gas meters
Year: 1898

page_text: I, WILLIAM COULSON PARKINSON, Engineer, of Cottage Lane, City Road, in
the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention for improvements in coin freed gas meters has for its object a
simple compact and effective coin receiving and price varying mechanism for
operating the mechanism that determines the amount of gas freed or to be
delivered by the meter.
In carrying out this invention the coin receiving mechanism consists of a
slotted sleeve adapted to be rotated about its own axis from an outside handle
through a definite part of a revolution and a slotted coin pocket and spindle with-
in the sleeve provided with a ratchet wheel so that it can only be rotated in the
one direction. The coin is inserted through a coin slot in the meter case and
passes through the slot in the sleeve and if the two slots are together into the
slotted pocket and spindle, its outer edge still remaining in the slot in the sleeve
so that the sleeve and spindle are locked together. On rotating the handle from
the outside the spindle is rotated with the operating handle until the sleeve comes
against its stop when the coin will fall out into a coin receptacle.
The spindle is supported in bearings in a suitable bracket, and a guard secured
to one bearing prevents the coin from falling out of the pocket until the motion
is completed and also prevents the ratchet wheel from being tampered with. The
other bearing working in conjunction with a projection on the outer edge of the
sleeve forms the two stops for the sleeve.
In order to readily vary the amount of motion communicated to the freeing
mechanism, a crown wheel is fixed on the end of the slotted spindle so that it can
readily be removed. The crown wheel gears into a long pinion on a spindle
mounted at right angles to the slotted spindle and opening the freeing mechanism.
It will readily be seen that the crown wheel can easily be replaced by smaller
or larger crown wheels that will gear with the long pinion and that consequently
the amount of gas to be freed can easily be varied."
The crown wheel may be keyed loosely on the spindle and be held by a wing
nut or screw.
1000
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Coin Freed Gas Meters.
I, WILLIAM COULSON PARKINSON, Engineer, of Cottage Lane, City Road, in
the County of London, 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 for improvements in coin freed gas meters has for its object a
simple compact and effective coin receiving and price varying mechanism for
operating the mechanism that determines the amount of gas freed or to be
delivered by the meter.
In carrying out this invention the coin receiving mechanism consists of a
slotted sleeve adapted to be rotated about its own axis from an outside handle
through a definite part of a revolution and a slotted coin pocket and spindle with-
in the sleeve provided with a ratchet wheel so that it can only be rotated in
one direction. The coin is inserted through a coin slot in the meter case and
passes through the slot in the sleeve and if the two slots are together into the
slotted pocket and spindle, its outer edge still remaining in the slot in the sleeve
so that the sleeve and spindle are locked together. On rotating the handle from
the outside the spindle is rotated with the operating handle until the sleeve comes
against its stop when the coin will fall out into a coin receptacle.
The spindle is supported in bearings in a suitable bracket, and a guard secured
to one bearing prevents the coin from falling out of the pocket until the motion
is completed and also prevents the ratchet wheel from being tampered with. The
other bearing working in conjunction with a projection on the outer edge of the
sleeve forms the two stops for the sleeve.
In order to readily vary the amount of motion communicated to the freeing
mechanism, a crown wheel is fixed on the end of the slotted spindle so that it can
readily be removed. The crown wheel gears into a long pinion on a spindle
mounted at right angles to the slotted spindle and opening the freeing mechanism.
It will readily be seen that the crown wheel can easily be replaced by smaller
or larger crown wheels that will gear with the long pinion and that consequently
the amount of gas to be freed can easily be varied.
The crown wheel may be keyed loosely on the spindle and be held by a wing
mut or screw.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings: Fig. is a plan of a gas
meter constructed according to this invention, the cover being supposed removed
to show the coin freed mechanism, and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same.
Fig 3 is a central section of the coin receiving mechanism, & Fig. 4 is a front
elevation shewing the projection which limits the motion of the slotted coin
sleeve.
