US1036361A - Prepayment gas-meter. - Google Patents

Description

H. A. SMILTH. i PREPAYMENT GASMETER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Fg. l.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

H. A. SMITH.

PR-EPAYMENT GAS METER.

APPLIGATIQN FILED APR. 13, 1909.

Patented Aug. 420, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HUGH A. swimmer HOPEWELL, NEW JERSEY', AssIeNoE fro vTEE sfrannnnn METER COMPANY, or HOPEWELL, NEW JERSEY, A conroaA'rIoN or NEWJEESEY.

Application mea 'April 1s, i909;

certain improve prepayment type,

vin which a coin is deposited and the mechanism' manipulated so as to allow the meter to run until a given 4amount of gas is registered, when it is automatically shut oi until another coin: is deposited.

One 'object of l'my invention is to so construct the operating parts" that Athey 'will work accurately and not be liable to get out of order, and a further object is to mount the prepayment device on the outside oit the meter' casing and couple it to the meter mechanism so that there will heno leakage of gas. And a still further'object is to so attach the inclosing casing and cash receptacle asto make them lreadily detachable, but,- when in place, ing. These objects I manner, panying drawings, in which Figure l-,I'is a front view of a gas meter attain in the, following lillustratingwmy improved prepayment device; Fig. '2, isa sectional plan view on the line 2 2., Fig. 3; Fig, 3, is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-3,'12; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View on the line if-fl, Fig. 2; Fig. 5, is an end view showing'the gearing; spective view of detached perspective view 'of the cover; Fig.

8, is a detached perspective view of the coin draweryFig. 9, is a perspective View of the two ,rods which secure the casing to the back p late; and Figs'. 10, 11 and 1Q, are perspeo tive views otdetails of the invention.-

Referring to Fig. l, A is the casing of an ordinary'gas meter and B is the prepayment devlce' located at one side ofthe meter casing. C is the valve box in which is a valvey actuatedby the prepayment deviceto `cut oit 'the supply of gas is consumed for which prepayment was madeffllhe .vali/e'stem o has.a slotted arm in which apin travels which is carried by the prepayment device. fl) is a shaft having on its outer 'eh'dza' long pinion D and mounted 0n this'shaft fwithin the meter casing is a worm wheel'cl actuated by secure against tamper# reference being had to the accom-v Fig. 6, is a detached per--y the back plate Fig. '7, is a= gas when the amount of-r Serial No. 489,703.

i' a worm cZ on the .shaft D2 driven by a worm andworni gearing from-*the main shaft "DE of the meter. The shaft D extends through a stutling box "a in' the casing of the meter; 'thus preventing any escape ofgas romthe meter casing in 'the :event ofi a leakage' an The trame of the prepayment device consists of a back plate B". and a front plate B2 connected togeth'enby suitablerodsb, lsofas to make a rigid frame.' This A'trame is` inclosed 'within a casing E .asr described' in 'den tail hereafter.y In this casing, however,'is a- =chute e through` which lthe coin is zinserted and 'above theychute in the p'resentinstance is aglazed opening e through which the indicating plate isvifsiblej. 'israshaft je. orthe reception ofthe coin,v Fig. l0',-and' on this shaft is a pin f2 `adiaptedlto lstrike againstv vstops b2, b3 on 'the back yplateV B. he .shaft is'in a direct li'nelwiththel chute'e so that 4when the coin is placed in thej'ycliu'te it willslide into the slot in the shaftand be in position soth'at` 'when the shaft is turned :by thevha'ndle. it will make'a h'altsturn, carrying,the coin' with it, and thecroin will actuate a star wheel G on' the'shat Gg' the edgeof the vcoin -enterin'gpone of the notches g in the star wheel and'turning the star ywheel a given distance.

the machine is a dog H having'a p'in it .wheel rand locksf it after thefcoin has actuatedthewheel," and this dog hasgan arm h2 which is inv the path ofthe coin as" it is coin rst lifts thedog and its`l pin out o' immediately the coin vengages the star wheel and turns itthe proper distance. as the coin passes the arm vofthe deg" the pin will drop 'into anothers'lot, owing to ithe weight of' the dog,"locking the star wheel and itsshaft. f On the end of the shaft G is a gear wheel g,`Fig. 5, whichmeshes with an intermediate pinionI on a'stud l and connected Ito this-pinion is a gear. wheel shaft' is a. gear wheel' M wliich-me'sheswith the long pinion D onthe' shaft Dj which extends. into-the casing' et the meter and is' geared'to above. The hub m) of the gear wleelM 'is lhavingr'an enlarged portion f and slotted 'at VFivoted atv h to a stud on the frame 'of whichy enters one'of the notches in the star turned to actnate the star wheel, s'o 4that thr 95 the engagement withlv thestar wheel, and' As' soon` ye"'whieh'meshes with a pinio'nwk on afs'crew' shaft K and adapted to travel 4on this-screw the driving rshaft D3, as explained ot 'the joints within the meter casing.

