Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Gas or other Fluid on Prepayment.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 24th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 1st July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Gas or other Fluid on
Prepayment.
We, JOHN HAWKYARD, of Shaw's Lane, Uppermill, Saddleworth, in the County
of York, Manager, and JOSEPH BRADDOCK, of 72, Windsor Road, Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to that form of prepayment mechanism for which Letters
Patent were granted to us and numbered and dated 14655 of 1890. Our invention
has for its object improvements in the construction of the said mechanism in
order to simplify it and render it more certain and satisfactory in its operation.
In carrying our said invention into effect we employ a rotary coin receiver
actuating when it contains a coin and is revolved from without the case a sprocket-
wheel all these parts being constructed substantially as described in our before
mentioned specification. The valve is mounted on the end of a spindle which
is capable of both endwise and rotary movement. The valve spindle is carried
in bearings formed in the framework of the apparatus and has loosely mounted
on it a wheel with a long boss the said wheel being rotated from the meter by
gearing of the kind described and illustrated in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to us and numbered and dated 9771 of 1893. The boss of the said wheel
is long enough to occupy the space between the frame work of the apparatus so
that the meter driven wheel can only rotate and cannot move endwise. The
sprocket wheel is mounted on the boss of the meter driven wheel being capable
of rotary movement only.
On the inner face of the sprocket wheel we form a cam course which for the
major part is concentric with the valve spindle but which for a short length is
eccentric thereto. On the inner face of the meter driven wheel we form a projec-
tion and in the boss of the said wheel we form a longitudinal slot. On the projec-
tion named we hinge an L lever one arm of which is forked and the other arm
presses against the cam course on the sprocket wheel. The fork of the said lever
passes over the boss of the meter driven wheel at the point where the slot is made
and each of the forks is drilled or grooved for the reception of a pin fixed in the
valve spindle the said pin extending outwards so as to pass through the slot in
the boss and engage with the lever. The rotation of the sprocket wheel by a coin
or the rotation of the driven wheel by the meter causes the L lever to be rocked
and thus gives an endwise movement to the valve spindle the direction of the said
movement being determined by which of the two wheels is rotated.
A further improvement relates to the construction of the detent lever heretofore
used by us to prevent the sprocket wheel being rotated except when a coin is in
the coin receiver. We form the lever with two arms approximately at right
angles to each other and we hinge it to the frame work. The vertical arm of the
detent lever projects into the path of the coin so that the first effect of the rotation
of the coin is to press upon the said arm and thus raise the lever before rotating
A.-

page_text: the sprocket wheel. The horizontal arm of the detent lever is weighted and has
formed on it a projection which is so shaped and is of such a size as to engage with
a gap in the sprocket wheel and completely fill it thus preventing its rotation
till the detent lever is raised. Suspended from the said arm is a forked rod or
bar the forked portion passing over the boss of the sprocket wheel so as to be guided.
One of the branches of the fork is longer than the other and has a pin fixed in it
which projects across the sprocket wheel. When the detent lever is raised the
said pin enters into a gap in the sprocket wheel and thus prevents its backward
rotation. When the sprocket wheel has made its partial rotation by means of
one coin the projection on the detent lever falls into the next gap and the pin
is dropped below the wheel. We form the projection on the detent lever with
two steps on its face so that the pin is released a short time before the wheel has
completed its movement.
The frame containing the mechanism is sustained on a base plate fixed to the
meter. The said base plate is provided with a gas way communicating with the
inlet pipe of the meter and the inlet to the valve box. A joint is made in any
suitable manner between this gas-way and the valve box. We also hold the
apparatus down by means of a hook or clip bolt which passes through the base
plate and is secured within the money box. In order therefore to unfasten the
nut it is necessary to unlock the money box which can only be done by an official.
Dated this 27th day of August 1898.
JOSEPH NASMITH,
For the Applicants.
Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Gas or other Fluid on
Prepayment.
