Viscometer

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS USEFUL FOR MEASURING THE VISCOSITY CHARACTERISTICS OF A FLUID WHOSE VISCOSITY CHANGES UNDER DIFFERENT PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-MAGNETIC CONTAINER FOR THE FLUID, ELECTROMAGNETIC WINDINGS SURROUNDING UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS OF A CAVITY IN SAID CONTAINER FOR ESTABLISHING MAGNETIC FIELDS IN SAID PORTIONS OF SAID CONTAINER, MEANS HAVING AN APPRECIABLE VISCOUS DRAG AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIELDS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CAVITY AND FREELY MOVABLE IN THE FLUID, MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY AND REGULARLY ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZING EACH OF SAID WINDINGS WHEREBY SAID ELECTROMAGNETICALLY RESPONSIVE MOVABLE MEANS IS CAUSED TO MOVE INTO THE RESULTANT MAGNETIC FIELDS SURFACES AT BOTH THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE CAVITY OF SAID CONTAINER WHICH GENERATE AND TRANSMIT SOUND WAVES WHEN STRUCK BY SAID MOVABLE MEANS, MEANS FOR CONVERTING SAID SOUND WAVES INTO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, MEANS FOR AMPLIFYING SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, ELECTRONIC MEANS ACTIVATED BY SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNALS OR BY THE ABSENCE THEREOF AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE AMPLIFYING MEANS, FOR SENSING VARIATIONS IN THE VISCOSITY OF THE FLUID, BY SAID PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, AS THE VISCOSITY CHANGES FROM ONE VALUE TO ANOTHER PREDETERMINED VALUE, SAID SENSING MEANS BEING REGULATED AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE INTERMITTENTLY ENERGIZING MEANS SO THAT ONLY THE UPPER ELECTROMAGNETIC WINDING IS INTERMITTENTLY ENERGIZED WHEN THE VISCOSITY OF THE FLUID IS LOW, AND BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER WINDINGS ARE INTERMITTENTLY ENERGIZED WHEN THE VISCOSITY REACHES A PREDETERMINED HIGHER VALUE, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SAID SENSING MEANS AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED THERETO FOR RECORDING WHEN THE HIGHER PREDETERMINED VISCOSITY VALUE IS REACHED.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS USEFUL FOR MEASURING THE VISCOSITY CHARACTERISTICS OF A FLUID WHOSE VISCOSITY CHANGES UNDER DIFFERENT PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-MAGNETIC CONTAINER FOR THE FLUID, ELECTROMAGNETIC WINDINGS SURROUNDING UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS OF A CAVITY IN SAID CONTAINER FOR ESTABLISHING MAGNETIC FIELDS IN SAID PORTIONS OF SAID CONTAINER, MEANS HAVING AN APPRECIABLE VISCOUS DRAG AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIELDS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CAVITY AND FREELY MOVABLE IN THE FLUID, MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY AND REGULARLY ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZING EACH OF SAID WINDINGS WHEREBY SAID ELECTROMAGNETICALLY RESPONSIVE MOVABLE MEANS IS CAUSED TO MOVE INTO THE RESULTANT MAGNETIC FIELDS SURFACES AT BOTH THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE CAVITY OF SAID CONTAINER WHICH GENERATE AND TRANSMIT SOUND WAVES WHEN STRUCK BY SAID MOVABLE MEANS, MEANS FOR CONVERTING SAID SOUND WAVES INTO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, MEANS FOR AMPLIFYING SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, ELECTRONIC MEANS ACTIVATED BY SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNALS OR BY THE ABSENCE THEREOF AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE AMPLIFYING MEANS, FOR SENSING VARIATIONS IN THE VISCOSITY OF THE FLUID, BY SAID PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, AS THE VISCOSITY CHANGES FROM ONE VALUE TO ANOTHER PREDETERMINED VALUE, SAID SENSING MEANS BEING REGULATED AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE INTERMITTENTLY ENERGIZING MEANS SO THAT ONLY THE UPPER ELECTROMAGNETIC WINDING IS INTERMITTENTLY ENERGIZED WHEN THE VISCOSITY OF THE FLUID IS LOW, AND BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER WINDINGS ARE INTERMITTENTLY ENERGIZED WHEN THE VISCOSITY REACHES A PREDETERMINED HIGHER VALUE, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SAID SENSING MEANS AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED THERETO FOR RECORDING WHEN THE HIGHER PREDETERMINED VISCOSITY VALUE IS REACHED.