Improvements in Prepayment Gas Meters.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan., 1895:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Prepayment Gas Meters.
We, THOMAS THORP of Whitefield near Bury in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, THOMAS GARDINER MARSH of 41, Corporation Street, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, and JOHN HAYNES of
5. Albert Drive, Aintree, near Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Gas
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to prepayment gas meters and consists in improved
arrangements for regulating the quantity of gas to be supplied for each coin
inserted into the meter from the outside of the case of the meter or index-
mechanism without having to open the same, and for racking back or returning
to zero the pointer of the index showing the unconsumed but paid for quantity of
gas likewise from the outside of the case; a further improvement consisting in the
arrangement of a spring clutch on the shaft of the handle operating the coin
delivery device.
The
In the pre-payment gas meters hitherto made the regulation of the quantity to
be supplied for each coin inserted can only be effected after opening the lid or
cover of the prepayment mechanism, which at present is sealed by the gas
companies themselves. Such opening however gives access to the index mechanism
of the gas meter and is contrary to the provisions of the Sale of Gas Acts, as it
allows said indices to be tampered with to the detriment of the consumer.
main object of our invention is to prevent this and allow the cover or lid of the
prepayment mechanism to be sealed by the meter testing inspector, while at the
same time rendering the regulation of the quantity supplied for a coin, by the gas
company's officers possible. This we attain by arranging inside the case of the
prepayment mechanism a spindle or shaft or its equivalent formed at its front end
with a nick for a screw driver or a square for a box key and pass said spindle
through the front of the case or arrange opposite to it a small opening in the front
of the case through which a screw driver, or box key can be passed for turning the
spindle. The spindle is connected by suitable mechanism to the regulating device,
and further operates a pointer moving in front of a graduated scale visible from
the outside of the meter, so that by turning said spiudle till the pointer has
arrived at the desired mark the quantity to be supplied for each coin can be
regulated. The end of the spindle when projecting through the case or the
opening through which access is had thereto is then sealed up by the gas
company's officer. In this way the regulation of the quantity to be supplied for
each coin is rendered possible without the case having to be opened and access being
given to the index mechanism of the meter.
The arrangement of the mechanism for operating the gas supply regulating
device and the pointer by the movement of the spindle aforesaid will in each case
depend upon the construction or arrangement of the prepayment mechanism
applied to the meter. For the prepayment mechanism described in our
Specification No. 23924 A.D. 1892, the arrangement may be as follows: On the
spindle that can be turned by means of a screw driver, box key or equivalent
means as herein before described, a spur pinion is fixed gearing with a rack guided
horizontally and carrying a pointer moving in front of the dial plate of the
apparatus, on which a scale indicating cubic feet is marked. Another pinion on

page_text: said spindle gears with a vertical rack guided on a stud or its equivalent passing
through a slot in the rack, so that the latter can move up and down and also
oscillate. The lower end of this rack is attached to a pin on the connecting rod
transmitting the oscillating motion of the coin-carrier to the pawl lever operating
the large ratchet wheel whose motion opens the gas valve. The end of this lever
is attached to a stud moving in a slot of the coin carrier. By turning the
regulating spindle, the two racks are moved simultaneously, the horizontal rack
moving the pointer in front of the scale while the other rack moves the stud
aforesaid nearer to or farther from the centre on which the coin-carrier oscillates,
thereby varying the length of the movement of said connecting rod and pawl
lever and altering the quantity of gas supplied for each oscillation of the coin
carrier or coiu inserted in the manner described in our aforesaid Specification.
For the purpose of racking back or returning the pointer of the unconsumed
gas index to zero the casing of the meter has also to be opened in the case of the
present prepayment meters exposing the mechanism to tampering. Such racking
back has to be done on a change of tenants or transfer of the meter from one place
to another when the gas paid for has not been entirely consumed.
We prevent tampering with the indices by arranging a second spindle or its
equivalent connected by suitable mechanism to a part operating the movement of
the pointer and either bring the spindle to the outside of the case and there seal it
fast when set or make a small opening that can be sealed up in the casing for
passing a key or its equivalent through the same and turning said spindle or other
part operating the pointer by means of the same. In the case of the mechanism
described in our Specification aforesaid we propose to make a small opening in
the casing for the insertion of a key formed at its end with a small pinion which
when inserted will gear with the large ratchet wheel operating the pointer and
turn it as required, an arrangement being provided for lifting the pawl out of this
ratchet wheel when the coin carrier is drawn back.
Our further improvement consists in connecting the handle by means of which
the coin delivery device is operated in prepayment gas meters to the shaft by
means of clutches formed with inclined teeth and held together by a spring or
springs, so that the clutches can open and slide over each other if through the
insertion of a wrong coin or from other causes the movement of the coin delivery
device is arrested, so as to prevent breakages of the parts. Said clutches may be
arranged outside the casing at the handle or inside the same at any convenient part
of the handle shaft.
Dated this 24th day of Januar 1901
Improvements in Prepayment Gas Meters.
We, THOMAS THORP of Whitefield near Bury in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, THOMAS GARDINER MARSH of 41 Corporation Street, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, and JOHN HAYNES of
5 Albert Drive Aintree near Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Gas
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention relates to prepayment gas meters and consists in improve.l
arrangements for regulating the quantity of gas to be supplied for each coin

page_text: inserted into the meter, from the outside of the case of the meter or index
mechanism without having to open the same, and for racking back or returning
to zero the pointer of the index showing the unconsumed but paid for quantity of
gas likewise from the outside of the case; a further improvement consisting in
the arrangement of a spring clutch on the shaft of the handle operating the coin
delivering device.
In the prepayment gas meters hitherto made the regulation of the quantity to
be supplied for each coin inserted can only be effected after opening the lid or
cover of the prepayment mechanism, which at present is sealed by the gas
companies themselves. Such opening however gives access to the index
mechanism of the gas meter and is contrary to the provisions of the Sale
of Gas Acts, as it allows said indices to be tampered with to the detriment
of the consumer. The main object of our invention is to prevent this and allow
the cover or lid of the prepayment mechanism to be sealed by the meter testing
inspector, while at the same time rendering the regulation of the quantity supplied
for a coin, by the gas company's officers possible. This we attain by arranging
inside of the case of the prepayment mechanism a spindle or shaft or its equivalent
formed at its front end with a nick for a screw driver or a square for a box key
and pass said spindle through the front of the case or arrange opposite to it a small
opening in the front of the case through which a screw driver or box key can be
passed for turning the spindle. The spindle is connected by suitable mechanism
to the regulating device, and further operates a pointer moving in front of a
graduated scale visible from the outside of the meter, so that by turning said
spindle till the pointer has arrived at the desired mark the quantity to be supplied
for each coin can be regulated. The end of the spindle when projecting through
the case, or the opening through which the access is had thereto, is then sealed up
by the gas company's officer. In this way the regulation of the quantity to be
supplied for each coin is rendered possible without the case having to be opene
and access being given to the index mechanism of the meter.
The arrangement of the mechanism for operating the gas supply regulating
device and the pointer by the movement of the spindle aforesaid will in each case
depend upon the construction or arrangement of the prepayment mechanism
applied to the meter. For the prepayment mechanism described in our Specifi-
cation No. 23924 A.D. 1892 the arrangement may be as shown on the drawings,
Fig. 1 representing a front view with the dial plates and cash index removed and
Fig. 2 a plan of the mechanism, Fig. 3 showing a detail. Only those parts which
relate to this invention as hereinafter referred to, the others being arranged as
described in our said Specification.