We, JOHN HAWKYARD, of Shaw's Lane, Uppermill, Saddleworth, in the County
of York, Manager, and JOSEPH BRADDOCK, of 72, Windsor Road, Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be carried out to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement : -
Our invention relates to an improved form of the prepayment mechanism for
application to gas or other fluid nieters for which Letters Patent were granted to
us and numbered and dated 14655 of 1890 and has for its object the simplification
of the said apparatus so as to render it more direct in its action and less liable
to fraudulent use. We also so construct our said mechanism that it is readily
applicable to any form of meter and is capable of being easily removed when it
is desired to do so for any purpose.
is a
The method of carrying our said invention into effect is shewn in the accom-
panying drawings whereof Fig. 1 is a front elevation: Fig. 2 a plan view; Fig. 3
a side elevation partly in section shewing the valve and its seat: Fig.
section through the line X Y in Fig. 2: Fig. 5 is a detailed view of meter driven
wheel and its attached forked lever: Fig. 6 is a plan view of the gas connection
for a wet meter: Fig. 7 is a plan view of the gas connection for a dry meter:
Fig. 8 is a side view of the bell crank detent lever H; and Fig. 9 a separate view
of the coin carrier.
We employ a coin carrier or receiver A which rotates on a spindle borne in a
suitable framing and is provided with a through slit for the reception of the coin.
The coin is prevented from going too far by two stops A¹ A3 which are set at the
correct distance to sustain a coin of the required size but will permit any smaller

page_text: coin to pass through. The coin which is introduced in the ordinary way through
a slit in the framing enters the coin receiver and is discharged therefrom at
the same side. The coin receiver A is rotated from without by the milled wheel A³
or by any convenient thumb piece and we preferably limit the rotation of the
receiver to about half a revolution. The receiver is so formed that the coin when
carried by the receiver projects into the space in the wheel G.
The valve C which is supplementary to the valve usually employed in gas
meters is mounted on the end of the spindle C¹ which is capable of both endwise
and rotary movement and is carried in bearings formed in the framing passing
through a stuffing box C whereby the escape of gas from the chamber C³ is
prevented when the valve is open. The said chamber is when the mechanism
is in working position connected with the passage communicating with the
ordinary gas passages in the meter by making a joint at C by the two screws
shewn. The chamber C is closed at its upper portion by a jointed cover which can
be removed to obtain access to the stuffing box C2 when the latter requires packing.
Upon the valve spindle C is loosely mounted a wheel E (hereinafter called the
delivery wheel) formed with a long boss E' which is borne as shown by the frame
of the apparatus and projects at the front sufficiently far to carry the finger D
traversing a dial showing the number of coins which have been placed in the
apparatus and for which no gas has been supplied. In the said boss E of the
wheel E a slot E2 is formed and the valve spindle C terminates a little beyond
the front end of the slot E2. Some of the teeth of the wheel E are projected
forward at E so that a small L lever F can be pivotted to them. One end of
the lever F is forked so as to pass over the boss E¹. A pin F (Fig. 5) is fixed
in the forked end of F and passes through the valve spindle C₁ thus making an
operative connection between it and the boss E. The other end of the lever F
may be provided with a small anti-friction roller and presses against a cam
face G formed in the inner face of the sprocket wheel G (hereinafter called the
purchase wheel).
The purchase wheel G is loosely mounted upon the boss E¹ and is kept in position
by a collar fixed into E by a pin. As the purchase wheel G has on the side
opposite the collar a boss in contact with a face formed on the front frame it is
prevented from having any longitudinal movement. The cam face G' is formed
so as to be for the greater part of its length concentric with, the axis of the wheel
but at the point G it is formed spirally thereto and in the form of a cam course.
The purchase wheel G has thirteen equal gaps in it.
A lever H (see Fig. 4) having two arms HH2 is pivotted at the point H. The
horizontal arm H¹ of the said lever carries on a pivot J a weight J the object
of which is to keep in position in two of the gaps formed in G two detent
catches K K which normally lock the mechanism. The vertical arm H of the
lever H has formed upon its face next the coin receiver two inclines L L' and at
its lower end (Fig. S) is bent at right angles so as to form a pin or detent H*
passing across the face of the purchase wheel Gr.
We gear the delivery wheel E to the meter by any suitable means but we prefer
to employ means similar to those for which Letters Patent were granted to us
and numbered and dated 9771 of 1893. These consist of a vertical worm spindle M
which has fixed upon its upper end by means of a nut a readily changeable crown
wheel M. The downwardly projecting boss of M₁ has a slot formed in it which
engages with a pin passing through M and projecting on each side of it. A
shoulder is formed on the spindle M which fixes the vertical position of M' thus
ensuring it being in correct gear with the long pinion M2 which is suitably borne.
