US1043336A - Recording mechanism for meters. - Google Patents

Description

B. H. MEAD. RECORDING MEGHANISM FOB METERS.

APPLICATION FILED PEBJR, 1910.

Patented Nov'. 5, 1912.

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Wvnesses:

B. H. MEAD.

RECORDING MEGHANISM FOR METERS. APPLICATION FILED 11.13.12, 1910.

APazenced Nov. 5, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

B. H. MEAD.

RECORDING MECHANISM FOR METERS.

Arrmonxop FILED 153.12, 1910.

1,043,386. Patented Nov.5, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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HMewtZ I To all whom. 'it 'may concern.-

' ployed in 'conjunction with any of the exist- UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

4BERT H. MEAD, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO RICHARD, W. GALLAG-HER,

0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

RECORDING- HECHANIBH FOB METERS.

Be it known that I, BERT H. MEAD, a citizen of the Uni-.ted States, residing .at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Recording Mechanism for Meters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to recording mechanism for meters of various kinds. Said mechanism possesses several 'features of proyement one being the recordifon a card or othersuitable device by the alil of simple and effective means, of the meter readings and this feature of the invention can be eming types of gas or electric meters.

Another feature of lthe invention is` the revision of simple and effective means for lndicating on a card. the amount or amounts pnt in a prepayment or coin-controlled meter and these features may as will hereinafter appear be used in the same meter or if desired they may be separately employed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification I have represented in detail one convenient form of embodiment of the invention which to enable thc-se skilled in the art to practice said inf vention will be fully set forth in the follow-4 ing description while the novelty of the invention will be included in the claims suc ceeding said description. From this it will be evident that I do not restrict myself to` the showing made by said drawings and description.

Referring to said drawings Figure l is a front elevation of a meter provided with recording mechanism including my inven:- tion. Fig; '2 is' a vertical sectionaly view of the same., Fig. 3v is a. section on the line 3-3 of Fig., 2 and showing pawl andy ratchet means hereinafter. more particularly de scribed. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a sector, punch and certain adjunctive devices hereinafter more fully described. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the parts showing iny Fig. 4, the `section being taken at right angles to thedirection of the arrow. Fig. 6 is a sec-- `lpeolcation of Letters Patent.

Application Med February la, 1910. .Serial Io. 543,496.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

form of a valve as illustrated) in fluid-delivering position..

Like characters refer to like parts throu hout the several iigures. l

In igs. 1 and 2l of the drawings I have shown portions of a meter of known construction the said meterl being denoted in a general way by 2 and although this meter is assumed to be one for measuring gas it will be, clear from the observations which I have already made, that I do not restrict myself in this particular. The casing of the meter is denoted by- 3, and it incloses the usual; meter mechanism only the two-foot Shaft, however, of which is illustrated, said shaft designated by 4i. This yshaft as will hereinafter appear is operatively connected with the recording mechanism. n

The recording mechanism preferably includesin its makeup a card-carrier and this card carrier as well as the cardsupported thereby, may be of any suitable kind. I might state at this time that I use the term card as well as certain'other terms WhichI em loy intheir broad senses and by the said designation I do: not necessarily meanl a flat part or what is ordinarily considered to be a card. The purpose of the card is to secure thereon a record of the operation of the meter. For example a meter-reader will when he installs the meter apply one of these cards to the card carrier and a record will be made thereon. When the meterreader makes a second visit to. read the meter he will make a second record on the card and the card will be so marked that the amount of gas consumed by the userx can be seen at once' from the card it being the amount indicated byv the card' between the two 'record marks thereon. The records can be made in any desirable manner although I prefer to provide means which will muti.- ate the card as by punching the same. I can also mount upon" the card carrier more than one o the cards; I may place thereon two. one to sup liedto the meter user and the other to ken by the gas or electric company'. The recordinof the meter operation provides therefore r a check upon the usual dials -5 which in fact need not necessarily be employed. y

