Improvements in Electric Metering Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left 23rd June, 1596-Accepted 15th Aug. 1896
Improvements in Electric Metering Apparatus.
A communication to me from abroad by WILLIAM S. BARSTOw, of Brooklyn,
Kings County, State of New York, United States of America, Electrician.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of No. 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
London, Consulting Engineer, and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to a novel electric metering apparatus and consists
essentially in the combination with an electric circuit or portion of circuit the
current in which is to be measured, of two or more electric meters or devices
giving independent readings, a clock-work or time measuring device, and means
controlled thereby for throwing said metering devices into operation in alternation
and at predetermined times. When either of said metering devices is out of
operation the other is in so that at all times a registry is kept of the consumption
of current, but the current registered by one during one or more predetermined
periods, may be charged for at a different rate from that registered by the other.
The metering apparatus may be separate mechanisms throughout or in the
case of a mechanical meter the same driving motor may be employed for two
meter trains and the latter be connected to the motor in alternation by any
suitable device. The clockwork is preferably used in connection with suitable
circuit controllers so as to operate as a time switch that operates in any suitable
manner to cause the circuit to be closed through one electric meter or meats
for connecting a meter train to its meter, during certain hours and during other
hours through another electric meter or means for connecting the other registering
train to the motor.
The invention consists further in the special combinations of apparatus
hereinafter described.
One of the uses to which the invention may be put is as follows:-In the
operation of central stations there frequently occurs a period or periods when
there is a small demand for the current at which time the larger part of the
machinery etc. of the station is idle and does not carn its proportion of the fixed
charges. In order to "even up" the demand for current so that as much as
possible of the machinery necessary to carry the maximum load can be utilized
during the minimum it is necessary to give some inducement to the consumer
whereby he shall use the current during the above named minimum periods. The
inducement should come in the reduction in the price of current so as to leave
the net price cheaper than gas. The period during which such inducement is
offered should be during the small load of the station and will vary with the
seasons of the year.
The invention affords a means of protecting the company by preventing the
consumer using the low price current during the hours of maximum load thus
increasing the necessary investment in machinery.
Two Edison or other meters may be used in a shunt wherein is preferably placed
a suitable resistance so that only a portion of the current shall flow through them.
This shunt is branched through the meters and each branch contains a time
controlled circuit breaker and closer which may be of any suitable form. These
switches are operated alternately by the time mechanism and one is always closed
while the other is open and vice versa.

page_text: Whenever ene of these branches of the shunt is closed the meter therein
registers the amount of current which flows during the closure and no more.
Then immediately upon the operation of the circuit closers the register in the
other branch begins to work, so that a complete registry of the current is kept at
all times.
The time mechanism may be operated mechanically or electrically and operate
or control the switching mechanism in any desired way. Any suitable regulating
device may also be used to determine the intervals for which the meters may be in
use, since at one time of the year, or in a certain locality, one meter would needs
be in circuit longer than that meter at another time of the year or the corre-
sponding meter in a different locality.
Dated this 10th day of October 1895.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
A communication from abroad by WILLIAM S. BARSTOW, of Brooklyn, Kings
County, State of New York, U.S.A., Electrician.
1. WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, England,
Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent. de hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what minner the same is to he performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention relates to a novel electric metering apparatus; and it consists,
essentially, in the combination, with an electric circuit or portion of circuit the
current in which is to be measured of two or more electric meters or devices giving
independent readings, a clockwork or time-mensuring device, and means controlleif
thereby for throwing said metering devices into operation in alternation and at
predetermined times. When either of said metering devices is out of operation
the other is in, so that at all times a registry is kept of the consumption of
current but the current registered by one during one or more predetermined
periods may be charged for at a different rate from that registered by the other.
The metering apparatuses may be separate mechanisms throughout, or in the case
of a mechanical meter the same driving-mutor may be employed for two meter-
trains and the latter be connected to the motor in alternation by any suitable
device. The clock-work is preferably used in connection with suitable circuit
controllers, so as to operate as a time switch that operates in any suitable manner
to cause the circuit to be closed through one electric meter or means for connecting
a meter train to its motor, during certain hours, and during other hours through
another electric meter or means for connecting the other registering train to the
meter.
The invention consists, further, in the special combinations of apparatus
hereinafter described, and then specified in the claims.
One of the uses to which my invention may be put is as follows: In the
operation of central stations there frequently occurs a period or periods when
there is a small demand for the current, at which time the larger part of the
machinery, &c., of the station is idle and does not earn its proportion of the fixed
charges. In order to even up" the demand for current, so that as much as
possible of the machinery necessary to enrry the maximum load can be utilized
during the minimum, it is necessary to give some inducement to the consumer
whereby he shall use the current during the above named minimum periods. The
inducement should come in the reduction in the price of current, so as to leave the

