US918877A - Prepay gas-meter attachment. - Google Patents

Description

T. J. MARTIN. PREPAY GAS METER ATTACHMENT. APPLIOATION $11.31) NOV. 18, 1907.-

918,877,- Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1907.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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T. J. MARTIN. PREPAY GAS METER ATTACHMENT.

AIPLIOATION FILED NOV. 18, 1907. 918 ,877 Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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PREPAY GAS-WETER ATTAC I-HVIENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed November 18, 1907. Serial No. 402,621.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs J. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio have invented certain new and.

useful Improvements in Prepay Gas-Meter Attachments, and do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description scribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a gas meter with the top or cover removed and showing mechanism for connecting the prepay attachment operatively therewith. Fig. 2 is a .1 side elevation of the meter and attachment combined. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional elevation of the attachment and a portion of the meter on line 3-3, Figs. 1 and 2, looking inward. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on line 4+4, Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 55, Fig. 3, showing the parts in receiving position for coin. Fig. 6 is a section 011 same line as Fig. 5, showing parts in coin discharging position. Fig. 7 is a plan view on line 7-7, Fig. 3, and Fig. 8 is an elevation on line 8-8, Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is an elevation on line 9 9, Fig. 3, and Fig. 10 is taken on line 10-10, Fig. 3.

The meter as a whole is indicated by M and a valve V is located in supplemental inclosure E which is part of my attachment and controls the flow of gas into the meter.

Said valve is operatively connected with the operating mechanism in the main casing B of my attachment and is adapted to be opened and closed thereby as will presently appear. The said casing B is adapted to be aflixed to the meter by any means which will prevent the attachment from being tampered with from the outside of the meter, and as to this I do not deem it necessary to enter into details.

Having in mind, now, that the valve V is to be opened by means of coin C (shown in dotted lines) and partsactuated thereby and is to run until the value of the coin is obtained in gas measured by the meter itself in the usual way, we have, first, the side or front coin receiving chamber F, of circular so form in the front of which is a disk or equivalent part D provided with teeth about its edge and adapted to be rotated by pinion 2 and stem 3 to set the said disk in one position or another within the limits of its rotation according to the value of the coin used for the time being and the price of gas in the place of use as hereinafter fully described. The coin is introduced through a radial slot 0 in this plate and enters a coin receiver 4, which has parallel side walls 5 and is rotatably mounted in said chamber F on stem 6 extending freely through disk D to the outside where a finger bar 7 in head 7). rigid with spindle ,6 serves to rotate the said coin re ceiver independently of disk D from receiving position of the coin, Fig. 5, around to discharging position at slot 8, when the coin is dropped after it has done its work. When the coin enters receiver 4 it rests upon the right angled end of lever L, which is pivoted in its angle'at 9 between the walls 5 and has an inward projection 10 at its other end adapted to be thrown inward to position dotted lines, Fig. 3 and engage the teeth in the periphery of wheel WV. Said wheel is rigidly mounted on shaft S, which is supported upon part of casing indicated by 12, and carries a ratchet wheel 13 adapted to take up any rotation of said wheel by pawl 14, Fig. 10, and is further rovided with pinion 15 at its inner end. aid pinion stands at the threshold of the mechanism for opening valve V, which occurswhen and as the coin is turned around or forward. from receiving position to discharge position below into slot 8, and said rotation. may be half way, ormore or less, but always serves to effect the required opening of said valve V through the succeeding mechanism. Now, the means intervening said valve and pinion 15 may be very considerably varied and serve my purpose, but in the present con-' struction I have a line of mechanism comprising a gear 16 sleeved to rotate on shaft R and meshing with pinion 15, and having a gear 17 on the sleeve therewith engaging a differential pinion P. Said inion is mount ed to rotate on gear 18 and has teeth on a larger radius engaging gear wheel or idler 119 19, also mounted to rotate on the side of gear 18 and meshing with pinion 20 fixed on shaft B. This gives a planetary rotation of pinion P and idler 19 about shaft R and makes fixed pinion 20 a fulcrum of rotation. This causes wheel 18 to rotate correspondingly and carries the power to valve V through said wheel and its sleeve 21 free to rotate on shaft R and carrying arm 22 rigid therewith and provided with pin 23 engaged in an open slot lengthwise in valve controlling arm 24. Said arm or lever is rigid with valve supporting shaft 26, on which the valve is mounted by its own arm 27. It will be clearly seen from this line of mechanism proceeding initially from rotatable coin receiver 4 and lever L, that when said receiver is turned and liberates the coin it has also set in motion the train of parts which open the valve V. The measure or quantity of gas will flow as the result of such opening and before the valve is again automatically closed, as occurs when the purchase is exhausted, will depend on the quantity for which the mechanism was initially set. This will differ by the size or amount of the coin and the price of gas in a given place, prices varying materially in different cities. Thus, assuming that the machine is adapted to receive a half dollar or fifty cent piece, and that it will purchase 500 feet of gas at one dollar per thousand the stop 30 on the inside of disk D will be carried half way around from discharge 8, or say as in Figs. 5 and 6, which is the half way position also for coin receiver 4, and the cheaper the gas for the money, the farther will stop 30 be rotated away from or reversely to said discharge slot 8. On the other hand if gas be worth say two dollars a thousand stop 30 will be moved only half as far from slot 8, or a quarter turn. Obviously the same mechanism responds to different values in the coin used, and all adjustments are made when the attachment is set up and according to price of gas and value of coin and this adjustment remains. It will be noticed that hand grip 33 for stem 3 having lock nut 50 as well as pinion 2 controlling disk D are h u ed so as to be out of reach from the outside of the machine, and spring 34 holds lever L normally out of contact with gear wheel W.