The meter 2 is shown as sul portin a casing 6 andthe two parts may e rigi lyconnectedr inf anyl desirable manner, said casing serving as a convenient housing for the recording mechanism which involves card operating means such as the shaft 7 which as will hereinafter appear is connected with the meter or register mechanism of which the shaft 4 forms a part, by reason of which said card-carrier and the card thereon can be operated in synchronism with the said meter mechanism. Said shaft 7A is shown provided at its forward end with the disk or collar 8 shown as provided with diametrically opposite spurs, the card 10 fitting flatwise against the front face of said disk or collar 8 and being punctured by said spurs or barbs 9 to aid in holding the card or cards in position. It should be explained that the card is centrally perforated as at 11 to slip over the outer end of the shaft. I do not rely on these barbs to hold the card in place but provide a clamping member as 12 for this purpose this clamping member which is shown as being of sleeved form being slipped over the end of theshaft so as to press the card against the collar or disk 8. In the slot 13 at the forward end of the said shaft I may mount a spring-detent 14 which snaps int-o a seat or aperture in the sleeve-like clamping member to hold the same positively on the shaft 7 all asshown best in Fig. 5.

Any suitable means may be provided for operatively connecting the card-carrying shaft 7 with the meter mechanism and I will now describe the means shown for this purose. p Fastened to the shaft 7 is the worm-gear 15 in mesh with the worm 16 fastened to the upper end of the rotary shaft 17, the lower end of which has fastened thereto the worm-gear 18 in mesh with the worm 19 fastened to the shaft 4 from which it will be evident that the card l0 is rotated .in harmony with the meter mechanism. The casing 6 may be provided interiorly thceof with the bracket 20 for sustaining the shaft 7 while the shaft 17 extends through an opening in the top of the meter casing 3 and bottom of the recording mechanism casing 6.

AThe casing-'6 is provided with a door as 21 which is shown as being of swinging form being pivoted as at 22 to the lower front. side of said casing 6 and this door is opened for the purpose of obtaining access to the interior of said casing 6 either to apply or remove an indicating or recording card and in the present case the parts are so organized that when said door is opened and when'the same is closed records of these facts are made upon the card 10. It will be assumed that the customary dials of the meter are all at zero and that the door 21 is swung open to put a card 1() on the card carrier 7. Vhen the door is shut a mark will be made on the card and when the door is opened a second mark will be made upon said card and as I have already indicated the reading ofthe meter will be indicated by the interval between the two marks, the card being preferably scaled to facilitate reading thereof.

Y Rising from the bottom of the casing 6 within the same is a bracket 23 having an overhanging or laterally-extending head 24 having a slit to receive and guide the peripheral portion of the card 10, said slit being intersected by the notch 26vin the underside of the head. This bracket constitutes a suitable support for the angle lever 27, the short or up er Jarm of which is provided with a notchmg or cutting portion 28 adapted on theoperation of the lever 27 to cut through the peripheral portion of the card. The said punching, cutting or notching portion '28 is normally held in its retracted posit-ion in some positive manner, for example by the spring 30 bearing against the long arm of said lever 27. The pivot 22 in the present case swings with the door 2l and it is shown having fastened thereto the crank-arm 31 which serves as a suitable means for operating the lever 27 which normally rests when in its ineffective position upon the stop 32 within the casing 6. The

underside of the tail portion of said'lever is shown having the downwardly converging angular faces 33 and 34 coperative with the pin or actuating member 35 on the crank-arm 31. When the door 21 is swung open from the closed position in F ig. 2 said pin 35 engages andrides along the angular face 33 to lift the long arm of the angle lever 27 to cause the punching portion 28-to punch the card and on the closing of said door the pin35 rides along the angular face 34 to again lift said long arm and repeat the punching operation. It should be stated that when the door 21 is swung wide open to effect the punching of the card, the pin 35 passes wholly out of contact with the angular face 33 so that the lever can be retracted by the spring 30 and as shown the in 35 has ridden out of Contact with the ace 33 so that the lever can be held in its backward position by said spring.

In Fig. 7 I have shown and will now describe a modified form of punching mechanism. 27 denotes a lever also o f angle form and which is operated precisely like the lever 27. 'The shorterl and upper arm of said lever 27 has a loose connection as by a pin and slot joint, with one branch of the substantially yoke-like punching member 28 having a punching portion 28". The lower branch of this punching member is guided and supported by a sleeve 23 on the bracket 23, to which said lever 27 is pivoted, the punching member 28 being advanced and then retracted on the operative stroke of the lever 27 on the operation of the door 21 or its equivalent. In this form of the puncheov in mechanism the card simply nests against a t face on the bracket 23.

