An Improved Coin-freed Controlling Apparatus for Use with Fluid Meters
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 20th July, 1896-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Coin-freed Controlling Apparatus for Use with
Fluid Meters,
EMIL HOLLANDERS Chronometer Maker 3 Queen's Buildings, Osborne Road,
Southsea, CHARLES JAMES LEATHER, North Grounds Villa Portsmouth
Contractor, and THOMAS TAYLOR Foreman Gas Fitter 12 Mary Row Southsea,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A toothed rack worked by a gathering palate, each tooth of the rack when
gathered is held in position by a pawl, a snail or nautilus cam is placed in position
for the rack to fall on when released, which cam can be set to the number of teeth
to be counted or gathered on the rack, a catch arranged to retain the pawl out of
action when forced back by a bell-crank lever & pin which is actuated by a spring
or counterbalance attached to the rack. A lever is arranged with a button or
finger plate on the outside of the case. A slot is made in one face of the case
with a shoot covered with glass on the outside. Near the lower end of the shoot an
opening is made and the bottom is partly closed, another opening is made near the
top in which is fixed a length of tubing containing a piston and spiral spring. The
gathering palate is worked from the rotating spindle of the meter or a rotary
motion is obtained from the measuring pistons and a stop is arranged to the meter
worked from a projection on the rack.
This machine is intended for application to all classes of meters and is what is
commonly called a " penny in the slot attachment."
To start the machine, one, two, or several coins are placed in the slot and the
button or finger plate in front is pressed which allows the first coin to fall in position.
When the button is released the rack spring or counterbalance forces the coin
against the bell-crank lever which releases the pawl, which is held back by
the catch and allows the rack to drop to the position to which the nautilus
cam is adjusted. The effect of releasing the rack is to allow the next coin
to fall into position. When all the rack teeth are gathered the machine repeats
until the coins in the shoot are expended. The pushing out of the bell-crank
ever, which is done through the coin as deputy, forces the coin through the opening
hear the bottom of the shoot. The opening in the bottom is made so as to allow
maller coins to fall through without starting the machine.
The pawl is released from the catch by the first movement of the gathering
alate.
Dated this 18th day of September 1895.
EMIL HOLLANDERS.
C. J. LEATHER.
THOMAS TAYLOR.

page_text: Maker, CHARLES JAMES
LEATHER,
of North Grounds Villa, Portsmouth, also in the County of Southampton,
Contractor, and THOMAS TAYLOR, of 12 Mary Row, Southsea, aforesaid,
Foreman Gas Fitter, 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 relates to an improved coin-freed controlling apparatus for use
with fluid meters.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a gas meter fitted with our coin-freed controlling
apparatus,
line
Fig. 2 is a fragment of a front elevation of same with a part section taken on the
yy of Fig. 3;
Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation taken on the line of Fig. 2, and
Fig. 4 is a fragment of a rear elevation with a part section taken on the line z z
of Fig. 3.
Figs. 5 to 8 are detached detail views.
The same letters of reference where they occur are used to denote the same or
corresponding parts in all the figures.
The coin-freed controlling apparatus which forms the subject of this invention is
enclosed in a box or cover A on one side of the meter B and is connected in any
suitable manner with the registering mechanism, by which the dial hands of the
meter are operated, by means of a shaft C passing through an aperture in the side
of the meter and carrying a toothed wheel D. This latter is connected by a
suitable train of wheels E, F to a shaft G mounted on a fixed part of the apparatus
and carrying a single-toothed lantern pinion H or equivalent device, which gears
with the teeth of a counterweighted rack J, pivotted at J', raising such rack and
causing it to turn on its pivot and advance one tooth for every revolution of the
shaft G, see Figures 3 and 4. K is a pawl, pivotted at K', for holding the rack up
as it is gathered tooth by tooth, and furnished on one side with two projecting
pinsk and k. The pin engages in a notch in a detent L, which is pivotted
at L', and is pressed towards the pawl K by the spring 12. The pink on the
pawl K lies in the path of one arm M of a frame which is pivotted at M', beside
the coin shoot N, and acts as a bell crank lever with its other arm M2 lying in front
of an aperture N¹ in the side of the coin shoot N. (See Figure 5.) The pawl K
is further provided with an arm K' which lies in the path of a pin o on a bent
lever O, counterweighted at O', and firmly secured to a rod 0, which latter passes
through an aperture in the side of the meter and is furnished with means whereby
it acts as a stop to shut off the supply of gas.
