US1849116A - Meteb - Google Patents

Description

March 15, 1932. c.: F. sPERY METER FOR WASHING AND LIKE MACHINES 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 25,

...MNHN/w OII March 15, 1932. c. F. SPE'RY METER Non- WASHING AND LIKE MACHINES 3 .Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April-25. 1927 mmh 15, 1932. f C, F, SPERY.4 1;s49,116

IIETER FOR WASHINQ AND LIKE MACHINES Filed April 25. 1927 5 sheets-Sheet 5 zo and off at the will of the user, and thus reoperation.

Patented Mar.l1 5, 193 2' i l i ,UNITED STATES PATENT-orner;

cuantas F. srrmr. or cmcaco, rumors mann ron. wasme AND LIKE mecum-Es A Application mea-'apra as, 1927. serial no. maaar.v

This invention relates to meters' for electhings, a meter so constructed that it'may be trically operated domestic washing machines. connected with and operated by the motor of Inmetered washing machines as heretofore the washing machlne and thus save the cost employed,.the meters are coin controlled, and and maintenance of an additional motor-as 5 the machine runs only as long as the time alemployed in my former constructlon. v 5| lowedforA the value of thearticular coin Another object of my present Yinvention is dropped into the meter. This' time is relal to require each user to manipulate but a ti'vely short. and usually several coins must single key for starting and stopping the meter be' dropped into the meter before a` washing and the motor, respectively, and thus avoid lo is completed. Even thenvthe machine may the use of two keys, as-in my previous` con- 00v run longer than required to complete the struction. l washing so that the user .is required to pay A further object of my present invention for this overtime. vis to allowvthel user by a single key to start In my copending application Serial No. and stop the meter and the washing machine 1.5 `177,130,`iled March 21, 1927, now Patent No.- simultaneously, so that no opportunity 1s 66- 1,801,618, granted April 21, 1931, I have disa'orded for the meter to continue to operate rclosed and claimed a. meter which is ke after the washingmachine has been stopped operated and not coin operated and throug to register against the user more than the which the washing machine maybe turned on actual time the'washing machine Was in to the actual time the machine is operated tion will appear from the following specifiand-no more. For a number of .users of a cation, taken in connectionwith'the accomsingle machine, the meter is provided with panying drawings, in which- 2i as many time registering units as there are Fig. 1 shows a domestic type of washing 75 users for the machine, for example six, with machine equipped with a. meter of myin- Y strict the charge for the use of themachine Other and further objects of my inven different keys for the several units so that vention; the respective users can operate the machine Fig. 2 is a front view of the meter, the-v only through their respective umts 'and no *cover being broken away to show the interior 30 others. J mechanism; 8

In my copending application, it is contem- Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on plated to operate the meter thereof by an line 3 3 of Fig-3.2; f electric motor which is separate and distinct Fig. 4 is a horizontal'sectional View taken from the motor which operates the Washing on line 4 4 of Fig. 2; and

35 machine. This isnot objectionable but from Fig. 5 is a front view of one of thekey 85 the standpoint of economy of construction operable locks with which the meteris proand operation is not desirable because two vided. .v i motors are required, one,for the meter .and In Fig. 1, 1 lindicatesa domestic washing the other for the Washing machine, Furmachine electrically operated b y an electric l 0 thermore, in my previous construction two motor 2 mounted on the frame of the ma- 9 key operable means are employed, one for the fchine. V The motor 2 is arran ed with its armeter and the Other OI th@ 11101901 Switch- 'mature shaft horizontal an connected by This is also not objectionable, but it requires suitable gearing with the agitator or equivaeach user o'f the machine to manipulate two lent vmember (not shown) in the tub or wash- 45 keys before'the meter and the washing maing compartment of the machine. Tlie arma- 95 l chine can beset in operation. t-ure shaft of the motor is provided with an The main object of my present invention extension 3 supported at its -outer end in a is to provide a meter which Vis'an improvehanger 4 depending from the frame of the menton the one of my other application. machine. At Vthe Ahanger 4, the extension 3 To accomplish this,I provide, among other has a bevel pinion` 5in mesh with a bevel 1 gear 6 on the lower end of a vertical shaft 7 which extends into the box or casing 8 of the meter which is rigidly secured to the horizontal frame section 9 of the machine, as shown in Fig. 1. By the drive shown and described, the operative parts of the meter. are driven by the motor 2 of the machine 1, and thus a separate motor to operate the meter is not required.

