Improvements in Mechanism for the Automatic Sale and Delivery of Gas and other Fluids and Liquids in Exchange for Coin or Equivalent.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Mechanism for the Automatic Sale and Delivery
of Gas and other Fluids and Liquids in Exchange for Coin or
Equivalent.
I, ROWLAND WILLIAM BROWNHILL of High Street Aston New Town, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
:-
This invention relates to an improvement or improvements, upon an invention,
for which application for Letters Patent has been made by me, and dated May 13th
1887 and numbered 7012.
My present invention has reference 1st,
2ndly, in a device for preventing fraud.
arrangement of the mechanism.
to means for the working of the valve.
3rdly, in the general construction and
In carrying out my invention, I employ the essential parts as described, in the
aforesaid cited application for Letters Patent, consisting of a gas meter, with
mechanism enclosing casing connected with it, having a coin slit and guide, through
and down which, the coin deposited in prepayment of a predetermined quantity of
gas, passes.
The coin as aforesaid, when deposited, falls and rests upon the peripheries of two
pulleys, one fixed, and the other carried by a counterpoised coin lever, whose axis,.
which is about its middle, turns with it, and with the main lever rear end, which is
extended beyond the axis, and forms a short arm, upon which the end of a loosely
pivoted arm or pawl, rests, by a standing out stud at its back. This loosely jointed
pawl arm, has an inwardly directed pin, which normally rests above the top of a helix,
surmounting the meter axis, and which said helix, and loosely jointed arm, constitute
the safety means for preventing fraud, by gagging the coin lever.
The helix is mounted upon the upper end of the meter axis as aforesaid; and
which axis is wormed, and engages with the driving wheel of the mechanism, consists
essentially of penny and shilling measuring out discs, with notched peripheries,
clutch arrangement for connecting the driving axis with the measuring out discs,
ratchet wheel on face of penny disc, with which the lower hooked end of a hanging
. 077

page_text: pawl, connected with the outer end of the main lever, engages, on the said end of the
lever being raised, when a coin is pressed home in prepayment of gas fequired to be
consumed, and which pushing home, is effected by a lever and arm, provided with
anti-return means, to prevent fraud.
The reduction, transmitting, and other gear, is fully described and represented
in my said invention, of a prior application as aforesaid.
The helix has a vertical slot, turning from its lower end, and with the top of the
said slot, covered by the free end of a flat spring, so as to prevent the pin, which
comes upon the top of the helix, when the coin lever is gagged, from passing
down the said slot, instead of passing down the helical groove.
Disposed at the back of the main lever, is a tooth or catch lever, turning upon
its rear end, and with a tooth or catch upon the middle of its underside, which
engages in common, with both of the notches in the penny and shilling measuring
out discs, and also rests in common upon both of the peripheries of the said discs,
the former when the valve is closed, and the latter when the valve is open.
Running parallel, or nearly parallel, to the tooth or catch lever, is an outside
valve working lever, whose front end is connected to the like end of the said catch
lever, by a link, while the rear end of the valve lever, works a spindle or axis, collar
ground inwardly, through a boss, of a gas inlet passage, whose upper end forms the
valve enclosing casing.
The inner end of the axis of the valve lever, is connected to the inner end of
an inside lever, running parallel, or nearly so with the outside one; and upon the
end of the said inside lever, the valve stalk rests; so that when the tooth or catch
is moved from out of the notches of the penny and shilling discs, on the same
being rotated, for the measuring out of the quantity of gas, the catched or toothed
lever is raised, thereby elevating the outside and inside valve levers, and raising the
valve from its seat, which allows gas to flow to the consumer.
:-
The working of the means for preventing fraud, is as follows:-
On a coin only being partially pushed home, so as to become fixed between the
stationary pulley, and the pulley carried by the coin lever, the main lever extended
end, becomes lowered, thereby allowing the pin of the loosely jointed arm or pawl, to
fall upon the top of the helix, whose continued rotation, takes the pin into, and down
the helical groove, and when it arrives at the bottom thereof, the main lever extended
end through it, becomes further tilted, and the coin lever pulley end further lowered,
which compels the coin to drop from its gagging position.
The continued rotation of the helix, brings the pin from the helical part of the
groove, into the vertical slot, which being now free, rises and pushes away the free
end of the spring at its top; so that the safety arm rises to its normal position, with
the pin resting above the top of the helix.
