Improvements in or relating to Prepayment Gasmeters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 27th June, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Prepayment Gasmeters.
I, JOHN MESNY TOURTEL of 17 Sinclair Mansions, West Kensington Park,
in the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to prepayment gasmeters or attachments for gas meters
in which upon the insertion of a coin mechanism may be set in action which will
successively lift and move away from its initial and operative position a gas cut-off
device, adapted to engage with the teeth of a ratchet or toothed wheel or with the
the pins of a pin wheel by which it is held in the position to which it has been
removed in relation to the wheel, and by which it is returned to its operative
position with a speed proportional to that of the meter mechanism with which the
aforesaid wheel is in gear or of which it may form a part.
By causing the cut-off to step back over the said wheel to a greater or less
distance by insertion of a number of coins equivalent to that distance the meter or
its mechanism be set to supply a proportional quantity of gas before the supply of
the latter is cut off.
The present invention relates to the construction of the stepback action of the
cut-off device and to means for enabling the coin itself upon its insertion to cause
the operation of the step back action.
The second part of this invention is applicable to that form of stepback action
in which the cut-off, a lever whose fulcrum coincides with the axis of the ratchet
wheel carries two pawls engaging with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel and so spaced
with regard to the pitch of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel that while the one pawl
is in full engagement with or against the radial face of a tooth thereof-the other
rests upon the inclined face of a tooth at an interval from the radial face of the
next tooth thereto so that upon the lifting of the first pawl the lever carrying
said pawls is free to move under force exerted for that purpose until the second
pawl arrives in contact with the radial face of the next tooth thereto aforesaid
whereupon the latter pawl is lifted and the first pawl released and the said body
is again free to move under the said force until the first pawl is again arrested by
the radial face of the tooth next to that against which it rested at the commencement
of the movement, the system thus stepping back one tooth's breadth over the wheel
and taking a new position of engagement therewith.
In this form of apparatus the present improvements consist broadly in causing
the coin itself by its insertion in the slot or chute provided for it to operate the
successive lifting or releasing of the two pawls aforesaid in order to permit them to
step back over the teeth of the ratchet wheel under the influence of a constantly
present and automatically operating force so that the consumer need not perform
any further action than the placing of the coin or coins in the coin slot.
To cause the feed movement of the pawls the lever carrying them may be loosely
revolvable and be solicited to revolve in the direction desired by a spring or
weight for instance a projecting counterbalancing arm. To cause the pawls to be
successively released there may be fitted two pawl releasers operating directly or
indirectly, the first when it or mechanism connected with it, is displaced by the
act of pushing the coin into the slot, the second after the coin has fallen into the
chute sufficiently far to acquire momentum to operate the second pawl releaser or

page_text: to displace a detent permitting the releaser to act automatically such detent being
restored to position by the insertion of the next coin or otherwise.
However instead of two independently movable pawls there may be used any
other form of double pallet escapement such for instance as a double pawl the
alternate raising or lowering of which suffers the lever or equivalent body to
escape for one tooth's breadth over the teeth or pins of the ratchet or equivalent
wheel. The too pallets must however be so arranged that the wheel can be
changed when change of the wheel for one having more or fewer teeth is the
method adopted for changing the price of the gas delivered and for this reason the
pallets may be close together or may be adjustable in their distance from each
other or from the wheel axis if wheels of different diameter are used.
In this case the mechanism for causing the coin to operate successively the two
successive movements of the escapement or pallets thereof will vary with the
nature of the escapement mechanism and its method of action being however
adapted to perform the double movement required.
Dated this 25th day of July 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Prepayment Gasmeters.
I, JOHN MESNY TOURTEL, of 17 Sinclair Mansions, West Kensington Park,
in the County of London, 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 prepayment gasmeters or attachments for gasmeters in
which upon the insertion of a coin mechanism may be set in action which will
successively lift and move away from its initial and operative position a gas cut-off
device adapted to engage with the teeth of a ratchet or toothed wheel or with the
pins of a pin wheel by which it is held in the position to which it has been removed
in relation to the wheel, and by which it is returned to its operative position with
a speed proportional to that of the meter mechanism with which the aforesaid wheel
is in gear or of which it may form a part.
By causing the cut-off to step back over the said wheel to a greater or less
distance by insertion of a number of coins equivalent to that distance the meter
or its mechanism may be set to supply a proportional quantity of gas before the
supply of the latter is cut off.
The present invention relates to the construction of the step-back action of
the cut-off device and to means for enabling the coin itself upon its insertion to
cause the operation of the step back action.
The second part of this invention is applicable to that form of step back action
in which the cut-off, a lever whose fulcrum coincides with the axis of the ratchet
wheel, carries two pawls engaging with the teeth of the ratchet wheel and so
spaced with regard to the pitch of the teeth of the ratchet wheel that while the
one pawl is in full engagement with or against the radial face of a tooth thercof
the other rests upon the inclined face of a tooth at an interval from the radial face
of the next tooth thereto so that upon the lifting of the first pawl the lever
carrying the said pawls is free to move under force exerted for that purpose until
the second pawl arrives in contact with the radial face of the next tooth thereto
aforesaid whereupon the latter pawl is lifted and the first pawl released and the
said lever is again free to move under the said force until the first pawl is again
arrested by the radial face of the tooth next to that against which it rested at the
commencement of the movement, the system thus stepping back one tooth's breadth
over the wheel and taking a new position of engagement therewith.

