Improved Contrivances for Showing in a Single Line the Register of Dials on Gas and other Meters.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 15th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Contrivances for Showing in a Single Line the Register
of Dials on Gas and other Meters.
I, AARON TURNER DANKS, of No. 403 Bourke Street, Melbourne, in the Colony
of Victoria, Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has been designed for the purpose of overcoming the difficulty
which unpractised persons find in reading the register of gas and other meters.
These registers in meters usually consist of three or more circular dials on which
figures are marked in a circle and to which an index finger points so as to indicate
the number of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, and so on, of feet or other
measurement of gas or water for instance which have passed through a meter, and
which dials require to be each separately examined in order to understand their
indication.
Now, my invention provides for automatically recording the register of each
circular dial in a single line, so that instead of having to examine each dial in order
to ascertain the register of the meter, can be seen at a glance by looking at the
single line of figures which I have just referred to.
It consists in attaching a circular disc to the spindle of each index finger, which
disc must be sufficiently large to allow of an annular space or ring being formed
around its edge on which to mark figures corresponding with those on the dial in
front and there must be an opening cut in the dial-plate immediately under each of
the dials, so as to expose one of the numbers marked on the annular space of the
disc at the back, and these numbers must be so arranged as that when the index
finger points to a number on the dial, the opening below will show a corresponding
figure.
This can readily be arranged, as will be seen at once on reference to my drawings,
in which,
Figure 1 is a face view of the dial plate of an ordinary gas meter which, in
addition to its ordinary construction, has the circular discs A affixed to the spindles
of the index fingers B, and has an opening C cut in the dial plate under each of the
dials, as represented.
Figure 2 shows a top view of this contrivance.
Instead of being attached to the dial plate of a meter, a card may be constructed
having the dials, the index-fingers, the discs on the spindles of such index fingers,
and the opening below each dial for exposing one of the numbers on the annular
space formed on such disc as already described; so that any unskilled person can,
by the use of this card, that is, by arranging each of the index fingers in the same
manner as they appear on the gas-meter, read the result in a single line of figures;
thus showing that my invention may either be constructed with, and form part of, the
meter itself, or be separate from, and independent of, the meter and be simply a meter-
reading card.
This method of reproducing the indications of two or more dials in a single line
of figures, is susceptible of many modifications. For instance, it may be applied to
a water or other meter in which there is a revolving dial plate with several index-
fingers, as shewn in Figure 3 of my drawings, which represents a dial such as is
usually employed in a water-meter; while Figure 4 shews a top or end view of
same.
In these two figures, A represents the fixed brass ring which is usually arranged
around the revolving dial plate B, and a represents the index finger which is secured
a. said brass ring and which serves. to register the lowest denominators, that is, the

page_text: ring of numbers on the edge of said dial; whilst C represents the index finger
indicating the next lowest denominators on said dial, and D and E represent other
index fingers which indicate the higher denominators after the manner usual in water-
meters and others of a similar construction. In order that these different in lications
may be exhibited in a single line, I attach an annular disc or ring a to the back of
the brass ring A, and I number it to correspond with the numbers on the outer edge
of the dial plate B; and to the spindle of the index finger I attach a disc c
numbered to correspond with the numbers to which said finger is arranged to point,
and I attach other smaller discs d and e to the spindles of the other index fingers D
and E respectively.
In order that the numbers on these discs may be exhibited, I cut slots or openings F
in the revolving dial plate B, as clearly shown in Figure 3, thereby exhibiting the
different numbers in a single line, as shown.
Instead of being attached to the dial-plate for instance of a water-meter, a card
may be constructed as hereinbefore described with dials, index-fingers, and discs on
the spindles of such index-fingers, said dises having numbers corresponding to those
on the dials, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, wherein,--
A represents the index-finger for registering the lowest denominator--the second
one marked B for registering the next denominator, and the third and fourth,
marked C and D) respectively, for registering the successively higher denominators.
The first has attached to its spindle a large disc A', upon the annular space of
which are marked the corresponding numbers to those on the outer ring of the dial
plate to which the index-finger A points. Another of the index fingers B has a
hollow spindle through which the spindle of the index-finger A passes. On the
hollow spindle of the index-finger B attach another circular disc B¹ which also has
a ring of numbers near the edge of its face corresponding to those to which the index
finger B points on the dial. On the respective spindles of each of the index fingers ()
and D is a circular disc marked respectively C and D, upon each of which there
are also rings of figures as on the other discs such figures corresponding with
those on the dial to which such index-fingers point. Slots or openings are made
in the card dial plate for each disc to exhibit its number, and these openings or
slots are made in a line, so that the total reading of the meter is shewn in the
one line.
Of course it will be obvious that the number of these dials and index-fingers
can be varied as desired.
Doted this
1
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Contrivances for Showing in a Single Line the Register
of Dials on Gas and other Meters.
I, AARON TURNER DANKS, of No. 403 Bourke Street, Melbourne, in the Colony
of Victoria, Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 has been designed for the purpose of overcoming the difficulty
which unpractised persons find in reading the register of gas and other meters.
These registers in meters usually consist of three or more circular dials, on which
figures are marked in a circle, and to which an index finger points so as to indicate
the number of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, and so on, of feet or other
measurement (of gas or water for instance) which have passed through a meter,
and which dials require to be each separately examined in order to understand their
indication.
Now my invention provides for automatically recording the register of each