Although I have described my invention in connection with a gas meter, yet
the same may be employed direct, in connection with a gas service, or gas supply;
and further, the mechanism as herein described, may be employed for the automatic
sale and delivery of water, and other fluids.

page_text: Improvements in Mechanism for the Automatic Sale and Delivery
of Gas and other Fluids and Liquids in Exchange for Coin or
Equivalent.
I, ROWLAND WILLIAM BROWNHILL of High Street, Aston New Town'
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Engineer, 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 improvement or improvements upon an invention, for
which application for Letters Patent has been made by me, dated May 13th 1887
and nuuibered 7012.
My present invention has reference 1st, to means for the working of the valve
2ndly, in a device for preventing fraud, and 3rdly, in the general construction and
arrangement of the mechanism.
In carrying out my invention, I employ the essential parts as described in the
aforesaid cited application for Letters Patent, consisting of a gas meter, with
mechanism enclosing casing connected with it, having a coin slit and guide, through
and down which, the coin deposited in prepayment of a predetermined quantity of
gas, passes.
The coin as aforesaid when deposited falls and rests upon the peripheries of two
pulleys, one fixed, and the other carried by a counterpoised coin lever, whose axis
which is about its middle, turns with it, and with the main lever rear end which is
extended beyond the axis, and forms a short arm, upon which the end of a loosely
pivoted arm or pawl rests, by a standing ont stud at its back-This loosely jointed
pawl arm has an inwardly directed pin, which normally rests above the top of a helix,
surmounting the meter axis, and which said helix and loosely jointed arm constitute
the safety means for preventing fraud, by gagging the coin lever.
The helix is mounted upon the upper end of the meter axis as aforesaid, and which
axis is wormed, and engages with, the driving wheel of the mechanism, which
consists essentially of penny and shilling measuring out discs, with notched peripheries,
clutch arrangement for connecting the driving axis with the measuring out disc
axes, ratchet wheel on face of penny disc, with which the lower hooked end of a
hanging pawl, connected with the outer end of the main lever engages, on the said
end of the lever being raised, when a coin is .pressed home in prepayment of gas
required to be consumed, and which pushing home is effected by a lever and arm,
provided with anti-return means, to prevent fraud.
The reduction, transmitting and other gear, is fully described and represented in
my said invention of a prior application as aforesaid.
Disposed at the back of the main lever, is a tooth or catch lever, turning upon its
rear end, and with a tooth or catch upon the middle of its underside, which engages
in common with both of the notches in the penny and shilling measuring out discs,

page_text: and also rests in common upon both of the peripheries of the said discs, the former
when the valve is closed, and the latter when the valve is open.
Running parallel, or nearly parallel to the tooth or catch lever, is an outside valve
working lover, whose front end is connected to the like end of the said catch lever,
by a link, while the rear end of the valve lever works a spindle or axis, collar ground
inwardly through a boss, of a gas inlet passage, whose upper end forms the valve
enclosing casing.
The inner end of the axis of the valve lever, is connected to the inner end of an
inside lever, running parallel or nearly so, with the outside one; and upon the end of
this said inside lever, the valve stalk rests; so that when the tooth or catch is moved
from out of the notches of the penny and shilling discs, on the same being rotated,
for the measuring out of the quantity of gas, the catched or toothed lever is raised,
thereby elevating the outside and inside valve levers, and raising the valve from its
seat, which allows gas to flow to the consumer.
The working of the means for preventing fraud is as follows.
On a coin only being partially pushed home, so as to become fixed between the
stationary pulley, and the pulley carried by the coin lever, the main lever extended
end becomes lowered, thereby allowing the pin of the loosely jointed arm or pawl to
fall upon the top of the helix, whose continued rotation takes the pin into, and down
the helical groove, and when it arrives at the bottom thereof, the main lever extended
end through it, becomes further tilted, and the coin lever, pulley end further lowered,
which compels the coin to drop from its gagging position.
The continued rotation of the helix, brings the pin from the helical part of the
groove, into the vertical slot, which being now free, rises and pushes away the free
end of the spring at its top; so that the safety arm rises to its normal position, with
the pin resting above the top of the helix.
