IMPROVEMENTS IN MEASURING THE PASSAGE OF LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Richards, of 16, River Street, Myddelton
Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEASURING THE PASSAGE OF LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Richards at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th August 1864.
I, WILLIAM RICHARDS, of 16, River Street, Myddelton Square, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEASURING THE PASSAGE OF LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to the employment as the sealing medium in
apparatus for the measurement of the passage of water and other liquid of a
fluid heavier than and having no affinity for the water or other particular
liquid to be measured capable of producing injurious action. For this purpose
I employ mercury.
The apparatus which I employ consists of an outer chamber or case, in
which is supported with capability of partial rotation another vessel obtained
by two concentric cylinders and end pieces forming an annular chamber, in,
which I apply the fluid heavier than the liquid to be measured, and in quantity
to touch the inner cylinder, and thereby seal off at that part one portion of the.
annular space or chamber from the other. There is also a partition across
this annular chamber, by which and the heavier fluid therein the annular

page_text: chamber is divided into two compartments, each of which by a passage and
valvular arrangement is capable alternately of being in communication with
the interior of the outer case to receive liquid therefrom to be measured, and
with an outlet for the supply of measured liquid. The liquid passing into one
annular compartment acts upon the surface of the heavier fluid referred to,
and upon one side of the partition to cause a partial rotation of this internal
vessel, and when motion has been obtained to it to the extent desired in one
direction a tumbler or spring acts to reverse the valvular arrangement, when
the liquid last passed in passes away, and fresh liquid passes into the opposite
compartment, and so on alternately.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WLLLIAM
RICHARDS, of 16, River Street, Myddelton Square, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Richards, Her special licence that I, the said William Richards, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Richards, 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, au Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEASURING
THE PASSAGE OF LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Richards, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Richards, 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 fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say:-
The improvements relate, first, to the employment as the sealing medium in
apparatus for the measurement of the passage of water or other liquid of a
fluid considerably heavier than and having no affinity for the water or other
particular liquid to be measured capable of producing injurious action thereon,
and I prefer to employ mercury for this purpose.
Secondly, the improvements relate to an adaptation or combination of
apparatus for measuring liquids by the aid of mercury or other liquid con-
siderably heavier than and as a sealing medium to the liquid to be measured.
The apparatus which I employ consists of an outer chamber or case, in
which is supported with capability of partial rotation another vessel obtained
by two concentric cylinders and end pieces forming an annular chamber, in
which I apply the liquid heavier than the liquid to be measured, and in quantity
to touch the inner cylinder and act thereon sufficiently to seal off at that part
one portion of the annular space or chamber from the other. There is also a
partition across this annular chamber, by which and the heavier liquid therein
the annular chamber is divided into two compartments, each of which by &
passage and valvular arrangement is capable alternately of being in communi-
cation with the interior of the outer case to receive liquid therefrom to be
measured, and with an outlet for the supply of measured liquid. The liquid
passing into one compartment of the annular chamber acts upon the surface of
the heavier liquid referred to, and upon one side of the partition to cause a
partial rotation of this internal vessel, and when motion has been obtained to
it to the extent desired in one direction a tumbler or spring acts to reverse
the valvular arrangement, when the liquid last passed in passes away, and
fresh liquid passes into the opposite compartment, and so on alternately.
Index apparatus indicates the quantity thus measured.
But that this second part of the Invention may be better understood, I will
by the aid of the accompanying Drawing proceed to describe means pursued
T ire
snews a
view, and Figure 2
uge
arranged according to this part of the improvements; Figures 3, 4, and
shew sectional views of the same. In each of these views the same letters
indicate corresponding parts wherever they occur.

page_text: a, a, is the outer case or chamber, which by its bearings a¹ supports the
projections 6, 6, as an axis for the internal vessel b. This internal vessel 6 it
will be seen is formed by means of two concentric cylinders (3) and (4), which
are connected together by the end pieces (5) and (6), thus forming within
the vessel b the annular chamber A and the central chamber B. The annular
chamber A is also divided by the partition (7). The mercury or other liquid
heavier than the liquid to be measured is passed into the annular space A
through a screw-tight plug (8) until there is sufficiency of the heavier liquid
in that annular space to rise slightly above the lower portion of the inner
cylinder (3), and thereby seal off the two parts of the annular space A into
two compartments, one on each side of the partition (7), as indicated by the
red dotted lines in Figure 5. The plug (8) being screwed up, and the
vessel 6 being secured within the outer chamber or vessel a, the water or
other liquid to be measured is allowed to flow therein by the passage a³, when
it will find its way through the passage c¹ in the valve c to one or other of the
passages d' in the valve seat d, opposite to which the passage c¹ for the time
may be resting, and thence the liquid to be measured will flow from that
passage d¹ by the passage d2 in connection with it to the interior of the
vessel 6 on one side of the partition (7) thereof, when the liquid to be measured
acting on the mercury or other heavier liquid as an abutment, and on the one
side of the partition (7), will cause that vessel b to make a partial rotation
until by the change of the valve c its opening c¹ is brought opposite the other
of the openings d¹ in the seat d, when the liquid to be measured will flow by
the opposite passages d', d², to the opposite side of the partition (7) in the
annular chamber A, to cause the vessel to make a partial traverse in the
opposite direction to that just described, and thereby force out the liquid first
passed into the vessel b. In the passing away of the water or other liquid
from the vessel 6 on one or the other side of the partition (7) it will have
been measured, the quantity being of course equal to the capacity of the com-
partments thus formed in the annular space A (considered in relation to the
motion given to them) on either side of the partition (7); and this measured
liquid in passing from either side of the partition (7) by either of the passages d',
which may be for the time covered by the channel c² of the valve c, will by
that channel be directed through the passage d' into the interior chamber B,
and from thence it may pass through the axis to the delivery pipe a*.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 shew separate views of the valve c, and Figures 9, 10,
and 11 shew separate views of the valve seat d and its passages; i is a slight
coiled spring acting upon the valve c to keep it pressing against its seat.
According to the arrangement shewn, the change in the position of the.

page_text: valve c is effected by means of the tumbler weight e, which is connected by
the arm el to the valve c, and rests on one or the other of the stops f, f, carried
by the vessel to hold the passage c¹ of the valve c opposite one of the
passages d', and cause the liquid to be measured to flow freely into the vessel b,
until in the partial rotation of the vessel 6 the weight e arrives just past the
vertical line, at which time it will fall over and thereby reverse the position of
the valve c, causing the liquid to flow in the opposite direction, and so on
alternately.
In place of a weight, a spring might be employed to act in like manner
to change the position of the valve c, and the flow of the liquid into and from
the apparatus might be in the opposite directions to those explained.
Motion is given to suitable index apparatus from the axis 6¹ by a projection
6s from that axis, being by the link g connected to one end of an arm h, the
other end of which carries a click or driver to give motion to a ratchet wheel
on one of the axes of the index gear; 6 is a weight applied to the vessel 6,
with a tendency to maintain that vessel except when otherwise acted upon
with the partition (7) thereof at the top. The case a and the internal vessel 6
are by preference formed of cast iron.
Having thus described my Invention and means which I adopt in carrying
the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
First, the employment as a sealing medium in apparatus for measuring
water and other liquids of mercury or other suitable liquid considerably
heavier than the liquid to be measured.
Secondly, I claim the adaptation or combination of apparatus for measuring
water or other liquids by the aid of mercury or other liquids considerably
heavier than the liquid to be measured as a sealing medium to the liquid
being measured.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Richards, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
W. RICHARDS. (L.s.)