The pinion M2 can be connected to the meter index mechanism in many well
known ways. We may dispense with the wheel M¹ and pinion M2 and connect
the spindle M to the meter in any convenient method.
The action of the above mechanism is as follows. Before the introduction of
a coin the valve C is pressed on to its seat and prevents the inflow of gas to the
meter passages. The end F3 of the lever F rests in the eccentric portion G³ of

page_text: the cam face G¹ thus pressing the valve on its seat. The coin receiver is turned
up and the coin is introduced. The receiver is then turned from right to left
and presses against the first incline L on the vertical arm H2 of the lever H.
This causes the lever H to rock sufficiently to permit the edge of the coin to
pass over L when the lever H falls back so that the coin receiver cannot be
turned back. The movement of H is not sufficient to lift the catches K K¹ out of
the purchase wheel G so that the latter cannot be rotated at this time. The
continued rotation of the coin receiver causes the coin to press against the second
incline L on H2 and rock the lever H to such an extent that the catches K K'
are nearly free from the purchase wheel G. The coin now presses against one of
the teeth of G and begins to rotate it and as the movement is continued the teeth
acting against the detents K K' still further raise the lever H and cause the
pin H to enter the next corresponding space in the purchase wheel G at the
underside so preventing any return movement of G. A continuance of the
rotation of A completes the partial revolution of G releases the lever H which
falls back into its normal position locking G and the coin falls out of the slit in
the receiver as soon as the pressure is off.
The purchase wheel having been rotated the cam surface moves so that the
pin is lifted up the eccentric portion G³ and in consequence the lever Fis
rocked on its pivot. Owing to its connection with the valve spindle the latter
is moved endwise so as to draw the valve away from its seat. Additional coins can
be subsequently or consecutively inserted up to 12 but after that number have
been introduced the mechanism is locked until a retractive movement has taken
place. The effect of the introduction of additional coins after the first is that the
pin F3 traverses the concentric portion of the cam face G without producing
further effect upon the valve.
Owing to the opening of the valve C gas begins to flow as shown by the arrows
and the meter begins to work. The result is that the pinion M2 is rotated and
drives by the crown wheel M₁ and worm M the delivery wheel E. As the
lever F is pivotted to the delivery wheel E as described the rotation of E retracts
the pin and gradually brings it into the eccentric portion G³ of the cam thus
rocking the lever F and closing the valve. The rate at which the retraction takes
place depends on the ratio between M and M2 and as M¹ can be easily changed
can be varied as desired.
The mechanism is fixed in position by placing it above the coin box allowing
a passage for the coins to fall after discharge. The gas inlet or base plate N
(Fig. 7) is fixed on the meter and the gas way of the attachment fixed to it by
two screws at N2 and N³ so as to make a gas tight joint the nipple C (Fig. 3)
taking into the hole N' in the base plate the passage of the gas being shown
by the arrows in Fig. 7. A hook headed screw P is passed through the apparatus
and through a hole in the top of coin box chamber. By passing the hook over
the top of the frame and screwing up a nut inside the coin box the apparatus is
by the aid of the gas joint named held in position but can be readily removed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
(1). The combination of a rotary coin receiver a purchase wheel operated by
a coin held in the receiver a cam on the face of the purchase wheel a double armed
detent lever normally locking the purchase wheel a delivery wheel loosely mounted
on a valve spindle capable of endwise movement a lever pivotted on the delivery
wheel and coupled to the valve spindle the said lever being oscillated in one
direction by the rotation of the purchase wheel and in the other by the rotation
of the delivery wheel all arranged constructed and operating in the manner and
for the purpose as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
(2). The employment of a two armed detent lever which normally locks the
purchase wheel and so constructed that when it is operated by the pressure of a

page_text: coin held in a rotary coin receiver it first locks the coin before releasing the
purchase wheel and subsequently releases the purchase wheel so as to permit
of the forward and prevent the backward rotation of the said purchase wheel all
arranged and combined as herein before described and illustrated.
(3). The hereinbefore described means for and method of mounting the prepay-
ment mechanism of a gas meter so that it can be readily removed and replaced.
Dated the 22nd day of April 1899.
JOSEPH NASMITH,
Agent to the Applicants.