Improvements in Electricity and Other Supply Meters.
Year: 1896

page_text: PRO VISIONAL SPE
ATION.
Improvements in Electricity and Other Supply Meters.
We MATHEW MCAULEY GILLESPIE of 20 Craven Road, Harlesden London N.W.
Engineer, and WILLIAM RICHARD WYNNE of 42 Palace Mansions Addison Bridge
London, W, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention consists of electric apparatus for automatically interrupting the
supply of electric energy, gas, or other fluid, when the meter indicates the passing of
the quantity corresponding with the coin inserted to open the supply.
The apparatus comprises a commutator and an electromagnet.
The supply being opened on the insertion of a coin continues until the dial finger
making contact at the appropriate point completes the magnet-exciting circuit. By
the consequent movement of its armature the supply of fluid passing through the
meter is cut off and the magnet exciting circuit is broken.
M. M. GILLESPIE.
WM. R. WYNNE.
Improvements in Electricity and Other Supply Meters.
MATTHEW MCAULEY GILLESPIE of 20 Craven Road, Harlesden N.W. Engineer &
WILLIAM RICHARD WYNNE of 42 Palace Mansions Addison Bridge W. Engineer 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 :-
Our invention consists of a commutator and apparatus connected with a meter
suitable for measuring the supply of gas, electric, or other fluid, having a magnet
actuated by a shunt or by an independent electric current, the apparatus being so
arranged that the levers starting the supply of such fluid cannot be set in motion
until a coin has been inserted in a slot.
The movement of the levers completes the circuit or (as the case may be opens the
circuit) for the passage through the meter of the fluid, and at the same time so
adjusts the commutator as to allow the independent current to act upon the magnet
so soon as the circuit of such independent current is completed by the movement of

page_text: the meter index which takes place at the instant when the passage of the proper
amount of such fluid has been recorded. The magnet by the motion of its armature
actuates levers by which the supply of such fluid is cut off and the commutator is
moved so as to break the circuit of the independent current (thus releasing the
armature) and then to make fresh contacts for the passage of the independent current
to the magnet as soon as the meter index has recorded the passage of a further
proper supply of the said fluid and its index has arrived at the position in which
it again completes the circuit of the said independent current.
The apparatus comprises a commutator and an electromagnet-the supply being
opened on the insertion of a coin continues until the dial finger making contact
at the appropriate point completes the magnet exciting circuit.
By the consequential movement of its armature the supply (of fluid passing
through the meter) is cut off and the magnet exciting circuit is broken.
Referring to the drawings herewith, Figure A is a side elevation, Fig B an end
elevation and Fig C a diagraramatic sketch of our improved apparatus, similar
numbers referring to similar parts.
A coin placed in the slot 1 rolls along and by its weight depresses the lever 2
but is prevented from falling by the lever 3. The front end of lever 2 having
moved down, the back stop 4 has moved up sufficiently to allow the catch 5 on
lever 6 to move forward when the button 7 is pressed in as indicated by the dotted
lines in Figure A.
The roller 8 on lever 3 coming in contact with the back of lever 6 forces
lever 3 back and permits the coin to fall into the hopper 9. At the extremity of
lever 6 an insulated metal bar or main-switch is fixed whose ends 10 can dip into
the mercury cups 11 and complete the electric circuit leading to the lamps or
motors.
As soon as the current flows in the lamp circuit the usual meter commences to
rotate at a speed proportional to the amount of energy being utilised, and on to
some convenient rotating portion of the meter we fix a light contact making
device indicated diagrammatically by the pointer 12 in Figure C.
When a predetermined amount of energy or matter equivalent to the value of
the coin placed in the slot has passed through the meter the pointer 12 comes
into contact with one of the points 13, 14, 15, 16 and as indicated in the diagram,
current can then flow from the dynamo 17 through the meter & fine wire coils of
the electromagnet 18 through the pointer 12 and contact point 13 to the carbon
contact 19 into the carbon or metallic ball 20 through the conducting rocker 21
and back to the dynamo.
As soon as current flows through the coils of the electromagnet 18 its armature 23
is drawn down and releases the catch 24 allowing the main switch 10 to rise and
break the electrical circuit to the lamps or motors thus stopping the supply of
current from the dynamo to the lamp circuit.
As the switch 10 & lever 6 move upwards the pawl 25 engages one of the
teeth on the wheel 26 and moves it round the space of one tooth. This rotates
the cam wheel 27 and causes the rocking lever 28 to tilt over and with it the
cradle 21 upon which the ball 20 rolls until stopped by one or other of the
contacts 19 or 19 thus breaking the shunt or independent circuit through
the magnet coils 18.
If the main circuit through the switch 10 be again closed, loss of energy through
the shunt or independent circuit is prevented when the lamps are not burning by
the before mentioned breaking of the shunt circuit through the rolling away of the
ball 20 from the one contact point to the other; these contact points being electrically
connected to relatively suitable contact points in the meter as before mentioned
and as shown diagrammatically in Figure C.
The supply of electricity or fluid is cut off when the meter index makes the
required contact.
The insertion of the coin does not cut off the supply but places the levers in such a
position that when the proper quantity has passed through the meter the contact

page_text: made by the meter index completes a shunt or independent circuit which cuts off
the supply.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The improved apparatus herein described in combination with a meter for
determining the time at which the supply of energy, fluid or matter, shall be
cut off.
2. In coin actuated apparatus for the supply of a predetermined amount of energy,
fluid or matter, the method herein described of controlling the shunt or independent
electric circuit which is closed when the predetermined amount of energy fluid
or matter has passed through the meter, combined with the apparatus herein
described.
3. The commutator or switch herein described for opening or closing a shunt or
independent electric circuit.
M. M. GILLESPIE.
WM. R. WYNNE.