Improvements in Coin Freed Meter Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin Freed Meter Apparatus.
I, FRANK WRIGHT, of No. 21 Old Queen Street, Westminster, in the County
of London, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
My invention relates to coin freed apparatus applicable to gas or water meters,
so arranged that it can readily be applied to existing meters, and that it can be
worked by coins of various values. For this purpose, I connect the revolving
spindle of the counter of the meter, by suitable gearing to a horizontal disc through
which there are holes symmetrically arranged, either all of one size, suitable for
instance, to pass a penny, or a pair or pairs of them narrowed so as to pass only a
halfpenny.
In like manner, for other coins holes may be made of widths suitable to each.
Above the disc is fixed a tube having a coin slot through its side and within it
a plunger urged down by a weight or spring. At the lower end of this plunger is
a projection which, when the plunger is down, passes through one of the holes of
the disc and enters a recess in the head of a valve stem, this recess being somewhat
narrower than the narrowest of the coins used.
The valve stem when pushed down opens a valve allowing the gas or water to
enter or leave the meter, but, when the valve stem is not pushed down, the valve is
closed, so that there is no passage of fluid through the meter.
The apparatus operates as follows.
The plunger is drawn up by an external handle above the slot, through which
a coin is introduced. The plunger when released descends and as the coin extends
over the recess in the valve stem, it pushes the valve stem down opening the valve,
whereupon the meter acts in the usual way working its counter and turning the
disc. When the coin is thus carried past the recess of the valve stem, and the
succeeding hole of the disc comes over the valve stem, this, being urged upwards
by a spring, ascends closing the valve, and also engaging in the hole of the disc,
thus stopping the meter.
In the course of the revolution of the disc the coin is brought over a hole in a
plate below the disc, and falls through into a receptacle. A number of coins may
be introduced into the tube together, 'n which case the disc continues to revolve
as the meter works, until the last of the coins has passed the valve stem, and
the succeeding hole of the disc comes over it. The disc, instead of being horizontal,
may be vertical or inclined, in which case a spring may be applied to extrude the
coin when it comes to the proper place. The handle which raises the plunger may
act as an index, pointing on a dial segment to divisions shewing what number of
coins are in the tube. .
Instead of a disc continuously revolving in one direction, a reciprocating disc or
slide may be worked by a crank cam or eccentric from the counter gear, suitable
coin holes or recesses being arranged to operate in a manner similar to that above
described.
Dated this 10th day of Tann100
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: improvements in Coin Freed Meter Apparatus.
I, FRANK WRIGHT, of No. 21, Old Queen Street, Westminster, in the County
of London, Gas 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 coin freed apparatus, applicable to fluid meters, so
arranged that it can readily be applied to existing meters.
I shall describe apparatus according to my invention applied to a gas meter.
referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a perspective external view of an ordinary dry meter modified according
to my invention..
Fig. 2 is a plan with cover removed to shew the internal mechanism.
Fig. 3 is a section (partly in elevation) on the line X X of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a section (partly in elevation) on the line Y Y of Fig. 2.
Figs. 5 and 6 are sections respectively on Z Z and W W of Fig. 2.
counter to revolve.
V is the valve shaft which is caused to revolve in the usual way by the oscillating
arms vv and links and which by worm gear 2 causes the spindle A of the
On the spindle A is fitted free to revolve a sleeve B carrying
a worm gearing with a wheel. K of the coin freed mechanism hereinafter
described. C is a disc fixed on the spindle A and having an arm D fitted to slide
radially on it, and urged outwards by a spring d. The outer end of the arm D is
thickened and has one side shaped as a tooth '. E is a disc loose on the sleeve B
but fixed on the framing of the meter, F is another disc, which, by means of a
rod f, projecting through a semi circular slot in the face of the counter, can be
partly turned around the spindle A and can be held in any desired position.
Both the discs E and F have at their peripheries inwardly projecting flanges
cut away for half the circumference, H is a toothed wheel fixed on the sleeve B.
As the counter spindle A revolves, it carries round the disc C and arm D the
tooth of which being held engaged with the teeth of the wheel H by the flange
of the disc E or F causes the sleeve B to revolve, driving the coin freed mechanism.
But; when, after revolving a certain distance, the end of D escapes from under the
flange of E or F, its tooth d¹ becomes disengaged from H, and A goes on revolving
without driving B until the end of D again passes under the Hange of E or F,
which causes its tooth d to engage again with and drive the wheel H.
Thus every revolution of the spindle A causes a less or greater fraction of a
revolution of the sleeve B according as the disc F is set with a greater or less
interval, between its flange and the flange of E, and consequently the wheel driven
by B requires a greater or less number of revolutions of A, and therefore the
passage of a greater or less quantity of gas to receive the movement necessary to
give effect to the action of the introduced coin.