Although I have described my invention in connection with a gas meter, yet the
same may be employed direct, in connection with a gas service, or gas supply; and
further, the mechanism as herein described may be employed for the automatic sale
and delivery of water and other liquids.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, represents in front elevation a pusher
action automatic sale and delivery gas meter, provided with fraud preventing and
other improvements, made according to my present invention, which is as aforesaid,
an improvement upon the invention or inventions described in my former Letters
Patent numbered 7012 year 1887-The mechanism of the said appliance is shown
with the parts in positions which they normally assume, before supply, or before the
introduction or pushing home of a coin.
Figure 2 represents the said appliance, with the coin pushed partly through the
bearings in a gagging position, that is to say, the coin which has been introduced
through the coin slit, has been partly pushed home, which brings the fraud preventing
device into operation, by freeing a pin, which engages with a helix, and thereby
automatically takes the coin through, although it may have been forced only to a
very short distance.
It will thus be seen that however slightly the valve is opened, or the coin pushed
in, fraud is prevented.
Figure 3 shows a part view of the machine, representing the pin of the fraud
preventing device under the helix; and after the said pin has done duty in operating
fully the coin lever, through the intervention of the arm, it returns through the gap
of the helix, and so allows the parts to resume their normal positions.
Figure 4 represents the back of the appliance, showing the coin lever, and some of
the accessory parts.
Figures 5 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, represent few of the principal parts separately.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
a is a gas meter, al the enclosing casing of the automatic sale and delivery
mechanism thereof, a' is a coin slit, a a guide leading therefrom, situated within a
back compartment a*, as best seen in figure 4.

page_text: b is a coin lever, fulcrumed at b, and carrying at the short end 63, a channeled
roller 6, which comes opposite to a like fixed roller b', turning within or upon a
bracket, on the inside facing of the said divisional part.
The coin lever after compression, is returned by a spring, b, through the intervention
of a connected link 6. Thus, the pressing home of a coin c, by the pusher arm d',
of a jointed lever d, depresses the short end, of the coin lever, and allows the
distance between the two pulleys, to be increased, and the coin passed through the
gap or passage, thus made between them.
Mounted upon the axis 63, is a lever f³, whose fore and long end, carries a turning
pawl or catch f, whose catch end fƒ³, engages with a ratchet wheel g, fixedly secured
upon the axis i, to which the penny disc h is made fast; so that, by the raising
of the said lever f³, the ratchet wheel and axis with penny disc, is turned
rearwardly, or in the direction as indicated by the arrow, and which rear move-
ment takes the tooth or catch carried by the lower arm e¹ of the compound
levere from the hole or notch 2, and allows the meter drum, to rotate, and gas to
be delivered.
The pawl or catch fis taken up to its work by a spring p1, whilst it is taken from
the teeth of the said ratchet wheel by a flat f of the forked head fo, coming upon the
underside f, of the long arm of the lever f³; so that on the said lever being raised
into the position as represented in figure 3, the said pawl or catch is made rigid, but
when in the position as in figure 2, it turns slightly inwardly upon the centre f³,
while when the lever is down, the swell of the arm of the pawl, comes against the
teeth, and keeps its hooked end, away from them.
is a loosely jointed hanging arm, pivoted at 6, and having upon one side of it, a
stud, which takes within a gap f, made within the top side of the rear short end of
the lever f; this said arm which is the detector for preventing fraud, carries an
inwardly directed pin ³, which is normally elevated above the top of the helix y,
which is provided with a continuous or all through gap y', as best seen in figures 2,
9 and 11.
The helix is mounted upon the upper end of a driven meter axis m, which is worked
from the drum of the meter, on the said drum being liberated by the pushing home of
a coin, in prepayment for a predetermined quantity of gas.
The mechanism is operated by the worm m of the driven axis m, engaging with
the teeth, by the meter wheel q made tight on axis i; so that the said meter wheel,
penny disc, shilling disc and the other parts of the mechanism as is fully described
and represented in my said former Letters Patent, move together.
Interposed between the said meter wheel, and the penny disc, is a clutch q³, which
couples the parts together to rotate in one direction, and allows them to move in the
other direction, when the force exerted is greater than the friction between the
coupled parts.
Running nearly parallel to the lever, is a compound lever e³, consisting of upper
and lower arms e¹, e, connected together by a jointed link e. The lower arm el
carries the tooth or underside projection e, and is mounted upon the axis b, while the
upper arm eis connected to a spindle or plug axis u³, collar ground through a
neck u, of a gas inlet passage u leading to the valve inlet u', and the gas supply
service v.
wo is a valve, with its stalk w³, resting upon an inside disposed lifter arm e, con-
nected to the plug axis u².