k
The rack J is provided with a forward prolongation or tooth J which forms
part of a plate Jo, shewn detached in Fig. 8, which rests flat against the face of
the arm Ja of the rack, and is secured thereto by a pin and slot J, and held in its
forwardly projecting position by the spring Je secured to the arm J³, (see Figures 5
and 6). On the further side of the aforesaid plate is pivotted a nose J (see
Figure 8) the rear or heel of which rests on the knife spring Jo while the front
or nose part proper projects forward beyond the rack arm J. The nose J can
turn slightly on its pivot only in an upward direction against the pressure of the
spring J after the manner of a knife blade, so that if pressure is put on the
under edge of the nose J, it will be turned on its pivot and will press back

page_text: the spring J without affecting the plate J10 carrying the projecting tooth J2, whereas
if pressure is put on the sloping front edge j¹, the nose J, being by reason of
suitable stops now prevented from turning on its pivot, will push back the plate J10
to which it is pivotted against the pressure of the spring J, and will carry said
plate back, together with the tooth J2 forming part thereof, within the limits of the
pin and slot in the rack arm J³ (see Figs. 5 and 6).
In the path of the spring tooth J is a slot P, situated in the roar side of the
coin shoot N, said slot communicating with the aperture N¹ in the opposite side of
the shoot, in front of which said aperture the coin Q rests when it has fallen to the
bottom of the shoot, and where it is held by the arm M' of the bell crank lever
arrangement already described (see Figure 5). At the extremity of the travel of
the rack J, the nose J' enters the slot P and, acting direct on the back of the coin,
pushes same out from the recess formed by the aperture N'. The coin then takes
a slightly oblique position and forms a connecting link between the rack and the
bell crank lever arrangement M which latter is thereby operated, raising the pawl K
from the rack which then falls, releasing the coin which drops away from the
arm M into a receptacle R beneath.
In Fig. 3 the rack is shewn in full lines ready to be gathered up tooth by tooth
by the lantern pinion or equivalent device H, and in dotted lines the rack is shewn
at the forward extremity of its travel, having entered the empty slot P, and
become locked in that position in the manner to be hereinafter explained. In
Figure 5, three coins Q are shewn lying in the slot edgeways one above the other.
In the path of the spring nose J* is a double cam shaft S journalled in suitable
bearings on the side of the coin shoot and having a stop S¹ to prevent it from being
rotated beyond fixed limits of about 120 degrees. Said shaft S projects through
the side of the box or cover A and is operated by means of a handle S². On a
parallel shaft T is a sleeve carrying a catch hook T' (see Figures 3 and 6) which
by means of a spring T2 is caused normally to bear with its ear T3 against the first
cams on the double cam shaft S. The second cam s¹ lies directly in the path of
the spring nose J on the rack J. The rack arm J³ also carries a rod J7 which is
caught by the catch hook T¹. This rod J' also serves as a stop to limit the fall of
the rack under the action of gravity in the following manner. In the path of the
rod J is a stepped snail or nautilus cam U which is adjusted by set screws or other
suitable mechanism on its shaft U' so as to allow the rack J to fall to a greater or
lesser degree according to the quantity of fluid which is to be delivered in exchange
for the coin inserted in the machine. The snail or nautilus cam and the means for
adjusting it are inside the box or case A, the rod J' however projects through an
arc shaped slot in the box or case A. and carries a pointer Ja (see Figure 1) which
moves over the graduated arc J and indicates the quantity of fluid to be delivered
in exchange for the coin and any intermediate quantity remaining undelivered in
respect of the coin which has last operated the rack.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows;-When all the fluid has been
delivered for which payment has been made, the rack J is locked in the raised
position shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 3, in the manner to be hereinafter
described, with the spring tooth J' projecting through the slot P and aperture N¹,
and the spring nose J jammed on the top of the second or inner cam s¹ on the
double cam shaft S, the pawl K having, by reason of the counterweight O' on the
bent lever O, the pin o and arm K³, fallen behind the last tooth on the rack.
The turning of the bent lever O under the influence of the counterweight O' has
partially rotated the rod O' and has thus simultaneously shut off the supply of gas.
The last tooth on the rack being deeper than the other teeth allows the pawl K to
move far enough to shut off the supply.
