Year: 1899

page_text: We, JOHN FREDERIC WRIGHT, GEORGE ERNEST WRIGHT, and ANDREW GUTHRIE
SUTHERLAND, all of Essex Works, Thimblemill Lane, in the City of Birmingham,
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
Our invention relates to coin-freed gas meters and especially to those of the
quiescent type.
Our object is to simplify the coin operated mechanism and to prevent
successful attempts at frauds.
Our invention consists of a new construction of parts comprising a holder
into which a coin is dropped which holder can be revolved by means of a handle
by the user. While moving with the holder, the coin strikes a projection on
a plate mounted coaxially with the holder and makes it rotate. Atter a certain
travel the coin drops out of the holder. By means of a pawl and ratchet; the
holder, while it contains the coin, cannot be moved back and therefore only
one forward movement can be given to the plate. By the usual mechanism of
a quiescent or other meter the amount of gas suppled is proportional to the
movement of the rotated plate. The amount of movement of the plate for each
coin used can be adjusted by the seller.
In one modification of our invention the coin when revolved in the holder has
first some tree motion and then strikes a pin on a plate and makes the latter
rotate. A pawl attached to the plate catches in a ratchet wheel mounted
coaxially with the plate and holder and turns it round. This ratchet wheel is
attached rigidly to a shaft, which works the screw or nut or other device
supplying the gas in a quiescent or other meter. After a certain travel, the
holder is stopped by a projection on the framework and at the same time the
coin falls out.
The holder can now be moved back. At first it moves freely but, after a
certain travel, a radial arm attached to the holder catches in the aforesaid pin
in the plate and moves it back to its original position. The shaft however
does not move back as the before mentioned pawl slips over the ratchet wheel and
another pawl prevents the latter rotating. The aforesaid arm can be adjusted
by the seller so that it catches the pin sooner or later and so makes the rotation
of the shaft more or less.
This adjustment may be made by making the arm sufficiently thin to spring,
and by supplying it with a projection which engages in notches in the edge of
a disc attached to or forming part of the holder. The notches are numbered to
the required delivery of gas.
To prevent the coin, when in the holder, being moved backwards and forwards
so as to give a greater rotation of the shaft, the coin, on an attempt being made
to move it back catches on the first mentioned pawl and locks it into the ratchet
wheel which, being stopped by the other pawl, prevents backward rotation.
The said first pawl has a projection which passes through the plate and an
inclined cam surface causes the penny to lift over the projection on its forward

page_text: movement the projection is so shaped that any attempted backward movement
locks the projection by the penny and so prevents the run of the pawl.
The slot by which the coins enter the meter may be automatically closed
after a certain number have been dropped in until the gas they have purchased
(or part of it has been used.
In another modification of our invention the backward movement of the coin
is prevented by its engaement as a pawl in a ratchet sector. The coin can move
forward, slipping over the teeth, and, when it passes the last tooth, it follows
out of the holder. In this modification the amount of rotation of the shaft
is varied by varying the position of the ratchet sector so that the coin falls out
sooner or later. The projection on the radial arm engages in notches in a
part of the fixed frame."
In another modification the coin is carried in a radial oscillating lever, which
lever is oscillated from a suitable spindle, and connected to it by a link. The
oscillating coin arm carries a pocket for the coin, and the coin, when dropped
into this pocket, rests upon a toothed ratchet, which permits the lever to be
moved forward, but prevents it being moved back by the engagement of the
coin. The coin also, when inserted, engages a projecting pin passing into the
coin pocket. This pin projects from a horizontal slide. The slide gears into
a ratchet wheel, which wheel is prevented from returning by a spring pawl.
The movement of the hand wheel causes the oscillating arm to carry the penny
beyond the end of the projecting fixed rack. The penny then falls into the
receptacle prepared for it, and on the return stroke a stop adjustably mounted
on a projection from the penny pocket engages the other side of the stop pro-
jecting from the straight slide. The slide is then moved back ready to be
operated again when another penny falls in. The amount of the backward motion
depends upon the position of the adjustable stop. If the stop is placed well
out, then the backward movement moves the slide but little. If the stop be
close to the penny pocket, then the slide is moved back an amount almost equal
to the stroke of the penny radial arm. By adjusting this stop the amount of
gas to be given for each penny is regulated, that is, the adjustment of the stop
determines the arc through which the ratchet wheel shall be turned by the
forward movement of the penny, and therefore the amount of gas given by the
meter. The slide ratchet operating above the ratchet wheel is pressed down-
wards by a spring, so that on the forward stroke the ratchet teeth engage the
ratchet wheel teeth, while on the backward stroke the straight slide slips over
the teeth. By this device we are enabled to operate by simply mechanism a
straight slide for the purpose of adjusting gas supplied for a penny.
