A NEW AND IMPROVED SELF-ACTING MEASURING AND TILTING CASK STAND
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas David Waller at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th July 1869.
I, THOMAS DAVID WALLER, of 23, Palace Square, Norwood, in the
County of Surry, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW AND IMPROVED SELF-ACTING MEASURING AND TILTING
CASK STAND," to be as follows:-
It consists of a combination of apparatus and appliances for measuring
the contents removed from casks or other vessels when placed on the
apparatus or stand, and also consists of an apparatus whereby at the
same time the process of tilting the cask is effected by self-acting means.
The means of ascertaining the contents removed from the cask or other
vessel, and knowing at any period the amount taken thereform, is effected
by the cask being placed on or hung on an arrangement of levers of
iron or other material having their fulcrums working in holes or on
studs fixed in a stand of iron or other material of convenient form and
dimensions, so constructed that when the cask or other vessel is placed
on properly adjusted bearings the weight of the cask and contents is

page_text: distributed by the means of one or more links or studs to another lever
or levers made fast on the main shaft or bearings which works in
bearings or on studs in the stand or frame, the links or studs acting on
one end of the main levers, and the other arm of the main levers acts
upon a spring of steel, or other springy materials, or a series of such
springs, one end of the spring or springs being fastened to the lever or
to a stay joining the levers, the other end of the spring or springs being
fastened to a stay rod or bolt, or made fast to frame of stand, so that
the levers transmits a correct and equal motion to the spring or springs
in a ratio to the removal of the contents of the cask or other vessel.
On one end or arm of the main lever or at a convenient position to give
sufficient indication of movement is arranged a stud or pin acting on a
link or lever and giving motion to a tube or rod so connected to the
link as to have a free motion same as spring or springs. Working on
this tube or rod is a boss that can be fastened or loosened by means of
screw, bolt, or spring; on the front of this boss is arranged a pointer
working in a groove and fastened by a screw and key, so that it can be
set to any position at right angles to the upright motion of the tube or
rod. This pointer moves before a plate frame or dial called the indicator,
and so fixed to the stand that the pointer and tube or rod together works
free to the plate or dial, there being a guide to the tube or rod fixed to
the plate; on this plate is a frame for the reception of indicator cards or
plates having thereon a scale or index for the purpose of registering the
removal of the contents of cask, or the dial plate is itself marked or
indexed. This indicator scale consists of a series of vertical lines
parallel to the movement of the pointer and tube, each line answering
to the various specific gravities of the contents of the casks to be mea-
sured. The pointer is so adjusted that the point works in a line with
these vertical lines, other lines are placed in a cross or diagonal position
to the gravity lines called quantity lines, and are indexed as various
degrees of quantity, there being a zero point which I call the barrel line.
In the circular dials of the indicator which I also employ the specific
gravity lines will form concentric circles and the quantity lines will
also form diagonal lines and divisions with the circles, so that after the
specific gravity of the contents has been ascertained the pointer is
adjusted to the barrel or zero line and also set to the gravity line, thus
when any quantity is removed from the cask the pointer descends to the
corresponding quantity line.

page_text: The appliance for tilting consists of bearings on front of said stand
for the reception of a bearer working on pivots, or in holes to it is fixed
a shoe with steel spring affixed to clasp and steady any sized cask.
The cask at back of stand is supported and made steady by a spring
of steel or india-rubber stretched from uprights working in bearings or
fixed, so as such spring on being adjusted to a position suitable to the
size and weight of cask descends when weight is upon it, and ascends
as weight is removed, and thereby tilts the cask or other vessel.