Improvements in Means or Apparatus for the Automatic Sale and Delivery of Gas and Liquids on Prepayment by Coin or Equivalent.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 28th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for the Automatic Sale
and Delivery of Gas and Liquids on Prepayment by Coin or
Equivalent.
I, ROWLAND WILLIAM BROWNHILL of Aston House, Victoria Road, Aston
near the City of Birmingham, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
and
The object of my said invention, is the automatic sale and delivery of gas
liquids, on prepayment by coin or equivalent, without the use of a meter, or meter
attachment, as is described in the Specifications of my several Letters Patent
granted to me, and beating date May 13th 1887 No. 7012, May 2nd 1888 No. 6537,
and December 21st 1889 No. 20583.
My said invention consists essentially in the employment of simple running-down
clock mechanism, in connection with gas taps or valves, now employed for the
turning off and turning on of gas, and which taps, valves, or plugs, are used in
connection with ordinary delivery pipes, without a meter.
Thus, the gas consuined has only to pass through the delivery pipe, with gas
fittings or burners, without passing through any measuring means, such as a meter,
and the running down of the clockwork mechanism is regulated to the burner,
which if made to burn so many cubic feet per hour, and the price of gas is a penny
for so many cubic feet, then the clock mechanism is arranged to have fully run
down at the time when the said so many cubic feet of gas has been consumed.
The attachment, or the mechanism of the attachment, is operated or set in.
motion, by the weight of a coin dropped upon a balanced lever; which takes a
projection on a lever, into tooth with a wheel, so that the same can be turned, and
the clock mechanism wound up.
In carrying out my invention, I arrange within an enclosing casing, running down
clockwork mechanism, consisting of a train of wheels, with escapement and fly,
which latter may be provided with expanding arms, to give a differential speed to.
the running down, although the speeding may be effected in other ways, as it is
desirable that some such device should be provided when the tap or cock is only:
partly turned on.
The winding and primary axis of the running down mechanism, has a supple-
mentary pinion made fast upon it, which gears with a speeding or large toothed
wheel, having upon its face, a ratchet wheel, with the teeth of which, a shoulder
notch, or tooth on the underside of a balanced coin lever, engages, when the same
is depressed into tooth, by the weight of a coin, coming upon the fore part of it,
passed down a shoot, passage or race from a slot in the outer casing.
Connected with the said balanced coin lever, is a lever, jointed and turning
loosely on the centre of the ratchet and speeding wheel, and with the said coin
lever jointed tumbler-wise to it. The handle of this coin lever, comes outside the
outer casing, so that after a coin which has been introduced for prepayment, has
been passed down the slot, it rests upon the end of the coin lever extending
within its race, and tips the same forward, and so takes the shoulder or tooth in
mesh with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, when the pulling of the handle or lever,
gives motion to the ratchet wheel, and through the intermediate wheels to the
clock mechanism, hence the winding up of the same.
The last train of wheels, or the last axis of the running down mechanism,
carries a shouldered wheel, cam or its equivalent, adapted to press upon a stopping
lever, whose outer end has a pin upon it, which takes into a longitudinal slot of a
connecting bar or coupling rod, whose other and upper end is jointedly connected
to one of the arms of a lever, connected with, and turuing, the plug of the tap, so

page_text: that as the thumb lever or turn of the cock is turned, for turning on or stopping
off gas, the double armed lever is rocked, and by the one arm the tap is either
turned off, after the mechanism has run down, or the said mechanism is stopped.
The other arm of the tap or cock lever, has a stopping rod or wire depending
from its end, and with the lower end of the said stopping rod, engaging with the
teeth of a crown or lantern wheel, when the tap is turned off, and which crown or
lantern wheel axis, is in connection with the running down mechanism, or expedient
or expedients interposed between the same.
Thus, when the tap is turned off, the last named stopping arm of the tap lever
being lowered takes the stopping rod or its equivalent into tooth with the crown
or other wheel, hence the stopping of the running down mechanism. On the other
hand, the fully running down of the said mechanism, communicates itself, or the
fact of its having run down, to the tap, by the pin at the end of the lever, pressing
itself upon the bottom of the long slot of the communicating rod aforesaid, when
the said rod is pulled down, and the arm at its upper end depressed, so the gas is
turned off by the mechanism. It is thus seen, that on the one hand, that the
mechanism turns off the gas, when the quantity of cubic feet paid for has been
consumed, and on the other hand, the turning off of the gas tap by hand, stops for
a time the said mechanism.