In another modification, we dispense with the use of the radial arm, and use
instead a push-in knob. The push rod carries at its end a penny pocket. The
penny engages with a projection from a straight slide, as described in the last
modification, and it rests upon a rack formed of a screw threaded nut. This
nut screws on a projecting pin, and its position may be altered by screwing it
out and in along the fixed screw pin. Projections from the end of the screw rod
are supplied, which prevent the push rod from being moved further than a
specified distance. In this case the adjustment is made by screwing in or
out the nut rack. This nut rack serves the double purpose of limiting the length
of stroke of the push rod, and preventing the rod being pulled back when the
penny is placed in position. By this arrangement we dispense entirely with
oscillating movements, and radial levers.

page_text: procents in Com-freed Gas Meters.
We, JOHN FREDERIC WRIGHT, GEORGE ERNEST WRIGHT, and ANDREW GUTHRIE
SUTHERLAND, all of Essex Works, Thimblemill Lane, in the City of Birmingham,
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:-
Our invention relates to coin-freed gas meters and especially to those. of the
quiescent type.
Our object is to simplify the coin operated mechanism and to prevent
successful attempts at fraud.
Our invention consists of a new construction of parts comprising a holder
into which a coin is dropped, which holder can be moved by means of a handle
by the user. While moving with the holder, the coin strikes a projection on
a plate or slide and makes it move with the holder through a certain distance,
the amount of which can be adjusted by the seller; the coin then drops out
of the holder. By means of a pawl and ratchet device, the holder, while it
contains the coin, cannot be moved back and therefore only one forward movement
can be given to the plate or slide for each coin used. The plate or slide actuates
a ratchet wheel on a shaft controlling the gas supply so that the amount of gas
supplied is proportional to, the movement of the plate or slide.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 3 illustrate the coin-freed mechanism constructed accord-
ing to one modification of our invention.
Figures 45 and 5* illustrate the same according to a second modification
of our invention.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the same according to a third modification of
our invention.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the same according to a fourth modification of our.
invention.
Figures 10 and 11 illustrate the same according to a fifth modification of our
invention.
Referring in the first place to Figures 1, 23 and 34, Figure 1 is an elevation
and Figure 2 a plan of the mechanism. Figure 3 shows the action of the driving
pawl. Figure 3* is a section on the line CD of Figure 1 with the coin holder
moved forward till the coin makes contact with the pin n.
The frame a supports a shaft b which can be rotated by a boss c. On the
shaft bis fixed radially a coin holder or pocket e. A plate is mounted loosely
on the shaft b and carries a driving pawl y pivoted to the back of the plate at h.
This pawl gears with a ratchet wheel i fixed to a shaft k which works the
screw or nut or other device supplying the gas in a quiescent or other meter.
Fixed to the pawl g is a block against which the coin rubs as it is moved
forward in the coin holder in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1. When the
coin has passed the block 7 it falls a little further out of the holder, so that
if an attempt be now made to move it back, it will engage with the face m
of the block. The plate f also carries a pin n which is engaged by the coin
in its forward rotation. The plate f will then be rotated and with it the ratchet
wheel and the shaft & by means of the driving pawl g. The coin cannot fall
out of the holder till it reaches the end of the shield o when it drops into a
suitable receptacle, the holder being restrained from further motion by a stop p.
We provide a disc r fixed to the coin holder or to the shaft b so as to rotate
with the holder. This disc is provided with notches s on its periphery; and an

page_text: arm provided with a claw and pivoted on the shaft engages with one or
other of these notches. On the backward rotation of the holder which must
take place before another coin is inserted, a projection y on this arm & strikes
the pin on the plate and travels the plate backwards, the driving pawl g
slipping over the teeth of the ratchet wheel i which is held by a retaining
pawl g. The amount of rotation of the shaft and therefore the amount of
gas supplied for each coin can be varied by adjusting' the position of the arm t
relatively to the disc r. This adjustment can be easily effected as we make
the arm of sufficiently thin material to spring clear of the disc as required.
The notches are numbered to show the required delivery of gas.