The mechanism now to be described is primarily applicable to prepayment meters of various kinds and the arts are so organized that a record is ma e on the.. card each time the 'coin-operated mechanism is actuated by the user of the meter and the card 10 serves as a convenient means for securing these records. By virtue of this construction a check can be had upon the collector who removes the coins from the coin box of the meter. i

Onthe front side of the door 21 is a box open 'at the upper side thereof and the lower portion of this box serves as a suitable receptacle for the coins. On the back side of the door 2l is a casing 36 which incloses certain devices as will now appear constituting part of the recording mechanism which operates in connectionwith the coincontrolled means and among these devices is the shaft 37 which is supported for turn-v ing motion by the back wall of the casing 36 and the door 21 said shaft having at its forward end the head 38 inclosed by the box 39 and slotted as at 38 to receive the coins which in the present case are twentylive cent pieces.- The head 38 is surrounded by the sleeve 40 diametrically oppositely slotted as at 40 and 40 for the passage of the coi-n said sleeve having a journal portion 41 supported for turning motion-by the front wall of the box 39 and equipped with a knob 42. This is a substantially common form of means fnund in existing types of prepayment meters for which reason it is not necessary Vtlat I describe the same in detail it being understood that when the parts 38 and 40 are coupled together bya coin the shaft 37 can be turned so as to operate the delivery mechanism of the `meter which receives its motion from the shaft 37, such-turning motion being effected by the knob 42 all in the usual manner. The coin as is well known is introduced into the slot of the head 38 on passing through the slot 40 until it rests on stops 43 in the said head and when the knob 42 has made a half 'turn the slot 40, is-brought into position to receive a second coin, the first coin being dischargedfinto the box 39 on the initial half turn of said knob. The effect of the turning shaft 37 is transferred throu h bevel gearing denoted in a general way y 44 to the shaft 44 and from the latter through bevel gearing` 45 to the shaft 46 in the meter 2 the shaft 46 being operatively connected with or forming a-` part of the usual delivery mechanism.

Pivotally mounted within the casing 36 is a segment 47 and this segment constitutes a suitable step by step operated device it being givenan intermittent or step movement on each operation .of the delivery mechanism of the meter by the knob 42 or equivalent device. As will hereinafter ap ar the marking member for the card 10 1s carried by this segment and While Isaid marking member may be of any desirable character .I prefer to employ means such as a punch by which a mutilated or permanent record can be secured. This segment which consists of front and rear branches which are practically duplicates of each other is sup- 55 ,of said segment. The front portion of the segment has teeth adapted to be engaged by a suitable device on the shaft 37 and this device may 'consist ofa pin 49 extending radially f said shaft 37 and the project- -ing end of which constitute teeth for engaging the teeth of said segment 47 to advance the same one step each time the knob 42 is turned. As will hereinafter appear the secondary card punching device, as it might be termed, is operated after the segment has made one step, and so on until said segment has reached the end of its forward stroke at which point the segment is returned positively to its original position, as will hereinafter appear.

The secondary card-punching device is denoted.l by 50 and it is shown as consisting of a. somewhat elongated pin supported for longitudinal sliding movement by the sec-` tions of the segment 47, the inner end of the said pin 'or punching device being reduced to present the punch proper which' whenn the punching device is thrust inward will puncture or perforate the card 10. Surrounding thepin or punch 50 is a coiled push spring 51 one end of which bears against the inner section of the segment 47 and the other end of which bears against a collar on said pin 50, the function of the spring being to hold the punch or pin 50 in its retracted position and to also return the sameto said position after `the same has been advanced and then released 'by an independent device. Thebracket 2O to which I have already referred has fastened thereto the shank ofthe curved plate or strip 52 and this plate or strip serves as a suitable means for receiving the thrust of the punch or pin 50 or as a vmeans for steadying or holding-rigid that part of the card which is to be unched or perforated by the part 50, it being seen that the inner surface of the card rides against or is in contact with this plate or strip 52. The said plate or strip 52 has a slot 52 which is concentric with the axisl of motion of the segment 47 and through this slot the pin or punch 50 is projected during the secondary recording operation. lVhen the parts 38 and 40 are in coin-receiving posit-ion the endstof the pin 49 willl be out of engagement with the toothed portion of the segment 47 but when ner previously described one end of the pin across the plate 52m which said slot is 49 will engage the A'toothed portion of said segmenkand thereby advance the same one step, said end engaging and then riding out of engagement with said toothed portion and when the pin has performed its segment advancing operation the punch 50 will be projected 'to carry its perforating end through the card 1() and arcuate slot 52',