The box or casing 8 of the meter is preferably made rectangular in shape, and has enclosing walls, 10 being the rear wall and j 11 the front wall, the latter being in the form of a cover which is hinged to the top wall 12 of the box, as shown in Fig. 3. Any suitable form of lock may be employed for locking the cover 11 in closed position so that unauthorized persons may not open the box to tamper with the meter mechanism or the switch for the motor, which is also enclosed within said box. In Fig. 3, I have shown the lock in the form of a bar 13 extending across the bottom of the box on the inside and rigidly secured at one end to the rear wall 10. The other end of the bar extends outside of the box through a slot or opening in the cover 11 and there is apertured to receive a padlock 14 for locking the cover closed.

Located in the upper portion of the box 8 is a vertical plate 15, which is secured to the rear wall 10. Extending along this plate in front of the same is a horizontal shaft 16 journaled in a suitable number of brackets 17 which are secured to the plate 15. The shaft 16 is driven by the shaft 7 at a much slower speed by a worm 7 on the sha'ft 7 in mesh witha worm' gear 16a on the shaft4 16. The latter has a length to accommodate a number of registering units 18, 18, which are arranged in side by side relation along the shaft and in front of the same, as shown in lFig. 2. There four units are shown; the

number, however, depending on the number of users to be accommodated by the meter. Ordinarily, the meter will contain six units y to tale care of six users, thus/adaptingl the washing machine to a six-apartment build- The units- 18 are madealike, so a description of one will suffice for all. Each unit 18 comprises inner and outer vertical plates 19, 20 bolted together yet spaced by spacers on the bolts, as .shown in Fig. 3. The inner plate 19 has rearwardly extending brackets 21, 21 by which the unit is secured to and spaced outward from the base plate 15.

The outer plate 20 is provided on its frontface with a number of dials, preferably three, 22, 22", and 22", arranged in the order named. The dials are suitably graduated, as for example from 0 to 9 as shown. A shaft 23 extends through the center of 'each dial and has a pointer24 at its outer end to travel about the dial in the rotation of the shaft.

AThe dials-are arranged with the dial 22 first in order and nearest the right-hand end of the casing 8 as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. The first dial registers minutes, its hand 24 taking sixty minutes to complete one revolution about said dial. The other dials 22, 22b register hours, it requiring ten hours for the hand of dial 22 to 'complete one revolution about said dial, and a hundred hours for the hand of dial 22h to go around said dial. The shafts for the hands of the several dials are journaled in the inner and outer plates 19, 20, and are connected by gears and pinions of the proper diameters and teeth to give this ratio. This part of the unit follows the construction of an ordinary domestic gas meter.

The shaft 23 of the dial 22 is made longer than the other shafts and is slidably mounted in the plates 19 and 20. The pinion 25 on this shaft is made wide enough to remain in mesh with the gear 26 on the shaft of the dial 22 in the endwise sliding movements of the shaft 23. The latter is provided at its inner end with a cup gear 27 to the rear of the plate 19 and is moved with the shaft 23 into and out of mesh with a gear pinion 28 on the main operating shaft 16 to connect the unit to and disconnect it from said shaft.

