Improvements in or applicable to Prepayment Gas Meters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1896-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Prepayment Gas Meters.
We JOHN HAWKYARD of Shaws Lane, Upper Mill Saddleworth in the County
of York, Foreman, and JOSEPH BRADDOCK of 72 Windsor Road, Oldham in the
County of Lancaster, Gas Meter Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is applicable to both wet and dry gas meters, and has for its
object the provision of reans, of a simple character, whereby a definite amount
of gas may be obtained on prepayment by a corresponding coin or coins (or on the
insertion of tokens used instead of coins).
It will be obvious that the invention may also be used without coins or tokens
for securing, that, when a determined quantity of gas has passed through the meter,
the supply will be shut off, and an application to the gas supplying authorities
rendered necessary before a further supply of gas can be obtained.
The coin receiver may be substantially as described and shown in the
Specification of our Patent No. 14655 dated 17th September 1890, but the ratchet
wheel upon which the coins act, carries on its side an internally toothed wheel,
instead of a circular cam or inclined plane. The first motion wheel is driven from
the meter substantially as described and shown in the Specification of our Patent
No. 9771 of 1893.
Inside the internally toothed wheel is placed a spur wheel attached to the first
motion wheel, its diameter being so arranged as to admit of a pinion or wheel
being placed between and gearing with both the internally and externally toothed
spur wheels.
This pinion or wheel is mounted upon an arbor carried by a disc secured to the
central spindle or shaft upon which the ratchet wheel and first motion wheel are
loosely mounted and revolve in opposite directions.
The action of the ratchet wheel moves the pinion or wheel in one direction whilst
the action of the spur wheel attached to the first motion wheel moves the pinion or
wheel in the opposite direction; an oscillating motion is thus produced which is
transmitted through the aforesaid spindle or shaft (owing to the disc carrying the
arbor of the pinion being securely mounted on it) and this motion is employed to
open and close a valve (controlling the gas supply to or from the meter) fixed upon
a radial arm and working from and to a seating; or the motion of the spindle
may be applied to operate an oscillating slide valve; or by means of a rack and
pinion ar ordinary reciprocating valve or slide valve; or any form of cam or
equivalent device may be attached to the spin.lle to operate an ordinary conical
or other valve.
The indicating dial to show the valve or amount of gas prepaid and unconsumed,
may be fixed upon the front of the framing of the apparatus, whilst the finger or
pointer is carried by the aforesaid central spindle which projects through a hole in the
centre of this dial. To prevent a leakage of gas the valve spindle may pass through
a stuffing box in entering the valve box or chamber; or it may pass through a cork
instead of an ordinary stuffing box, or carry a cork collar moving in a suitable
opening in the framework of the apparatus.
The valve chamber may be in any convenient position to suit the circumstances
of the case, and the whole of apparatus may be applied to the inlet or outlet of
the meter.
It will be evident that this arrangement may be reversed, that is to say, the

page_text: internally toothed wheel may be actuated by the meter, and the smaller or externally
toothed wheel may be driven by the direct action of the coin or token contained in
the coin receiver.
It will also be evident that this arrangement will be equally applicable to
prepayment meters in which the internally or externally toothed wheels would be
driven by indirect means from the coin or token.
If the apparatus is not to be used with coins or tokens the coin receiver
may be
dispensed with, and the apparatus so arranged that the ratchet wheel can be set by
hand, so as to indicate the amount prepaid on the opening or removal of the sealed
or locked cover by any authorized person.
Dated this 7th day of October 1895.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or applicable to Prepayment Gas Meters.
We JOHN HAWKYARD, of Shaws Lane, Upper Mill, Saddleworth in the County
of York, Foreman, and JOSEPH BRADDOCK, of 72 Windsor Road, Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, Gas Meter Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—-
This invention is applicable to both wet and dry gas meters, and has for its
object the provision of means, of a simple character, whereby a definite amount of
gas may be obtained on prepayment by a corresponding coin or coins (or on the
insertion of tokens used instead of coins).