Now, passing to the mechanism for closing valve V, we find a spring 35 which bears frictionally against valve controlling lover or arm 24 and. holds it at any position to which it may be opened by arm 22. It will also be noticed, Fig. 8, arm 24 has two fingers of varying length on opposite sides of its slot, so that pin 23 on arm 22 will pass out of said slot when it has opened the valve a certain and uniform distance, and then said arm 22 can turn or rotate as much farther as the coin value of the coin may have determined,

even to making say two revolutions. ln that case pin 23 will strike arm 24 under its long finger and throw said arm still higher, after which said arm will be. out of teach of arm 22 on its return movement and something has to be provided to carry said arm 24- back into the path of pin 23 or valve Y will remain open indefinitely. Of this we shall presently see. Of course if only a rartial rotation of arm 22 and pin 23 out of arm 24 he. made, a reverse movement of arm 22 will carry pin 23 back into said open slot and close the valve in its reverse travel, as csnally occurs. Now, the said closing or reverse movement of arm 22 and other parts proceed initially from the meter, and are determined by the natural measurements of the meter and with which this mechanism in no sense interferes. All the added mechanism does is to open and close the valve which determines the flow of gas throiigh the meter. Hence to this operative ccnnectimi with the meter 1 employ an extensible shaft N, operatively engaged with shaft 0 on the meter by worm gear in this instance, and, as shaft (3 is in the measuring or metering mech anism, l utilize its rotation to operate the valve closing mechanism. To this end l provide shaft N with worm it at its end which meshes with gear 40 fixed on shaft it and peratively engaging differential or dot.- ble toothed pinion P through i'ixed pinion 20 on said shaft and pinion 19 on gear 15%. This imparts reverse rotation to large gear in which directly controls arm 22, carsing said arm to turn oppositely to the opening movement for the valve and closing the valve through arm as already described. in this action pinion P runs idle on gear 17, which stands still. Now, if it be that arm 24: has been carried out of return reach by arm 22, as above srggcsted it might be, the said arm 24 is moved back into the path of arm 22 by pin 41 on plate 4 2 on shaft -13, Figs. 3 and S, and which shaft carries gear at rigid on said shaft. Said gear is rotated through gear 4.6 in mesh with wheel 18 and pinion 47 actuated thereby and in mesh with gear 44. This gives the desired time move ment which will bring arm 24' into engaging position by arm 22 if said arm 24- has been carried too high to be otherwise engaged by arm 22.

llhe essential novelty herein resides in the mechanism which enables me to go to any city with my attachmentrcgardlcss of the price of gas therein and adj st the attachment to such price with any size of coin the machine is adapted to receive. l f the size be fifty cents a larger or a smaller denomination cannot be used because each machine is set arbitrarily for a given size of coin to begin with, and the slot in dish 1) through which the coin is introduced will hold one relation or another to a vertical place acl (l (l cording to the adjustment of said disk and coin receiver 4 rotarily through pinion 2. As soon as the coin has been discharged through slot 8 lever L swings out of engagement with wheel W. Thus I avoid carrying different sizes of wheels or gears to make changes as prices in different cities would otherwise require to effect the result I obtain by mere adjustment of parts and with otherwise unchanged and complete equip, ment adapted to any city and any size of com. I