The mechanism is operated and works as follows ―
On a coin being deposited or dropped through the coin slit a³, of the mechanism
enclosing casing a', of the meter a, it falls down the guide a', and rests upon the tops
of the rollers 61, 6, and when pressed home by the pusher arm d of the lever d, the
coin lever bis turned upon its fulcrum axis, with the short end lowered, which
allows the coin to fall between the said rollers.
The rocking of the coin lever which is fast on the axis 6, lowers the pawl catch
lever, whose pawl ƒ' engages with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, which is then

page_text: turned through 144th of a revolution, by the upward and return movement of the
said hook ended pawl; and as the penny disch is moved round with the ratchet
wheel, the tooth or catch e, of the lower arm e¹ of the compound levere, and is raised
on to the periphery of the said disc, thereby turning the arm e³, and plug axis u at
its inner end, which latter in turn, raises the lifter arm e°, and lifts the valve from its
seat, as represented in figure 2, when the gas delivered out by the meter drum, con-
sequent upon the movement of the tooth e, and penny disc, is conveyed to the service
pipe v, by the meter outlet pipe u.
If by inadvertence, or by design, a coin is introduced between the rollers, or upon
the rollers, and pressure applied by the pusher arm, so as to raise the tooth e,
compound lever e³, and valve w, through the intervention of the coin lever b, the rear
action of the short arm or rear end of the lever f³, allows the loosely hanging arm &
which is now free to fall by gravity with the pin resting upon the top of the helix,
which on coming coincident with the gap y, (on the rotation of driven axis m) falls
to a short distance down it, and then engages under the start of the helix, which on
continuing to rotate, brings the pin to its lower underside of the said helix and
again, when the pin being now free rises with the lever f³, and coin lever b, which
was lowered through the intervention of it; that is, the pin which was automatically
lowered by the helix, pulls down the coin lever, and compels the coin to be taken
through, and the true quantity of gas only, delivered.
gap
Thus, by the fraud preventing means, the very act of attempting surreptitiously to
obtain gas other than by fully pushing a coin home, causes the coin lever to be auto-
matically lowered independently of the coin and pusher arm.
As a secondary means of preventing fraud, viz. :-making a single coin do duty for
operating the machine an indefinite number of times, 1 arrange at the rear end of
the coin lever, a spring tongue 1 secured against the face of the enclosing casing
which has a lip 12 at its lower end, whilst the top side rear end of the coin lever is
chamfered from front to back, and its underside rear end chamfered from back to
front, and marked respectively 60 and 610, so that as the said rear end of the lever
rises, the top side comes at the back of the free end of the said tongue, and the friction
created by the tongue prevents the lever from returning, until the coin drops, by being
pushed fairly home.
Thus, on a coin being dropped upon the coin lever, and then partially pressed
home by the pusher arm, its top chamfered edge comes under the lip 12, and then
between the free end of the tongue, and the back casing, and when in this position,
the same is prevented from returning again by the friction exerted by the spring, or
until it has passed the tongue, when it wipes over it on the reverse side.
A section of the free tongue and end of the lever, is shown at figure 12.
The application of my invention to means or expedients for the measuring of water
and other liquids, differs in no essential respect from its application to that of a gas
meter, as herein described and set forth.
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 :-
First An automatic sale and delivery gas meter, preventing fraud by a device,
which automatically lowers the coin lever, or other similar expedient upon which the
coin rests or is placed, thereby compelling a gagging coin, or equivalent, to be
dropped, or passed through, as set forth.
Secondly-Preventing fraud in automatic sale and delivery gas meters, by means
of a helix (or a gapped helix) and jointed arm with pin and stud, working in con-
nection with a lever, or levers, (or their equivalents) which operate, and cooperate, in
the manner and for the purpose, as set forth.
:-
Thirdly Preventing fraud by a spring tongue 1, 12, acting in conjunction with a
coin lever b, whose top and underside ends, are chamfered or inclined, as and for the
purpose, as set forth.

page_text: Fourthly-The general construction of the mechanism of automatic sale and
delivery gas meters, as herein described and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the
drawings.
Fifthly-The means herein described for operating the valve as set forth.
Lastly-The improvement in mechanism for the automatic sale and delivery of
liquids as herein described and set forth.