page_text: In this form of apparatus the present improvements consist broadly in causing
the coin itself by its insertion in the slot or chute provided for it to operate the
successive lifting or releasing of the two pawls aforesaid in order to permit them
to step back over the teeth of the ratchet wheel under the influence of a constantly
present and automatically operating force so that the consumer need not perform
any further action than the placing of the coin or coins in the coin slot.
To cause the feed movement of the pawls the lever carrying them may be
loosely revolvable and be solicited to revolve in the direction desired by a spring
or weight, for instance a projecting counterbalancing arm. To cause the pawls to
be successively released there may be fitted two pawl releasers operating directly
or indirectly the first when it or mechanism connected with it is displaced by the
act of pushing the coin into the slot, the second after the coin has fallen into the
chute sufficiently far to acquire momentum to operate the second pawl releaser or to
displace a detent permitting the releaser to act automatically such detent being
restored to position by the insertion of the next coin or otherwise.
However instead of two independently movable pawls there may be used any
other form of double pallet escapement such for instance as a double pawl the
alternate raising or lowering of which suffers the lever or equivalent body to
escape for one tooth's breadth over the teeth or pins of the ratchet or equivalent
wheel. The two pallets must however be so arranged that the wheel can be
changed when change of the wheel for one having more or fewer teeth is the
method adapted for changing the price of the gas delivered and for this reason the
pallets may be close together or may be adjustable in their distance from each
other or from the wheel axis if wheels of different diameter are used.
In this case the mechanism for causing the coin to operate successively the two
successive movements of the escapement or pallets thereof will vary with the nature
of the escapement mechanism and its method of action being however adapted to
perform the double movement required.
Referring to the accompanying drawings :-
Figure 1 is a front elevation, Figure 3 a similar elevation with the front plate
removed and Figure 2 an end elevation of an apparatus to which my invention
is applied in the form in which the introduction of the coin directly operates the
mechanism.
Figures 4 and 5 show alternative methods of constructing the step-back
mechanism, and
Figures 6 to 9 illustrate another arrangement of apparatus for operating the
same step-back mechanism as is applied in Figures 1 to 3.
Similar letters are used throughout as far as possible to denote similar parts in
the various figures.
With reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, A is a coin shoot upon a coin being
inserted into which at B an arm C of a bell crank lever pivoted at C' is forced
down and is secured by the hook F of a three armed lever pivoted at G which is
forced over it by the balance weight F on the arm F' of the said lever. The
coin then falls through the shoot A and upon reaching the position B¹ it strikes
the pin F3 on the arm F of the aforesaid lever and releases the lever C from the
hook F.
When the arm C is forced down in the manner before described the other
arm C' of the bell crank lever is forced outwards and carries with it a recessed
sleeve D which is connected by a key or feather to the arbor G, and against
which presses a spiral spring M. Upon the sleeve D is fixed a ratchet wheel D¹,
and with the teeth of this wheel engage two fixed pawls or detents e e¹ fixed upon
the disc E which disc is mounted loosely upon the arbor G.
A pinion E upon the disc E¹ engages with a segment rack H mounted loosely
on the arbor h, and a balance weight H' on the said rack tends to turn the disc E¹
through the said pinion and keeps the particular detent of the disc which is at the
time engaged with the ratchet wheel E' against the radial face of the tooth
nearest to it.

page_text: The arrangement of the detents is better shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8; in
Figure 6 the detent el is engaged with the wheel and the detent e is clear, while
in Figures 7 and 8 the detente is engaged and e' is clear.
Reverting to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the arbors G and h are geared together by
the wheels L and L', which are secured to their respective arbors by the
Duts N N'. Upon the other extremity of the arbor is fixed a wheel g³, which
is actuated through the worm g2 the pinion g' and the worm g by the ordinary meter
index.
By this means the ratchet wheel D' is always turned in the direction of the
arrow shown in Figure 3, and the disc E¹ is alternately set back for a distance of
one tooth of the wheel for each coin inserted and returned to its normal position
as the gas is consumed.
In order to cut off the supply of gas when the quantity prepaid has been
consumed I provide upon a lever K' fixed upon the axis K a projection K³, and
I connect a second lever J (also fixed upon the axis K) by means of a rod J¹ to
any suitable form of valve.
A projection D upon the disc E' is arranged to engage with the projection K'
of the lever K¹ and as the disc E' is turned with the ratchet wheel D¹ in the
direction of the before mentioned arrow the valve is closed and the supply cut
off. A tongue K³ on the lever K¹ is arranged to enter into the shoot A when
the valve is closed, and thus the coin after operating the arm C is enabled to press
down the lever K¹ and so opens the valve.
a
Upon the rack H is a pin H2 bearing a pointer H³ which indicates on
suitable scale the number of coins inserted into the apparatus in prepayment
of gas.