The dropping of a coin through the coin slot, connects the pulling lever with
the winding up mechanism, which is then wound up as aforesaid, when the con-
summer then turns on the tap, which act releases the mechanism, and the same
commences to run down, and is timed to do so, until the gas paid for has been
consumed. I provide the burner part, or the supply pipe, with a well known
regulator, for allowing only a predetermined quantity of gas to pass through per
hour, hence a known quantity of gas passing through the burner, during the
running down.
Instead of the mechanism being wound up by a lever, it may be wound up by
a turn, and further, I propose to provide the said mechanism with means whereby
the speed of the same is regulated, according to the amount of turning on or off
of the tap. Thus, if the tap be only half turned on, so as to admit through the
burner only half the quantity of gas, then the stopping rod will act upon certain
parts which causes the mechanism to run down differentially, or according to the
amount of gas being consumed or passed through the burner."
The differential running down of the mechanism, may be performed by friction
applied to the principal axis, through the intervention of mechanism connected
with the stopping rod, whose motion is governed by the positions of the arms of
the tap lever. A cone, toothed upon its periphery, may also be employed as the
intervening means, adapted to engage with the mechanism.
Dated this 25th day of March 1891.
LAND WILLIAM BROWNHILL,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for the Automatic Sale
and Delivery of Gas and Liquids on Prepayment by Coin or
Equivalent.
I, ROWLAND WILLIAM BROWNHILL of Aston House, Victoria Road, Aston,
near the City of Birmingham, 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 :-
This invention pertains to prepayment chronometric gas delivering apparatus as
hereinafter described, or in other words, an apparatus for the delivery of gas.
water and other liquids, ou prepayment, without the aid of a meter.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, represents in front elevation, partly in
section, a prepayment chronometric gas delivery apparatus, constructed and
arranged according to my invention.
The said apparatus delivers gas in given quantities, on prepayment, without the
use of a meter, or any other attachment for measuring out, or apportioning the
same, and which said means of measuring predetermined quantities of gas, is effected
by starting running down mechanism at the time of, or subsequent to, the intro-
duction of a coin through the coin slot, so that gas can be consumed at the time
paid for, or at any other time as may be desired.
Thus, consumption is admitted by the turning on, first of the master tap, which
is only done through the intervention, or introduction of a coin, which places
certain mechanism in positions which will run down or expend itself on consumption
only.
The master tap shuts off from, or allows gas to flow through the gas pipe or
inlet, whilst a supplementary or secondary tap turns on and off the gas as may be
desired, without interfering with the master one, hence independent action in both,
although unless the master tap is turned on, the turning on of the supplementary
one will have no effect.
In Figure 1, the parts are in the positions which they assume on the gas being
both shut off and turned off.
Figure 2, represents the chronometric running down mechanism separately.
Figure 3 is the front part of the enclosing casing of the apparatus, showing the
handle part and index finger, both of which are fast upon the main axis, which
carries the turning off lever.
Figure 4 represents a section of the piping and the taps, the master one is shewn
turned on, whilst the supplementary one is shown turned off.
Figure 5 represents in front elevation, partly in section the turning off lever,
with coin box at its upper end.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 7 is a front view of the shutting off lever, the multiplying winding up
wheel, and the quadrant arm with other auxilliary parts, separately.
Figure 8 is a top side plan of Figure 7, with some of the parts in section.
Figure 9 is the balance wheel wiper lever, showing the wiper in section.
Figure 10 is a plan of the same, whilst Figure 11 is an edge view of it.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
a, is a horizontal axis, working within bearings, and supported by brackets or
framings, and carrying at its inner end, upon a loose sleeve, a multiplying toothed
wheel b, which gears with a pinion e, to the axis c, of which, the inner end d, of
a volute spring d, enclosed within a barrel or casing, is fixedly connected.
The said spring has its outer end ', connected to a pin carried by the chrono-
metric mechanism carrying framing e.
Made fast to the said axis a, is a turning off double armed lever f, having at
its lower end, a jointed link g, which is jointedly connected to a swinging arm h,
with its upper end connected to a turning on and off tap i, and through which
said swinging arm, the said turning off tap is operated, as the upper end of the
double armed lever f, is turned from right to left, for turning on, whilst the said
upper end is turned from left to right for turning off the gas, after the master tap j,
has been turned on, through the intervention of the link and slotted arm 1, as
hereinafter described.
Fitted and made fast to the extreme end of the axis a, is a handle m, having a
pointer m², upon the front of it, or upon the axis of it, whilst m³, is the covering
of the mechanism enclosing casing m.
The upper and top end of the said double armed lever f, carries a box connec-
tion, with slotted lower part, bracket, and mouth, having lips or inwardly
depending branches f'.

