Improvements in and relating to Coin Freed Gas Meters.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Coin Freed Gas Meters.
We, JOSEPH NASMITH, of 61, Barton Arcade, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, and ARTHUR MERCER, of 2, Parlington Street, Harpurhey,
Manchester aforesaid, Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to that class of prepayment mechanism which is attached
to gas meters and has for its object the provision of greater facilities for remov-
ing the prepayment attachment for examination or for the substitution of the
change wheel when it is desired to alter the number of cubic feet of gas given in
exchange for one coin. Hitherto this has been an operation involving consider-
able difficulty and removal of parts. Our invention especially relates to the
mechanism described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to James
Featham Sawer, James Lyon Purves and John Hope Purves and numbered 2626
of 1891 and to the said James Featham Sawer and James Lyon Purves and
numbered 387 of 1894, but it is also applicable to other forms.
In carrying our said invention into effect we mount the coin receiving and
delivery mechanism upon a frame which can be slid on a suitable plate fixed to
the gas
meter. Projecting from the underside of the slide is a bracket in which
is a hole suitably threaded. When our mechanism is in working position this
hole comes directly into the position in which it is necessary to fix the staple
usually provided in order to enable the bow of a padlock to be passed through
its eye so that the money box can be locked. We form the staple with a screwed
shank which when the beforementioned bracket and the coin receiving and
delivery mechanism are in position can be screwed into the hole in the bracket.
The hinged bar connected to the money box is then slipped over the staple and
the padlock is inserted and locked. This provides an easy method of obtaining
access to the said money box and at the same time permits of the ready removal
of the prepayment attachment in case it is desired either to rectify defects or to
alter the change wheel controlling the rate at which the gas is delivered.
Doted the 2nd day of February 1898
Improvements in and relating to Coin Freed Gas Meters.
We, JOSEPH NASMITH, of 61, Barton Arcade, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, and ARTHUR MERCER, of 2, Parlington Street, Harpurhey,
Manchester aforesaid, Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said
[Price 8d.1

page_text: invention and in what manner, the same is to be carried into effect to be particu-
larly described in and by the following statement: —
Our invention relates to that class of prepayment mechanism which is used
in connection with gas meters. It has for its object the provision of facilities
for the removal of the prepayment attachment for examination adjustment or
correction or for the alteration of the change wheel when it is desired to increase
or diminish the number of cubic feet of gas given in exchange for one coin.
Hitherto this has been a work of considerable difficulty involving the removal
of the meter from its working position and of part of the case to permit of access
to the mechanism. In addition to this the prepayment mechanism is usually
affixed to the meter case by screws which must be withdrawn before the mechanism
can be removed. Considerable expenditure and much inconvenience has thus
been caused the practice having been to remove the meter and in many cases to
replace it by another during the period in which it was being examined adjusted
or corrected. By our invention the prepayment attachment can be removed with-
out any disturbance of the meter or of its case so that it can be adjusted or cor-
rected on the consumer's premises. In the drawings and description hereinafter
given we show the application of our said invention to the mechanism described
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to James Featham Sawer James
Lyon Purves and John Hope Purves numbered 2626 of 1891 and to the said
James Featham Sawer and James Lyon Purves numbered 387 of 1894 but it is
equally applicable to other forms.
In order that our invention may be easily understood and the more readily
carried into effect we have hereunto appended 2 sheets of drawings illustrating
its application to a dry meter. The letters of reference used are similar to those
used in the before mentioned specifications where they refer to the same parts
but only so many of the said parts are lettered as are necessary to make clear our
said invention. Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of the upper part of a dry
gas meter as is needed to show the prepayment mechanism in position. Figure 2
is a partial plan view showing the prepayment mechanism removed. Fig. 3 is
a view of the staple employed. Figure 4 is a front view of so much of a meter
as shows our invention with the prepayment mechanism in position and the pad-
lock and hasp indicated by dotted lines. Figure 5 is an end view of the change
wheel mechanism.
In carrying our invention into effect we affix to the top of the meter case a
plate B, by soldering it to the case the said plate having three projections formed
on it and bored and tapped for the reception of screws B1 B2 B3. To the said
plate is fixed by the said screws a base plate C and we attach to the plate C the
valve box E by the screw B³ which passes through the plate C into the plate B.
The box is divided into two compartments by a transverse diaphragm in a similar
manner as described in the Specification of Letters Patent 2626 of 1891 the valve
seating surrounding an orifice in the diaphragm being attached to it. Suitable
inlet and outlet pipes E¹ E2 are connected to the upper and lower compartments
of the valve box and to the measuring portion of the meter. The valve box is
closed by a suitable cover soldered or otherwise fixed in position. The valve is
suspended as described and shown in the before mentioned Specification 2026
of 1891 on the end of a lever fixed on a spindle passing through the stuffing-box
in the side of the valve box and connected with the link by which the position
of the valve is controlled. The plate C is as shown more particularly in the
Figures 2 and 4 formed with a groove C which is undercut or dovetailed.
Although we prefer this shape it is obvious that the plate could be made in many
other ways to effect the same object. A stop may be provided for the purpose
of fixing the position of the mechanism when working. The prepayment
mechanism employed by us is substantially similar to that described in the before
mentioned specifications but some modifications have been made in its construc-
tion. For instance, the disc D which is operated by the penny when held in the