If no
The wheel K has its movements adjusted in the manner described so that one
quarter of a revolution shall correspond with the delivery of so much gas as is of
the value of the introduced coin, which may, for example, be a penny.
provision is required for variation in the value of gas, the wheel K may be worked
direct from the spindle A without intervention of any adjusting mechanisın. In
either case, the wheel K has through it at equal intervals 4 holes of the size to
allow passage of a penny. Above the wheel K is fixed a cylinder L having in its
side a horizontal slot for admitting the coin or a number of the coins, and a
heavy plunger which has to be raised by hand when a coin, is to be introduced
at and which, when let go presses down the coin or coins below it.
cylinder L may also have a vertical slot as shewn in Fig. 1 with an index 12
The

page_text: attached to the plunger and shewing on a scale how many coins there are under
the plunger.. On each side of the cylinder L near its bottom there is pivotted an
arm having a stepped lower face which acts as a gravity pawl allowing one coin
or several to pass under it, and holding it or them down when passed. M is the
gas supply pipe, which, instead of going direct to the slide valves as usual, is
interrupted at M1 and has to pass through a valve box coutaining a valve m
having its stem m³ projecting up through a stuffing box and pressed by a lever
carrying an adjustable load in so as to keep the valve m closed. When, however
a coin is introduced at ? or several of these and the plunger is let down as shewn
in Fig. 3, the stem m' is forced down opening the valve m and allowing gas to flow
by M2 to supply the meter. The valve spindle V now revolving drives the counter
spindle A and thus drives the sleeve B which, through the worm gear b, causes the
wheel K to revolve. The coin or the lowest of several coins in the cylinder L is
thus carried round with the wheel K until after a quarter of a revolution it comes
over a hole N, through which it falls and passing down a shoot, lodges in a
receptacle R. If no other coin remains in L the stem m¹ rises closing the valve in.
But if there be several coins in L, the meter will go on until the last of the coins
has passed from above the head of the stem m', whereupon the head will rise
closing the valve and acting as a stop to prevent the wheel K from revolving.
As the price of gas varies, the quantity delivered for the coin unit such as a
penny can readily be varied by the adjustment of the flanged discs E and F. As
an example of such adjustment I will assume that every revolution of A registers a
passage of 2 cubic feet, that the wheel H has 120 teeth, and that the sleeve B has
to make 10 revolutions for the passing of a penny through the coin freed mechanism,
a quarter revolution of the wheel K.
If the disc F be set so that the end of its flange coincides with the end of the flange
of E, then the tooth d' is held engaged with the wheel H during the whole revolution
of A and consequently the penny introduced in the slot of the coin freed mechanism
will purchase 20 cubic feet, the product of 10 revolutions of A by the 2 cubic feet
delivered at each revolution.
If now the disc F be turned round relatively to E so that there is between the
ends of their flanges a gap uncovering 60 of the teeth of H, then, as the tooth d'
is, during half a revolution of A, disengaged from H, it will require 20 revolutions
of A to cause 10 revolutions of B, and consequently the penny will purchase
40 cubic feet.
By turning F to intermediate positions, various quantities, between the
minimum of 20 and the maximum of 40 cubic feet can be made to be delivered
for a penny.
Obviously the size of the wheel K and the number of holes through it, also
the proportions of the gearing connecting it to the counter mechanism of the
meter, may be varied to suit the values of different coins and the price of the gas to
be purchased.
The apparatus may be modified by substituting a reciprocating plate for the
revolving wheel K as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8 which are vertical sections on planes
at right angles to each other of the apparatus thus modified. K' is a reciprocating
plate having through it a single hole k for a coiu; it is caused to reciprocate by a
crank pin P acting in a slotted crosshead p attached to the plate. The crank pin
projects from a wheel Q suitably geared to a spindle of the counter, so that for
every complete revolution of Q the quantity of fluid of the value of one coin is
measured out. When the plate K¹ makes its complete stroke to the left, as shewD
in Fig. 7 the coin drops on to a shoot S leading to the coin receptacle. The
plate K during its return stroke to the right keeps the valve m open until the
hole comes in line with the valve stem, whereupon, if no coin be pushed into
the hole, the valve stem will rise closing the valve and preventing the plate
5 from moving. When a fresh coin is pushed into the hole, the valve is opened and the
plate is allowed again to make its stroke to the left.
Although I have described the apparatus as applied to a gas meter, it may

page_text: -obviously be applied to a meter for water or other fluid having a revolving counter
spindle which can be suitably geared to a wheel such as K or Q.
I have described the apparatus (of which sections are shewn in Figs. 5 and 6) for
adjusting the movement of the wheel K or Q to suit various prices of gas, but
1 here make no claim to that apparatus as it forms the subject of a separate
application for Patent No. 3266 of 1895.
Obviously, if the price of the fluid to be measured were always the same, this
adjusting apparatus might be dispensed with, the worm 6 being in that case fixed
on the spindle A of the counter.
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 is :-
:-
1. Coin freed fluid meter apparatus constructed and operating substantially as
-described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. In a coin free fluid meter apparatus, a wheel or disc geared to the meter
counter and having through it holes to receive coins. On the one side of the disc
a stop-valve for the fluid, closed by weight or a spring, and on the other side of
the disc a plunger or pusher in line with the valve stem but incapable of moving
it, all so arranged that when no coin occupies the hole facing the plunger, the valve
-stem is in the hole, the valve being closed, but when a coin is pushed into the hole
extruding the valve stem, the valve is opened, the disc is allowed to rotate, and
the valve is kept open till another hole comes in line with the stem, substantially
.as described.
3. A modified apparatus of the kind referred to in the last preceding claim,
wherein a reciprocating plate having a hole for a coin is substituted for the rotating
wheel or disc, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of October 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.