'. ing screw i* 4which will lock the carrier'in i ooved to. receive ,a bar N, Fig'. 11, which '1s adapted to a rod b* mounted in the 4casing, and carried by this bar is an indicator hand 13, which travels in front ofthe indicator plate b. Thebar extends rearwardly and has a pin n which enters the slot inl the arm c' carried bythe valve spindle c j mounted in the valve boxC. A projecting in b in the present instance acts as a guide orthe inner end of the bar N. In order to make the gearing interchangeable so that erably mount the stud I on a carrier I piv' coins of dierent values may be used, I lprefoted-to the shaft K, and this carrier has a segmental slbt through which passes a lock-l any position to which it is'adjusted, and the gears y and i can be removed and gears of dliferentdiameters substituted therefor;

the gear g 'in the present instance having l *ya square opening adapted to fit over the 4construction that when a coin is inserted in 4the chute it slides into the slot in the shaft Fand by turning the shaft a half turn it will actuate'the star wheel and turn it a A'given distance, this motion will be transmitte through the gearing to the screw shaft K, which will move the gear wheel M and the bar carried thereby a given distance in one direction, and the pin on the bar will open the valve in the v valvefcasing C so that n a supply of gas can passthrough themeter.

At the same .time the hand will indicate the amount of gas which is paid for. As the gas is cbnsumed the shaft D is driven by the main shaft of the meter and as this shaft is geared through its4 long pinion D to the gear wheel M on thescrew shaft K itfwill move the said gear wheel and itsy bar N along the shaft in the opposite direction, gradually moving the indicator, at the-.same time moving the pin toward ,the lcutting off point to close the valve `in the valve box C.' In this meter the valve wlll not close abruptly, but lbefore the valve .entirely -cutsol the gas itwill reduce the `opening so as to indicate to the consumer that the as will be cut oi without an additional coin is placed in the prepayment device.

In order to properly inclose the operating.

mechanism of the prepayment device so that When-*necessary .access can be had toV it, I

rovide a detachable casing E, clearly shown 1n Fig. 7 in which is the chute e and a glazed opening e mentioned above, and this casing fits over the entire mechanism and is deep enough to contain the money drawer at cavie; of this patent may be obtained for ive the base. The lower en d is open and has inturned flanges e2 to which is adapted the slide I), illustrated in Fig. 8, on which 1s mounted'the money receptacle 1?. The slide P has the edges p upturned vso as to fit on the outside of the casing and has a plate p which overlaps the flanges '62, so as to form a secure jointbetween the plate and the slide. The slide has a back plate P2 provided with anges .p2 adapted to eXtend-on the outside of the casing E, and carried by this back plate is a lock S having a bolt s adapted to be projected on the inside of the casing E, so as to prevent the withdrawal of the slide P without firstoperating the lock.

The upper portion of the money receptacle vPis flared at p3 so as to tit under the mechanism and direct the coin into the recepy-W hen the casing is placed'in position the openings in the gs t and o are in line and the rods T canbe inserted from the bottom through the several openings, locking the casing firmly to -the back plate. The rods T are preferably turned at right angles, as illustrated in Fig. 9, and have eyes/ which can be turned over-the pin u on the back plate and held in place by an ordinary wired seal, the wire passing through an` openin in the pin u, as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. Thus it is impossible to remove the casing E without disturbing the seal and accesscannot be had to this seal without first removing the slide on which the money receptacle is mounted. By this construction a vvery substantial and easily detached casing. is provided'which cannot bemaliciously broken into ,without destroying some partot the apparatus. I claim v The combination of a casing, a shaft within said casing having a long pinion, mechanism capable of'actuating said shaft, a screw shaft, a gear adapted to`travel on the screw shaft and meshing with the long pinion, a bar engaging the hub of the gear, a gas-con. trolling valve actuated by the bar, a shaft having a star-wheel thereon, and geared to the screw shaft, a pawl 'engaging the st-arwheel, a pawl-tripp'ng structure; and a rodI mounted to removably supportsaidpawltripping structure.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to Vthis specication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUGH A. SMITH. Witnesses: f

WM. E. SHURE, WM. A. BARR.

cents each. by .aqdressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

.Washingtom D. C.

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