IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID METERS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID METERS."
-A communication from abroad by José Francisco de Navarro,
of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 18th October 1870, and dated the 25th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th August 1870.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office, for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID
METERS," to be as follows :-
"
This Invention relates to meters which employ two or more recipro-
cating pistons that work in adjacent cylinders, and are controlled by
valves operated by the pistons, and it consists in a certain combination
of such devices, whereby each piston is made to operate a separate.

page_text: crank shaft that is connected by gearing with the crank shaft of the
adjacent piston, and the valves are operated by the pistons which they
respectively serve to control. By such arrangement or combination
cross passages from the valves to the cylinders are dispensed with, and
although the crank shafts are geared to make them work in time and
to carry the cranks over the dead centers, yet each piston with its
crank shaft and valve is separate and distinct from the other, so that
said parts are made to maintain their proper relative positions in case
of wear at the joints or bearings of the connections which couple either
piston with its respective valve. Furthermore, the arrangement is such
that leakage from the one cylinder to the other is avoided, and the gear
wheels that serve to couple said shafts operate by lateral pressure of
the fluid on them to make close or water-tight the bearings through
-which-the-crank-shafts-revolve.-The-cylinders-are-open-at-both-ends-and-
are formed of brass or other tubing secured to annular ribs formed
inside the case. The space between the tube and the case constitutes
the exhaust chamber, and connected with it are the outlet ports and a
discharge pipe. The cylinders are retained in position in the meter case
by merely swelling or rivetting down their ends.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her
special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, 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 a

page_text: 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 LIQUID METERS," being a communi-
cation to me from abroad by José Francisco de Navarro, of the City
and State of New York, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
This Invention relates to meters which employ two or more recipro-
cating pistons working in adjacent cylinders and controlled by valves
operated by the pistons, and it consists in a certain combination of such
devices whereby each piston is made to operate a separate crank shaft
that is connected by gearing with the crank shaft of the adjacent piston,
and the valves are operated by the pistons which they respectively serve
to control. By such arrangement or combination cross passages from
the valves to the cylinders are dispensed with, and although the crank
shafts are geared to make them work in time and to carry the cranks
over the dead centres, yet each piston with its crank shaft and valve is
separate and distinct from the other, so that said parts are made to
maintain their proper relative positions in case of wear at the joints
or bearings of the connections which couple either piston with its
respective valve. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that leakage.
from the one cylinder to the other is avoided, and the gear wheels that
serve to couple said shafts operate by lateral pressure of the fluid on
them to make close or water-tight the bearings through which the
crank shafts revolve.
The Invention also includes a novel arrangement of passages and
peculiar construction of the cylinders whereby cheapness and simplicity

page_text: are secured, and the cylinders which are formed out of tubes are retained
in position by merely swelling or rivetting down their ends.
A meter constructed in accordance with this Invention may be got up
cheaply, and will be found efficient and accurate under both light and
heavy streams.
Having thus specified the object or objects and nature of the Invention,
its description will be proceeded with in reference to the accompanying
Drawing.
Fig. 1 represents a plan of the improved meter with the top removed;
Fig. 2, a front or end view of the same with the outer portion of the
case removed; Fig. 3, a vertical section taken (as denoted by the line x, x,
Fig. 1,) longitudinally through the centre of one of the cylinders or
measuring chambers; and Fig. 4, a vertical section taken at right angles
to Fig. 3, and as indicated by the irregular line y, y, in Fig. 1. Similar
-letters-of-reference-indicate corresponding parts throughout the several
Figures.
Referring to the accompanying Drawing, the meter there represented
will be described exclusively with reference to measuring water. A and
A' are two horizontal cylinders arranged side by side and open at their
opposite ends. These cylinders are formed of brass or other suitable
tubes, which may be cut to their required lengths from one and the
same piece of tubing ready without boring or dressing for insertion in
their places within an outer water case or box B by slipping them
within or through ribs a, a', arranged to project internally from the
case B that is divided longitudinally as by a partition beyond or
outside of both ends of the cylinders and by the ribs or flanges a, a¹,.
within which the ends of the cylinders fit to form independent or
separated water spaces c, c¹, at opposite ends of the cylinders. The space
between the ribs a, a', of both cylinders is open and continuous, and forms
an exhaust chamber for both cylinders, and said ribs or flanges are so
disposed relatively to the ends of the cylinders that the latter are secured
therein by simply swelling out or rivetting down the ends of the cylinders
thereon, as represented in Fig. 3, such ribs being preferably bored or
rimered out to secure truth and proper fit of the cylinders. This is at
once a cheap, simple, and efficient way of constructing and securing the
cylinders and of providing for an exhaust passage all around and between
them. Each cylinder A, A', is fitted with a reciprocating piston C or C³,
the rods D, D', of which are connected to cranks E, E¹, on independent

