Patent GB-840765-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to prepayment mechanisms
Inventor: CHARLES JOHN ARTHUR
IPC: G07F15/00
Filed: 1955-12-29
Abstract: 840,765. Prepayment mechanism for meters. UNITED GAS INDUSTRIES Ltd. March 29, 1957 [Dec. 29, 1955], No. 37343/55. Class 27 The rotary coin-holder, quantity wheels, quantity mechanism and the transmission gearing (if present) of the prepayment mechanism of a gas or electricity meter are received in one or more receptacles formed of separable elements 1, 2, 5, 32 adapted to meet on a plane lying in the axis of rotation of the coin-holder or a plane or planes lying parallel to the axis and, when more than one casing is used, on planes transverse to the axis. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, the coin-holder and quantity wheels are housed in a casing 1 and the quantity mechanism and transmission gearing in a cast-metal casing 2 which is mounted, on one side, on the casing 1 and on the other is closed by a plate 3 carrying a lug 14 for fixing the casings 1, 2 to the main casing of the meter; a hood 5, which is screwed to the upper side of the casing 2, forms a bearing for the worm spindle 6 of the differential quantity mechanism and is provided with a slot 10 so that a gear 11 may drive a scaledrum 12. Slots 7, 9 may also be provided to allow for the protrusion of a driven member 8 of the Geneva mechanism associated with the quantity mechanism. In the modification shown in Fig. 3, a tubular casing 19 for housing the transmission gearing and quantity mechanism is gripped between the frame plates supporting such mechanism; the worm receiving the drive from the metering mechanism is housed in a slot 20 in the casing with its bearings supported in lugs 21 and is covered by a hood 22. If desired, the hood itself may include the bearings for the worm-spindle and the casing may be provided at one end with a cover plate and, at the other, with a flange for attachment to the frame plate supporting it from the casing of the coin holder. In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the casing 29 for the transmission gearing and quantity mechanism is of cylindrical form the upper part 32 meeting the lower part on a diametral plane and provided with a raised portion 33 to receive the worm; as an alternative, the upper part 32 may be in the form of a flat plate meeting the lower half on a plane or planes parallel to the axis. The casing 29 may be formed with a tubular extension which embraces or constitutes the casing of the coin holder and may be flanged peripherally for mounting it on the front frame plate of the prepayment mechanism. The end wall of the casing 29 may be split along the axial plane so that, by removal of the upper part, the removal of the gearing and quantity mechanism is facilitated. In a further modification, the rotary coin holder and all the other mechanism are contained in a casting which is supported by an end flange upon the front frame plate of the prepayment mechanism and is formed in two parts meeting along a plane either containing the axis of rotation of the coin holder or parallel to it. When oil is provided in the casings, suitable gaskets for the joints and glands for the projecting shafts are required. Specifications 387,678, 392,530, 404,002, 441,270, 445,260, 458,753, 510,549, 594,019, 635,840 and 742,556 are referred to.