formed, the indicating card sweeps. At this point it would be well to state that the card has two scales; a peripheral scale where the graduations are radial for measured service and an inner or coin scale where the graduations are circular and it is through the inner scaled portion of the card 10 that the punch 50 is projected so that it does not matter how much the card is turned insecuring an accurate record of the coins inserted into the coin-box 39.

The punch 50 is operated by means connected with the shaft 37 and I have shown a disk 55 for this purpose said disk having on its inner surface two bulges or cams 56 and being rotative with said shaft 37. These cams 56 are adapted to successively operate the punch 50 by engaging the tail or outer portion thereof, the parts being so related that a'fter the pin 49 has advanced the segment 47 in the manner previously described one of these cams on thecont'inued rotation of the shaft 37 will engage the punch50 and thrust the same inward to force the operative or punching end through the card, the cam toward the close of the knob-turning or shaft turninr movement passing oif the tail of said punch whereby the same can be returned to its primary position by 1 the spring 51. Fastened to the shaft 37 is a ratchet-wheel 58 engageable by the spring pawl 59 which prevents backward motion of said shaft 37 and the various parts associated therewith. At the commencement of operating the punch 50 will be opposite the zero mark on the card 10 although none is actually indicated thereon. When the knob 42 is turned in thel manner previously described, the working end of said punch will be brought op osite the twenty five cent line of thecard) 10 and when the punch is given a working stroke this line will be perforated; the second operation will result in the perforation of the fifty cent line and so on within the limit of the machine.

Within the casing 36 and rotatively mounted on the door 21 is an indicating wheel 60 bearing on its front face the symbol O and the numbers from 1 up which may be seen through a sight-opening 6l in said door,

' these numbers being for the purpose of indicating how many times the secondary card punching mechanism has been operated which will also indicate the amount of money that has been depositedin the coinbox 39. This wheel 60 is operated by a two-tooth or mutilated gear 63 on the sha ft 37, one of the teeth of said part 63 being adapted to move the wheel 60 one tooth of the latter on each turning movement of the shaft 37 by the knob 42.

To prevent accidental backward movement of the segment 47 lI have shown the pawl 65 held normally in operative position by the spring 66 said pawl being pivoted within the casing 36 and means being provided to trip the same and thereby release the said segment 47 'when the door 2l is unlocked, said door as is the custom being held closed under lock and key. A Sub-` stantially similar pawl 67 is provided to prevent accidental backward movement of 'the register or indicating wheel 60.

The numeral 68 denotes a lock of familiar form which may be utilized to hold the door 21 closed and to the bolt 69 of this lock may be connected the tripping member 70 which has portions adapted to be thrust downward against the tails of the two pawls 67 and 65 when the bolt 69 is retracted on the unlocking of the door 2l. The shaft of the wheel 60 is surrounded by a spring 71 connected to said shaft and to the wheel and this spring is tensioned on the movement. of the wheel so that when the pawl 67 is tripped as already described the wheel 60 will be returned by said spring to its original position with the zero mark thereon opposite the sight-opening 61 at which point the wide 100 tooth 60 of the said wheel 60 will be against the operative port-ion of the pawl 67 to thereby prevent fu'rther backward movement of said wheel. The segment 47 is returned to its original position when its holding pawl or detent 65 is tripped by the spring 47 at which time the nose 47 of said segment will bear against the detent 67.