The slotted sleeve a is formed at its outer end with a boss b mounted in a fixed
bracket c and projecting through the bracket c. A knob or handle d by means
of which the sleeve a can be rotated on its axis is fixed on the outer end of the
bush. The sleeve a is provided at its outer end with a projection whose two
edges when the sleeve is rotated cone against the top and bottom sides respectively.
of the bracket and limin the motion of the sleeve. As shown this motion is
half a rotation, but one third, one fourth, or other division may be used. The
sleeve a is formed with a slot a adapted to receive a penny or other predetermined
coin and is of such diameter that when the penny rests on the lower inner circum-
ference of the sleeve its upper edge remains in the slot ².
The coin pocket consists of a slot f formed through a disc f¹ and spindle g
on which the disc is fixed. As shown there is a diametrical slot f through the dise
and spindle but if the sleeve makes say one-third of a rotation three diametrical
slots would be required, if one fourth, two diametrical slots. The spindle g at its
outer end works loosely in the hollow boss and the bracket supports its inner

page_text: end. The spindle y is provided with a ratchet wheel g¹ in which gears a pawl i
forced into gear by the spring so that the spindle can only be rotated in the
forward direction. A guard ring on the bracket prevents the pawl and ratchet
wheel being tampered with and also, prevents the coin falling out of the pocket
until its motion is completed. It will readily be seen that when the proper coin
is inserted through the slot in the sleeve and into the coin pocket f that it locks
the sleeve and spindle together so that on rotating the sleeve through one half
a rotation the spindle also is rotated through one-half a rotation.
On the end of the spindle g is a readily removable crown wheel that gears
into a long pinion on a spindle m' arranged at right angles to the spindle g
and operating the freeing mechanism. In order to vary the amount of gas to be
delivered for each coin inserted, the crown wheel is removed and replaced by a
larger or smaller crown wheel, the length of the pinion being sufficient to gear
with all sizes of crown. wheels within predetermined limits. As shown the crown
wheel is prevented from rotating on the spindle by a key and is retained longi-
tudinally in position by the boss g and lock nuts .
As shown the mechanism is arranged on the outside of one side of the meter
and is covered by the hinged cover o fixed by the screw o¹ that can be secured by
a seal. On the top of the cover is the coin shoot or guide that guides the coin
into the slot ¹. The coin can only be inserted when the sleeve is in its proper
position and the sleeve must be rotated through an integral division of a rotation
so as to bring a coin pocket always opposite the coin shoot. The coin when the
sleeve comes against its stop is deposited into a receptacle underneath.
The mechanism to be operated by the above described coin receiving mechanism
forms no part of my present invention and may be of any known type."
As shown a worm is mounted on the unit index spindle or arbor r and gears
with a screw threaded pinion s mounted on the threaded part of a sliding screwed
rod t, the said pinion being held in position laterally by suitable cheeks »¹ so
that, as it is rotated, it imparts a longitudinal or axial motion to the screwed
rod t.
Connected to and partaking of the longitudinal sliding motion of the before
mentioned screwed rod is an index pointer working over an indicating dial v
so that as the screwed rod is slidden longitudinally in either direction the said
index pointer is correspondingly moved and indicates the amount of gas to the
credit of the consumer. The back end of the sliding screwed rod slides freely
in the end of the spindle on which the long pinion m is mounted, and in which
it is prevented from rotating by the pin taking into the slot m².
"
It will thus
be seen that the penny mechanism rotates the screw rod t by means of the long
pinion m, and traverses it through the screw threaded pinions which is held
by the meter registering mechanism. When gas is being consumed the meter
registering mechanism operates the pinion s to cause it to return the threaded
rod t towards its initial position.
The rod operates the slide w having a projection that as the rod returns
to its initial position acts on the arm of the valve through which gas is supplied
to the meter to close it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be understonel
that do not claim separately either the price-varying mechanism, as the same
has been patented on Hawkyard and Braddock's Application, No. 9771 of 1893,
nor the coin-receiving mechanism, but I declare that what I claim is;-
The improved combined coin-receiving and price varying mechanism substan-
tially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 25th day of November 1898
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.