Flow monitor

Claim 1

FLOW MEASURING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN INLET AN OUTLET COMMUNICATING RESPECTIVELY WITH THE SOURCE OF FLUID AND A FLUID SYSTEM; A CYLINDER HAVING A PISTON SLIDABLE THEREIN; THE CYLINDER AND THE PISTON TOGETHER HAVING A PREDETERMINED DISPLACEMENT; MEANS CONTROLLING THE FLOW TO AND FROM THE CYLINDER SO AS TO CAUSE THE FLUID TO BE TRANSFERRED RELATIVELY UNIMPEDED BETWEEN THE INLET AND THE OUTLET; THE FLOW CONTROLLING MEANS INCLUDING VALVE MEANS OPERATIVE TO REVERSIBLY FLOW-CONNECT THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE CYLINDER TO THE INLET AND THE OUTLET SO THAT EACH END OF THE CYLINDER IS ALTERNATELY CONNECTED TO THE INLET AND OUTLET THEREBY CAUSING THE PISTON TO BE RECIPROCATED AT A RATE CORRESPONDING TO THE FLOW OF FLUID TRANSFERRED FROM THE INLET TO THE OUTLET, ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS FOR OPERATING THE VALVE MEANS, AND MEANS ACTUATED BY THE PISTON WHEN MOVED TO EACH OF THE END POSITIONS THEREOF FOR CAUSING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS TO BE ENERGIZED; THE LATTER MEANS INCLUDING MEANS OPERATIVE TO DEVELOP AN OUTPUT WHEN THE PISTON MOVES WITHIN THE PROXIMITY THEREOF, TRIGGER MEANS OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO THE OUTPUT TO CAUSE THE ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS TO BE ENERGIZED AND TIME DELAY MEANS OPERATIVE TO CAUSE THE ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS TO BE DEENERGIZED AFTER A CERTAIN TIME DELAY; AND MEANS MONITORING THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF THE PISTON SO AS TO ENABLE THE QUANTITY OF THE FLUID TRANSFERRED TO THE SYSTEM TO BE MEASURED.