page_text: circular dial in a single line, so that instead of having to examine each dial in order
to ascertain the register of the meter, it can be seen at a glance, by looking at the
single line of figures which I have just referred to.
It consists in attaching a circular disc to the spindle of each index finger, which
disc must be sufficiently large to allow of an annular space or ring being formed
around its edge, on which to mark figures corresponding with those on the dial in front,
and there must be an opening cut in the dial-plate, immediately under each of the
dials, so as to expose one of the numbers marked on the annular space of the disc at
the back, and these numbers must he so arranged, that, when the index finger points
to a number on the dial, the opening below will show a corresponding figure.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascertained,
reference is hereby made to the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification in
which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Figure 1 is a face view of the dial plate of an ordinary gas meter, which, in addition
to its ordinary construction, has the circular discs A affixed to the spindles of the
index fingers B, and has an opening C cut in the dial plate under each of the dials,
as shown.
Figure 2 is a top view of the contrivance.
Instead of being attached to the dial plate of a meter, a card may be constructed
having the dials, the index-fingers, the discs on the spindles of such index fingers,
and the opening below each dial for exposing one of the numbers on the annular
space formed on such disc as already described; so that any unskilled person can, by
the use of this card, that is, by arranging each of the index fingers in the same
manner as they appear on the gas-meter, read the result in a single line of figures,
thus showing that my invention may either be constructed with, and form part of,
the meter itself, or be separate from, and independent of, the meter and be simply
a meter-reading card.
This method of reproducing the indications of two or more dials in a single line
of figures, is susceptible of many modifications. For instance, it may be applied to
a water or other meter in which there is a revolving dial plate with several index-
fingers, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, which represents a dial such as is
usually employed in a water-meter; Figure 4 being a top or end view of same.
In Figs. 3 and 4 A represents the fixed brass ring which is usually arranged
around the revolving dial plate B, and a represents the index finger, which is secured
to the brass ring A, and which serves to register the lowest denominators, that is,
the ring of numbers on the edge of the dial; while C represents the index finger
indicating the next lowest denominators on the dial, and D and E represent other
index fingers, which indicate the higher denominators, after the manner usual in
water-meters, and other meters of a similar construction. In order that these
different indications may be exhibited in a single line, I attach an annular disc or
ring a to the back of the brass ring A, and I number it to correspond with the
numbers on the outer edge of the dial plate B; and to the spindle of the index
finger C I attach a disc c numbered to correspond with the numbers to which the
finger is arranged to point, and I attach other smaller discs d and e to the spindles
of the other index fingers D and E respectively. In order that the numbers on
these discs may be exhibited, I cut slots or openings F in the revolving dial plate B,
as clearly shown in Figure 3, thereby exhibiting the different numbers in a single
line, as shown.
Instead of being attached to the dial-plate (for instance) of a water-meter, a
card may be constructed as hereinbefore described with dials, index-fingers, and
discs on the spindles of such index-fingers, said discs having numbers corresponding
to those on the dials, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, wherein :-
A represents the index-finger for registering the lowest denominator-the second
one, marked B, for registering the next denominator, and the third and fourth,
marked C and D respectively, for registering the successively higher denominators.
The first has attached to its spindle a large disc A', upon the annular space of

page_text: which are marked the corresponding numbers to those on the outer ring of the dia!
plate to which the index-finger. A points.
Another of the index fingers B has a hollow spindle through which the spindle of
the 'index-finger A passes. On the hollow spindle of the inilex-finger B attach
another circular diso, B', which also has a ring of numbers near the edge of its face,
corresponding to those to which the index finger B points on the dial.
On the respective spindles of each of the index fingers C and D is a circular disc
marked respectively and D¹, upon each of which there are also rings of figures
as on the other discs, such figures corresponding with those on the dial to which
such index fingers points. Slots or openings are made in the card dial plate for each
disc to exhibit its number, and these openings or slots are made in a line, so that the
total reading of the meter is shewn in the one line. Of course it will be obvious that
the number of these dials and index-fingers can be varied as desired.
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 1
claim is :-
1. In the construction of gas and other meters, the combination therewith of
additional revolving dials of larger diameters than the ordinary dials; such additional
dials carrying numbers arranged upon their faces in such positions that the same
can be read in a single line through openings in the front plate, substantially as and
for the purposes herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. The general construction, arrangement, and combination of the several and
respective parts, together forming my invention of improved contrivances for showing
in a single line the register of dials on gas and other meters, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the drawings.
A 11011st EXUN
GEO. DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.
GEO. DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.