Ún an attempt being made to move the coin backwards and forwards when
in the holder so as to produce a greater rotation of the shaft k, the coin catches
on the face m of the block and presses the pawl g on the teeth of the ratchet
wheel, which, being held by the retaining pawl q, effectually stops the backward
motion.
The holder is stopped at the right place for the insertion of another coin by
a pin (Figure 2) fixed to the frame a. When the holder is in the proper
position for the insertion of a coin, the block may be in front of it and, to
enable it to pass the block, we construct the plate f to be flush with the block /
to the right of the block, although it is not Hush to the left. This is shown in
Figure 2.
Referring now to Figures 45 and 5 which illustrate the second modification
of our invention, Figure 4 is an elevation and Figure 5 a plan of the coin-freed
mechanism. Figure 5* is a section on the line E F of Figure 4 with the coin
holder moved forward till the coin makes contact with the pin c.
This modification closely resembles our first and we shall describe only the
differences. The disc r of our first modification is omitted and the notches's are
made on the plate f, the spring arm being alongside this plate. The holder on
its forward rotation engages with the projection on the arm t and rotates the
plate f. When the holder is moved backwards after the coin has dropped out,
it engages with the pin in the plate f and turns back the plate. The plate f
does not require in this modification to be flush with the block to the
right of the block, as, owing to the pin, the coin can never be to the right
of the block. The adjustment of the arm to engage with one or other of
the notches varies the supply of gas received for each coin by varying the
amount of rotation of the shaft k in " manner similar. to that of our first
modification. In other respects this modification resembles our first.
•
Referring now to Figures 6 and 7 which illustrate in front and side elevation
a third modification of our invention, the holder 2 is made in one with the
quadrant 3 carried by the shaft 4. The coin is prevented from being moved
back while in the holder by acting as a pawl on the teeth of the ratchet sector 5
which is in one piece with the sleeve 6 mounted loosely on the shaft 4. On
the rotation of the shaft 4 by the boss in the direction of the arrow, the arm 8
of the quadrant 3 strikes the pin 9 in the ratchet sector 5 just as the coin clears
the last tooth of the sector. The rotation of the coin holder is thus arrested and
the coin falls out and is received in a suitable receptacle. A plate 11 is mounted
loosely on the shaft 4 and carries two pins 12 and 13. A groove 14 is cut in
the holder 2 so that the holder when empty can pass the pin 13 but, when it
contains a coin, the latter will strike the pin 13 and rotate the plate 11. The
plate 11 carries two pawls 15, 15, which gear with a ratchet wheel 16 fixed
to the shaft 17 which works the screw or nut or other device supplying the
gas in a quiescent or other meter. On the backward rotation of the holder,
that is in the direction opposite to the arrow in Figure 6, which should take
place after the coin has dropped out of the holder, the back of the holder
catches the pin 12 and rotates the plate 11 backwards. The ratchet wheel 16
is held by a double pawi 19, and the pawls 15 slip over the teeth. The backward
motion of the holder is stopped by a fixed part of the frame such as the tube 18

page_text: when the slot in the holder is in the proper position. to receive a coin. The
pawls 15 and the double pawl 19 are arranged to allow of a slip of half a tooth
at a time in a manner that is well known. This provision of double pawls
may be applied also in the first two modifications of our invention hereinbefore
described.
In this modification the amount of rotation of the shaft 17 for each coin is
varied by varying the position of the ratchet sector 5 so that the coin falls out
of the holder sooner or later. The position of the ratchet sector can be adjusted
by, the radial arm 21 which is fixed to the sleeve t and clips into one or other of
the notches 22, 22, in the curved piece 23 of the frame.
Referring now to Figures 8 and 9 which illustrate a fourth modification of our.
invention, Figure 8 is a front sectional elevation and Figure 9 a cross section
on the line A B of Figure 8. In this modification the coin holder 24 is made, in
one piece with an arm 25 which is oscillated about a centre 26 by a link 27
actuated by an arm 28 fixed on a square shaft 29. This square shaft passes
through the meter casing and has fixed to it on the outside a boss 31 by which
the mechanism is actuated. A rack 2 is attached at one end 33 to the casing
and has the form of an arc of a circle of which the centre is at 26. The coin when
in the holder rests on the teeth of this rack which are so formed that the coin
can move forward (that is, to the left in Figure 8) but cannot move back.
