IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Brunt, of No. 15, Rue Petrelle, in the
City of Paris, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
METERS."
Sealed the 25th March 1862, and dated the 9th January 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Brunt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th January 1862.
I, JOHN BRUNT, of No. 15, Rue Petrelle, in the City of Paris, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GAS METERS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to the manner of working the inlet valve of
the ordinary gas meter, which has hitherto usually been effected by a float
riding on the water contained in the front chamber, acted on by the inlet gas;
the water in this said chamber is subject to considerable variation in its level,
for which reason a great range of motion is necessary for the action of the
said inlet valve. In order to diminish this range of motion, and cause the valve
to close on a comparatively small diminution of the water in the meter,
I have invented a float of a novel construction to work this valve, one half of
which is immersed in the water subject to the inlet pressure of the gas, whilst
the other half is immersed in the water subject to the outlet pressure of
the gas.
Secondly, to the means employed for drawing off the overflow water from
the inlet pipe. Hitherto this has been usually effected by removing a plug or
screw, whereby, after the passage of the water, gas can be extracted without
being registered ou the dials; to obviate this evil, I make use of a plug or
screw to which a rod is attached, on the upper point of which a weighted lever

page_text: is supported. On withdrawing the plug for the passage of the overflow water,
this weighted lever depresses the float, which bringing the valve home on its
seat intercepts further passage of gas until the plug is returned to its former
position
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Brunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
April 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BRUNT, of No. 15, Rue Petrelle, in the City of Paris, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Brunt, Her special licence that I, the said John Brunt, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Brunt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, 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 GAS METERS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Brunt, 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 John Brunt, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
My first improvement relates to the manner of working the inlet valve of
the ordinary gas meter, which has hitherto usually been effected by a float
riding on the water contained in the front chamber, acted on by the inlet gas.
The water in this said chamber is subject to considerable variation in its level,
for which reason a great range of motion is necessary for the action of the

page_text: said inlet valve. In order to diminish this range of motion, and cause the
valve to close on a comparatively small diminution of the water in the meter,
I have invented a float of a novel construction to work this valve, one half of
which is immersed in the water subject to the inlet pressure of the gas, whilst
the other half is immersed in the water subject to the outlet pressure of
the gas.
In order to make my Invention better understood, I have represented it in
the six views of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, of which Figs. 1, 2, 3,
and 5 are front elevations of the front box of a gas meter, the face plate being
removed; Fig. 4, a sectional lateral elevation of Fig. 5; and Fig. 6, a plan
of a horizontal section corresponding with the Figs. 2 and 3.
I have only
shewn such parts of the ordinary meter as are requisite for explaining my
improvements. Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5 shew the meter in action, and Fig. 3
shews it at rest.
Many different modes of construction may be adopted for carrying my first
improvement into practice without departing from the principle above stated.
I will confine myself to describing three; all of which consist in the use of two
floats attached to the valve stem, and having a common vertical movement,
the box containing the floats being divided into two parts or chambers by a
partition descending under the surface of the water between the two floats;
one of these chambers receiving the inlet gas before its passage into the drum
of the meter, whilst the other chamber is in communication with the outlet
gas, which has passed through the drum of the meter. By this arrangement
as the variations of the water level in the two chambers always take place in
contrary directions, that is to say, that a depression of the level in one
chamber always corresponds to a nearly like elevation of level in the other
chamber, it follows that the position of the floats or compound float is but
slightly changed by the variations of level in the two chambers, and in
consequence that the inlet valve can be adjusted with much greater precision,
without fear of the disadvantages appertaining to the ordinary system of gas
meter.
I have illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawing my first mode of
construction, wherein a represents the inlet pipe for the gas; b, the inlet valve;
c, the receiving chamber of the gas, from whence it passes by the syphon d
into the drum; e, the level of the water exposed to the pressure of the inlet
gas; ff, the openings by which this water communicates with that contained
in the drum chamber, in which the level is more elevated than in the former
by reason of decrease of pressure consequent on its being exposed to the
action of the outlet gas; haud h' is the compound float, which is attached to

