US1441441A - Automatic gas meter - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 9, 1923.

M. 0. S. MADSEN.

AUTOMATIC GAS'METER.

FILED NOV. 4, 1922.

' .5 EIHII!!!)LZ 8 In VPn/or Mafh/as O Sever/n Madse'n. m

' MATHIAS ODIN SEVERIN ADsEn, orv nanrms, DENMARK...

I AUTOMATIC ens METER. I

, Application filed November 4, 1922; Serial No. 59:),132.

To'aZZ whom'z't may 05mm.-

-Be'it known that I, MATHiAs ODIN Slit-- 1mm MADSEN, subject'of the King of Denmark, residing at Aarhus, Denmark,have

invented certain new and useful Improveinents inAutomatic Gas Meters (for which I have filed application in Denmark Aug. 26,

1921; in Germany,'Sept. 14, 1921; inNorway, June-15,..1922yin i dweden, June 14;,

1922; and: inGreat Britain, Sept. '22, 1922), of which the-tollowingis a specification;

'The present invention relates to an automatic gasmeter' ofthe kind with which the insertion of a coin of a 'given "value will have the'effect that a member belonging to the automatic device and serving to close the I '5 gaspipe, maybe-moved by a hand a certain distance away from its closing position'so that the said member, WlllClLlS automatically returned to'its clos ng positlon when the automatic meter is in operation, will,

I during such operation have/ to travel a certain distance, before it shuts off the gas.

The invention, inrparticular, relates to a coupling device, by means of which the inserted com will, produce and agam [disengage a coupling between a disc rotatable by hand and the said closing member. The coupling I device is remakable by being in itself of a mentioned very simple construction, by-its affording a guarantee: that only coins of th'e proper; size .(value) can be used and by its allowing of the automatic meter easily being set to dispense a larger or smaller volume of gas for the money value of'o'ne such coin.

= Inxthe accompanyingdrawing is shown of the coupling device Fig; l is a side ,levaticon 'of the device, the casing beingshown in section. t k Fig. 2"shows the device as seen from its outer end (they end of the automatic meter" where the coin'inserting' slot. is situated Fig.3 ahorizontal sectionof the d1sc-1 taken onfa line cutting through the coin *Fiig. 4-an inwardiview' ojf the device seen in the direction looking towardsthe outer v J anlsm of-ythe gas meter and is prevented end mentioned.

Fig. 6 the same seenfrom below, when in fthe position, at which the coininserted falls out.

11is a circular disc, which',;'along.-its cir cumference is provided with holes 2,*Fig. 2,

and which, by means of three screws not 1 shown, passingthrough three of said holesQ,

may be secured'to the outermost end ofa the inner end or which, "which end projects a little beyond disc 1, is fitted a second disc 6 of a diameter smaller than that of the first mentioned disc. -The disc 6 is circularonly having at one part a projecting neck 7, Fig. 1,;whil'st'a' torsionalspring 8 fitted to the pin 1 at one end and with its otherend to the disc 1, tendsto hold the disc 6 in such a position that the one edge of the neck '2' bearsagainst a stop pin '28, Figs. 4 and5,

fitted indisc 1. y

In disc-1 provided a slot 9 for the insertion of a coin,Figs. 1 3116113, the one side alongthe greater part ofits circumference,

wall: of this slot being made of an oblique I surface'lO. I

To the inner side of. disc 6 is soldered a coin pocket '11 which consists of a member bent to a T1 section havinggits open side turned inwards towards a corresponding 'opening 'in disc 6, which opening is opposite to the coin inserting slot.9 in, disc 1, when the first'mentioned disc is in its normal position. The coin pocket 11 is open'both-at top and bottom, besides being, on the'side turned away from the disc 6, open along about the half-of its lengtlnwhich half is lowermost when'the disc 6 is in its normal position. Atthe top the pocketis closed by the; bent ever end of a flap. 13,which is under action of a spring 12 and is revolubly fitted on a pin 14 secured to disc'6, whilst its abovementioned end "forms a kind of beak 15, extending a little beyond the pocket.

