Improvements in Apparatus applicable to Gas and other Meters for Arresting the same when a Determined Quantity of Gas or other Fluid has Passed.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus applicable to Gas and other Meters for
Arresting the same when a Determined Quantity of Gas or
other Fluid has Passed.
I, HENRY GREEN, of The Gas Works, Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the Specification of a former Patent No. 8288 of 1891 granted to me in
respect of apparatus applicable to gas and other meters for arresting the same when
a determined quantity of gas or other fluid has passed, is described the combination
of sets of stops, made adjustable in accordance with a pre-arranged key or table, a
movable part adapted to travel in a path in which in certain positions of the stops
it will be arrested, and means for imparting movement to the said parts from the
meter whilst it is working; the arrangement being such that the arrestation of
the said movable part by the stops will cause stoppage of the meter, which will not
again work until adjusted in accordance with the key or table applicable to the
stop that caused the said stoppage. Now in such an apparatus according to my
present invention the meter is not suddenly arrested at the same time as the said
movable part, but when the movable part is stopped the screw whereby it has been
caused to travel continues to be driven by the meter and in this way suitable
mechanism is caused to shut off the supply of gas to the meter which is thus
stopped. A convenient arrangement for this purpose is as follows:-The screw is
so mounted that it is capable of endwise movement; a lever is so arranged that it
acts as a stop to prevent forward movement of the screw so long as the movable
part is free to be advanced; but that when the movable part is arrested the stop
lever, under control of a spring will permit the screw to travel and in so doing to
move the said lever to a sufficient extent to actuate a suitable valve whereby the
gas inlet to the meter is gradually closed, whereupon the meter will stop and the
screw will cease to be driven, until the parts have been re-adjusted.
In constructing apparatus according to my present invention I can dispense with
the shoulder on the locking rod for causing the screw to travel slightly_endwise
sufficiently to move the projections of the stop nut just clear of the annular stops
that have last arrested it-also with the loosely pivoted lever used with one of the
star wheels or its lateral pin; also with the loaded or heavy rocking arm; and
likewise with the electric bell or alarm, described with reference to the example
illustrated in my former Specification.
I may use ordinary gear wheels in lieu of star wheels for driving the
apparatus.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus applicable to Gas and other Meters for
Arresting the same when a Determined Quantity of Gas or
other Fluid has Passed.
I, HENRY GREEN, of The Gas Works, Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
Civil 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
5 by the following statement :-
In the Specification of a former Patent No. 8288 of 1891 granted to me in

page_text: respect of apparatus applicable to gas and other meters for arresting the same when
a determined quantity of gas or other fluid has passed, is described the combination
of sets of stops, made adjustable in accordance with a pre-arranged key or table, a
movable part adapted to travel in a path in which in certain positions of the stops
it will be arrested, and means for imparting movement to the said parts from the
meter whilst it is working; the arrangement being such that the arrestation of the
said movable part by the stops will cause stoppage of the meter, which will not
again work until adjusted in accordance with the key or table applicable to the
stop that caused the said stoppage. Now in such an apparatus according to my
present invention the meter is not suddenly arrested at the same time as the said
movable part, but when the movable part is stopped, the screw whereby it has
been caused to travel, continues to be driven by the meter and in this way
suitable mechanism is caused to shut off the supply of gas to the meter which is
thus stopped.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are respectively a front elevation, a plan, and an end view of the
upper portion of a gas meter fitted with apparatus according to this invention
for arresting the said meter when a determined quantity of gas has passed
through it.
Figs. 4 and 5 are cross-sections on the lines x and y y respectively of Figure 2,
looking in the direction of the arrows.
Fig. 6 is a detail view.
A is the spindle of a wet gas meter from which rotary motion is transmitted
through a pin wheel A' and star wheels B and C provided with driving pins B', C',
respectively to a star wheel D' fast upon a tubular screw D. E is a nut fitted upon
the screw Ď and provided with a slotted extension E2 embracing a fixed rod E³ that
prevents rotation of the nut and thus causes the nut to advance on the screw when
the latter is rotated, and the former is free to move; G, G are sets of annular
stops arranged parallel to the axis of the screw D and formed with breaks or
gaps G¹, one in each stop, to allow the projections E', E' of the nut E to pass;
H, H are fingers or pointers one on the pivot g of each set of stops; II are
indexes by which the stops can be adjusted in accordance with a key or table
to bring the gap G' opposite each of the projections E' to permit the nut E to travel
on the screw D and thereby to allow of the supply by the meter of the desired
quantity of gas, and K is a non-rotating locking rod carrying the tubular screw D
and also at one end a plate L with projections L' adapted, when the shaft is moved
endways by a nut K carrying an arm K³ to be thrown in and out of engagement,
as the case may be, with lateral projections ( at the end of each set of stops G.
The whole of these parts are constructed and arranged to operate substantially in
the manner described in my said former Specification, except that the axis of the
star wheels is fixed, and the projections E are fixed to the nut instead of forming
part of a carrier loosely pivoted to such nut as described in my former Specification,
but the latter construction may be adopted if desired.
The tubular screw D is mounted to slide upon the rod K and in proximity to its
inner end there is arranged according to my present invention, one end of a lever
pivoted at Q. The other end Q2 of this lever is arranged to actuate one arm S of
a horizontal bell crank lever pivoted at S¹ and the other arm S2 of which is
connected by a rod T to a slide valve U which controls a port V through which
the gas passes from the gas supply pipe V and valve box V to the interior of the
meter. W is a pin fixed to the plate L and arranged to act against a bent
extension Q of the arm Q of the lever Q Q². X is a spring arranged to act
against the bell crank lever and tending to move the valve into its open position and
to keep the end of the arm Q of the lever Q Q2 in contact with the inner end of the
screw D. Y is a stuffing box carried by the gas box V' and through which the
rod T works gas tight.
As will be seen the arrangement is such that so long as the nut E is free to be
advanced along the screw, the lever Q Q will act as a stop to prevent the endway