page_text: the valve 6 by the stem 6', and of which the part h rides on the water e, e,
subject to the pressure of the inlet gas, whilst the part h¹ is immersed in the
water i, i, exposed to the action of the outlet gas. The opening k serves to
admit the outlet gas into the chamber formed by the partition 1, and containing
the part h¹.
The Figures 2, 3, and 6 represent the second manner of constructing and
arranging my compound float. Here the parts h and h¹ are distinct one from
the other, but attached to the same base. The part h is cylindrical in form,
whilst the part h¹ is annular, its interior diameter being sufficiently large to
leave between it and the part h, room for the partition l, which forms the
chamber containing the part h'. The water i, i, of this chamber is exposed to
the pressure of the outlet gas admitted through the opening k, whilst the
float h is immersed in the water e, e, subject to the direct pressure of the inlet
gas. Figs. 2 and 3, representing this last arrangement, are similar, except as
regards the position of the inlet valve b, which is shewn closed in Fig. 3, for
reasons which will be explained when I describe my second improvement;
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of a part of Figs. 2 and 3, shewing the cylindrical
and annular forms of the parts h and h¹, and their position with regard to each
other.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent the third manner of constructing and arranging my
compound float, which is an inversion of the arrangement shewn in Figs. 2, 3,
and 6. In this case it is the central part h¹ which is enclosed in the chamber
formed by the partition 7, and which is acted on by the water exposed to the
pressure of the outlet gas, whilst the annular external part h is immersed in
water subject to the pressure of the inlet gas. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical
section of Fig. 5, shewing the form of the chamber composed by the partition 1,
and the manner in which it communicates with the drum chamber k¹, and at
the same time receives the outlet gas.
My second improvement relates to the means employed for drawing off the
overflow water from the syphon pipe. Hitherto this has been usually effected
by removing a plug or screw, whereby after the passage of the water gas can
be extracted without being registered on the dials. To obviate this evil
I make use of a plug or screw, to which a rod is attached, on. the upper point
of which a weighted lever is supported. On withdrawing the plug for the
passage of the overflow water, this weighted lever depresses the float, which
bringing the valve home on its seat, intercepts further passage of gas until the
plug is returned to its former position. The means I employ for effecting
this are represented in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 2, the syphon pipe is shewn
closed, and the meter in action; in Fig. 3, the plug of the. syphon pipe is

page_text: withdrawn sufficiently to allow the overflow water to discharge itself, the inlet
valve 6 being closed, and the meter at rest. d is the syphon pipe, which
conducts the gas into the drum of the meter, and at the bottom of which
water accumulates, as shewn in Fig. 2; m is the plug for drawing off the
said water, but which cannot be entirely extracted by reason of the rest m¹,
which limits its movement; this plug is provided with a stem g, passing up
through the centre of the syphon pipe, and supporting on its upper end the
lever n, turning on the centre o, and bearing the weight p. When the plug m
is unscrewed in order to discharge the water collected in the syphon pipe, the
stem 9 descending with it, allows the weighted lever n to descend also, and this
latter, bearing on the collar of the stem b¹ of the inlet valve b, depresses the
float, and closes the valve completely. On continuing to unscrew the plug m,
it will strike against the stop m³, and then the holes r, r', which communicate
with each other in the interior of the plug, assume the position shewn in Fig: 3,
and the water to be discharged entering by the hole r, leaves the meter by the
hole r'. On screwing up the plug, the passage for the overflow water is first
intercepted, and after that the stem q by its ascension raises the weighted
lever n, and in consequence liberates the float and the inlet valve b, which
resume their normal position. In Fig. 1, the weighted lever n instead of
bearing on a collar attached to or forming part of the valve stem b¹ bears
directly on the float.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my Invention, and the
best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practice,
I claim,
First, the use of a compound float, or the combined action of floats, as above
described, for working the inlet valve.
Second, the mechanism above described, and illustrated in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, for emptying the syphon pipe d of water without allowing
the passage
of gas.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Brunt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two
Witness,
D. II. BRANDON.
JOHN BRUNT. (L.S.)