Means or Appliances for Use in Connection with Electric Circuits or Water or Gas Supplies or the like to Enable a Supply of Electricity for Lighting or other Purpose, to or otherwise.
Year: 1888

page_text: Means or Appliances for Use in Connection with Electric Circuits
or Water or Gas Supplies or the like to Enable a Supply of
Electricity for Lighting or other Purpose, or a Supply of Water
or Gas or the like to be Obtained on the Deposit of an Equivalent
therefor in the Shape of Prepayment or otherwise.
1 HENRY EDMUNDS of 10 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is more particularly to provide means in connection
with electric lighting circuits whereby on prepayment being made for any pre-
determined period of use of the electric current for lighting and only on such
prepayment having been made the light can be obtained for the said period but the
Invention may also be used for analogous purposes such as for obtaining a supply of
electricity for other than lighting purposes or for obtaining a supply of water or gas
or for the like purpose and the Invention is not limited to actual prepayment by coins
as it will be evident that it can be used with tokens or equivalent means which will
serve as an indication of the use of the supply or it can be used to give control over
the supply to a limited extent only for instance by providing persons who are to have
only such limited control a token or the like to be used to enable them to avail
themselves of the supply for a given period.
According to my Invention I enclose in a suitable receptacle secured so as to be
had access to only by an authorized person a time switch or the like which can be
brought into operation to open the supply or complete the electric circuit on the
insertion of a coin or token-For this purpose the coin or token may act as the inter-
mediary or it may bring into position an intermediary device which will enable the
person wishing to avail himself of the supply to operate the time switch so as to open
the supply or complete the electric circuit and thereafter under the action of a
mechanisin which inay be analogous to time regulating mechanism in clocks for

page_text: example the time switch will commence to return to its normal position and at the
end of the prearranged time it will have so returned and have then cut off the supply
or broken the circuit and it will then necessitate the insertion of another coin or tokon
to enable the further use of the current or supply.
Means or Appliances for Use in Connection with Electric Circuits
or Water or Gas Supplies or the like to Enable a Supply of
Electricity for Lighting or other Purpose, or a Supply of Water
or Gas or the like to be Obtained on the Deposit of an Equivalent
0
Means or Appliances for Use in Connection with Electric Circuits
or Water or Gas Supplies or the like to Enable a Supply of
Electricity for Lighting or other Purpose, or a Supply of Water
or Gas or the like to be Obtained on the Deposit of an Equivalent,
therefor in the Shape of Frepayment or otherwise.
I, HENRY EDMUNDS of 10 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex Engineer do 1
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 :-
The object of, my Invention is more particularly to provide. means in connection
with electric lighting circuits whereby on prepayment being made for any pre-
determined period of use of the electric current for lighting and only on such
prepayment having been made the light can be obtained for the said period but the
Invention may also be used for analogous purposes such as for obtaining a supply of
electricity for other than lighting purposes or for obtaining a supply of water or gas or
for the like purpose and the, invention is not limited to actual prepayment by coins as
it will be evident that it can be used with tokens or equivalent means which will serve
as an indication, of the use of the, supply or it can be used to give control over the
supply to a limited extent only for instance by providing persons who are to have
only such limited control a token or the like to be used to enable them to avail
themselves of the supply, for a given period.
According to my invention I enclose in a suitable receptacle secured so as to be had
access to only by an authorized person a time switch or the like which can be brought
into operation to open the supply or completo the electric circuit on the insertion of a
coin or token. For this purpose the coin or token may act as the intermediary or it
may bring into position an intermediary device which will enable the person wishing
to avail himself of the supply to operate the time switch so as to open the supply or
complete the electric circuit and thereafter under the action of a mechanism which
may be analogous to time regulating mechanism in clocks for example the time switch

