Improvements in Pre-payment Gas Meters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 6th May, 1896-Accepted, 9th July, 1896
Improvements in Pre-payment Gas Meters.
We, WILLIAM COWAN and WILLIAM HENRY COWAN, both of Buccleuch
Street Works, Edinburgh, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, Gas
Meter Manufacturers &c. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in prepayment gas meters, and forms
modifications of and additions to our prior application for Letters Patent No. 21108
of 3rd November 1894.
In carrying out our present invention, which relates to the coin actuating
mechanism of the meter, we proceed as follows:-
We employ two suitably shaped standards or supports each of which are provided
or formed with a circular groove or slot on their inner faces, in which work two,
four or more guiding pins, ribs or bars of a circularly moving coin carrier or
carrie, which has its coin pocket or receptacle placed at a suitable angle so as to
determine the angle of the coin or token in relation to the angle of the teeth of
the prepayment wheel when placed in the same. There being also a coin retaining
bar or rod provided on the said pocket. Or the grooves may be formed in the
carrier and the pins, ribs or bars on the standards or supports. The said standards
or supports also carry the shaft or spindle for the prepayment wheel; said spindle
being mounted in line with and suitably connected to the screwed rod or tube or
outer tube or casing for actuating the valve or stop of the meter as described in
the beforementioned specification.
Between the said standards or supports, and on the shaft or spindle, we mount
the prepayment wheel, which has its teeth cut or formed with their sides preferably
at an angle of about 45 degrees, so as to enable the coin or token to engage with
the same and so actuate the said wheel, in such a manner, as to place a quantity of
gas at purchaser's disposal equal to the value of the coin inserted. The said
prepayment wheel may be provided with a gripping spring, or with an auxiliary
dise having a gripping spring, or in lieu of a spring we may employ any other
frictional arrangement.
In order to operate the said prepayment wheel so as to purchase gas, we employ
a suitably shaped pusher capable of being turned round or partially around a circle
by means of an outer knob or handle; said pusher being provided with a coin
retaining portion or guard and also a shutter portion. The said pusher may be
connected to the carrier or pocket, by means of an adjustable slip rod arrangement,
so as to enable the said carrier or pocket to be brought back into its normal
position along with the pusher, and there may be a normal stop provided for the
carrier or pocket.
In order to permit of variations in the price of gas being allowed for, we employ
a pointer and scale arrangement, such as is described in the specification of the
above named William Cowan's Patent No. 11537 of 23rd July 1890. Or we may,
as a modification, form the pointer and scale arrangement as a double circle (or
part of a circle) of holes in one of the standards or supports into which the binding
screw of the pointer would engage, and the end of the said screw would thus
regulate or determine the amount of travel that the carrier would have.
Or as a modification we may gear the prepayment shaft or spindle with the
valve or stop actuating rod, tube or casing by means of spur, bevel or other
gearing.

page_text: Or as a further modification we may employ a counter weighted pawl which
would only gear or engage with the teeth of the prepayment wheel on the insertion
and presence of a coin, said pawl being pivotted or otherwise connected to the
moveable carrier or pocket, and the teeth of the prepayment wheel made, in this
case, of a suitable shape as to enable the pawl to engage therewith.
The outer knob or handle may be mounted direct on the prepayment spindle, or
it may be geared therewith by means of spur, bevel or other gearing.
Or as a further modification the pusher may, if desired, be formed as a supple-
mentary carriage working in a supplementary groove or grooves formed on or
provided in the carrier or pocket.
In either of the foregoing arrangements or modifications, no gas will be supplied
unless a coin or token be inserted and the outer knob or handle actuated.
The foregoing improvements are equally applicable to both wet and dry gas
meters, having either valves or stops, and they may also, if desired, be employed
in combination with other forms of valve or stop actuating mechanism than those
hereinbefore referred to.
Dated this 8th day of July 1895.
JOHNSONS,
115 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Petitioners' Agents.
Improvements in Pre-payment Gas Meters.
We, WILLIAM COWAN and WILLIAM HENRY COWAN, both of Buccleuch
Street Works, Edinburgh in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, 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 improvements in pre-payment gas meters, and forms
modifications of and additions to our prior application for Letters Patent No. 21108
of 3rd November 1894.
In carrying out our present invention which relates to the coin actuating
mechanism of the meter, we proceed as follows:-and as is illustrated in the
annexed explanatory sheet of drawings.
Figure 1 is an elevation, Figure 2 an end elevation and Figure 3 a plan of one
method of carrying out our present invention; the covers being removed for the
sake of clearness.
Figure 4 is a detail of a modification, and
Figure 5 a detail view of part of Figure 1.
Referring to the said drawings we employ two suitably shaped standards or
supports A. each of which are provided or formed with a circular groove or slot B.
on their inner faces, in which work two four or more guiding pins, ribs or bars C.
of a circularly moving coin carrier or carriage D. which has its coin pocket or
receptacle d. placed at a suitable angle so as to determine the angle of the coin or
token E. in relation to the angle of the teeth f. of the prepayment wheel F. when
the coin or token is placed in the said pocket d. There is also a coin retaining bar
or rod d provided in the said pocket d.
carrier D'and the pins, ribs or bars C. in the standards or supports A. The said
Or the grooves B. may be formed in the
standards or supports A. also carry the shaft or spindle G for the prepayment
wheel F. said spindle G being mounted in line with and suitably connected to the
screwed rod or tube A*, or outer tube or casing E* for actuating the valve or stop
of the meter as described in the before mentioned specification.
Between the said standards or supports A, and on the shaft or spindle G we
mount the prepayment wheel F. which has its teeth fent or formed with their
sides preferably at an angle of about 45 degrees so as to enable the coin or token E

