Improvements relating to Gas or other Measuring or Delivering Mechanism to be Set in Operation by Presence of a Coin or Coins.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 18th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 26th Jan.. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Gas or other Measuring or Delivering
Mechanism to be Set in Operation by Presence of a Coin or
Coins.
I JAMES HERBERT STEVENS of Rosenberg, Priory Road, Kew in the County
of Surrey, Storekeeper to the Brentford Gas Co. do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Heretofore in gas meters which are fitted with mechanism for permitting or
causing such meters to remain in action and deliver gas on receipt of a coin or coins
the coin passes into the till or receptacle before the gas is delivered and consumed
consequently the indicator of the meter frequently shows a different reading to that
which the number of coins present appear to show.
The object of the present invention, which is applicable to any such delivering
mechanism as is intended to operate continuously for a definite length of time after
receipt of the coin or coins, is to enable such mechanism to receive an indefinite
quantity of the prescribed coins into a suitable receptacle, and to thenceforth
continue in operation for the delivery of the gas, or other fluid, electric current, or
other matter or force until such store of coins is automatically exhausted by the
process of transferring one coin at the expiration of the delivery of each successive
portion or quota of said matter or force, from the said receptacle to a second
receptacle or cash till.
By this means an indefinite multiple of the minimum quantity to be delivered
can he paid for in advance, and such delivery secured by insertion of the necessary
number of coins in the first receptacle or locker from which said coins cannot
afterwards be abstracted; but only such coins as correspond with the actual
amount consumed and recorded in the meter will be delivered from the locker into
the cash drawer or till to which the collector has access.
The invention therefore consists in combining with the aforesaid locker a knock
out mechanism so operated by the meter or otherwise as to knock out or release
one coin or definite sum into the cash till for each definite quantity of fluid passed
through the meter, or for each definite interval of time during which the said
matter or force is delivered; and further in combining therewith a stop mechanism
which on exhaustion of the said locker will cause the delivery to cease.
Dated this 20th day of February 1894.
K. HADDAN,
Agent to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Gas or other Measuring or Delivering
Mechanism to be Set in Operation by Presence of a Coin or
Coins.
I, JAMES HERBERT STEVENS, of Rosenberg, Priory Road, Kew, in the County
of Surrey, Storekeeper to the Brentford Gas Co., 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 :-
Heretofore in gas meters which are fitted with mechanism for permitting or
causing such meters to remain in action and deliver gas on receipt of a coin or

page_text: coins, the coin passes into the till or receptacle before the gas is delivered and
consumed consequently the indicator of the meter frequently shows a different
reading to that which the number of coins present appears to show.
The object of the present invention, which is applicable to any such delivering
mechanism as is intended to operate continuously for a definite length of time after
receipt of the coin or coius, is to enable such mechanism to receive an indefinite
quantity of the prescribed coins into a suitable receptacle and to thenceforth
continue in operation for the delivery of the gas or other fluid, electric current or
other matter or force until such store of coins is automatically exhausted by the
process of transferring one coin at the expiration of the delivery of each successive
portion or quota of said matter or force, from the said receptacle to a second
receptacle or cash till.
By this means an indefinite multiple of the minimum quantity to be delivered
can be paid for in advance, and such delivery secured by insertion of the necessary
number of coins in the first receptacle or locker; but only such coins as correspond
with the actual amount consumed and recorded in the meter will be delivered
from the locker into the cash drawer or till to which the collector has access.
The invention therefore consists in combining with the aforesaid locker a knock
out mechanism so operated by the meter or otherwise as to knock out or release
one coin or definite sum into the cash till for each definite quantity of fluid passed
through the meter, or for each definite interval of time during which the said
matter or force is delivered; and further in combining therewith, a stop mechanism
which on exhaustion of the said locker will cause the delivery to cease.
A method of carrying this invention into practice is shown in the annexed drawing
where the coins while under the action of the movable part of the mechanism which
carries them one by one to the cash till or drawer from the chamber which has
been previously termed the locker, operate upon the detent by which such movable
part is brought to rest when the coius are exhausted, so that the detent is held
inoperative while there is a coin in contact therewith.
Fig.
is a vertical section through the mechanism chosen to illustrate this
invention showing coins therein.
Fig. 2 is a part vertical section part elevation of the same device with some
parts omitted and other parts in a different position.
Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section partly in elevation.
A is the locker or chamber into which the consumer places one or more coins.
B is the knock-out mechanism. C the till into which the coins are delivered by
the knock-out. D D' is the detaining mechanism. E is the usual counter of the
meter which latter with its counter may be of any construction.
With one of the
wheels of the counter E is geared a toothed wheel on the same shaft as the bevelled
wheel F, gearing with bevelled wheel G on shaft H carrying a toothed wheel I
gearing with a crown wheel J on the shaft which carries the knock-out B. The
crown wheel J is removable from its shaft so that it may be replaced by another
with more or fewer teeth according to variations in the price to be charged to the
consumer. The crown wheel which may be keyed to the shaft may be held
thereon by nut K. The knock-out B has a number of equidistant radiating arms b,
a convenient number being four, and the disk D has an equal number of equi-
distant recesses d into any of which the detent D' may fall and thus arrest the
rotary movement of the disk D and consequently of the knock-out, the counter and
the meter itself.
It is preferable also that the detent D¹ should control a valve or equivalent
device by which the gas or other supply is cut off when the aforesaid mechanism is
stopped, and this may be effected by connecting the detent directly or indirectly to
said valve or equivalent, for instance through rods d' d2 and bell crank d³,
permitting a drawing forward of the detent in the direction of movement of the
disc D to close the valve or perform an equivalent function whereupon and
whereby the further movement of the detent in that direction is arrested and the
parts are brought to rest.

