of their Indications.
Year: 1885

page_text: of their Indications.
I, JOHN STURGEON, of 3 Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, London, S.W.
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for CAUSING AIR
AND FLUID METERS DISTRIBUTED IN VARIOUS DISTRICTS TO TRANSMIT TO A HEAD
OFFICE OR OTHER CENTRAL POINT A RECORD OF THEIR INDICATIONS, .to be as.
follows:-
My invention consists in enabling the various meters distributed through a town
or district for measuring the supply from a central works, of compressed air or other
fluid to users, to record their working at a head office or central station, so that the
total quantity supplied to the consumers during any stated period, may be regularly.
observed and compared with the total quantity issued from the central works
during the same period, and the total loss (if any) incurred in transmission, thereby
ascertained.
I effect this as follows-Each meter is placed in electrical communication with a
main indicator or counter at the head office or central depôt, and is furnished with
a contact breaker actuated by the mechanism of the meter, and so arranged as to
make and break contact at set intervals representing the measurement of whatever:
volume may be determined upon as the most convenient unit to register on the
main counter or indicator, which receives its motion through suitable mechanism
in connection with the electric wire. The same object may also be effected by
making instead of breaking contact, and in some cases each meter may have its
separate wire & separate indicator at the central depôt, by which means the
necessity of sending out meter inspectors to take down the records of the meters
at the users premises, is avoided. As the meters in the former case would be con-
nected to one main indicator there is the possibility of error arising through two
or more actuating the indicator at the same time,-but as the electric action is
practically instantaneous, the risk of this occurring is very remote, and the error,
should it ever occur, so slight as not to affect materially the object in view, namely,
that of ascertaining approximately whether waste is going on to such an extent
as to require investigation-Where separate wires and indicators are used, no such
error could occur. The dials or pointers of the main indicators may also be
actuated by means of small pistons, diaphragms, or bellows set in action by com-
pressed air passed through small tubes from the meters, the latter being provided
with mechanism whereby the air is allowed to enter or escape from the tubes at the
set intervals.

page_text: I JOHN STURGEON of 3 Westminster Chambers Victoria Street, London S.W.
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:-
My invention consists in enabling the various meters distributed through a town
or district for measuring the supply from a central works, of compressed air or
other fluid to users to record their working at a head office or central station, so
that the total quantity supplied to the consumers during any stated period may be
regularly observed and compared with the total quantity issued from the central
works during the same period, and the total loss (if any) incurred in transmission
thereby ascertained.
I effect this as follows: Each meter is placed in electrical communication with a
main indicator or counter at the head office or central depôt and is furnished with
a contact maker actuated by the mechanism of the meter, and so arranged as to
make and break contact at set intervals representing the measurement of whatever
a volume may be determined upon as the most convenient unit to register on the
main counter or indicator, which receives its motion through suitable mechanism
in connection with the electric wire. The same object may also be effected by
breaking instead of making contact, and in some cases each meter may have its
separate wire and separate indicator at the central depôt, by which means the
necessity of sending out meter inspectors to take down the records of the meters
at the users' premises is avoided. As the meters in the former case would be
connected to one main indicator there is the possibility of error arising through
two or more actuating the indicator at the same time-but as the electric action
is practically instantaneous, the risk of this occurring is very remote and the error
should it ever occur, so slight as not to affect materially the object in view, namely:-
that of ascertaining approximately whether waste is going on to such an extent as
to require investigation. Where separate wires and indicators are used no such
error could occur.
In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated a suitable construction and
arrangement of apparatus for carrying my invention into effect. Figure 1 is a
front view of the main counter and dial at the Central Station, having a disc A
with a dial hand N fixed thereto and provided with a number of pegs B as also
shown enlarged in the part front view Figures 2 and 3. The disc A is moved
round by means of the catch or pawl b which is jointed onto the rod C and acted
on by a spring 61. This rod C is pulled down by the electro magnet D acting upon
the armature c on the end of the rod C. The small roller i on the end of the
spring I (shown enlarged at Figure 3) drops in between two of the pegs, and holds
the disc A steady in its place opposite the figure at each step movement. It is only

