Year: 1895

page_text: I, JESSE HARRIS, of No. 116 Pine Grove Avenue, Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.A.,
Gentleman, 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 :-
My invention relates to meters and particularly to that class designed for
measuring and automatically recording the strength or force of the current or the
power developed in any electrical circuit and the length of time during which the
current is flowing, and also the time at which the current flows or is used.
My object is to produce a meter which will register power used, and as it is
used, the said meter comprising a paper strip fed regularly by clock-work, a pencil
mounted upon a slide, a rack-bar connected to the slide, a gear, engaging with said
rack-bar to reciprocate, a motor driving said gear when the circuit is closed
according to the strength of the current, said current passing through the current
coil producing a torque upon the pressure coil which throws it to the right and
through the connection to a reversing switch which causes the motor to turn in
such direction as to wind up a coil or spiral spring until the torque of the spring
balances the torque of the current and pressure coil, when it stops, but this has
operated also to throw the pencil outward upon the moving paper, and as the paper
is fed continuously, the pencil will mark a straight line so long as this balance
continues, and as the current diminishes in force and consequently reduces the
torque upon the pressure coil, which is overcome by the spring and thrown to the left
causing the motor to be run backwards, until the spring is proportionately uncoiled
and the pencil drawn back will mark the paper accordingly, and according to the
fluctuations of the strength of the current, and the paper being graduated as a
chart, the pencil line will thus, by its variations, indicate and record the number of
watts passing through the meter and in meters which are in circuit for long periods
of time, or where a chart is not desired, a dial device is substituted which gives
the addition of the watt-hours passing the meter in a given time between readings.
It is constructed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
in which-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the meter with the outer case or cover removed.
Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation on a line through the field coil and by the
side of the pressure coil.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the reversing switch.
Fig. 4 is a plan of a part of a chart as marked by the pencil for recording watts.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the circuits.
Fig. 6 is a plan of a coil-spring.
Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a watt-hour indicator or recorder.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 9 is a plan of the pieces of leather upon the roller which is driven by clock-
work in the watt-hour mechanism.
A is the base or back upon which the brackets a are mounted that carry the,
field or current coil B, which is of ordinary construction. An arm b is also secured
to said back and in it a stud is screwed, in the bottom of which is a bearing in
which the shaft c is stepped, and D is the pressure-coil mounted upon said shaft.
A reversing or circuit changing switch E is mounted upon said back and provided
with the posts d to which the wires d' leading to the motor-armature are connected,

page_text: is the
and to which the springs e are connected, said springs being connected by an insulated
cross-bar e to which the arm upon the pressure-coil is connected. It is further
provided with the contact-posts k and A¹ to which the wires m m¹ and n are connected.
The wires m m¹ are connected to one side of the circuit and the wire n, in case of a
series-wound motor, through the field of the motor to the other side and in a shunt-
wound motor direct to the other side of the circuit. H is a motor of ordinary
construction connected to the switch board in any ordinary manner and
pressure wire terminal, while rare the terminals for the current wires.
When a circuit is closed the torque produced on the pressure coil operates the
switch in the usual manner. At the same time the motor rotates the shaft S and
gears which engages with and actuates the geart which is loose upon the stud
but which is connected to the spring u, as by means of a stud ', the inner end of
said spring being connected to shaft c. Thus the rotation of the motor produces a
torsion upon the spring at one end, while the torque of the pressure coil produces a
wind-up strain upon the other end, and when thus automatically produced, the
torque of the spring balances the torque of the coil, the maximum strength of the
current is recorded by the apparatus for that purpose, actuated from the motor
shaft. A gear t¹ is secured to the gear t and is shown as somewhat above it, as
upon the end of its hub and the rack-bar 2 is engaged by the gear t and is con-
nected to a slide 3 which is mounted and adapted to be reciprocated in or upon
ways 4 and carrying the arm 5 in which the pencil 6 is held, having its point in
contact with the paper strip which is being wound over the roll 7 from the roll 8,
the roll 7 being rotated by the clockwork 9.
When the circuit is closed and the motor actuates the gear t as aforesaid, the
rack-bar is thrown over to the right and the pencil point carried with it and marks
the paper, making a line which shows precisely and accurately the number of watts
passing through the meter, according to the transverse graduation upon the paper
and the time by the lateral graduations, the absolute or standard time being
indicated thereon, if desired, in any suitable manner. When the torque of the
coil is balanced, the pencil point will indicate it by the apex of its marking, and so
long as such balance is maintained, the pencil will make its mark in a direct line
longitudinally to the paper, and every variation in the strength of the current will
be indicated by the marking, and when the current is broken the pencil will mark
a straight line to the left hand margin of the paper. Where meters are in use for
long periods, or a chart is not desired, a dial mechanism of ordinary construction is
substituted, consisting, briefly considered, of the following parts:
A roller 10 having a partial cover of leather 11, which is shown developed or
unrolled in Figure 9, is driven continuously by a clock-work; and a rod 12 is
mounted in the frame, upon which is a hollow or tubular spindle 13 loosely mounted
and adapted to be reciprocated, and provided with a loose wheel or roller 14; the
outer end of said spindle is connected to the rack-bar, and by the movements of
the said rack-bar through the rotation of the gear t, the said roller 14 is advanced
and brought into contact with the leather on the roller 10 and thereby intermittently
rotated, and by its rotation rotates the roller 15, the distances through which the
rollers 14 and 15 are turned at each revolution of the roller 10 being proportional
to the distance the sleeve 13 and the roller 14 are moved to the right by the rack
or other reciprocating mechanism above described. From the roller 15, the
shaft 16 and the pointer 17 are rotated and the shaft 16 intermittently actuates
the other pointers successively upon the dials 18 through the gearing, substantially
as shown.
In Fig. 51 show a plan of the circuits 19 being the generator, 20 the motor
circuit, 21 the current coil circuit, 22 the pressure coil circuit, and 23 the lamps,
24 the motors, all of which are known to electricians.
The purpose of the reversing switch is to control the motion and direction of the
motor, in order to obtain a continuous balance between the torsion coil and the
pressure-coil; that is to say, when the current is turned on, or the then flowing
current be increased, then the torque of the pressure coil would overcome the

page_text: spring, the pressure-coil would turn upon the shaft to the right, throw the contacts
on the switch, (Fig. 3) to the right, and cause the motor to rotate to wind up the
spring until its torque balances the torque on the pressure coil, whereupon the
contacts would break away from the posts k k on the right and the motor would
stop. Then if the current be decreased or cut off the strain of the spring would
overcome the lessened torque on the pressure-coil, which would move on its shaft
and throw the contacts on the switch to the left into contact with the posts k k¹
when the motor would revolve in the opposite direction and unwind the spring
until the balance was again obtained and the meter circuit opened.
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. The combination with a pressure coil and a motor, of a torsion spring connected
to said coil and to said motor, whereby the torsion of the spring automatically
balances the torque of the coil.
2. A pressure coil and its supporting shaft, in combination with a spring
connected to said shaft and brought under tension by the torque of said coil.
3. A pressure coil mounted upon a shaft, a spring connected to said shaft and to
a motor, in combination.
4. A pressure coil mounted upon a shaft, a spring connected to said shaft and to
a motor, a current coil and a motor, and means to record the current passing
through the current and pressure coils.
5. The improved meter constructed substantially as described with reference to
the accompanying drawings and operating as and for the purposes above specified.
Dated the 6th day of August. 1895.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.