It will be obvious that the invention may also be used without coins or tokens
for securing, so that, when a determined quantity of gas has passed through the
meter, the supply will be shut off, and an application to the gas supplying authorities
rendered necessary before a further supply of gas can be obtained.
Our invention will be readily understood from the following description on
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a section through about the centre of the valve box casing a and the
mechanism hereafter described.
Fig. 2 is a view of the valve box end thereof with the end plate al removel.
Fig. 3 is a view of the other end thereof.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken through about the line A B on Fig. 1.
The coin receiver which is not shewn on the drawing may be substantially
as described and shown in the Specification of our Patent No. 14655 dated
17th September 1890, but the boss of the ratchet wheel upon which the coins
act, carries at one side thereof an internally toothed wheel 3 instead of a circular
cam or inclined plane. The first motion wheel c is driven from the meter by a
pinion and spindle c+ substantially as described and shown in the Specification
of our Patent No. 9771 of 1893.
Inside the internally toothed wheel 62 is placed a spur wheel c² attached to the
first motion wheel c its diameter being so arranged as to admit of a pinion or
wheel d being placed between and gearing with both the internally and externally
toothed spur wheels and .
This pinion or wheel d is mounted upon an arbor d' Fig. 1 carried by a disc e
secured to the central spindle or shaft upon which the ratchet wheel band first
motion wheel e are loosely mounted and revolve in opposite directions.
The action of the ratchet wheel 6 moves the pinion or wheel d in one direction
whilst the action of the spur wheel attached to the first motion wheel c moves
the pinion or whed in the opposite direction; an oscillating motion is thus

page_text: produced which is transmitted through the aforesaid spindle or shaft f (owing to
the disc e carrying the arbor d' of the pinion d being securely mounted on it) and
this motion is employed to open and close a valve g (controlling the gas supply to or
from the meter) fixed upon a radial arm g' and working from and to a seating h; or
the motion of the spindle may be applied to operate an oscillating slide valve;
or by means of a rack and pinion an ordinary reciprocating valve or slide valve; or
any form of cam or equivalent device may be attached to the spindle to operate an
ordinary conical or other valve.
The indicating dial to show the value or amount of gas prepaid and unconsumed,
may be fixed upon the front of the framing of the apparatus as seen at i, whilst the
finger or pointer f¹ is carried by the aforesaid central spindle which projects
through a hole in the centre of this dial. To prevent a leakage of gas, the valve
spindle may pass through a stuffing box a² in entering the valve box or chamber a³ ;
or it may pass through a cork instead of an ordinary stuffing box, or carry a cork
collar moving in a suitable opening in the framework of the apparatus.
The valve chamber a³ may be in any convenient position to suit the circumstances
of the case, and the whole of the apparatus may be applied to the inlet or outlet of
the meter.
It will be evident without illustration that this arrangement may be reversed,
that is to say, the internally toothed wheel may be actuated by the meter, and the
smaller or externally toothed wheel may be driven by the direct action of the coin
or token contained in the coin receiver.
It will also be evident that this arrangement will be equally applicable to
prepayment meters in which the internally or externally toothed wheels would be
driven by indirect means from the coin or token.
If the apparatus is not to be used with coins or tokens the coin receiver may be
dispensed with, and the apparatus so arranged that the ratchet wheel b can be set
by hand, so as to indicate the amount prepaid on the opening or removal of the
sealed or locked cover by any authorized person, this will also be evident without
illustration.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
In prepayment gas meters the combination of a primary shaft directly and
positively connected to the gas admission valve with an epicyclic train of gearing
and means for operating one of the gearing wheels either by a coin or token or by
hand to set the apparatus to deliver a certain amount of gas and another of the
gearing wheels by means of the meter mechanism to close the gas valve substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Dated this 6th day of July 1896
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.