page_text: Turning loose or freely upon the said axis a is a shutting on and off lever n,
having mounted at its back, and upon the sleeve of the same, a multiplying toothed
wheel, which gears with the pinion c as aforesaid, so that on an angular move-
ment being made by the said lever n, the said toothed wheel moves with it, and
independent of the turning off lever, as hereinafter described, other than when
connection is made between the said levers and n, by or through the intervention
. of an introduced coin.
This said lever or arm n, has forked branches ³, at its upper end, and also a
fraud prevention lever a³, jointed at ', with the inner part formed into a neck or
stud, which works within the slot P, of the quadrant arm 1, which has end
abutments 13, 14.
The said fraud preventing lever, has an abutment part n, whilst the framing n',
carrying the forked branches 2, has a stud 8, against which the said end n, comes,
and further, the said lever n, has a stop n³, against which the lever n³ comes under
ordinary conditions, for the closing of the shutting off or master tap.
is the wiper lever, jointed at 2, and having at its lower end, a pallet o³, and
with the upper end carrying a wiper, gapped about its middle at o, and which
wiper consists of a strip of thin sheet metal, which is made to traverse over the
balance wheel, of running down and escape mechanism ², P³, PP, P², P², p³, p², p¹º
and p".
7 is a coiled spring for bringing back the lever to its normal position, after being
released by the spring catch r, which has a shoulder, and a releaser ³, against
which latter, the lower end, of the double armed lever, impinges, and presses the
said part aside, or backwardly hence the releasing of the said wiper arm, of,
through the intervention of the lever o, which by the drawing of the said wiper
backwardly over the periphery of the balance wheel, sets the mechanism which
was wound up by the turning of the handle now agoing.
s is the coin slot, with the shoot s², directed to the open top or mouth of the
coin box receiver f³.
t is a gas pipe, with the upper end 2, leading to a gas jet, or jets, and which gas
pipe carries chambered bosses to, t, wherethrough the plugs i, j, with gas ways
through them are fitted.
OPERATION.
Assuming the parts of the mechanism to be in the positions which they
respectively assume in Figure 1, and with the master tap shut off, and the supple-
mentary tap opened, on a coin being dropped through the coin slots, it slides down
the shoots, and drops into the box 3, through the mouth thereof, and rests
at the bottom, opposite the gapped parts f*, and upon and between the branched
parts n, as represented in Figure 1.
This said coin, as introduced, makes the connection of the lever, with the
lever n, which move together as if they were rigidly connected.
By now turning the handle m, the axis a, finger m², levers f, n, and toothed
wheel, and the whole of the accessory parts carried by the said members, are
turned from left to right, which lifts the quadrant arm 1, and on the stud or neck n³,
(of the lever n³, carried by the lever n) which traverses in the slot 12, coming or
impinging against the end abutment 13, the link or arm k and with it the quadrant
arm, partakes of the said motion, and are thereby turned back upon the plug of
the master tap j, as a centre of motion, and by such rear action of the said parts,
the master tap is opened.
As the movement of the lever is in the same direction as the lever n, the link g,
and swinging arm h, are also moved rearwardly, and the supplementary tap i, closed,
by the gas way of the plug being brought at right angles to the gas way of the
pipe t.
Immediately the motion of the lever is reversed, by the turning of the.
handle m, in a contrary direction, the said lever, leaves behind the lever n,

page_text: and the penny drops from between the parts into a receiver below, and by the
fully turning back of the said lever, the swinging arm h, and the link g, are
turned back and the supplementary tap i, turned on.
The former forward movement of the lever f, causes the lower heel part 2, of
the same, to pass over the releaser, of the catch r, and impinge against the
pallet o³, of the lever a, turning the saine upon its centre o³, and taking the wiper o',
upon the periphery of the balance wheel p, until the top of it rests within the
gap o, of the wiper o', and at the same time, winds up the hair spring of the said
wheel.
The toothed wheel b, by being connected with the lever n, is rotated, and through
it, the pinion is turned, and the volute or coiled spring d, enclosed within a
barrel, wound up, and which barrel has upon its periphery, or has connected with
its axis e, a toothed wheel p", which gears with a pinion po, and so on through a
train of wheels and clock mechanism parts p², p, p, p, p, P², P°, p³.
As the supplementary valve is now closed, and at the same time, the chrono-
metric mechanism held, or prevented from running down, and also the wiper lever o,
held by the edge of the lower part of it coming against a shoulder ², by the now
turning again from right to left of the handle, and the lever, with it, the lower
end, strikes the releaser, pushes back the catch, and releases the wiper
lever 0, which turns upon its joint centre o², and draws the wiper o', over and upon
the top of the balance wheel p, sets the same and the clock mechanism in motion,
and which motion of the lever, is given to it by the contraction of the coiled
spring 4.
