Year: 1896

page_text: I, JOHN FREDERICK SIMMANCE of No. 223 The Grove Hammersmith in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a meter of gas or other fluid provided with mechanism
controlled by coins so as to allow the delivery of a quantity of fluid of the value of
the coins.
For this purpose to the counter or registering mechanism of the meter I connect
a pivotted plate in such a way that while the ineter is working delivering fluid,
this plate is caused to reciprocate. Above the plate is fixed a cylindrical coin
holder having a side slot into which a coin or a number of coins can be inserted.
Over them there is a plunger held up by a spring but provided with a button or
push so that it can be pressed down by hand pushing down the coin or coins
under it. At the bottom of the coin holder on one side of it there is arranged
the sliding stem of the fluid supply valve, this stem having an inclined head and
being urged into the coin holder by a weight or spring closing the gas valve. In
the reciprocating plate there is cut a gab of such size as to receive the coin, and
the edge of the plate is made somewhat cam shaped at the part which during the
movement of the plate passes along the head of the valve stem.
The apparatus operates as follows:-A coin is inserted into the holder through
the side slot, it is pushed down by the plunger into the gab of the reciprocating
plate and in being so pushed down it acts on the inclined head of the valve stem
pushing it back and so opening the valve. The valve being thus opened is held
open by the coin lodged between the head of the valve stem and the back of the
gab in the plate. The meter now working causes the reciprocating plate to make
its forward stroke, the cam shaped part of its edge pushes the head of the valve
stem a little outwards thereby relieving its pressure against the edge of the cam,
and the plate advancing carries the coin with it until it drops into a receptacle
below. The plate then retreating, if no other coin be present in the holder
allows the head of the valve stem to advance so closing the valve and stopping
the meter.
But if other coins be superposed in the holder, the meter goes on working, the
plate continuing to reciprocate and to move off the coins one by one till the last
is gone.
Dated this gond day of Mar 1906
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improvement in Coin Freed Fluid Meters.
I, JOHN FREDERICK SIMMANCE of No. 223 The Grove, Hammersmith, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus applicable to a gas or other fluid meter so
arranged that by the introduction of a coin the meter is started into action and
goes on delivering a quantity of fluid equivalent to the value of the coin, and then
stops, the coin being discharged into a receptacle during the action.
I shall describe apparatus according to my invention as applied to a gas meter,
referring to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a front and Figure 2 is a side elevation;
Figure 3 is a plan,
Figure 4 is a plan partly sectional on the line X X of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a part vertical section on the line Y Y of Figure 3.
A is a stop valve in the passage by which gas enters or leaves the meter; the
stem of this valve has a head B with an inclined face, this head being urged by a
spring C in a direction to close the valve A. The head B passes through a lateral
match at the bottom of a cylinder D having at its side a horizontal slot E by which
a coin can be introduced under a hollow plunger F which is kept up by a spring G
but which can be pushed down by hand applied to a pin H projecting through a
vértical slot of the cylinder. K is a spindle which is caused to revolve by suitable
gearing connecting it to the counter gear of the meter, the connecting gear
¡being so proportioned that during one revolution of the spindle K the meter delivers
a quantity of fluid of the value of one of the coins introduced. A crank L fixed
on the spindle K is engaged in the slot of a rocking arm M the upper end of
which has a hole engaging a pin N.projecting down from a plate P. This plate is
fitted to slide between guides on a table Q and is hollowed out in front to partly
fit the circumference of the introduced coin. The spring C is so shaped and
pivotted that it is only when the plate P is in its rear position as shewn in Figure 4
that the spring exerts its full force on the head B to close the valve A, the rear
end of the spring then bearing against the edge of the plate P. Through the
table Q, concentrically under the cylinder D, there is a hole R through which
can pass a coin smaller than that with which the apparatus is arranged to be
worked.
The head B has at one side a projecting flange b with a rounded edge the same-
thickness as the plate P which has a rounded slope at p. The plunger F is notched
at the side to admit the head B.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The operator introduces a coin through the slot E into the cylinder D and
pushes down the plunger F, the edge of the coin, as it is forced down, acts on the
inclined face of the head B and pushes it aside in opposition to the spring C thus
opening the valve A. The gas then gives motion to the meter and its countergear
which causes the spindle K to revolve, the arm M to oscillate, and the plate P to
move to and fro on the table Q. As the plate P advances in the direction of the
arrow it releases the spring C and its inclined edge p meeting the edge 6 of the
head B pushes the head B a little farther back so as to relieve its pressure against
the edge of the coin Z. The plate P still advancing pushes the coin Z onwards
until it drops, over the end of the table Q into a receptacle arranged to receive it.
The plate P now returns until it escapes the head B which is then urged forwards
by the spring C closing the valve A and so stopping the meter. When several

page_text: coins have been introduced as indicated at Z in Figure 5 the lowest is dealt with
as above described, and as the plate P moves back the next of the coins drops to
the position which had been occupied by the lowest; holding the head B back and
the valve A open, and this continues until all the coins are disposed of. When a
coin smaller than that for which the apparatus is arranged is introduced either alone
or with others, it merely drops through the hole R into a shoot which may be
arranged as found convenient for discharging such coins.
I am aware of the Specification No. 9216 of 1896 describing a coin freed gas
meter so arranged that when a coin is pushed down by a plunger it acts directly
on the stem of the gas valve, opening the valve and holding it open until the coin
is removed by a reciprocating plate worked by suitable gearing from the counter
of the meter. I therefore make no claim to anything described in that specifi-
cation, but,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim in respect of coin freed meters of the kind referred to is :-
The combination of the valve stem made with an inclined head on which the
coin, when pressed down vertically acts so as to move the stem horizontally, the
flange of the head with its inclined edge, the reciprocating plate with its corre-
sponding clined edge and its gab for the coin, arranged and operating substantially
as describ id.
Dat this 6th day of November 1896
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.