Improvements in Instruments for Gauging Casks, Barrels, and other analogous Vessels or Articles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 25th Apr., 189:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Instruments for Gauging Casks, Barrels, and other
analogous Vessels or Articles.
I, JOHN THOMPSON, of 86, Conway Street, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Officer of Customs, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to
be as follows:-
::
::
The object of my invention is to provide a means for more accurately gauging
the capacity and contents of casks, barrels, and other analogous vessels or articles.
In the art of gauging" as at present commonly practised there are employed the
following instruments, a long calliper," a cross calliper," a "head rod," and a
bung rod each instrument is provided with a scale by which the dimension of
the part measured can be ascertained, and the "head rod" has a sliding scale by
which, the dimensions being given, the capacity and contents can be calculated.
With the exception of the bung rod," the above instruments are applied outside
of the cask or vessel, allowances being provided on the scales for the thickness of
the wood or shell of the vessel, but in many instances the thickness of the shell
varies and therefore the measurements are not accurate, and the calculation made
from them is also inaccurate.
To overcome the above objections, and according to my invention, I construct a
gauging instrument or calliper of duplex members pivotted together, the upper
portions being provided with a scale rod, and the upper and lower portions being
preferably proportional in length, for example, two to one, the lower portions being
the longer. The upper portions are provided with the scale rod, one, the zero end
of which is hinged to the end of one portion, the rod sliding on the other portion in
a compensating rest and a strut as the callipers are opened out, a pointer on said
portion or rest indicating the dimension gauged by the lower portions of the
callipers. The shanks or members of the callipers are preferably of bowed form,
for example, in the form of a quadrant. The lower shanks in passing through, say
the bung hole of a cask, overlap each other and they are opened out by opening
the upper shanks until the ends of the inserted shanks touch the part to be gauged
which may be the sides or ends of a cask. Thus the callipers enable an accurate
inside measurement of length and diameter of the cask to be taken and in "gauging
the use of the "long calliper" and cross calliper can be dispensed with.
dimensions taken by the "scale rod" of the callipers above described, together
with the dimensions taken by the "bung rod" and the "head rod" enables an
accurate calculation to be made on the sliding scale, of the capacity, or contents of
the vessel.
The
CL
1000
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Instruments for Gauging Casks, Barrels, and other
analogous Vessels or Articles.
I, JOHN THOMPSON, of 86, Conway Street, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Officer of Customs, 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 object of my invention is to provide a means for more accurately ganging

page_text: 66
the capacity and contents of casks, barrels, and other analogous vessels or articles.
In the art of "gauging" as at present commonly practised there are employed the
following instruments, a long calliper," a cross calliper," a "head rod," and a
"bung rod" each instrument is provided with a scale by which the dimension of the
part measured can be ascertained, and the "head rod" has a sliding scale by which,
the dimensions being given, the capacity and contents can be calculated. With the
exception of the "bung rod," the above instruments are applied outside of the cask
or vessel, allowance being made on the scales for the thickness of the wood or shell
of the vessel, but in many instances the thickness of the shell varies, and therefore
the calculations made from measurements so taken are very liable to be inaccurate.
To overcome the above objections and according to my invention construct a
gauging instrument or callipers of duplex members pivotted together, the upper
portions being provided with a scale rod, and the upper and lower portions being
proportional in length, for example, two to one, the lower portions being generally
the longer. The upper portions are provided with the scale rod, one, the zero end
of which is hinged to the end of one portion. The rod slides on the other portion
in a compensating rest as the callipers are opened out or closed, a pointer on said
portion or rest indicating the dimension gauged by the lower portions of the callipers.