A ratchet wheel 34 gears with a horizontal slide 35 which rests on the top of the
ratchet wheel and has teeth which gear with it. This slide is guided by
brackets 36 and 37 and pressed into gear with the ratchet wheel by the spring 38.
The slide 35 carries a pin 39 which is engaged by the coin when moving forward
in the holder, a slot 41 being provided in the holder to allow the pin to pass
through. Therefore on moving forward the coin in the holder, the slide will
also be moved and the ratchet wheel 34 rotated. The ratchet wheel is fixed on
the shaft 42 which controls the gas supply. When the coin holder has moved
to the end of the ratchet arc 32, the coin falls out and the holder is stopped. by
a stop 43.
A block 45 is adjustably mounted on a quadrant 46 attached to
the holder; and this block, on its backward movement, engages with the pin 39
and travels back the slide. The teeth of the slide, on its backward movement,
slip over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 34 which is held by a retaining pawl 44.
Referring now to Figures 10 and 11 which illustrate a fifth modification,
Figure 10 is a vertical section on the line E F of Figure 11, and Figure 11 is
a vertical section on the line G H of Figure 10.
In this modification the coin holder 45 is fixed on to the end of a pusher 46
having at its end the knob 47. A ratchet wheel 48 fixed to a shaft 50 controlling
the gas supply is provided as in our last modification and also a slide 49 in
gear with the ratchet wheel. The slide has a projection 51 which is engaged by
the coin in the holder, on the coin and holder being pushed forward, the holder
being provided with a slot 52 so as to clear the projection 51. The coin when in
the holder rests on the rack 53 which allows the coin to travel forward but not
to travel back. On placing a suitable coin in the holder and pushing in the
knob 47, the shaft 50 will be rotated until the coin reaches the end of the rack 53
when it falls out, the holder being stopped at the same time by two bars 54, 54,
striking two pins 55, 55, projecting from the rack. The amount of rotation of
the shaft 50 therefore depends on the amount of travel of the holder and this
can be varied by turning the screw 56 which is screwed into the rack 53. The
rack is prevented from turning by the bars 54 and therefore it is given a
longitudinal motion by rotating the screw 56. The screw 56 may be rotated by
any suitable means out of reach of the user. When the knob 47 is drawn back,
a loop 58 engages with the projection 51 on the slide 49 and draws the slide
back, the teeth of the slide slipping over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 48 which
is held by the retaining pawl 59. The slide on its forward motion is pressed into
gear with the ratchet wheel by the spring G1 attached to the bracket 02 which
also serves as a guide for the slide.

page_text: Instead of rotating the screw 56 to give a longitudinal motion to the rack 53,
the rack may be itself rotated while the screw is fixed. In this case the rack
is preferably made with teeth on both top and bottom and it may be adjusted
by first pushing in the screw 56 till the rack clears the bars 54, and then rotating
the rack through one or more half revolutions and finally pulling the screw
back to its normal position.
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. A coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, substantially as described with
reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3.
2. In coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, the combination of a plate such
as having notches such as s with an arm such as t substantially as and for the
purpose described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
3. A coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, substantially as described with
reference to Figures 4 and 5.
4. In coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, the combination of a coin holder
such as c with a driving pawl such as provided with a block such as sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4
and 5.
5. A coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, substantially as described with
reference to Figures 6 and 7.
6. In coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, the combination of a ratchet sector
such as 5 with a radial arm such as 21 and a notched are such as 23, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described with reference to Figures 6 and 7.
7. In coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, the combination of a coin holder
such as 2 with a ratchet sector such as 5, a radial arm such as 21 and a notched
are such as 23, substantially as and for the purposes described with reference
to Figures 6 and 7.
8. A coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, substantially as described with
reference to Figures S and 9.
9. In coir-freed mechanism for gas meters, the combination of a coin actuated
slide such as 35 with a ratchet wheel such as 34, substantially as and for the
purpose described with reference to Figures 8 and 9.
10. In coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, the combination of a coin actuated
slide such as 35 with a coin holder such as 24 having an arm such as 46 carrying
an adjustable block such as 45 and with a ratchet arc such as 32, substantially
as and for the purpose described with reference to Figures 8 and 9.
11. A coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, substantially as described with
reference to Figures 10 and 11..
12. In coin-freed mechanism for gas meters, varying the amount of gas
supplied for each coin by means of a rack such as 53 threaded on a screw such
as 56 substantially as described with reference to Figures 10 and 11.
Dated this 21st day of Dr.
1000
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.