page_text: movement of the screw, but that when the nut is arrested by its pins E¹ coming in
contact with a pair of the annular stops G, the stop lever QQ, under control of
the spring X, will permit the screw to travel endways and in so doing to move the
said lever to a sufficient extent to actuate the slide valve U through the bell crank
lever S S² and rod T and close the gas port V, whereupon the meter will stop and
the screw will cease to be driven until the parts have been re-adjusted.
The arm Q of the lever Q Q2 instead of acting directly against the arm S of the
lever S S may advantageously be connected as shown, by a pin and slot
connection Z to a supplementary lever Z¹ pivoted at Q' and the lower end of which
acts against the lever arm S. By this arrangement the position of the slide
valve U relatively to the gas port V can be readily adjusted to suit requirement.
When the locking rod K is moved endways to cause the projections L' of the
plate L to move and unlock the two sets of annular stops G, to allow of these stops
being reset for a further supply of gas, the pin W, fixed to the said plate L, will,
by acting against the extension Q* of the lever QQ2, move the arm Q away from.
the end of screw D and permit such screw together with the nut E thereon, to be
carried hack by the locking rod sufficiently to move the projections E' out of
This movement
contact with the annular stops G that have last arrested the nut E.
of the screw D affords security against fraud, as the removal of the projections E¹
from the stops G, caused by the slight endways movement of the screw has the
important effect of preventing the proper position of the stops G being found by the
sense of touch, and renders it essential to possess the proper key or table in:
accordance with which the stops G must necessarily be adjusted before the said
projections will be able to pass through the gaps G¹. The movement of the
lever QQ by the pin W also serves to close the slide valve U and hold it closed.
so long as the projections L' are free from the lateral projections G³ at the end of
the stops G, but upon the fingers H being set to the proper key or table, and the
projection L' being brought back into engagement with the projections G², the
extension Q will be released and the spring X will act to again open the valve and
permit a further quantity of gas to be supplied.
As will be obvious apparatus according to my invention may be applied to meters
of various kinds. Also the valve and the mechanism for operating it from the
screw D can be constructed and arranged in various forms. Thus the valve instead
of being in the form of a slide as shown may be in the form of a plug or cock.
By constructing apparatus according to my present invention I can dispense with
the shoulder K on the locking rod K for causing the screw D to travel slightly
endwise sufficiently to move the projections E' of the stop nut E just clear of the
annular stops G that have last arrested it; also with the loosely pivoted lever M
used with the star wheel C or its lateral pin C¹; and also with the cam M¹
for operating this lever; also with the loaded or heavy rocking arm N; also with
the lever P; and likewise with the electric bell or alarm, described with reference
to the example illustrated in my former Specification.
Also by my present invention the gearing for driving the screw D from the
shaft A will be relieved of pressure when the supply of gas to the meter is cut off
by the valve U. For this reason I may use ordinary gear wheels in lieu of star
wheels for driving the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an apparatus of the kind herein referred to applicable to gas and other
meters for arresting the same when a determined quantity of gas or other fluid has
passed, the combination with sets of adjustable stops, an endways movable screw
provided with a movable part such as the nut e adapted to travel in a path in which
in certain positions of the stops it will be arrested, and means for imparting
movement to the said screw from the meter whilst it is working, of a valve for
controlling the flow of gas through the meter and mechanism for operating said

page_text: valve from said screw, the arrangement being such that so long as the movable part
is free to be advanced, the valve will be held open, but that when the movable part is
arrested, the screw will be caused to travel and close the valve, whereby the flow of
gas through the meter will be gradually stopped and thereupon the meter will be
arrested and the screw will cease to be driven until the parts have been re-adjusted
as set forth.
2. Apparatus such as referred to in the preceding claim constructed arranged and
operating as described with reference to and shewn in the accompanying drawings
for the purpose specified.
Dated this 20th 1000
W. Lloyd Wise,
HENRY GREEN.
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.