page_text: will commence to return to its normal position and at the end of the prearranged
time it will have so returned and have then cut off the supply or broken the circuit
and it will then necessitate the insertion of another coin or token to enable the
further use of the current or supply.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the samo and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 are sections at right angles to each other and Figures 3 and 4 are
views (also at right angles to each other of a portion of Figures 1 and 2.
The mechanism is enclosed in a casing A having an opening at a for the coin or
token to be introduced. Upon pivots b is mounted a time keeper or clock mechanism
such for example as a time mechanism of the description shewn at Figures 7, 8 and 9
of the Specification of my Patent No. 8641 of 1887. Upon the axis of this time
keeper is fixed a pinion c engaging with a toothed wheel D fixed upon a shaft d
turning in bearings in the casing. Hung upon the pivots b is a weighted frame e
having a quadrantal rack f engaging with a pinion g.carried on a sleeve mounted on
the shaft & and provided with a ratchet disc g with which gears a corresponding
disc d¹ fitted to slide on and rotate with the shaft i so that when the shaft turns in
one direction the toothed disc on the shaft will pass over the disc on the sleeve but
when the shaft turns in the opposite direction the disc on the shaft will engage the
disc on the sleeve and cause the sleeve to turn with the shaft and through the pinion
give motion to the wheel D. Hanging on the pivots 6 is also a frame A provided with
a handle i projecting to outside the apparatus. In the boss of the frame e is a notch j
which when opposite the springs kk allows the lower spring k to break contact with
the upper spring k¹ these springs being affixed to an insulated plate fixed on the
casing A.
In the casing A are also fixed insulated contact springs for receiving between
them a projection m on the frame h. The frames e and h are of such relative sizes
and positions that when no coin is in the apparatus the frame h can be moved
without operating the frame e but when a coin is put into the opening a and drops
into the receptacle n for it in the frame h the coin stands in the path of tho
frame e and when, by the handle i the frame h is moved along in the direction of
the arrow the frame e is acted upon and is brought up into the position shewn in
dotted lines in Figaro 2. The rack f thus turns the pinion g and the ratchet disc g¹,
whose teeth, when the disc is thus rotated, pass over those of the companion ratchet
disc d without causing it to rotate; the notch j now leaves the position shewn and
the boss 9 presses the springs k and k¹ into contact but it is necessary after that
to return the frame h by the handle i back into such a position that the projec-
tion m. enters between the springs and then the electric circuit to the lamp or
the like is completed the course of the current being shewn by the arrows,
it passing through the electro magnet X. The circuit may be led in any other
suitable way for example the wire from the lower spring & may be attached to the
frame h. The drum or wheel of the time keeper p then by the gravity of the
weighted frame e commences to turn, the rack on the frame imparting motion
to the pinion in the opposite direction to that in which it was previously rotated
by the lifting of the frame e, whereupon the ratchets g', d', gear with one another,
so that the shaft d and the drum or wheel D aro rotated, as also is the pinion c
fixed to the timekeeper p the frame e gradually descending into such a position
that the notch comes opposite the projection on the spring k when the said spring
descends thereinto and the circuit is broken and can only be completed again by
the insertion of another coin or token. If the current be not required for the full
time at once it can be discontinued for a time by removing the projection m from
the springs when the circuit is broken and no current then passes through the coils
of the electro magnets X included in the circuit the armaturer thereof drops bringing
its end in the path of a projection or projections s on the edge of the drum or wheel p
and the motion of the wheel is arrested to be again set at liberty to complete the
k

