GB519546A - Improvements in or relating to coin-freed prepayment mechanisms for meters - Google Patents

Abstract

519,546. Prepayment mechanism for meters. METERS, Ltd., and BROWN, R. T. Sept. 26, 1938, No. 27975. [Class 27] In a coin-freed prepayment mechanism for meters the act of inserting a coin causes canting of a shaft so as to engender a driving connection between a manually-operated handle and the quantity wheel by means of pinions on the shaft, In the construction shown applied to a coin action operated by pennies and shillings there are two coin slits and two lay-shafts 14, one for each kind of coin. Each lay-shaft is mounted. at its rear or left end in a pivoted bearing and in a sliding bearing at the other end. When a penny is inserted it bears against the front end of the corresponding lay-shaft and tilts it upwardly so as to bring pinions 17, 18 thereon into mesh with gear wheels v, 1, thereby coupling these wheels together, thus when the handle s, fixed to a shaft a, turns the wheel v through a friction clutch u, the wheel 1 is turned at the same rate and drives a sun wheel 7 of a first differential gear 7, 8, 12 through a 6:1 reduction gear comprising gears 2, 6 and other gears (not shown). When a shilling is inserted it bears against a disc on the corresponding layshaft 14 and tilts it upwardly so as to bring pinions 17<1>, 18 thereon into mesh respectively with gear wheels 12, v, so that v drives 12 directly, 12 being the planet carrier of the first differential. The second sun wheel 8 of this differential is rigid with a sun wheel 10 of a second differential, the planet carrier of which is the quantity wheel g of the meter, and the other sun wheel of which is driven by the meter mechanism p, q. When the handle s is rotated a projection 20, rigid with the shaft a, engages the end 21 of a lever 22 and slides a plate 24 which is slotted to permit the insertion of a penny or a shilling but which, when moved by the cam closes both coin slits.