
now refer to the Sheet of Drawings which I have caused to accompany
this Specification, which Drawings represent a water meter constructed
in manner according with my said Invention and drawn about one-half
the full* size:
;
i
1
1,
In the said Drawings Fig. 1 represents a vertical cross section and
Fig. 2 a vertical longitutional section of the said meter, Fig. 3 being a
side elevation thereof, partly in section. In the said Figures a is the
cylinder, is the piston, and c is the conical valve. The said cylinder
is fitted with end covers d; d, and is formed with ports or passages e, e¹,
for the flow of water into and out of the said cylinder, the said passages
in this example being 'formed partly in the body of the said cylinder and
partly in the said cylinder ends. The piston consists or may consist
principally of a cylinder 2 made of tinned sheet iron or copper united to
end rings 3 made of brass. To the said end rings end plates 4, 4, are
secured by means of screws and between the said end rings and end plates
are secured the ends of the flexible tubes f, f, which I prefer to make of
vulcanized caoutchouc or of the said material combined with a woven
fabric. The other end of each of the said flexible tubes is secured
between one of the end covers d, d, and the cylinder end, the said tubes
making a water-tight joint between the said end covers and the cylinder
ends and also between the piston ends 4 and the rings 3. The water is
thus prevented from getting from the one side to the other of the said
flexible tubes excepting through the passages e, e', and the valve c, the
said tubes thus acting as a packing, as herein-before mentioned. To the
piston ends 4, 4, is fixed a hollow spindle g, which is fitted to slide on
the rods h, h, which are fixed in the end covers, the said spindle being
formed with a solid portion at or near its middle to prevent the passage
of water through the said spindle. The piston is thus sustained in a
central position within the cylinder, and is guided in its to-and-fro
movements. A slotted tube i extends from end to end of the piston and
a lever j, which is fixed on a rocking spindle k, passes through the said
slot. As the piston is moved to and fro by the water the ends.. of

page_text: adjustable screws 1, 2, in the ends of the tube i are brought alternately
into contact with the lever j, and the said lever is moved to and fro,
thereby causing the spindle kto rock in its bearings. On the said
spindle is fixed or formed a finger m, which acts alternately on each of
the two wings 5 and 6, which are formed on the weighted tumbling
lever n. The said tumbling lever is loosely mounted on the plug c of the
valve. The said plug, drawn to a larger scale in section in Figs. 4 and 5,
is made of a conical shape and is fitted into a conical seat formed in the
casting n, in which are formed the two ports 7 and 8, which commu-
nicate with the passages e, e¹. A central port 9 communicates with the
passage o, and through the said passage with the interior of the piston
and with the exit pipe p. A passage 10 formed in the said spindle
forms a communication for the flow of water from the space q enclosed
by the bonnet r into the cross port 11, and thence into one or the other
of the ports 7 and 8, according to the position of the said plug. A
cavity 12 formed in the side of the said plug, and communicating with a
corresponding cavity formed in the other side of the said plug serves to
establish a communication for the flow of water alternately from each
of the ports 7 and 8 into the port 9. Wings 13 and 14 are fixed or
formed on the said plug, and the tumbling lever n acts alternately on
cach of the said wings to cause the said plug to rock upon its axis.
Supposing the piston, as represented in Fig. 2, to be moving in the
direction of the arrow, water will be flowing through the inlet pipe r
into the space q, and thence through the passage 10 and ports 11 and 8,
and the passage e¹into the space on the right of the piston in Fig. 2.
At the same time water will be flowing from the space on the left of
the piston through the passage e, the port 7, the cavity 12, and the
port 9 into the passage o, whence the water will leave the meter through
the exit pipe p. The continued movement of the said piston causes the
lever j to be acted upon so as to cause the spindle k to rock in its
bearings, whereby the finger m acts on the wing 6 to raise the tumbling
lever into a vertical position. On the piston attaining or nearing the
end of its stroke the said tumbling lever falls over and striking the wing
13 causes the plug c to rotate until the port 11 communicates with the
port 7 and the cavity 11 with the ports 8 and 9, whereby the direction of
motion of the piston is reversed. The outer end of the spindle & enters
the case 8 containing the counting or indicating apparatus and gives
motion thereto by suitable means. Fig. 6 represents the spindle k,

page_text: drawn about the full size, and illustrates the remaining part of my
Invention. The said spindle is represented as being fitted to revolve in
a bush t, which is screwed into the body of the meter. On the end of
the said bush is formed a collar, and a second collar is formed on the
boss of the finger m. An elastic tube is suitably secured by each
end to the said collars in such a manner as that the water is prevented
from flowing through the bush t. The herein-before mentioned
leather washers are shown at v. The same arrangement is adopted to
prevent the water from flowing into the case containing the indicating
apparatus.
Having now fully described and illustrated the nature of my said
Invention, I would in conclusion have it to be distinctly understood that
I claim,―
First. The employment of flexible tubes in connexion with the pistons
of fluid meters, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before set
forth and indicated.
Secondly. The rocking valve formed and acting substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before set forth and indicated.
And lastly. The employment of flexible tubes substantially as and
for the purpose set forth and indicated when referring to the last portion
of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Bray, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Signed and sealed by the said
Joseph Bray, in the presence
of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent for the Patentee,
3, Smithy Door,
Manchester.
JOSEPH BRAY. (L.S.)