IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COUNTING APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING AND INDICATING THE NUMBER OF ROTATIONS MADE BY SHAFTS OR SPINDLES IN VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS OF MACHINERY
Year: 1856

page_text: Ims Invention received Provisional Protection, but notice to proceed with the
application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Evan Thomas at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd May
1856.
I, EVAN THOMAS, of Holywell Street, Millbank, in the City of Westminster,
Clock Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COUNTING APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING AND
INDICATING THE NUMBER OF ROTATIONS MADE BY SHAFTS OR SPINDLES IN VARIOUS
DESCRIPTIONS OF MACHINERY, to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in the construction of counting apparatus is
applicable to all machines in which it is required to know the number of
rotations made by a shaft, spindle, cylinder, or other part of the machine, and
is intended more particularly for gas or water meters, but may also be adapted
to any other machine or apparatus where an accurate register is required, and
where it is necessary to take every precaution against the indicator being
tampered with. The object of the Invention, in fact, is to prevent the
possibility of the dials or indicators of the counter being moved back and
made to indicate erroneously.
By means of the present improvements, dials may be prevented from being
moved in either direction, except by the operation of the regular gearing or
wheelwork; but in some cases, as in gas or water meters, it is only necessary

page_text: to provide for preventing the dials being turned or moved back, so as to
indicate a less quantity than bas really passed through the meter.
The object of my improvements is effected by adapting to the inner end of
the spindles of the indicating dials a small ratchet pinion provided with a
click, which will prevent it from rotating in any but the right direction.
Other mechanical equivalents may be employed in place of the ratchet pinions
to effect the same object, but I prefer the latter as being the most simple.
When it is required to prevent the dial wheels from being rotated in either
direction, except by the action of the machine or meter, I employ banking
wheels, in addition to the ordinary wheel gearing of the indicating apparatus.
The wheels are employed in pairs, and one of each pair is provided with one
tooth only, the remaining portion of the periphery being quite plain. This
tooth, when carrried round, takes into one of ten indentations or recesses made
in the periphery of the dial wheel of the next spindle, and the periphery of
this dial wheel is also cut out between the indentations to the curve of the
single tooth wheel that drives it, and which fits against the curved parts of
the dial wheel, and thus prevents it from rotating, except when the tooth
of the other wheel comes round and enters one of the recesses of the dial
wheel. All the wheels being banked or stopped, it will be evident that the
possibility of tampering with the apparatus is altogether prevented.