page_text: net price cheaper than gas. The period during which such inducement is offered
should be during the small load of the station, and will vary with the seasons of
the year.
My invention affords a means of protecting the company by preventing the
consumer using the low priced current during the hours of maximum load, thus
increasing the necessary investment in machinery.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1, is a diagram illustrating my invention as carried out with an Edison or
electrolytic ineter.
Fig. 2, is a diagram showing a way of carrying out the invention when a
mechanical meter is used.
Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the time switch.
Fig. 4, is a modification in which two meter trains and one driving motor
are used.
In Fig. 1, L, L, are lamps or other translating devices in the circuit the use of
current in which is to be measured. M, M, are two Edison or other meters,
and S, a resistance by which a portion of the current passing to the work is
shunted to the meters. Meters M, M, are in independent shunts .r. y, which are
closed in alternation by the operation of the clock-work C. A, is a switch for
closing the shunts, y, in alternation in obvious manner. The mechanical details.
it is unnecessary to describe. When one meter is out the other is in. Switch A,
is operated by magnets B, B, and retains its position through the action of an
overbalanced weight W. Magnets B, B', are in circuits a, a', leading from
springs E, E, of a circuit controller operated or governed by the clock, and closed
at the time it is desired to transfer the readings of current used. D, D', are
circuit closing arms secured to the hour shaft K, of clock C. Shaft K, preferably
is a twenty-four hour shaft. The circuit is made in any desired way, as by a
spring bearing on the shaft, and the arms are circumferentially adjustable on the
shaft independently of one another and provided with set screws for fixing each at
the point desired. The arms are adapted to engage, respectively, with springs E, E'.
Preferably the two springs are in line with one another parallel to the clock-shaft,
though shown out of line in the diagram for convenience of illustration. At p, is
a fixed pointer or index coincident with the point at which the arms engage with
the springs. G, is a time indicator disc adjustable around the shaft.
The circuits closed by the arms are taken from any source of current. They
are shown taken as a shunt of high resistance from the supply circuit for the
lamps L, L. In use the disc G, is turned until the hour of the day. thereon at
which the setting is made coincides with pointer p, and arms D, D', are then set at
times on G, at which it is desired to transfer the readings of the current used.
When D, inakes connection the meter M, is thrown into action by magnet B,
throwing the switch A, and it remains in action until D', makes connection, when
magnet B, throws the switch and brings in M, which continues to meter until D,
again makes connection. These devices are all merely designed to be typical of
any clock-work or time switch and transfer mechanism controlled thereby for
making the desired electrical or mechanical changes whereby the current may be
registered on the meters in alternation and the transfer made at predetermined
times. The adjustment of the arms provides for different conditions of maximum
and minimum load in different stations or at different seasons of the year.
In Fig. 2, H, H', are the field coils of any mechanical meter, and I, I, the
armatures thereof, which are thrown into circuit in alternation in obvious manner.
This meter is designed to be typical merely of motor-meters generally.
Another way of bringing metering devices into operation in alternation is shown
in Fig. 4.
In this case a motor common to two meter trains is employed and
mechanically shifted or switched from one train to the other, and vice versa, under
the control of the clock-work, which may control the transfer in any desired way,
as, for instance, through agencies similar to those employed for electric switching
of the meters in Figs. 1 and 2.

page_text: In Fig. 4, the driving shaft of the motor works in fixed bearings and the
magnets operate on armatures securel to the meter train boxes, which are
connected together and so mounted that the wheels in, m³, of the meter trains
may be moved into and out of gear with the worm on shaft 7, in obvious minner,
Other means, as will be obvious, might be used for putting the motor in
mechanical connection with the registering or recording devices alternately
without departing from my invention.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of the sail inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what |
claim is :-
1. The combination, substantially as describal, with an electric circuit the
consumption of current in which is to be measured, of a clock-work, two or more
electric meters or devices giving independent reading, and means controlled by
the clock-work for throwing sail metering devices into operation in alternation
nil at predetermined times, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The embination, substantially as described, of a clock-work, two in le-
pendently adjustable circuit closing devices operated by the clock-workin
alternation, a circuit or branch of circuit connected to each, an in lepen lent
electric metering devices controlled respectively by said circuits an each arranged
to measure the current used in the same circuit or portion of circuit.
3. The combination, substantially as described, with an electric metering
apparatus having two independent meter trains, of a propelling motor, and a
controlling clock-work for throwing said meter trains into connection with the
motor in alternation.
4. The combination, substantially as described, of two independent registering
devices of a propelling electric motor, a clock-work, and electrically controlled
shifting mechanism governed by said clock and adapted to place the registering
devices in contection with the motor in alternation and at predetermined times.
5. The combination with an electric circuit the current in which is to be
measured, of indepen lent registering or metering devices, a clock-work having
circuit controllers adjustable independently of one another to close the circuit at
different times, and meats governel by said circuit controllers for bringing said
metering devices into operation alternately, as and for the purpose described.
6. The electric metering apparatus, sulistantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 23rd day of June 1896.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.