page_text: .
supply for the time paid for when the projection m is placed again between the springs
and the circuit is thus completed the armaturer being attracted and its end drawn
out of the path of the projections s on the wheel.
When the frame h is moved back to insert the projection m between the springs
the coin or token comes against the cam surfaco t by which it is pressed up out of tho
receptacle n for it in the frame and falls into the locked receptacle at u. The circuit
wires are connected to the four springs as shown so that the circuit is only completed
when both the projection m is between the springs and the springs k k are pressed
together. The projection is provided on the frame e so that although a large coin
or token will coine into contact with the said frame a smaller coin will come in contact
only with the projection e and this will move the frame and afterwards operate the
mechanism only through a smaller distance and give a supply for a correspondingly
shorter time.
Figure 5 illustrates an arrangement for supplying a fluid such as for example, gas
or water. The casing A has an opening at a for the introduction of the coin M. B
is the pipe through which the fluid passes. It has two cocks at C and C. The one
at is open and that at C is closed when fluid is not passing. E is an inclined plane
down which the coins or tokens pass till they rest on the lower part when they depress
the flap E' from the position shewn in dotted lines to that shewn in full lines the catch F
attached thereto being also brought in tho full line position. The counterbalance Gis
sufficient to overcome the weight of the flap whon no coin is thereon but when the weight
of a coin is or coins are added thereto the counterweight is overcome and the full line
position is taken up. The lever H is then moved up by means of the projecting handle H¹
and the stud I thereon raises the lever K until the stud K¹ thereon rests on the retaining
catch and is retained thereby. The cock C is now closed and the cock (is open.
The handle H is then moved down so that the cock C¹ is open. I is a time or escapo
wheel which may be operated at predetermined intervals the projections L' allow a
coin or token to escape into a locked receptacle and when the coin or token or the
last of the coins or tokens if more than one be inserted at the same time has been so
released the flap E' and catch F return to the dotted position and the lever K drops
and turns the cock C into the shut off position and the supply of fluid ceases until
another coin or token is placed in the apparatus.
An arrangement is provided to arrest the motion of the escape wheel L when the
supply is to be discontinued for a time this may consist of a friction piece L² carried
upon a rod M which slides vertically in guides M2. The friction piece L² would
ordinarily be just over but clear of the projections L' the weight of the rod M and of
the friction piece being borne by the arm H2 which takes under a projection M³ on
the said rod. When the lever H is raised to discontinue the supply the arm H² will
simultaneously be lowered out of contact with the projection M³ whereupon the rod M
and its attachments will descend by gravitation and the friction piece L² will bear
upon the projections L' and stop their motion.
Figure 6 shows an arrangement which may be used to operate mechanism
substantially like that hereinbefore described.
In this arrangement the coin or token inserted at T falls into the position indicated
at t bearing against the edge of one of the receptacles P formed in the wheel Q there
acting as a filling piece or intermediary so that when the arm is next operated a
projection thereupon will force the coin or token and the wheel Q round until the
coin or token passes clear of the wheel as at 2 and out at the aperture into a drawer
or receptacle placed to receive it the spring N which is attached to that wheel being
at the same time wound up. A spur wheel Q whenever the wheel Q is rotated also
rotates turning the spur pinion g (which is the equivalent of the pinion g in Figs. 1
and 2) and causing the time mechanism to operate after the manner herein before
described. This device admits of the use of a number of coins or tokens in succession
the lever being in such a case operated for each succeeding coin or token as soon as
the preceding one has passed beyond the range of the lever thus winding up the
spring N to an extent increasing with each coin used which will result in a corre-
sponding lengthening of the period of operation of the time mechanism and of the

page_text: duration of supply of electricity or fluid. When it is desired to use this appliance
for making and breaking an electric circuit the means employed in conjunction may
consist of a screw R fixed to or geared with the wheel Q-on this screw R runs
a guided nut S which presses apart springs to break the circuit. The greater the
extent to which the spring N is wound and therefore the greater amount of rotary
movement given to the wheel Q and screw R fixed on or geared thereto the further there-
along will the nut S be moved and the longer will it take to return to the position at
which it acts on the springs to press them-apart and break the circuit. When fluids_
are being supplied an equivalent arrangement in lieu of the electro magnet figure 2 or
the friction piece L' Fig. 5 for stopping the action of the time keeper may be intro-
duced. This alternative_dovice is also illustrated in Fig. 5 where U is a piston
working in the cylinder V the latter being in connection with the pipe B so that the rise
of pressure in the pipe due to stoppage of flow will raise the piston and its rod v
will rise and stop the rotation of the escape wheel. L which is driven by the
timekeeper.
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 I
claim is :-
1. In combination with electric circuits or supply pipes or passages for fluids the
combination of a device which is operated or brought into action or can be operated.
or brought into action for completing a circuit or opening a supply on the introduction
of a coin or token to be again cut off after the lapse of any predetermined time
substantially as herein before described.
2. In combination with electric circuits or supply pipes or passages for fluid, means
for opening the supply when a coin or token is inserted and a time switch or closing
device which after the lapse of a predetermined time cuts off the supply substantially
as hereinbefore described.
2
3. In combination with apparatus for supplying electricity for a predetermined time
an arrangement of double contacts which have both to be made before the circuit is
completed substantially as explained with regard to the contacts k k¹ and 11
figures 1 and 2.
4. In combination with apparatus for supplying a quantity of gas water or other
fluid for a predetermined time a duplex arrangement of cocks or closures both of
which have to be operated before the supply is obtained substantially as herein before
explained with regard to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The arrangements substantially as described for arresting the time keeping device
so that the quantity of electricity or gas water or other fluid which the mechanism
will allow to pass can be used at intervals as desired.
6. The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as explained with regard
to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings for the purposo described.
7. The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as explained with regard
to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings for the purpose described.
8. In apparatus of the kind hereinbofore described the arrangement for winding up
a spring to an amount and cutting off the supply after a time varying with the amount
of payment substantially as herein before described.
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11
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