11.- Below and on the open' half mentioned the pocket is closedby a pawl 17 which is under action of a spring 16 and is pivoted between theside walls of the pocket 11, and which rocks a small distance inwardly from the pocket, .so as to engage with a gear-wheel 18. -The latter is fitted to theouter end of I a shaft 19 belonging to the automatic mechfrom performingan untimely rotation'by a said spring, with 'suflicient pressure to, prevent unnecessary o'rfree movement of the wheel 18 andshaft 19.;

In the bottom of the casing is an opening through which the coins from the pocket 11 may fall out into a collecting chamber, and at the side of which is provided a stop 21, against which first the beak'15, and subse= quently the pocket 11 abuts, when, after the insertion of a coin, the disc 6 is turned by hands by means of the handle The device opera es as follows:

After insertion of a coin of the-kind for which the automatic meter is intended, into the slot 9, this coin passes through the corresponding opening in disc 6 which opening is in front said slot and enters partly into the coin pocket 11 up to the pawlli, i. hilst the disc 6 is in its normal position shown in Fig. 4.. spring 1.6 held in the full lines, gear wheel 18. As soon as now, by operation of the handle 5 the pin 4 andwith it disc .6, is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. i, this disc will carry with it the coin which slides along the oblique position indicated by surface 10 until its edge has reached the inner surface of disc '1, which it will thereupon follow. Thus the coin is forced in 'wardly by a distance practically corresponding to the thickness of disc 1, and is thereby caused to press in such a manner against pawl 17 that the latter is, against. the action of spring 16, turned into the position indicated-in- Fig. 1 by the dot and dash lines, in which it is in engagement with the gear wheel 18. The consequence isthat the latter and with it shaft 19 must participate in the rotation and by such rotation of shaft 19 the above mentioned, not shown closing member will, in known manner he removed away from its closing position. Y

Shortly before the moment, when the disc 6 has been turned so farthat the pocket 11 is immediately above the opening for. the

discharge of the coin provided in the bottom of the casing '3, the beak will abutagainst the stop 21, Fig. 6. At the further rotation of the disc the flap will be turned in such a manner relatively to the pocket it'-- self, that the latter is opened below, whereupon the stop 21 by abutting against the oneside wall of the coin pocket will stop the disc (3 with the coin pocket, now open below, immediately above the opening in cas- 111g 3, so that the coin will fall through the same. The spring .16 will thereupon immediately swing the pawl 17 out of engagement with the gear wheel 18 and back into its normal position, and if the handle. 5 is now released the spring 8 will cause the disc 6 to be automatically returned into its normal position determined the stop pin 28. The device is then ready to receivea Ifurther coin: i

A too small coin cannot bringthe pawl The pawl 17 under action of viz.,- out of engagement with the;

into engagement with the gear-wheel 18, and a too large coin cannot enter su liiciently far so to leave the slot 9 in the stationary disc 1, and will thus prevent a rotation of the disc n The distance by which the closing member can be removed from its closing position the nsert on of, each com is determined by the angle (reckoned in the operative sense of rotation of disc 5) between the stop pin 28 and the stop .21. This angle can be varied at will by simply removing the three screws holding the disc 1 and turning this disc 1 thus that the said screws hand a given distance from its closing position, a stationary .disc havin a slot for the introduct on of the com, a rotatable disc hav ng'an opening. for the passage of the coin,a spring holding the'rotatable disc in its normal position with the said opening in line with said slot, a coin pocket carried on the rotatable disc to receive the coin from the said slot and opening, an inclined surface at one side of the Sl t for forcing the coin into the pocket as the latter is rotated with the rotatable disc; a gear wheel for operating the gas closing device, and a pawl mounted upon the rotatable disc and adapt,- ed to be moved. intoengagement with the gear wheel by a coin of the required diameter, and to rotate the said gear wheel with the rotatable disc. v

2. In a gas'supply meter having control mechanism accordingito claim 1, an enclosing casing for the mechanism, operating means comprising a pin secured to the rotatable disc and extending through the stationary disc, and'a handle .on the outer end of said pin, stopmeans for the rotatable disc comprising a stop pinon the station. ary disc, a'pro ecting part on the rotatable.

disc for .engiagingsaid, stop pin when the mechanism is inv ts normal position, and a fixed stop piece, mounted, in, the .casing'to engage the coin pocket, and means for cl0s-- YVitnesses a MUNN,

\PJSORENSEN."

carrie ne isvenm Marissa]

Images