page_text: vertical shafts F, F, which project up into a valve box or chamber G
that has the inlet e connected with it, the outlet f from the meter being
in connection with the exhaust chamber d. The crank shafts F, F, have
mounted on their upper ends within the valve box G spur wheels H, H',
which gear into one another to secure a timely action of the independent
pistons, and to aid the cranks E, E¹, which are set at different angles in
passing their dead centres, otherwise the two pistons and their working
connections, including the valves, are disconnected and separate and
distinct from each other, either piston operating the valve which controls
it as by rods I, I', operated by excentric pins g, g', on the wheels H, H',
and attached at their opposite ends to the valves J, J', which latter may
be ordinary slide D valves arranged over the cylinders, the pistons of
which they respectively control, and in communication by suitable
passages n, n, and o with the ends of the cylinders and with the exhaust
chamber d. The Invention, however, is not restricted to any particular
form of valve.
By this combination and arrangement of parts all complicated or
tortuous cross passages are avoided, and each piston being controlled by
the valve it operates, and through separate crank shafts as regards both
pistons, the valves with their respective pistons and connections are
made to maintain their proper relative positions and actions in case of
wear at the joints or bearings of the connections which couple either
piston with its respective valve. The crank shafts F, F, work through
downwardly projecting bearings h, h¹, from the upper portion of the
case A or front chambers c, c², thereof, said bearings preferably being
lined with light brass bushes i, and each shaft protected by a brass
sleeve formed into a flange below the spur wheel H or H' mounted on
said shaft. A leather or other suitable packing ring m is interposed
between the under surface of said wheel and bottom of the valve box
around the shaft or its sleeve k. By these means the bearings are pro-
tected from corrosion and the lateral pressure of the fluid on the upper
surface of the wheels H, H', makes close or secure the joints at the ends
of the bearings and prevents leakage past the independent crank shafts
of the meter.
The registering mechanism, which may be of the ordinary or any
proper kind, may be operated by one of the excentric pins g, g', or in
any other suitable manner.

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improve-
ments in Liquid Meters," as communicated to me from abroad, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to
be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,―
First. The combination of the independent crank shafts F, F, and
gear wheels H, H³, with the pistons C, C¹, the cylinders A, A', and the
valves J, J', the latter being arranged and operated by the pistons which
they respectively serve to control, substantially as specified.
Second. The cylinders A, A³, made of tubing and fitted at their ends
within ribs or flanges a, a¹, arranged to project from the interior of the
box or case B and secured therein by swelling out or rivetting down
the ends of said tubes over or on the ribs which carry them, essentially
as described.
Third. The arrangement-of-the-exhaust-passage or chamber d relatively
to the cylinders A., A', and ribs or flanges a, a¹, in combination with the
valves and their passages and inlet and outlet, substantially as herein set
forth.
Fourth. The arrangement relatively to the bearings h, h³, or outside
ends thereof, through which the crank shafts respectively pass, of the
wheels H, H', with their intervening washers or packings m, essentially
as described, whereby leakage past the crank shaft is avoided.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.