page_text: to engage with the same and so actuate the said wheel F in such a manner as to
place a quantity of gas at the purchaser's disposal equal to the value of the coin
inserted. The said prepayment wheel F may be provided with a gripping spring.
or with an auxiliary disc having a gripping spring or in lieu of a spring we may-
employ any other frictional arrangement. Though we prefer to employ the
arrangement shown that is to say we mount a gripping spring J. on the spindle G.
upon which the prepayment wheel F. is mounted and we cause this spring J. to..
work against the outside face of the inner standard A.
In order to operate the said prepayment wheel F. so as to purchase gas, we-
employ a suitably shaped pusher K. capable of being turned round or partially
around a circle by means of an outer knob or handle L, which along with the
pusher K. is connected to a sleeve K¹ capable of being revolved round or partially
around a circle without actuating the spindle G. or prepayment wheel F. in the
event of no coin being in the pocket, as shown more particularly in Figure 5..
The said pusher K. is provided with a shutter portion k¹ for preventing the
insertion of a coin except when the mechanism is in its normal position, the
portion k of the shutter acting as a guard for retaining the coin in the pocket d.
An auxiliary guard ³ may be employed if desired. The said pusher K is.
connected to the carrier or pocket d. by means of an adjustable slip rod arrange-
ment, so as to enable the said carrier or pocket d to be brought back into its.
normal position along with the pusher K, and there is preferably one or more.
normal stops a provided for the carrier or pocket d.
In order to permit of variations in the price of gas being allowed for, we employ
a pointer and scale arrangement, such as is described in the specification of the
above named William Cowan's Patent No. 11537 of 23rd July 1890. Or as
shown, we may as a modification, form the pointer and scale arrangement as a
single circle M (or part of a circle) of holes in one of the standards or supports A..
into which the binding screw n of the pointer N would engage, and the inner end
of the said screw n would thus regulate or determine the amount of travel that the
carrier D would have. Or we may form the scale as a double circle (or part of a
circle) of holes M¹ arranged as shown in detail Figure 4.
After the coin has been placed in position in the pocket d of the carrier D, the
carrier is turned round by means of the outer knob or handle L and pusher K till.
it reaches the inner end of the binding screw n, in which position the coin retaining
portion or guard k is below the coin whilst keeping the coin in contact with the
teeth of the prepayment wheel F.
When turning the handle in the opposite direction the pusher K with the coin.
retaining portion k and guard k¹ is turned round for a short distance without
operating the coin carrier D and pocket d viz.:-till it reaches the end of the slip rod
arrangement 2, thus drawing the coin retaining portion from below the coin and
allowing it to drop out; the remainder of the travel of the pusher K bringing the
carrier back to its normal position.
Or as a modification we may gear the prepayment shaft or spindle G with the
valve or stop actuating rod, tube, or casing, by means of spur, bevel, or other
gearing.
Or as a further modification we may employ a counter weighted pawl which
would only gear or engage with the teeth f. of the prepayment wheel F on the
insertion and presence of a coin said pawl being pivotted or otherwise connected to
the moveable carrier D or pocket d and the teeth of the prepayment wheel made,
in this case, of a suitable shape as to enable the pawl to engage therewith.
The outer knob or handle L may be mounted direct on the prepayment spindle G
or it may be geared therewith by means of spur, bevel, or other gearing.
Or as a further modification the pusher may if desired, be formed as a supple-
mentary carriage working in a supplementary groove or grooves formed on or
provided in the carrier or pocket.
In either of the foregoing arrangements or modifications, no gas will be supplied
unless a coin or token be inserted and the outer knob or bandle actuated.

page_text: The foregoing improvements are equally applicable to both wet and dry gas
meters, having either valves or stops, and they may also if desired, be employed in
combination with other forms of valve or stop actuating mechanism than those
hereinbefore referred to.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. In prepayment gas meters, the combination of parts forming our improved
coin actuating mechanism, consisting of a circularly moving coin carrier or carriage
working between two standards or supports and actuated by means of a pusher,
having guard and shutter portions, through the medium of an external knob or
handle; said pusher and its connections being mounted loosely on and in a direct
line with the prepayment wheel's spindle, or on an auxiliary spindle which is
geared to the said prepayment wheel's spindle, all substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2nd. In prepayment gas meters, the prepayment wheel F with teeth cut at an
angle of 45°, approximately, to effect the direct action of a coin thereon, substantially
as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
3rd. In prepayment gas meters, the combination of a prepayment wheel having
teeth cut at an angle of 45° with a circularly moving coin carrier or carriage
capable of being actuated by a revolving or partially revolving pusher, whereby
the coin or token on being inserted in the said carrier is caused to gear with, and
so form the means whereby the operator can actuate the prepayment wheel, or any
mere modification of the said arrangements, substantially as herein before described
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
4th. In prepayment gas meters, the arrangement and combination of a coin
actuating mechanism, as claimed in Claims 1 and 2, with a valve or stop
actuating mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 of our prior Patent No. 21108 of
3rd November 1894, consisting of an externally screwed rod or tube having two
concentric tubes, in which arrangement two out of three of the component parts
move together, whilst the third part remains quiescent or stationary, substantially
as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
5th. In prepayment gas meters, the pointer and scale arrangements, in
combination with the coin operating mechanism as described in the preceding
claims, substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and shown in
the drawings.
6th. In prepayment gas meters, the general arrangement, construction and
combination of the various parts constituting our improvements, all substantially
as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 5th day of May 1906
JOHNSONS,
115 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicants' Agents.