page_text: The shapes of the detent D' and of the notch d are such that the detent tends to
preserve its position in said notch until it is thrown out therefrom by a propulsive
force. Such force is provided by the weight and fall of the coin which in the
mechanism illustrated will touch the detent D¹ and the arm b of the knock out B
in the position shown at L in full lines in Fig. 2. The coin will then push aside
the detent swinging it outward about its pivotal centre on the bell crank and the
coin will be arrested at the position shown in dotted lines at L1 (Fig. 2) where it
is held between the next arm 6 and the side of the casing. The detent D' having
been released from the notch d will, under the influence of counterweight M, have
returned to the position shown in dotted lines at D, the supply will be recontinued
and the meter train freed.
If there are other coins in the locker A they will rest upon each other, edge
upon edge, and the lowermost one will rest upon the edge of the coin at L¹ but
upon the commencement of action of the meter and revolution of the knock out B,
the arm bin Fig. 2 will slip forward under the edge of the coin next above that
at L', which said coin is also partially restrained by the detent, the outward
movement of which is limited by the case, so that this coin will be restrained until
the arm has passed under it as at Fig. 1 and it can, during the ensuing part of
the revolution of knock out B, fall into the recess therein next following the arm
and then be carried forward with the knock-out. In this position however its
outer edge passes outward beyond the edge of disc D or in such a way that its
presence prevents the detent D' from entering the slot or recess next following that
from which it has been released. This process is repeated so long as there are
any coins in chamber A to fall into the recesses in the knockout B, consequently
the detent D' is not suffered to fall into a recess d until the number of coins is
exhausted.
Each coin as it passes to the orifice N falls into the till C as shown at L².
The mechanism is adjusted for coins of a certain size, usually for penny picces,
and so that smaller coins will not effectively operate it.
O is a window enclosed with glass in the cover or wall of chamber A whereby
the coins therein may be seen.
P is the coin entrance to chamber A. Q represents
coins therein.
The part of the detent D' with which the coin comes in contact may be
bevelled or bent in such a way that the coin may move it more easily.
The device may be modified by causing the knock out B and detent disc D to
revolve in horizontal planes or nearly so and placing the chamber A thereover
in such a manner that the coins Q form a column therein face upon face and
are fed in that position to the knock out which acts to remove or slide out
laterally the lowest coin in the column. A spring or suitably disposed weight may
then be provided to give to the detent D₁ a tendency to move to the disc D
and into the recesses d therein when not prevented by the presence of a coin on
said disc.
I do not confine myself to the method of carrying out this invention that I have
illustrated and described, 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 is;-
1. The combination of a coin receiving chamber or locker, a knock out
mechanism adapted to be revolved by the meter mechanism to remove coins from
said locker in proportion to the operation of said meter, a receiving till for said
knocked out coins and a detent for said knock out or meter mechanism adapted to
be displaced and held from operative engagement during passage of coins through
or by said knock out.
2. The combination of a coin receiving chamber or locker, a knock out
mechanism adapted to be revolved by the meter mechanism to remove coins from
said locker in proportion to the operation of said meter, a receiving till for said

page_text: knocked out coins, a detent for said knock out or meter mechanism adapted to be
displaced and held from operative engagement during passage of coins through or
by said knock out and a valve or equivalent supply arresting device in operative
connection with said detent.
3. The combination of rotary recessed knock out B, means for revolving same,
disc D with recesses d, and detent D' relatively placed with regard to chambers A
and C that coins placed in chamber A successively displace or hold displaced said
detent and are delivered by said knock-out to chamber C.
4. The herein described mechanism substantially as described and illustrated in
the annexed drawing.
Dated this 18th day of
0.4
R. HADDAN,
Of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.