Improvements in Gas Meters for Supplying a Predetermined Quantity of Gas.
Year: 1889

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Meters for Supplying a Predetermined
Quantity of Gas.
I DANIEL. ORME of the firm of George Orme and Company of the Atlas Meter
Works Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Gas Meter Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention to be as follows :-
My said Invention relates to gas meters for supplying a pre-determined quantity of
gas to the consumer by the setting of an index to the quantity required, the working
of the meter and the supply of gas being arrested when the fixed quantity has been
delivered. The parts constituting my invention can be arranged in conjunction with
and in addition to the ordinary index and could at a small expense be added to
existing meters. I arrange upon the index face an additional index scale and pointer
the scale representing say 1000 feet of gas. The index pointer is set back to the
quantity fixed upon and which may be prepaid. Behind the face the axis of the
index carrier has fixed to it a disc having a turned periphery and a notch or depres-
sion in its circumference. This setting back of the index pointer
effected by a
key or wrench and the orifice for inserting or applying the key or wrench may be
closed by a cap or door and sealed to prevent tampering. On the same axis as the
notched disc and coupled thereto by a frictional presser spring I have a toothed spur
wheel which revolves loosely on the pointer axis and gears with another wheel which
is driven from the ordinary indexing arrangement. The said presser spring
frictionally connects the notched disc and the spur wheel on the same axis with
sufficient pressure to cause both to revolve together under ordinary working condi-
tions, but when it is requisite to turn back the notched dise the spring connection
between the disc and the spur wheel is overcome and the disc can be set to any
required position independently of the spur wheel. A catch is pivotted to the index
frame the said catch having a tooth or projection made to occupy the notch in the
disc when the said notch comes opposite to the tooth on the catch. At other
times the tooth rides on the periphery of the disc and keeps the catch elevated. The
catch is prolonged and has an abutment at its outer end so formned that when the
lengthened tail of the ordinary crank in connection with the bellows of a dry meter
fordriving the usual index, comes against this abutment the working of the bellows
is stopped and the supply is cut off. This stoppage of the bellows occurs only when
the catch drops, that is when the notch in the disc comes opposite to the tooth on the
catch. It will therefore be evident that if the setting index pointer is arranged in its
proper relative position to the notch in the disc and the pointer is set by the key or
wrench to the quantity of gas required, say to 500 cubic feet, then when the pointer
comes opposite to this figure on the scale the notch will have come opposite to the
pivotted catch which then drops and presents the abutment to the tail of the revolving
crank and thus brings the whole meter to a stand. A gap or cypher point exists on
the index scale between the first and last figures of the scale so as to allow for
the width of the notch and tooth. As the revolving crank and bellows exist
only in dry meters a slight modification requires to be made in wet ineters.
The arrangements of index notched disc and pivotted catch are the same in
both cases but in a wet meter I arrest the revolution of the up shaft from the
drum by forming a stop on the shaft, the said stop revolving clear of the end of the
pivotted catch so long as the catch is upheld by the periphery of the disc.
the tooth of the catch drops into the notch in the disc and thus lowers the catch the
end comes opposite to the stop on the up shaft which being thus arrested cuts of the
supply of gas.
The notch in the disc is bevelled or inclined on one side so that when
the dise is tuined back the tooth on the catch is displaced and rides once more on
When

page_text: the periphery. When the meter is in use the consumer having determined upon the
quantity of gas he will require, the value is or may be prepaid and the pointer on the
index is set to the corresponding figure the supply from the meter being cut off when
the pre-arranged quantity has been delivered.
Dated this 1st day of August 1889.
Improvements in Gas Meters for Supplying a Predetermined
Quantity of Gas.
I DANIEL ORME of the firm of George Orme and Company of the Atlas Meter
Works, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Gas Meter Makers, 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 and
accompanying drawings :-
-
My said Invention relates to gas meters for supplying a predetermined quantity of
gas to the consumer by the setting of an index to the quantity required, the working
of the meter and the supply of gas being arrested when the bxed quantity has been
delivered. The parts constituting my invention can be arranged in conjunction with
and in addition to the ordinary index and could at a small expense be applied to
existing meters. I arrange upon the index face an additional index scale and hand or
pointer the scale representing say 1000 feet of gas. The arbor of this additional index
hand is connected by means of a friction clutch with a wheel which gears with one of
the ordinary wheels of the indicator so that the said index hand turns in concert with
the other hands of the indicator when the meter is at work but can be turned or set to
any required point by the gas inspector without turning the other hands. The said
arbor also caries a notch wheel which sustains a drop lever until the quantity of gas
for which the additional index hand has been set has been delivered when the said
lever drops and prevents the further supply of gas beyond a small limited quantity.
My Invention will be best understood when described more fully with reference to
the accompanying drawings whereof the drawings in Sheet 1 illustrate the application
of my Invention to a wet gas meter and the drawings in Sheet 2 to a dry gas
meter.
In the drawings in Sheet 1 Fig. 1 represents the dial which I employ. Figs. 2 and 3
illustrate the formation and action of the notch wheel and drop lever and Fig. 4 is a
plan of a part of the indicator apparatus and illustrates the formation of the said
friction clutch.
In Fig. 1a is the additional index circle and b is the additional index hand. In
the example the travel of the hand from 10 to 0 in the indicated direction would
indicate a consumption of 1000 feet of gas but if required the indication may be less
or more than this quantity according to the arrangement of the gearing. The hand
is fixed upon an additional arbor c which is seen in the other Figs. The rear end of
this arbor is adapted to be turned by means of a key which can be introduced through
a hole in the casing. In practice I recess or shape the end of the arbor to suit a
special key carried by the gas inspector so that the arbor cannot be turned without
such key or without a similar key. For additional security the key hole may be closed
by means of a locked or sealed door or cover. In such a case the arbor might or
night not be adapted to be turned with a simple key. Upon the said arbor is fixed a
wheel d in which is formed a notch d¹. A lever e is mounted upon a fulcrum at f
and is provided with a tooth or projection e¹ which rests upon the periphery of the
notch wheel d whereby the lever is sustained in the position indicated in Fig. 2. The
upright shaft which connects the measuring drum with the indicator apparatus is
represented by g in Figs. 23 and 4. Upon this shaft I fix or form a projecting

