GB433092A - Improvements in and relating to prepayment mechanism for gas meters and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

433,092. Prepayment mechanism for meters. ALDER & MACKAY, Ltd., and PEET, A., Stewart Terrace, Edinburgh. July 30, 1934, No. 22236. [Class 27] In prepayment meter mechanism operable at will by two or more denominations of coins, such as pennies and shillings, two similar differential mechanisms 11, 12, 13, Fig. 1, and 23, 29, 32 are arranged coaxially with respect to two measuring out wheels 2, 3 for pennies and shillings respectively and are geared together by a lay shaft 17, the mechanisms being mounted on either side of the middle plate 7 of three supporting plates 6, 7, 8. The wheel 2 driven, when a penny is inserted, is fixed to a shaft 4 having a pinion which drives through reduction gear 18, 19 a wheel integral with the crown sun-wheel 11. The shillings wheel 3 is fixed to a boss 20 carrying the other sun-wheel 12. The planet wheels 13 are mounted in a cage 14 having peripheral teeth 15 engaging a pinion 16 on the shaft 17. Another pinion 21 on the shaft 17 drives the planet cage 22 of the second differential, the sun-wheel 29 of which is geared to a meter driven worm shaft 31. When the cage 22 is rotated, the planet wheels 32 rotate the other sun-wheel 23, the boss of which extends through the plate 8 and has a wheel 24 driving a wheel 25. A pin 33, Fig. 2, on the wheel 25 engages the forked end of a lever 35 controlled by a spring 36, this lever having a pin to engage the forked end of a valve lever. Indicators.-An indicating pointer 49 is mounted at 47 and carries an arm 50 formed with rack teeth meshing with a pinion 52 integral with the gear 25. Coin-slit closing-devices.-When the maximum number of coins have been inserted at a time, the pin 33 engages a hooked arm 45 to rock a shaft 44 carrying an arm 46 which closes the discharge slot 43 for the coins, thereby preventing the insertion of further coins until some gas has been consumed.