Gas now being consumed by the now opening of the supplementary tap, the
chronometric mechanism begins to run down, and as the same continues, so the
lever n, and parts carried by it, go with it, until the nick or stud n impinges against
the end of the slot, and the said slotted arm has imparted to it, a forward
traverse, which turns the link k, and shuts off the master tap, hence the closing.
Any attempt at fraud, such as the introduction of a single coin to do duty for a
number of coins; is frustrated by employing the lever ³, with tail part no, which is
actuated in the following manner :-
On the introduction of a coin, the same rests upon the branches ², of the
carrier n', and as the connection of the levers f and n is made by the said coin, the
same is forced against the tail end n, and so turns the said lever in the direction of
the arrow, and causes the neck, to impress itself against the end, hence the full
closing.
It will be seen that any attempt at fraud is frustrated, as the making of the
connection between the aforesaid levers n and turns the lever n³, upon its centre,
and the stud or neck n' from right to left, which closes or turns the valve through
the intervention of the parts as aforesaid.
Thus, without the fraud preventing lever, a coin deposited just before fully
closing of the valve, the running down mechanism could be again partially wound
up before the appointed time for the master tap to close, hence the obtaining of
gas to an unlimited quantity by one payment.
The application of my invention to the supplying of water and other liquids,
differs in no essential respect, from its application to a gas delivering apparatus as
herein described and set forth.
In lieu of a penny other coins may be used.
The outlet pipe , is fitted or provided with a regular , made on Parkinsons,
Peebles or other well known principle, and, which allows the gas to flow through
the same only in a given volume and pressure during certain chronometric units
of time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First: In a prepayment chronometric was delivery annaratue in which 1

page_text: gas is supplied during the running down of chronometric mechanism, after the
opening of two taps, actuated by levers, and controlled by a handle, after the inser-
tion of a coin or equivalent through the coin slot, which both prepays for the said
gas, and does duty or acts as a connection between the primary levers for shutting
on and off the master tap or cock, and turning on and off of the supplementary
tap, and which also winds up the chronometric mechanism, substantially as described
and set forth.
Secondly In a prepayment chronometric gas delivery apparatus, employing
in connection therewith, levers and n, which are respectively connected by their
cognate parts in the form of links, arms or the like to a master tap or cock, and
to a supplementary tap or cock of a gas pipe or gas way, substantially as and for
the purpose described and set forth.
Thirdly In a prepayment chronometric gas delivery apparatus, employing in
connection therewith or with a gas pipe provided with a gas regulator two taps or
cocks, one a master tap or cock and the other a supplementary cock, opened and
closed together on the collective working or travelling of the levers and n
when connected by a coin, and opening and closing independently when the said
levers are not united or connected by a coin or equivalent, substantially as described
and set forth.
Fourthly In a prepayment chronometric gas delivering apparatus, the combi-
nation with the levers and n of the upper arranged cognate parts of them for
the locking of the said levers together, and for the carrying of the coin to the end
of the forward traverse of the said levers before the releasing of the said coin, for
opening the master cock, closing the supplementary cock, and winding up the
chronometric mechanism, substantially as described and set forth.
:-
Fifthly In a prepayment chronometric gas delivering apparatus, employing
in connection with the balance wheel of chronometric mechanism, of a wiper, which
winds up the hair spring of the same, on the same making a forward movement,
keeps the mechanism in check when no gas is required, and starts the said mechanism
when gas is required to be consumed, and which is performed by the turning of the
handle which takes the lever, into such a position that the supplementary valve
is opened, and if the master valve is also open, gas can be supplied, substantially as
described and set forth.
m,
Sixthly In a prepayment chronometric gas delivering apparatus, the means
herein described for collectively opening and closing the cocks, independently
opening and closing the cocks, and the connecting of the levers, by which the said
opening and closing is performed, substantially as described and set forth.
:
Seventhly In a prepayment chronometric gas delivering apparatus, the means
for preventing fraud, connected with the lever n, as described and set forth.
Eighthly In chronometric gas delivering apparatus, the combination with a
wiper o, of an operating lever, and catch and releasing means, as described and set
forth.
:-
Ninthly In prepayment gas delivering mechanism, the general construction,
arrangement and combination of the parts, with the particular referred to or other
chronometric mechanism, and regulator, as described and set forth.
:―
Tenthly In means as herein described for operating the taps, winding up the
time apparatus, connecting the levers together for concerted action, and releasing
the levers and other parts for independent action, substantially as described and set
forth.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1891.
ROWLAND WILLIAM BROWNHILL,
By Henry Skerrett,
Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.