The attachment as a whole comprises the casing indicated by B, E and F and the con tained mechanism and extensible shaft N which operatively connects valve V with the meter mechanisi It will be understood from the foregoing that when one introduces a coin into receiver 4 he rotates the same to discharge position by gripping handle 7 for this purpose. Lever L is engaged with Wheel W by the weight of the coin, and the mechanism running from said wheel to the valve opens the valve and spring 35 holds it open. The meter goes to work when the said valve is opened, and mechanism connecting with its shaft 0 through shaft P operates to close the valve, and the time taken to close it has been determined by the coin and the amount of forward turn the said mechanism received, which is now reversed the same amount to close the valve. The opening of the valve is therefore by hand and the closing by the meter.

l/Vhat I claim is 1. A pre-pay attachment for gas meters comprising a gas controlling valve, a rotatable coin receiver and means to adjust and set the said receiver according to the price of t e gas to be metered, in combination with a coin support within said coin receiver of elbow shape and pivoted in its angle therein, and means to open said valve operatively engaged by one arm of said coin receiver.

2. In a pre-pay attachment for gas meters, a casing having a coin receiving chamber, a coin receiver rotatably mounted therein, a coin support pivotally mounted in said receiver and constructed with two arms at right angles to each other and one of said arms to support the coin, in combination with a gas controlling valve and mechanism to open said valve operatively engaged with the other arm of said coin support.

3. In a pre-pay attachment for gas, a casing having a coin receiving chamber, a rotary adjustable face plate therefor provided with a coin slot, a rotatable coin receiver within said casing adapted to engage said face plate and rotate the same, and a lever of substantially bell crank shape pivoted in its angle in said receiver and adapted to support the coin on one arm and provided with a projection on the other arm adapted to make operating connections with a valve controlling mechanism.

4. A pre-pay attachment for gas comprising a coin receiver adapted to be rotated to discharge the coin, a right angled lever pivoted therein and constructed at one end to make power connections with the gas controlling mechanism and at the other end to support the coin, a rotatable disk in front of said receiver having a slot to introduce the coin and a stop to limit the reverse rotation of said receiver.

5. In a pre-pay attachment for gas meters,

a casing having a chamber and a rotatable front plate therefor provided with a slot to introduce the coin and a stop on its back, in combination with a coin receiver in said chamber adapted to be set opposite said slot and in contact with said stop, means to rotate said receiver to discharge the coin, and a valve actuating and coin supporting lever pivotally supported in said receiver and adapted to carry the coin, and a spring to release said lever when the coin is dropped therefrom.

6. In pre-pay attachments for gas meters,

a casing having a chamber and a rotatable disk in its face provided with teeth about its periphery and a spindle and pinion to rotate said disk, said disk having a coin entering slot and a stop on its back, in combination with a coin receiver behind said disk adapted to engage said stop and a pivoted coin support in said receiver provided with a spindle to rotate the same.

7. A pre-pay attachment for gas meters, comprising a valve adapted to open and close the flow of gas to the meter and mechanism to open said valve, in combination with coin controlled mechanism adapted to pre-determine the volume of gas passed into the meter by said valve, said mechanism comprising a coin receiver rotarily adjustable, a right angled lever pivoted in said receiver and having one arm adapted to carry the coin and the other arm provided with a projection adapted to make operating connection with said valve opening mechanism.

8. In pre-pay attachments for gas meters,

a meter and a valve at the entrance of gas thereto, mechanism operatively connected with said valve to open the same comprising coin controlled parts rotarily adjustable according to the price and volume of gas to be metered, said parts consisting of a rotatably adjustable disk provided with a slot to introduce the coin, a coin receiver behind said disk adapted to be rotarily limited according to the value of the coin, a double armed coin support pivoted in said receiver and constructed in one arm to make operating engagement with said valve opening mechanism, and a fixed inclosing casing between which and said pivoted coin support the coin is oppositely engaged at its edge.

9. In coin controlled attachments for gas meters, a valve for the gas passage, in combination with means to determine the duration the valve is open according to the value of the coin comprising a rotatable coin receiver and means to iix the arc of rotation thereof, a right angled coin support pivoted in its angle in said receiver and a drum confining the coin on said support, a line of mechanism adapted to open said valve and said coin support having a projection at its otherwise free end adapted to engage with said line of mechanism when the coin is resting thereon, and means to turn said receiver and support together to discharge the coin and release the support from said line of mechanism.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS J. MARTIN.

\Vitnesses H T. FISHER, F. C. MUssUN.

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