The legs or members of the callipers are of bowed form, that is, an arc of a circle;
and when for gauging circular casks or vessels are substantially in the form of a
quadrant. These, the lower legs, in passing through the bung hole or equivalent
aperture in a cask, overlap each other and they are opened out by opening the upper
legs until the ends of the inserted legs touch the part to be gauged. When the
instrument is used to gauge the internal diameter of a circular or approximately
circular cask or other vessel, the true diameter of the cask or vessel will always lic
in or about the line lying between the two extremities of the members where they
touch the sides of the cask or vessel. The longitudinal measurement of the cask or
vessel may obviously also be measured with the instrument through the bung hole
in an analogous manner. Thus the callipers enable an accurate inside measure-
ment of diameter and length of the cask to be taken, and in consequence, in
"gauging," the use of the long calliper" and "cross calliper" can be dispensed
with. The dimensions taken by the scale rod of the callipers above described,
together with the dimensions taken by the "bung rod" and the "head rod" enables
an accurate calculation to be made on the "sliding scale" of the capacity, or
contents of the vessel.
Having thus generally described the object and nature of my invention I will
now proceed to describe it with reference to the annexed sheets of drawings, in
which,
Figure is a diagramatic view of an instrument or callipers constructed
according to my invention and adapted, amongst other purposes, for gauging casks
or vessels of circular form.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of a complete instrument of the kind shewn at
Figure 1.
The diagram, Figure 1, illustrates an instrument for gauging, through the bung
hole, the internal diameter and length of circular vessels, casks for example. The
instrument consists of duplex members, pivotted together at a, each member com-
prising an upper part or leg b, b', respectively, and a lower part or leg c, c',
respectively, the said upper legs bb', being provided with a scale rod dor
equivalent index. To enable the legs c, e to pass through the bung hole of a
cask, as shewn at e Figure 2, and to accurately gauge the internal diameter, the
legs c, each consist of a quadrant of a circle. In this form the legs c, c' cross
each other at the bung hole and the points at which their ends will touch the cask
will be those which lie in the true diameter of the cask has shewn at Figure 1.
On reference to Figure 2, the dotted lines shew the position of the legs bc
and of the callipers when the legs c, el are being inserted through the bung
hole of the cask. As the legs are opened out, they cross each other at the bung
hole and assume the position shewn in full lines. The legs c c' can be extended to

page_text: gauge the length of the cask as well as the diameter.
As the legs cc' are opened
out by opening the upper members bb, the extent of the opening is indicated on
the scale rod d. This scale rod is hinged at its zero end to the top of the member b,
and the rod slides on a compensating rest i fitted on the end of the member 6, the
said end being provided with a guide , and the said rest having a pointer ou the
centre line of the member, the said pointer indicating, on the scale rod d,
the amount of opening. The upper members bb and the lower members c c are
proportional in length. In the example shewn in the drawings they are two to one,
the members cc' being the longest; and the scale rod is marked to correspond, so
that the figure on the rod will, opposite the pointer k, give the distance apart of
the members c, c'. The members c c are preferably fitted at their ends with small
anti-friction wheels to enable the ends to work freely with in contact with the
shell or end of the vessel or cask.
C
"
As above stated the inside dimensions of the vessel taken by the callipers and
given by the scale rod d together with the dimensions taken by the "bung rod'
and head rod" enables an accurate calculation to be made, on the "sliding scale,"
of the capacity or contents of the vessel.
Although I have more particularly described my invention as applied to gauging
casks and analogous vessels, I would have it understood that the same or similar
instruments can be used for measuring cargo and cargo space in a ship's hold, or
storing space in a warehouse, and for other like purposes, and the instrument can
be used for taking external measurements as well as internal measurements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
-
1. An instrument for gauging the internal diameter and length of circular or
approximately circular, casks or vessels, having callipering members or legs
consisting of quadrants or approximately quadrants of a circle, being connected or
hinged together and adapted to be applied as and for the purposes set forth.
2. An instrument for gauging the internal dimensions of casks and other analogous
vessels, constructed and operating substantially as described, that is to say an
instrument comprising curved members or legs adapted to be inserted through a
small opening, such as the bung-hole of a cask or vessel, and extended or opened
out within the same so as to calliper the internal dimensions thereof, and provided
with a scale rod or index whereby such dimension can be read outside the cask or
vessel.
3. The instrument set forth with reference to the drawings consisting of curved
callipering members or legs e c', members or legs, and scale rod d adapted to
be used for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 14th day of March 1891
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.