The Huid-supply controller may be of any suitable type although it is represented as consisting of a valve 80 (see Fig. 9) adapted to control the gas which iows into the meter 2 through the supply opening 81, said valve being shown as occupying its open position in said F ig.-9. The stem 82 has a 115 square opening to receive the squared portion 83 of the shaft 46 hereinbefore described and it is also externally-threaded as at 82 to engage internal threads within the hub of the spur gear 84 in mesh with the 120 pinion 85 o the two-foot shaft 4 of the meter mechanism which it will be remembered is connected with the recording mechanism through the shaft 17 and gears 18 and 19. It therefore follows that when the sha-ft 37 is turned forward as already described through the action of the knob 42 and the agency of the coin, the valve 80 will be opened by the mechanism shown in Fig. 9

acting through the described parts already set forth in detail. I might indicatethat when said shaft 37 is lturned as just intimated the shaft 46 through the intermediate parts will be also turned whereby said shaft 46 owing to its described connection with the stem 82 will turn said stem and owing to the feedconnection between said stem and the spur-gear 84 the said valve will be opened so as to permit the flow'0f gas into the meter2. I have already described how when the shaft 37 is turned an indication of such fact is secured on the record card 10. As the gas is consumed or discharged from the meter the meter mechanism of which the shaft 4 is a part, is caused to operate whereby the pinion 85 will be rotated so-as to rotate the gear 84 and in view of the feed connection of said gear 84 with the stem 82 the valve 80 will be closed, the inal closing of the valve occurring when the paid-for quantity of gas has been discharged from the meter. As the valve 80 is being closed the shaft 17 y is being turned by the shaft 4 and ccperating gears 18 and 19 by reason of which said shaft 17 through the parts-already described, can turn the card y10 a distance agreeing with the paid-for gas.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of card operating means, a meter for measurin Huid, provided with means for operating t e card operating means, a marking Ldevicel to act on the card, for obtaining a record of the consumption of fluid, an independently operative marking device for also marking the card, and mechanism whereby said card and said independently operative marking device can be given relative motions to vbring said independently operative marking device opposite different points on the card.

2. The combination of card operating means, a meter for measuring fluid, provided with means for operating the card operating means, a marking device for the card, a device for supporting said marking device, and manually operable means for shifting said supporting device and for also causing the marking device to intermittently mark the card.

3. The combination of card operating means, a meter for measuring iiuid, provided with means for operating the card operating means, a marking device for the card, a device for supporting said marking device, and manually operable means for intermittently moving the supporting member and for also causing the marking device to mark the card. i

4. The combination of a card supporting shaft, a meter for measuring fluid, provided with means for rot-ating said shaft, a marking device for the card, a device for sup- 'porting said marking device, and manually operable means for moving saidsupporting device step by step and for also causing the marking device to mark the card on each step.

5. The -combination of card operating means, a meter for measuring fluid, provide with means for operating the card operating vfor also marking the card, and means for shifting the second marking device to bring it opposite different points on the card.

7. The combination of card operating meansa meter for measuring fluid, provided with means for operating said card operating means, a markin device for marking the card carried by said card carrier, an independently operative marking device for also `marking the card, and means for bodily shift-ing the second marking device.

8. The combination of card operating means, a meter for measuring fluid,provided with means for operating the card o erating means, a-marking device, 'a manual y operable part for actuating said marking device to mark the card, a second and shiftably mounted marking device, and means for operating said second 'marking device to also obtain a record on the card.

9. The combination of card .operatin means, a meter for measuring fluid, provided with means for operating the card operating means, a'ma'nually operable member, a segment, means connected .with said manually operable member for moving the segment step by step, a marking device supported by the segment, and means connected with said manuallyoperable member for actuating the marking device to cause the same to mark said card.

l0. The combination of card operating means, a meter for measuring fluid, provided with means for operating the card operating means, a manually operable member, a toothed segment, means connected with said manually operable member, for operating said segment step by step, a card marking device supported by said segment, and cam means connected with said manually operable member, for operating the marking device to mark the card.

'1.1.l The combination of "card operating means, av marking device for the card, a meter for measuring fluid, provided with means for securing a relative motion between 'the card operating means and the marking device to bring said marking device opposite different points on the card, a second marking device, and independent means for securing a relative motion between the card operating means and the second marking device to bring said second markin device 0pposite dierent oints on the card.

12. The comblnation of a meter provided with a Huid controlling device, manually op-y erable mechanism for moving said fluid controlling devce into a iuid supplying osition2 a supporting devicefor a recor receivlng material, means for securing a record on said record receiving material, each time the said fluid controlling device is moved to fluid supplying position, and means for securing on the same record re- 15 ceiving material a record of the consumption of the fluid. n In testimon whereof I aix my signature 1n presence o two witnesses.

BERT MEAD.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR-J. MASON, F. E. ANDERSON.

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