By varying the number of teeth in the wheel L and L' the speed with which
the ratchet wheel is rotated can be varied and thus a greater or lesser quantity of
gas can be supplied for a given coin.
Instead of a ratchet wheel I may use any similar device such as the pin wheel
shown in Figures 4. and 5. In Figure 4. a weighted lever E³, bears a pawl
lever E³ having fixed pawls 3 e engaging with the pins of the wheel. C³ is a
pawl releasing lever which when lifted strikes the pin e' on the pawl lever E³ and
thus causes the pawls and e* to be alternately engaged with the pins of the
wheel. The limits of operation in this case are confined to about one third of the
circumference of the wheel as beyond this distance the lever C³ could not
operate the pawl lever E³. The lever C³ may be operated by the introduction
of a coin into the mechanism in a manner similar to that described for Figures 1,
2 and 3.
In Figure 5 I illustrate another alternative step back arrangement, the lever E
bearing the pawls e and e' upon a rocking lever. Two pawl releasing levers
such as C are arranged to operate the pawls successively, one pawl releasing
lever being actuated by the insertion of a coin and the second lever through the
impetus acquired by the coin as in the case of Figures 1, 2 and 3.
In Figure 5 the pin wheel may be changed when the price is required to be
varied and the pawls and may be adjusted by the nuts shown on the
drawing so as to accommodate the pawls to wheels having a different number
of pins.
Another alternative method of operating the ratchet wheel D' and the pawls e e¹
is shown in Figures 6 to 10 inclusive where I employ a similar coin freed
mechanism to that described in my Patent No. 14122 of 1894 in which a coin is
caused to lift a lever catch normally locking the mechanism.
The coin is inserted in a guide A¹ and drops through a shoot A³ into a slotted
disc P fixed upon the shaft G. The slot in the disc P is so formed that a coin of
the required value is supported by projections within the slot so as to project
beyond the periphery of the disc whereas smaller coins pass freely through the
slot into the coiu receptacle.
If no coin is introduced into the apparatus before the handle G¹ of the shaft G

page_text: is turned the stop pin P¹ of the disc P is brought against the hooked end Q¹ of
the lever catch Q which is fulcrumed at Q and when the handle is released
the spring G³ acting on the piece G³ fixed on the inner end of G causes the disc P
to resume its normal position as shown in Figure 12 and it is enabled to do so
because the ratchet teeth of the disc P are cut away for such a distance that the
projection Q of the lever Q is unable to engage with the disc.
When a coin is introduced, however, and the handle G¹ is turned the coin
strikes the projection Q' of the lever Q and lifts it so that its hooked end Q' is
clear of the pin P' of the disc P. Upon continuing the rotation the projection Q
is eventually brought into engagement with the ratchet teeth of the disc P which
prevents a return of the disc. This rotation causes two fixed pins on the shaft G
to cause the lever E' to slide laterally inwards on the shaft and thus the detent e
which was originally engaged with the teeth of the ratchet wheel D¹ (as in
Figure 6) is freed and the detent e' is brought into operation as in Figures 7
and 8.
The continued rotation will cause the lever E¹ to be brought back to its
original position on the shaft G but it will have become set back to the extent of
one tooth of the ratchet wheel D'. A projection from the lever E¹ engaging with
hooked end J of the slide J' through a slot in which passes a screw J' will at the
same time push out the rod J¹ which is connected to a supply valve and gas will
thus be obtained, the supply being eventually cut off as the working of the meter
driving the ratchet wheel D' brings back the lever E¹ to its normal position and
again cuts off the supply. A projection H' on the lever E¹ bears a pointer H
which indicates upon a scale the value of gas prepaid and unconsumed.
Similar gearing is used to cause the rotation of the wheel D¹ to that described
for Figures 1, 2 and 3, and the amount of gas supplied for a given coin is varied
by varying the ratio of the number of teeth in the wheel L and L'.
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 I do
not claim the improved coin receiving disc P and lever catch Q, but what I
do claim is:
1st. In prepayment coin-freed gas meters the combination of the ratchet or
equivalent wheel D¹ the lever El and the pawls or detents e e¹ or their equivalents
so arranged as to cause a step-back motion of the said detents over the said wheel
to the extent of one tooth of the wheel for each coin inserted in the apparatus
substantially as described and illustrated.
2. In prepayment coin-freed gas meters the combination of the ratchet or
equivalent wheel D¹ the lever E' and the pawls or detents e e¹ or their equivalents
together with the lever C C₁ C' and the lever F F F2 F3 F4 constructed and
operating in the manner substantially as described and illustrated.
3. In prepayment coin-freed gas meters the combination of the ratchet or
equivalent wheel D₁ the lever E' and the pawls or detents e el together with the
pawl actuating pins R R' constructed and operating in the manner substantially as
described and illustrated.
4. In prepayment coin-freed gas meters the apparatus described and illustrated
in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
5. In prepayment coiu-freed gas meters the modified step back mechanism
substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.
6. In prepayment coin-freed gas meters the modified arrangement of apparatus
described and illustrated in Figures 6. 7. 8. 9 10 and 11.
Dated this 24th day of April 1896.
JOHN MESNY TOURTEL.