Improvements connected with the Valves of Coin Freed Apparatus for the Sale of Gas in Fixed Quantities.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with the Valves of Coin Freed Apparatus
for the Sale of Gas in Fixed Quantities.
We RICHARD THOMAS GLOVER and JOHN GEORGE GLOVER trading as
Thomas Glover and Company, of 214 to 222 St. John Street, Clerkenwell London,
Gas Meter Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the particular construction of the valve of a coin
freed gas meter and consists in loosely articulating the valve to its stem such as
by a ball and socket, or universal joint, so that said valve can accommodate itself
to any irregularity of position of its seating for a tight joint and prevent the
passage of gas to the consumer's pipe until said valve is lifted after the insertion of
a coin.
By loosely articulating the valve or it may be the seating no pressure is required
to be put upon the valve to tightly close it such as is necessary in valves of ordinary
construction. A spring may be used if desired to stiffen the valve and keep same
upon its work.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said R. T. & J. G. Glover.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with the Valves of Coin Freed Apparatus
for the Sale of Gas in Fixed Quantities.
We, RICHARD THOMAS GLOVER, and JOHN GEORGE GLOVER, trading as
Thomas Glover and Company of 214 to 222 St. John Street, Clerkenwell, London,
Gas Meter Manufacturers, 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 the particular construction of the valve of a coin freed
gas meter, and consists in loosely articulating the valve to its stem, such as by a
ball and socket or universal joint, so that said valve can accommodate itself to
any irregularity of position of its seating to form a tight joint and prevent the
passage of gas to the consumer's pipe until said valve is lifted from its seating after
the insertion of a coin.
By loosely articulating or flexibly connecting the valve to its stem, or the
valve seating to the pipe or other.outlet or inlet no great pressure is required to
be put upon the valve to tightly close it, such as is necessary in valves and seatings
of ordinary construction.
A spring may be used if desired to stiffen the valve and keep same upon its
seating its position between valve and the stem or a shoulder on the stem allows
the valve to yield to pressure when making contact with its seating to gradually
close same without that dead beat action or shock common to ordinary fixed
valves which moreover when used in connection with gas meters are unreliable
and leaky.

page_text: In order that our invention may be understood, we have illustrated it in the
drawings hereunto annexed in which
Figure 1 is a top plan of an ordinary dry gas meter, the top cover of the meter
and of the interior valve box being removed to more clearly show the valve
constructed according to our invention and the position it preferably occupies in
said meters when applied thereto in connection with a coin freed apparatus by
which its movement is controlled.
Figures 2, 3, 4, and are alternative constructions for achieving the same
purpose viz. flexible connection between the valve and its stem to allow its face
to adjust itself to any angle its seating may require.
Figure 6 is a view showing the seating loosely connected to a pipe, the valve
being rigidly connected to its stem.
Referring to. Figure 1, the pipe A is shown in connection with the inlet pipe B
of the meter, and its end C forms a seating against which a rubber or other
resilient washer D abuts to shut off the entry of gas to the meter bellows.
The washer D is screwed or otherwise attached to the socket piece E in which
the ball F at the end of the stem G is retained by the plate H and screws J, J.
Between the plate H and the lever or arm N is arranged a spring P which serves
to keep the valve in proper position.
The arm N is attached to the spindle K which passes downwardly through a
stuffing box and gland L into the valve chamber M and may be in connection with
any kind of actuating mechanism such as a coin freed prepayment apparatus which
after the insertion of a given coin will open the valve or allow of its being opened
by the consumer, the closing of same being effected by the meter mechanism in
conjunction with the prepayment apparatus.
In delicately arranged apparatus such as is necessary in coin freed gas meters,
it is important in order to prevent leakage and waste that the valve should close
evenly upon all parts of its seating with a pressure that will not put any strain
upon the meter mechanism. However if an ordinary fixed valve be used and
there occurs any irregularity in the position of its seating, as indicated by way of
example in Figure 7, considerable pressure is needed to cause the washer D to close
upon its seating C all round this pressure sometimes will not be obtained and
leakage from the opening Q must result.
To obviate this, we employ loosely articulated valves preferably of the kind
hereinbefore fully described with reference to Figure 1 but in some cases the ball
and socket joint may be dispensed with, and a spring P (Figure 2) only be used,
the flexibility of which will allow the valve to assume any angle and will at the
same time yield to the pressure put upon it by the meter mechanism, and thereby
prevent any binding or jamming of the operative parts.
In Figure 3, the valve is loosely connected to the stem or arm N by two
staples E, F, as an universal joint, or other equivalent means may be adopted, the
spring serving to keep the valve in its extended position.
In Figure 4 the desired result is obtained by making valve stem N or G of
flexible material and directly connecting the same to valve and the spindle boss R
by screws or other means. By using a flexible stem as here shown the valve can
not only assume any angle but the stem will by bending yield to pressure of the
operating mechanism.
In Figure 5, the valve has a vertical action upon its seating, a ball and socket
joint being used with the spring P enclosed in the valve below the ball or it may
be above the same if desired.
In Figure 6 we show how a perfect seating may be obtained by a valve fixed to
its stem, the seating C being connected to a pipe as a hall and socket joint.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The improvements connected with the valves of coin freed apparatus for the

page_text: sale of gas as hereinbefore described and substantially shown in the annexed
drawings.
2. In coin freed gas meters, loosely articulating or flexibly connecting the valves
to their stems for the purpose and in the manner as described and shown in
Figures 1 to 6.
3. In coin freed gas meters, the combination of a spring with a loosely articulated
valve for the purpose of keeping the valve in position and yielding to the pressure
of the operating mechanism as set forth.
4. In coin freed gas meters connecting the valve to a flexible stem for the double
purpose of accommodating itself to its seating and yielding to the pressure of the
operative mechanism as described with reference to Figure 4.
5. In coin freed gas meters loosely articulating the valve seating for the purpose
and in the manner substantially as described and shown with reference to
Figure 6.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Richard Thomas Glover and John George Glover.