IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Ritchie, of Hackney, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR MEASURING FLUIDS."
Scaled the 10th June 1853, and dated the 11th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Ritchie at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th December 1852.
I, CHARLES RITCHIE, of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of improvements in the means of working
the valves of fluid meters. The measuring apparatus consists of a
cylinder, or other suitable form of vessel, within which a piston or
partition moves alternately in one direction and then in the other,
in a similar manner to what has heretofore been done; but the slide
valve, in place of being put in motion from the exterior, is acted on

page_text: pass
by levers or instruments within the cylinder or measuring vessel,
and these levers or instruments are alternately put in motion by the
piston moving against them. These levers or instruments into
the valve box through fluid tight passages, and they are connected
together by a connecting rod which has a slit in it through which
the stem of the valve is introduced, the slit allowing the rod to
move some distance before it acts on the valve. And in order to
ensure the valve being moved to the proper extent, although the
piston in the measuring vessel does not move either of the levers to
the full extent, a small piston constantly pressed on by the incurring
fluid, with a tendency to force it towards the outlet pipe or passage,
comes into action, and, by means of an interposed wedge formed
instrument acting on the connecting rod, the valve is moved to its
correct position for letting the fluid out on one side of the piston,
and in at the other side in the measuring vessel; this smaller
piston also offering the advantage of reducing concussion by reason
of its continuing in action on the stopping of the measuring piston.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Charles Ritchie in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 10th June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
CHARLES RITCHIE, of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Ritchie, Her
special licence that I, the said Charles Ritchie, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Ritchie, 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'

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 APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Ritchie,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Charles Ritchie, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
This Invention consists of improvements in the means of working
the valves of fluid meters. The measuring apparatus consists of a
cylinder or other suitable form of vessel within which a piston or
partition moves alternately in one direction and then in the other, in
a similar manner to what has hicretofore been done; but the slide
valve, in place of being put in motion from the exterior, is acted on
by levers or instruments within the cylinder or measuring vessel,
and these levers or instruments are alternately put in motion by the
piston moving against them; these levers or instruments pass into
the valve box through fluid tight passages, and they are connected
together by a connecting rod which has a slit in it through which
the stem of the valve is introduced, the slit allowing the rod to
move some distance before it acts on the valve; and in order to
insure the valve being moved to the proper extent, although the
piston in the measuring vessel does not move either of the levers to
the full extent, a small piston, constantly pressed on by the incoming
fluid, with a tendency to force it towards the ontlet pipe or passage,
comes into action, and by means of an interposed wedge formed
instrument acting on the connecting rod, the valve is moved to its
correct position for letting the fluid out on one side of the piston
and in at the other side in the measuring vessel.

page_text: This sinaller piston also offering the advantage of reducing con-
cussion, by reason of its continuing in action on the stopping of the
measuring piston. And in order that my said Invention may be
most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed
to describe the means pursued by mc.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section; Figure 2, is an end view;
Figure 5, is a plan, of the bar G. Figure 3, is one of the levers H;
and Figure 4, shows the auxiliary piston M, and stem O. A, is the
cylinder or vessel, which is closed at both ends. B, is the piston,
working water tight therein: this piston has a stud or projection
C, on each of its sides. F, is a chest or valve box, having therein the
slide valve E. G, is a rod for connecting the two levers H, and I,
with each other, and also with the slide valve. The upper ends of
these two levers are each made to fit into a notch at the ends of the
rod G. The lower ends of these levers extend a little beyond the
centre of the cylinder or vessel, and their axes move water tight in
seats or recesses in the metal facing of the cylinder or vessel A. K,
is a short lever or arm fixed upon the spindle L, which spindle
passes through one side of the valve box, and is kept water tight by
means of a collar thereon which presses against the internal side of
the box; the upper end of the lever K, goes into a notch in the
lower side of the rod G. M, is an auxiliary piston, which has a
chamber suitable for it to work in, and the chamber has a commu-
nication with the discharge pipe by means of a small hole N, near
its bottom. The auxiliary piston has a stem O; attached to it; and
this stem has a large hole through which the rod G, can work with
freedom, and the upper part of this hole is formed with a sharp
angle, downwards to bear in the hollowed back of the wedge shaped
rocker P. The lower or sharp end of this rocker bears in a notch
in the upper side of the flat rod G. Instead of the wedge shaped
rocker as described, any convenient form of link that will work
freely may be substituted. If water or other fluid under pressure
be admitted into the valve chest of this apparatus, it will find its

page_text: way through the port into the cylinder, and, exerting its force on
the side D, of the piston, and impel it towards A, until it comes into
contact with the lever H, to which it will impart motion. When
the lever H, has attained to about half its stroke, or rather more, the
auxiliary piston M, (which is pressed downwards with a force
pro-
portioned to the available lead of water,) acting through the medium
of the rocker P, upon the rod G, will reverse the slide vale, which,
being done, the water will be at liberty to enter into the opposite
end of the cylinder, forcing what had previously entered into the
other end under the slide valve, and thence through the discharge
pipe. As the auxiliary piston derives its power from the available
hicad of water, its power will be, under all varieties of pressure, self-
adjusted not only as a means of overcoming the friction of the slide
valve, but also (its motion being coincident with the reversing of
the valve) for preventing the concussion of the water from sudden
cutting off its motion. As each stroke of the piston B, is made to
discharge a known measure of fluid, those measures are to be regis-
tered by the usual or any convenient index to which motion is com-
municated, as is well understood, through the spindle L, of the
lever K.
I would remark, that modifications in the details may be made
without departing from my Invention; for instance, instead of either
or both of the pistons described, a diaphram or diaphrams may be
applied, and any other convenient form of vessel may, in such case,
be adopted instead of a cylinder, and other arrangements of slides
may be used. What I do claim as my Invention is, -
1
Firstly, the combining or arranging of internal levers as herein.
before described, for the purpose of giving motion to the valve or
valves of a fluid meter.
Secondly, I claim as my Invention the application to a fluid meter
of an auxiliary piston within its valve box and deriving its power
from the fluid pressure, for the purpose of giving or assisting the
motion of the valve or valves.
Thirdly, I claim as my Invention the application to a fluid meter,
for the purpose of preventing the concussion of the fluid of a

page_text: piston acting inside the valve chest and in connection with the
valve motion.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Ritchie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
FRED*. HARRIS.
CHARLES RITCHIE. (L.S.)