page_text: coin receiver A is now fixed on the screwed spindle P instead of on a separate
spindle connected to the screw by gearing.
We fix the three frames D1 D2 D3 and the end frame A³ carrying the coin
receiver A on a plate or base F Fig. 4 or on two plates set to the correct position
so as to sustain the prepayment attachment and we cast with the base or affix
thereto a bar F which is shaped to correspond with the dovetailed groove C₁ so
as to enable the coin receiving and delivery mechanism to be easily slid into
position. To the underside of the frame F we affix see Figs. 4 and 5 a projecting
piece or bracket F2 in which is a threaded eye F³ and we cut away the front of
the meter casing to permit the easy passage of the eye when the prepayment
mechanism is being withdrawn or placed in position. When the mechanism is
in working position the eye F3 is able to receive the screwed shank of the staple G
which is employed to fasten the money box. The staple G is formed as shown
in detail in Fig. 5 with a circular collar G¹ between the shank G2 and the tongue
the said collar fitting a bored washer H¹ fastened in a hinged door H which
covers the space in front of the prepayment mechanism when the latter is in
working position. The hole H2 is cut in the door in order to enable the dial I
to be seen the said dial being used to indicate the number of pence which have
been prepaid as described in the before mentioned specifications.
When the mechanism is in its working position the door is closed and the
shank of the staple is screwed into the eye F2 and when tightened up holds the
mechanism in position as shown in Fig. 1. The hasp J of the money box J is
then passed over the tongue of the staple the bow of the padlock J passed through
the hole G in the tongue and the padlock locked thus preventing any inter-
ference with the mechanism. If desired a seal can be used in conjunction with
the padlock to prevent tampering. To remove the mechanism the padlock is
unlocked and removed the hasp drawn from over the staple the staple screwed
out and the door H swung back the mechanism being then easily removed by
hand. We prefer to arrange the mechanism as shown in the drawings so that
it can be drawn out from the front of the meter but if it is desired to arrange it
to be withdrawn from the side some modifications will require to be made in
the arrangement of the parts. For instance the base plate F would extend longi-
tudinally of the mechanism and would be shaped to engage a raised piece formed
on the plate C and both the base plate and the raised piece would be correspond-
ingly dovetailed so as to permit the mechanism to be easily slid into position.
The link or bar actuating the valve would also be formed with an open end to
allow the pin in the travelling carriage to enter it easily. In this case also it
is not necessary to provide a hinged door as the frame A² of the coin receiving
mechanism closes the opening at the side of the case. The arrangements for
applying our said invention to a wet meter differ in detail only from those herein-
before described but are substantially the same.
It is also obvious that we may hinge the prepayment mechanism to the meter
case so that after the door is opened the mechanism may be swung out of the
case without removal. If such an application is made it will not be necessary to
employ the dovetailed groove or bar hereinbefore referred to as the mechanism
will be securely held in position by the staple and hinge. We prefer to make
the mechanism entirely removable but in some cases it might be advantageous
to hinge it to the meter case.
We employ for the purpose of changing the effect of the delivery to provide
for different values of the gas delivered the change wheel mechanism shown in
Fig. 5. The wheel L2 is mounted on the end of the long pinion and is driven
by a carrier L' driven from the pinion L the carrier being borne in the quadrant L'
which can be set as desired. The spindle O has fixed on its inner end the pinion L
and is driven from the spindle R by means of which the index is driven. When
the mechanism is withdrawn the spindle O is held in position by brackets (1
The wheel L³ can
and 02 fixed respectively to the plate C and the meter case.
be changed as desired and the carrier again put into gear with it while the pre-

page_text: payment mechanism is withdrawn but when it is restored to its working position
the wheels L L fall into gear easily. The wheel L fixed on O and gearing with
the carrier wheel L¹ thus rotates the pinion L2 at a speed proportionate to the
speed of O and the ratio of the wheels L L³.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
-
1. The method of mounting prepayment mechanism so that it can be with-
drawn and replaced without removing the meter from its working position sub-
stantially as herein described and illustrated.
2. The employment in combination with prepayment mechanism of the staple
used to secure the money box for the purpose of maintaining the said mechanism
in its working position substantially as herein described and illustrated.
D
13.
1011 J. of August 1908
JOSEPH NASMITH.