One or a number of coins limited only by the length of the shoot N may be
inserted therein and the lowermost will rest on the upper edge of the spring
tooth J. To release the rack and start the apparatus going, the handle Sis
oscillated first to the right side and then to the left. By the oscillation to the
right hand the first cam s on the double cam shaft S is turned so as to press against

page_text: the car T3 of the catch hook T¹ turning it on the shaft T against the pressure of
the spring T and causing it to catch hold of the rod J' on the rack arm J³; this
is the position shewn in Figure 6. Simultaneously the second cam s' is turned and
pressed against the inclined edge of the nose J pushing it, and the plate J10 to
which it is pivotted, back against the pressure of the knife-spring Jo, consequently
the tooth J2 which forms part of said plate J10 moves back with the spring nose J.
This conjoint backward movement against the knife-spring Jo, of the nose J¹ and
tooth Jis limited by the pin and slot J' on the rack arm and is sufficient to
withdraw the tooth J' from beneath the coin which is now free to fall into the
bottom of the shoot N, but is held therein by the arm M² of the bell crank lever
arrangement. By the oscillation to the left hand the cams 8 and s¹ are removed;
the hook-catch T₁ releases the rod J' on the rack arm, and is returned to its initial
position by its spring T', while the nose J and tooth J' are driven forward by the
knife-spring J. The tooth J' strikes against .the coin and pushes it out through
the aperture N' said coin being gripped in a slightly oblique position between the
tooth J and arm M² thus forming the connecting link between the rack and the bell
crank lever arrangement as already described. As it is pushed out of the
aperture N' the coin pushes forward the arm M* turning the bell crank arrange-
ment on its pivot M1, thereby depressing the other arm M, turning the pawl lever
on its pivot K¹, raising said pawl K until the pink thereon enters the notch i in
the detent L where it is held until released. The rack being now released, is free
and ready to fall, as shewn by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and falls under the action
of gravity until the stop rod J' rests on one of the steps of the snail or nautilus
cam U.
The turning of the pawl lever has through the medium of the arm K², pin o and
bent lever partially rotated the rod O' thereby removing the stop from the gas
supply. The mechanism now goes on supplying gas, operating the train of
wheels D, E, F, and the lantern pinion or like device H gathers up the rack tooth
by tooth. The first rotation of H presses back the detent L against its spring I'
thus allowing the pink on the pawl K to slide out of the notch 1, in which it has
been held since the rack fell, and engage with the teeth of the rack, the movement
being insufficient however to shut off the supply.
The operation now goes on until the last tooth of the rack has been gathered by
the pinion or like device H, when if there is a coin in the bottom of the shoot
between the slot P and aperture N¹ the rod J'slightly oscillates the hook catch T
and passes thereunder, and the initial resistance of the coin to the advance of the
tooth J' presses back the knife-spring J and with it the nose J, until the power
of the spring J overcomes the resistance offered by the coin, when the various
parts perform the functions already described and the rack falls again and the
operation is repeated. When there is no coin in the bottom of the shoot then the
tooth J' passes completely into the aperture N', whereupon the advancing nose J'
rides on to the top of the cam sand, the rack falling slightly back again by
gravity, the nose J' in passing back thereover draws the cam s¹ back with it, thus
jamming and preventing further movement, the rack remaining then in the raised
position shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 3.
Although the invention has been shewn and described with reference to a gas
meter it is equally applicable to other fluid meters.
Having now particularly describe and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. Coin freed apparatus for use with fluid meters comprising a train of wheels
operated from the meter registering mechanism, a lautern pinion or equivalent
device operated by said train and gearing with a counterweighted pivotted rack
and raising it to press against one side of the inserted coin, a coin shoot having an
aperture in the opposite side through which the coin is pushed by the raised rack,
a bell crank one arm of which lies in front of said aperture and which is operated

page_text: by the coin as the latter is pushed outwards, said bell crank being connected by
suitable mechanism with the pawl of the rack and with mechanism for shutting off
and opening the supply of fluid, all combined and arranged to operate substantially
in the manner described and for the purposes stated.
2. In coin freed apparatus for use with fluid meters of the kind indicated in the
preceding claim, meaus for adjusting the apparatus to deliver varying quantities of
the fluid for a given coin consisting of an adjustable stepped snail or nautilus cam
or equivalent means for preventing the counterweighted rack from falling beyond
the adjusted limit, substantially as described.
3. In coin freed apparatus for use with fluid meters of the kind indicated in
Claim 1 hereof, means for causing the coins falling to the bottom of the shoot to
successively set-off the apparatus every time the rack is raised to the bottom of the
coin shoot, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. The improved coin freed controlling apparatus for use with fluid meters
combined to operate substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of July 1896.
F. W. GOLBY,
36 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicants.