Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th May, 1897-Accepted, 19th June, 1897
WILLIAM COWAN, and WILLIAM HENRY COWAN, Buccleuch Street Works,
Edinburgh, Midlothian, N.B. Gas Meter Manufacturers etc. do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the improvement of our coin operating
mechanism which was described in our former Specification of Patent No. 13200
July 9th 1895.
The present improvements consist, in the first place, of means for resetting the
coin prepayment wheel when, from any cause, that wheel gets out of its proper
relation to the coin carrier or pocket.
Secondly-The improvements further consist of means for preventing the
recession of the operating handle before the coin has operated the wheel to the
full extent necessary to place the equivalent value in gas at the consumer's
disposal.
Thirdly; It is intended under this invention to apply one or other of the forms
of turnstile described in-Patent No. 3575,-1891, not only for the purpose indicated
in that specification but also as a shutter, possessing special advantages as such;
and it is intended to operate the turnstile automatically instead of by hand as was
contemplated under the previous specification above referred to.
For the purpose of resetting the coin wheel we provide pawl pivoted to the
back of, and moving with, the pusher. This pawl only gears into the coin wheel
during a very small part of the pusher's travel, being kept out of gear during the
remainder of the travel by means of a circular disc which does not revolve but
only acts as a support to the pawl which it keeps out of the teeth of the wheel in
every position except one, and that is where a notch in the edge of the disc allows
the pawl to drop into gear when the pawl, carried by the pusher, approaches the
end of the backward journey. Hence, if the wheel be in due relation to the coin
pocket the pawl will, on reaching the notch, simply fall into the recess between
two of the teeth and will do nothing; but, if the wheel be, ever so little, out of
its proper relation to the coin pocket, the pawl will, by pressing against the tooth,
restore the wheel to its normal position.
For the purpose of preventing the recession of the handle, and the dropping of
the coin, before the whole of the gas paid for by means of the coin has been placed
at the consumer's disposal, we fix a ratchet wheel cu the shaft of the operating
handle and we provide a pawl capable of gearing with the ratchet, and pivot the
pawl, above the ratchet or in some convenient position, on the front frame of the
mechanism. When the handle is advanced, the ratchet wheel moves round under
the pawl, and allows the handle to be moved the full distance in the forward
direction, but in order to enable the handle to be receded it is necessary that the
pawl should be taken out of gear, and as this must only be done when the full
distance has been travelled, a special arrangement is required to attain that object.
The means adopted are as follows. In front of the ratchet wheel we mount on the
shaft a disc provided with a cam on its front surface, and on the inner surface of
the disc we fix a corresponding cam. The disc moves round with the handle but
it is also capable of being moved longitudinally on the shaft, that is to say,
although it revolves with the shaft it is capable of being moved inwards towards
11

page_text: the ratchet wheel and outwards away from it. When it is moved inwards it lifts
the pawl out of gear by its bevelled edge coming under and raising a pin in the
side of the pawl. When the disc is moved outwards it allows the pawl to fall into
gear by the removal of the support that this gives to the pin when in the inward
position. The inward movement of the disc is caused by the can on the front of
it moving against and under an arm which extends from its pivoted position on
the shaft to one or other of the holes near the periphery of the frame into which the
prepayment stop pin pointer is screwed and so attaches the arm to any one of the
holes in the frame. A change in the position of the stop pin pointer therefore
varies the position of the arm and in consequence thereof it also varies the point
at which the cam on the ratchet disc above referred to will come in contact with
the arm and move the disc inwards to ungear the pawl. In this way there is
perfect sympathy between the stop pin pointer, which checks the advance of the
coin carrier pocket, and the action of the ratchet pawl whose ungearing, by means
of the disc, allows the handle to be receded, when the full stroke has been attained
but not before. The handle being free to return to its normal position, finds, just
as it arrives there, that the disc has been moved outwards, because a cam on the
inner surface of the disc has met a corresponding projection on the fixed frame.
This has moved the disc outwards and withdrawn the support from the pawl which
has fallen into gear, and is again ready to prevent any recession of the handle
when advanced to any other than the full distance allowed by the stop pin pointer.
These operations are of course repeated on every occasion that the handle is
operated, and therefore the consumer is always certain to have the full quantity of
gas he pays for placed at his disposal. The disc above referred to has a spring
applied to it, not for operating purposes but only to maintain it in the position the
cams place it from time to time.
We further, in some cases, employ a turnstile at the slot entrance of the
mechanism. This device was described in Patent No. 3575-1891 and its purposes
set forth, but, in addition to these, we propose under the present invention to
employ the turnstile as a shutter, for which purpose it possesses very special
advantages and we also propose to operate the turnstile automatically instead of by
hand as formerly contemplated.
Dated this 14th day of Auonet 190
WILLIAM COWAN.
W. HENRY COWAN.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Prepayment Gas Meters.
We, WILLIAM COWAN and WILLIAM HENRY COWAN, Buccleuch Street
Works, Edinburgh, Midlothian, N.B. Gas Meter Manufacturers etc. 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 prepayment gas meters and has for
its object to improve the coin operating mechanism which was described in our
former Specification of Patent No. 13200 of July 9th, 1895.
In accordance with our present invention the improvements consist of means for
re-setting the coin prepayment wheel when, from any cause, that wheel gets out
of its proper relation to the coin carrier or pocket.
But in order that our said invention may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect we will proceed to describe the same with reference to the
accompanying explanatory sheet of drawings in which,
Fig. 1 is a front elevation

page_text: Fig. an
elevation and
Fig. 3 a plan of part of a meter shewing our improvements applied thereto;
the covers being removed for the sake of clearness.
Referring to the said drawings we employ a pawl A pivotted to the back of and
moving with the pusher B which is operated by the outer knob or handle C. The
said pawl A is formed double as shewn, the portion a being arranged to act upon
the teeth of the prepayment wheel D while the portion a' is arranged to work upon
the disc E which is provided with a notch or recess e. Secured to the back of the
pusher and above the pawl is a spring F for the purpose of keeping the pawl A in
contact with the notched disc and prepayment wheel respectively, at the required
periods.
The said pawl A ouly gears into the coin wheel during a very small part of the
pusher's travel, being kept out of gear during the remainder of the travel by
means of the circular disc E which does not revolve but only acts as a support to
the portion a¹ of the pawl thus keeping the portion a out of the teeth of the
wheel in every position except one, and that is where the notch e in the edge of
the disc allows the pawl to drop into gear when the pawl, carried by the pusher,
approaches the end of the backward journey. Hence, if the wheel be in due
relation to the coin pocket the pawl will, on the portion a' reaching the said notch,
simply fall into the recess between two of the teeth and will do nothing; but, if
the wheel be, ever so little, out of its proper relation to the coin pocket, the pawl
will, by pressing against the tooth, restore the wheel to its normal position.
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 prepayment gas meters having a circularly moving coin carrier or carriage
as claimed in Claim 1 of our prior Patent No. 13200 of 9th July, 1895, the
employment of a pawl pivotted to the back of and moving with the pusher, whereby
the coin prepayment wheel can be re-set when from any cause it should be out of
its proper relation to the coin carrier or pocket, substantially as hereinbefore
described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
2. In prepayment gas meters having a circularly moving coin carrier or carriage
as claimed in Claim 1 of our prior Patent No. 13200 of 9th July, 1895, the
combination of a pawl pivotted to the back of the pusher with a circular disc
having a notch or recess formed on the edge thereof, whereby the pawl can be put
into or out of gear with the teeth of the prepayment wheel, in order to re-set the
wheel when from any cause it should be out of its proper relation to the coin
carrier or pocket, substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of №1005
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Petitioners' Agents.