page_text: finger g' which revolves clear of the end of the drop lever so long as it is sustained as
in Fig. 2. The wheel dis fixed upon the arbor in such a position in relation to the
index hand b as that just as the said hand arrives at the end o of the scale the notch d¹
permits the lever to drop into the position represented in Fig. 3 so that the end of the
lever is brought into the path of the revolving finger g¹which will then come into contact
with the drop lever before the finger can complete a revolution after the said lever has
dropped. It will be seen that the drop lever by thus preventing the rotation of the
shaft will stop the further delivery of gas. Upon the arbor c is mounted a spur
wheel which in the example would gear with the ordinary hundreds wheel of the
indicator such wheel being represented by the dotted circle i. The wheel would be
a little larger than the wheel to allow for the space between the ends of the scale
from 0 to 10 this space representing the portion of the periphery of the wheel & which
is occupied by the notch. The spur wheel his formed with a friction disc h' which
has its periphery turned to a conical shape. A spring is attached to the wheel d
and the two ends of this spring are in contact with the conical edge of the disc h¹.
The wheel with its disc are loosely mounted upon the arbor being free to slide us
well as to turn thereon. The said parts can be forced toward the wheel d by turning
a regulating nut h whereby the conical edge of the disc can be forced against the
ends of the spring with sufficient pressure to ensure the parts d and he turning together
during the ordinary working of the meter the wheel driving the wheel d by the
frictional contact of the disc with the ends of the spring When the inspector turns
the arbor to set the index hand and wheel d the spring slips upon the disc the wheel /
remaining stationary.
The apparatus is intended to be used in manner as follows: On the inspector
calling to set the meter the consumer would pay for a certain quantity of gas say
for 1000 feet. The inspector would insert his key and turn the arhor until the band b
would point to 10 on the scale. The wheel would turn with the arbor and the
detent tooth e¹ would rise out of the notch and the drop lever would be raised so that
the meter would be allowed to supply gas. As the hand would turn in the indicated
direction it would indicate on the additional scale the amount of gas still standing to
the credit of the consumer so that by a glance at the dial he would at any time see
how much gas would be still due to hun as for example on the hand arriving at the
point I the consumer would be aware that after the meter would have supplied 100 feet
the supply would cease. On the hand arriving at the point o the drop lever would fall
and the supply of gas be arrested. If the consumer only pays for say 500 feet the
inspector will turn the index hand to the point 5 and so on for other amounts less
than 1000 feet. As the ai bor c is always turned in the same direction the driving
connection between the two wheels and d might be effected by means of a ratchet
wheel and pawl.
In Sheet 2 Fig. 5 represents a dial suitable for a dry gas meter Figs. 6 and 7
illustrating the modifications which I have made in the apparatus to suit the
differences between the two descriptions of meter.
In the said Figs. parts which have a similar action to corresponding parts in Sheet 1
are marked with the same letters of reference.
The additional arbor c is not directly acted upon by the key of the inspector but is
connected by gearing k with a shaft which is adapted to be turned with the aid of a
key. This enables me to bring the keyhole to the front of the indicator so as to be on
the same side of the meter as the index scale. The drop lever e is formed with a
downward projection which is intended to catch the arm m upon the ordinary
vertical shaft n of the meter. So long as the drop lever is held up the said armn clears
the projection e but on the lever falling the said projection is brought into the way
of the end of the arm m so that as it comes round it comes into contact with such
projection and the further action of the meter is thereby arrested. As I prefer to
apply a spring which tends to move the drop lever towards the notch wheel it is not
essential that the lever shall be so mounted as that the tooth or the lever shall drop
vertically into the notch.

page_text: 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 parts for addition to a gas meter or to gas meter indicating apparatus
substantially as set forth and indiented.
2. As applied to gas ineter indicating apparatus the additional scale index hand and
arbor the notch wheel fast to the arbor the spur wheel loosely mounted upon the arbor
and having a driving connection with the notch wheel which permits of the setting of
the latter and receiving motion from one of the arbors of the indicator or index and
the drop lever adapted to stop the revolution of the unit shaft of the meter when
permitted to fall by the notch wheel substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated.
3. As applied to a gas meter indicator or index the additional index hand shewing
upon an additional scale the quantity of gas remaining to be passed by the meter
before its movements are arrested in combination with parts for stopping the meter
when such quantity has been passed.
4 As applied to a gas meter the drop lever sustained by a notch wheel which is
connected with a special index hand which can be set to a special scale by ineans of a
key a notch in the said wheel permitting the said lever to drop and to stop the action
of the meter when the meter has passed the quantity of gas for which the parts bave
been set substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated
5. As applied to a gas meter a stop lever kept clear of a revolving part of the meter
by a notch wheel during the passage of a determined quantity of gas but allowed to
move to stop the meter by the entering of a part on the lever into a notch in the
wheel when such quantity of gas has passed in combination with a special index hand
and scale such hand being adapted to be set along with the said notch wheel by means
of a key and moving in concert with the ordinary index gearing during the passage
of gas the scale being marked to indicate the quantity of gas at any time due to the
consumer substantially as and for the purpose set forth.