On a spindle a that can be rotated by means of a screw driver, box key or
equivalent means, a spur pinion 6 is fixed gearing with a rack c which is guided by
studs c'c' screwed into paps on the back plate d of the mechanism and carrying a
pointer which moves in front of the dial plate e of the apparatus, on the upper
part of which a scale indicating cubic feet is marked. Another pinion on the
spindle a gears with a vertical rack f¹ guided on a stud passing through a slot
in the rack or by equivalent means, so that the rack can move up and down and
also oscillate. The lower end of the rack is connected by a pin or stud g³ to the
connecting rod g transmitting the oscillating motion of the coin carrier h to the
lever i mounted loose upon the stud 12 and actuating the large wheel / whose
motion opens the gas valve. The right hand end of the connecting rod g has a
stud or pia g² fixed upon it which moves in a curved slot of the coin carrier. The
other end of the connecting rod g is preferably formed with rack teeth as shewn
gearing with a spur wheel which is fixed on the boss of lever i, and this lever
thus receives an oscillating notion from the coin carrier at each insertion of
a coin.
By turning the regulating spindle a the two racks c and f¹ are moved
simultaneously, the horizontal rack c moving the pointer c² in front of the scale,

page_text: while the vertical rack fl moves the stud or pin g² in the slot of the coincarrier
nearer to or farther from the centre on which the coincarrier oscillates, thereby
varying the length of the movement of the connecting rod and lever and thus
altering the quantity of gas supplied for each movement of the coincarrier or each
coin inserted into the slot in the manner described in our aforesaid Specification.
For the purpose of turning the spindle a by means of a screw driver without
opening the case, we arrange a small opening in the front plate m of the case
enclosing the mechanism, which is arranged so that it can be covered with a plate
or cap and sealed up by the gas company after the volume of gas to be supplied
for each coin has been adjusted by turning the spindle a till the pointer has
arrived at the division of the scale denoting this volume.
The cases of prepayment meters as hitherto arranged have also to be opened for
the purpose of racking back or returning the pointer of the unconsumed
gas index to zero, whereby the mechanism and consumption index are exposed to
tampering. Such racking back has to be done on a change of tenants or transfer
of the meter from one place to another, when the gas paid for has not been
entirely consumed. We prevent tampering with the indices by arranging a
second spindle or its equivalent connected by suitable mechanism to a part
operating the movement of the pointer of the unconsumed gas index, and either
bring the spindle to the outside of the case and there seal it fast when the pointer
has been set to zero and the spindle disconnected from said operating part, or
preferably make a small opening in the casing for passing a key or its equivalent
through the same and turning said spindle or other part and operating the pointer
by means of the same. The special arrangement of the spindle or its equivalent
and the mechanism for operating the pointer will in each case depend upon
the construction or arrangement of the prepayment mechanism to which our
improvement is applied.
In the case of the mechanism described in our Specification aforesaid we
preferably make a small opening in the front m of the casing surrounding the
same with a bead m¹ so that a washer m² can be placed over the opening and
sealed in. Opposite the opening we fix a peg n in the back plate d of the
mechanism upon which peg a key n¹ formed near to its end with a pinion n² can
be placed through the opening, which pinion when inserted will gear with the
large ratchet wheel whose motion opens the gas valve and actuates the pointer
of the unconsumed gas index as described in our said Specification. The ratchet
wheel is in this case made with fine spur wheel teeth. In order to allow the
wheel to be turned in the direction required for bringing the pointer back to
zero, the pawl actuating the wheel must be lifted out of the teeth of the same,
which we effect in the following manner: We hinge the pawl o on a pin fixed in
lever o¹ which lever is mounted loose upon the stud on which the wheel turns.