page_text: necessary for the disc to be carried round far enough for the centre of the small
roller to pass partly over the centre of one of the pegs B, when the roller i, in
settling into its place, will complete the motion and carry the disc, and with it the
large hand N, accurately opposite the figure. It is to be noticed that the spring I
should be stronger than the spring b¹ in order to prevent any danger of its roller
being pulled out by the friction of the catch bagainst the pegs B in its back
movement. When the electric current at the electromagnet D ceases the rod C is
drawn back to the extent allowed by the adjustable stop F, by means of the
spring H on the lever h, which is pin jointed to the rod C,-and is thus brought
into position for the next stroke. In the arrangement shown in drawing the large
hand N is shown to register one hundred units, and is connected by spur pinion
and wheel of 10 to 1 to cause a dial hand O to register one thousand units on a
smaller dial and that gearing is again geared in the same proportion to another
small dial band P to register ten thousand units-The hand N can be brought back
to zero by simply turning it round in its free direction, by hand, without interfering
with its working.
The alternating action of the rod C necessary to work the disc round, is effected'
by the alternate magnetising and de-magnetizing of the electro magnet D, by
passing an electric current through its coils. This takes place whenever the electric
circuit is completed by any one of the consumers meters turning round to the point
at which contact is made by means of a pin on a disc in connection with the counting
gear coming in contact with the contact maker from the inain wire-These points
are fixed at intervals representing units of say One thousand cubic feet measured
off by the consumer's meter.
It is essential that the duration of this contact should be as short as possible, so
as to diminish the risk of error by reason of any two meters transmitting the
movement at the very same moment. A small error is of no great consequence
as it would represent a very small per centage of the total day's consumption, and
all that is required is a fairly approximate estimate of the consumption, as a
means of checking waste. But it is nevertheless desirable to reduce any possible
error to the lowest limits. It is obvious that one ineter running slow might retain
contact so long as to prevent other meters, running quick, from registering,
inasmuch as the armature C would be held down to the electro magnet D as long
as the current is maintained by the contact from any one of the meters. Again,
if any consumer's meter should happen to come to a stop, just on completing
contact, it would hold the armature C down to the magnet D, and so prevent the
other meters from registering on the main dial so long as it remained in the same
position.
To prevent this, and render the action as rapid as possible, I employ the
arrangement shown in the front view Figure 4, in which is the contact maker,
consisting of a spring on the end of the armature which works on the fulcrum
centre m. M represents the dial and part of the counting gear on a consumers
meter and which I provide with a disc K of non-conducting material attached
thereto, this disc K is shown enlarged in the front view and plan view Figures 5
and 6. kk are the contact makers on the disc K, having one face of conducting
metal and the opposite face of vulcanite or other non-conductor. A small electro
magnet L is applied to the armature land so arranged that the moment contact is
made by one of the pins coming against the spring on the armature l¹ an
electric current is passed round the electro magnet L at the same time as it
passes round the one at D Figure 1. This attracts the armature and thus pulls
the spring contact-maker over the pink so that it is withdrawn from the metallic
side of the pin and rests against the vulcanite or non-conducting side, and thereby
instantly demagnetizes both the magnet D Figure 1 and the small one at L
Figure 4. The action is thus rendered almost instantaneous and the magnet D is
liberated with the greatest rapidity and left free and in position for the next
repetition of the process by any of the other meters on completing a unit of
measurement. Instead of making the disc K of non-conducting material I may

page_text: provide the side of the spring next to the disc with a piece of non conducting
material in order to prevent any risk of its making contact by touching against
the face of the disc.
In the arrangement herein before-described it is obvious that the recording effects
may also if desired be produced by the breaking of the electric current, also that
solenoids may be used instead of electro magnets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do
not confine myself to the precise arrangement shown but what I claim is
First. The system or method described for ascertaining waste of compressed air
or other fluids distributed in conduits through a town or district, viz by recording
at a head office or central station at set intervals the record or register of the
various acting consumers' meters and comparing this combined result with the
record of the fluid passed through the main fluid meter at such head office or
delivered from the air compressing engine and ascertained by means of a continuous
counter which registers the number of revolutions of the engine.
Second. The construction of the recording instrument at the central station
substantially as described with reference to figures 1, 2 and 3 for the purpose set
forth.
Third. The construction of disengaging gear substantially as described with
reference to Figures 4 and 5 and applied to a consumer's meter.