Improvements in Prepayment Electric Meters.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Prepayment Electric Meters.
We, THE BRITISH THOMSON-HOUSTON COMPANY, LIMITED, of 83, Cannon Street,
in the City of London, Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention (which has been communicated to us from abroad by Edmund Allo, residing
at Lynn, in the County of Essex, State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Electrical Engineer,) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The present invention relates to that class of prepayment devices in which the
insertion of a suitable coin or token in a receptacle sets the parts of the apparatus in
operative relation to deliver an article, or to permit the passage of a prepaid amount
of energy.
In prepayment meters or other devices having motors to control, it is desirable to
employ the coin or token to complete the motor circuit, and the present invention
has for its objects to improve the construction and arrangement of the receiver which
holds the coin in position to complete an electric circuit, and also to improve the
construction of the means employed to release the coin or token after it has
accomplished a certain result.
In the accompanying drawings is shown an embodiment of the invention applied
to an electric meter, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a meter; Figs. 2 and 3
are details of the switch mechanism; and Fig. 4 is a diagram of the circuit
connections.
The invention has been shown in connection with an electric meter, as it has
particular utility in this connection; but if desired, it may be applied equally well to
other prepayment devices in which the coin or token is employed to complete an
electric circuit, as in prepayment fan motors, for example.
Mounted on a frame A are the operative parts of the meter comprising stationary
field coils B, an armature C mounted for revolution within the influence of the field
coils, a damping disc D mounted on the armature shaft and revolving between the
poles of permanent magnets E, and a train of gears F operatively connected to a
worm G on the upper end of the armature shaft.
Mounted on a frame A in front of the train of gears is a plate H provided with a
coin chute H¹ adapted to receive one or more coins or tokens I for closing the
circuit of the meter. Situated at the end of the coin chute H₁ (Figs. 2 and 3),
is a contact spring N and a post N¹, both of which are connected to one side
of an electric circuit. The contact and post are so situated that each coin or
token passing through the chute will make contact therewith. Situated opposite the
contact spring is a pivoted coin-holder O normally retained in the position shown by
the spring 01. The left-hand side of the coin-holder has a straight edge along
which the coin or token rolls, after it has been released and continues to maintain
the circuit which has been established between the holder and the spring N; the
coin-holder and its support being connected to the opposite side of the circuit.
The right-hand side of the coin-holder is provided with a curved surface 0,
engaging therewith are projections P¹ on the cam wheel P.
and

page_text: The cam wheel is mounted on shaft P2 of the registering train, and is geared
by any suitable form of reducing gearing to the armature shaft C¹.
A coin or token I, upon dropping down to the position shown in Fig. 2 will com-
plete the circuit of the meter in a manner hereinafter described, and the circuit will
remain closed until cam wheel P is rotated by the armature and gearing to a
position where the projections P¹ are out of engagement with the cam surface O2 of
the coin-holder.
At the instant one of the projections P1 leaves the cam surface 02, the coin-
holder is forced against stop Q, the coin or token released, and the next succeeding
coin, if there be one, caught and held in the same manner as the first coin. By this
arrangement, any desired number of coins may be inserted in the coin chute, and the
consumer will receive energy so long as any of the coins remain in the chute.
On account of the burning of the coins by arcing, as they interrupt the circuit,
it is desirable to reduce the current flowing through the coin to a very small amount;
to accomplish this a relay magnet R is employed, which is mounted on the side of
the frame A, and controls the switch S; if the current flowing through the apparatus
be slight, the relay may be dispensed with.
In Fig. 4 are illustrated the circuit connections of the meter. The field coils B
are connected in circuit with the main a, and main b is provided with a switch S for
opening and closing the load circuit of the consumer and also that of the meter. The
armature C is connected across the mains a and b, provided with the usual resist-
ance T for reducing the current flowing therein. One end of the energizing coils of
the relay magnet R is connected to terminal U, which also forms one terminal for
switch S, and the other end is connected to coin-holder O. The spring contact N
and post N¹ are connected to main a, which is the opposite side of the circuit. The
coin I completes the relay circuit, which energizes magnet R, and switch S closes the
meter and consumption circuits. After the consumer has used the prepaid amount
of energy, cam P will release the coin-holder 0 and the coin will drop into a suitable
receptacle in the meter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
(as communicated to us from abroad) and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, we declare that what we claim is :-
1. In a mechanism controlled by a coin or other token, in which the coin or token
forms a part of the electric circuit, the combination of a pivoted holder for receiving
the coin or token, and a cam which is actuated by a moving part of said mechanism
for releasing the coin or token, after the mechanism has performed a certain
operation.
2. In a coin-controlled mechanism, the combination of an electric motor, a pivoted
coin-holder, and a cam which is actuated by the motor for tilting the holder and re-
leasing the coin.
3. In a coin-controlled mechanism, in which the coin forms part of the electric
circuit, the combination of a coin-holder which holds the coin in a position to
complete the circuit, a motor mechanism, and a rotary cam-wheel which is driven
by the motor mechanism for releasing the coin and interrupting the circuit.
4. In a coin-controlled mechanism, in which the coin forms part of an electric
circuit, the combination of a coin chute, a coin-holder which holds the coin in a
position to complete the circuit, a terminal which is connected to one side of the
electric circuit, and a rotary cam-wheel which is driven by a motor mechanisın for
moving the coin-holder to a position where the coin will be released.
5. In a coin-controlled electric motor mechanism, in which the coin forms a part
of the electric circuit, the combination of a pivoted coin-holder connected to one side
of an electric circuit, a spring normally retaining the holder in position to receive
the coin, a spring terminal connected to the other side of the electric circuit, and
means driven by the motor mechanism for moving the coin-holder.
6. In a coin-controlled motor mechanism, in which the coin forms a part of the
electric circuit, the combination of a pivoted coin-holder connected to one side of an

page_text: electric circuit, a terminal which is connected to the opposite side of the circuit,
and a second terminal also connected to the same side of the circuit against
which the coin abuts until the motor mechanism has made a certain movement or
number of movements.
7. In a coin-controlled inotor meter, in which the coin forms a part of an electric
circuit, the combination of a coin-holder connected to one side of an electric circuit,
a terminal connected to the opposite side of the circuit, and a second terminal con-
nected to the same side of the circuit as the first mentioned terminal, against which
the coin abuts, and means for releasing the coin after the motor mechanism has made
a certain number of revolutions.
8. In a coin-controlled mechanism, the combination of a coin chute, a terminal
and coin-holder connected to the opposite sides of an electric circuit and arranged to
catch and hold the coins in a manner to complete the circuit as they are delivered
from the coin chute, the relation between the parts being such that as one portion of
the coin-holder moves to release the coin which is then completing the circuit,
another portion of the holder moves to a position where it will catch the next
succeeding coin.
Dated this 4th day of October 1898.
THE BRITISH THOMSON-HOUSTON CO., LIMITED.
W. MARTINDALE,
A. R. MONKS,
ALFRED CLEMENTS,
}
Directors.
Assistant Secretary.