The pawl is formed with a slotted extension as shown and a peg 2 fixed in the end
of lever i and passing over the top of lever o engages into the slot. When the
lever receives a forward oscillating motion by means of the wheel i¹ and
connecting rod g from the coincarrier h after insertion of a coin, the pawl is pressed
into the teeth of wheel by the peg 2 in lever i (the lever of being held in its
position by friction as hereinafter described) and the levers and of and wheel /
then move forward together, but when the coin carrier is drawn back, the lever i
in moving back lifts the pawl out of the teeth of wheel and turns the pawl on its
pivot till a projection o² on a downward arm of the pawl catches against the end of
a slot in the lever o¹ after which the latter moves backwards,with the lever i. The
lever o' is held in its position while the pawl is lifted out by the friction between
the lever and a collar on the stud on which it oscillates, the wheel being
pressed against the boss of lever o¹ and held by friction pads adjusted by screws s.
Thus when the coincarrier is drawn back to its coin receiving position, the pawl
is disengaged from the wheel and the latter can be turned by means of the pinion
key hereinbefore described and the pointer of the unconsumed gas index moved to

page_text: zero on the index scale by the pinion s' gearing with the screw ɩ that mɔves the
pointer slide t'.
Our further improvement consists in connecting the handle by which the coin
delivering device is operated in payment gas meters to the shaft by means of
clutches formed with inclined teeth and held together by a spring or equivalent
means, so that the clutches can open and slide over each other if through the
insertion of a wrong coin or from other cause the movement of the coin delivering
device is arrested, in order to as to prevent breakages of the parts. Suid clutches
may be arranged outside the casing at the han lle or insile the casing at any
convenient part of the handle shaft.
On the drawing the clutches are shewn arranged at the handle-A boss u is
fixed upon the handle shaft u¹ on which boss the clutch u is fixed, the knob v to
which the clutch v' is fixed being mounted loose upon a prolongation of boss u.
The clutch u² is formed by stamping from a flat dise so that the different
teeth are separated from each other and can spring back and slip over those
of clutch v when the movement of the shaft u' to the right is stopped from some
cause or other.
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:
1. In a prepayment gas meter the arrangement of mechanism for regulating the
quantity of gas supplied for each coin by means of a screw driver, key or their
equivalent inserted through a small sealable hole in the case containing the
mechanism and operated outside of said case, in combination with an index of said
quantity visible from the outside and mechanism for moving a pointer in front of
said index simultaneously with said regulating mechanism, substantially as herein-
before described.
2. In a prepayment gas meter the arrangement of a small sealable hole in the
casing of the prepayment mechanism for the purpose of regulating the quantity of
gas to be supplied for each coin inserted into the meter, by means of a screw
driver, key or thin equivalent inserted through said hole and operated outside of
the casing, substantially as herein before described.
3. The combination with the prepayment mechanism described in our Specifi-
cation No. 23924 A.D. 1892 of mechanism for adjusting the quantity of gas
supplied for each coin inserted into the meter and indicating the adjustment on an
index, said mechanism being operated by means of a screw driver or its equivalent
through a sealable hole in the casing and constructed substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
4. In a prepayment gas meter the arrangement of a small sealable hole in the
casing of the prepayment mechanism for the purpose of racking back the pointer
of the unconsumed gas index to zero by means of a key, screw driver or their
equivalent inserted through said hole and operated outside of the casing, sub-
stantially as herein before described.
5. In a prepayment gas meter the arrangement of mechanism for racking back
the pointer of the unconsumed gas index to zero. by means of a key, screw driver
or their equivalent inserted through a small sealable hole in the casing of the
prepayment mechanism substantially as herein before described.
6. In combination with the prepayment mechanism described in our Specification
No. 23924 A.D. 1892 the arrangement of mechanism for disengaging the pawl
from the wheel operating the gas valve and unconsumed gas index and the use and
arrangement of a key provided with a pinion and inserted through a sealable hole
of the casing for rotating said wheel substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the drawings.
7. In prepayment gas meters the use and arrangement of clutch boxes under
spring action for connecting the handle or its equivalent to the shaft actuating the

page_text: coin delivering mechanism substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by the drawings.
Dated the 22nd November 1894.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.