For so moving the gear 27, I provide an arm 29 secured at its upper end to the plate 19 on the outer side thereof above the shaft l16, as shown in Fig. 3. This arm extends across the shaft 23 and there has an aperture for said shaft to pass through, as shown in Fig. 4. The hub of the pinion 25 is on one side of the arm and a collar 30 is fixed to the shaft on the opposite side of the arm so that the' latter may slide the shaft endwise when the lower end of the arm is moved inward and outward, respectively.

To accomplish this, I provide for the meter `unit 18 a Yale or similar lock 31 mounted in a stationary horizontal bar 32, which extends lengthwise of the box beneath the several units, as shown in Fig. 3. The bar 32 is supported just inside of the cover 11 by rods 33, which extend to the rear wall 10 of the box and are secured thereto. The casings of these locks are fixed in the bar 32 by set screws, as shown, and project out through and substantially lill openings made therefor in the cover 11 when the latter is closed.

The barrel or rotatable part 34 of the lock extends beyond the rear side of the bar 32 and there carries a radial arm or dog 35, which has a rearwardly extending lug 36 at its outer end. The arm29 extends below the unit V18 to the rear of the lug 36 andis there shaped to have upper and lower vertical flat portions a, b out of the plane of each other and connected by an inclined joining portion c. This lower end of the-arm 29 is made wide enough to be within the path of turning of the cooperating lug 36 so that the latter in traveling d own over the inclined portion c will vmove the arm inward to move the gear 27.

i ing machine motor 2, I provide a switch mech# rear side ofthe arm 29 to hold its lower end against the lug 36 and to move the gear 27 out of mesh .with its pinion 28 when the lug 36 is moved up the incline c of the arm.k

To turnen and o the current tothe washanism within the box 8. This switch is clearly shown 'n Fig. 2, and it comprises a vert1 cal plate di' block 37 supported from the rear or back 'wall' 10 of the box by bolts 38,38. A horizontal bar or slide 39 is arranged above the plate 37 and. is slidably supported in position by channel shaped brackets 40, 40 depending from the rear side of the bar 32. 'I he latter overlaps the upper portion of the slide 39 and retains the same in said brackets. The slide 39 has stops 41, 41 on its under side between the brackets so that by contact therewith the endwiseV movement of the slide is limited.

the upper The slide 39 is provided in its upper edge with a number of notches 42, 42, one foreach meter unit 18, that is, one for each lock 31. The outer ends-of the arms 35 ofthe locks enter these notbhes as the arms are turned down and slidethe bar toward the left.

A bracket 43 is securedto the under side of, the slide 39, and to this bracket is pivoted a lever 44, which is drawn downward by a coiled spring 45 which has one end securedto the outer or free end of the lever. The other end of this spring is hooked over a lug 46 on the base blocki 37. Pivoted on the front face of the block 37 is a switch. blade 47 made'right-angular in shape and havlng end o its upper or short/arm pointedy in the form of an inverted V. The lever 44 carries a V-shaped projection 48 insulated therefrom and which rides'over the pointed upper end of said short arm to swing the long arm of the blade 47 into `andV out o contact with the fixed parts 49, 49 of the switch as the apeXes of the Vspass over each other. The switch parts 49 are insulated from each other and from the block 37, and the blade 47 is also insulated from said block. The switch is quick snap acting and eliminates ldestructive arcing.

. Wires 50, 51 are connected with the switch parts/ 47 49, respectively, and extend out of the yshown in Fig. 2. The wire 50 from the blade 47 leads to one of the terminals of the motor 2 of the washing machine. The other wire 51 from the switch members 49 leads to the source of current supply, and a third wire 52 is` connected with the other terminal of the motor 2 and leads to the source of current supply so that on closing the switch blade47 current is turned onto the motor 2 for operating both the washing machine and the meter. The wires 50 to 52 are housed in a bbx 8 through the bottom wall thereof, as-

suitable protective casingt53,tas indicated by dotted hnesin Fig. 1, so that 'the washing machine can not be run except -through the meter 8 and then only by 'persons having keys gforthe locks 31. A

When the motor 2 is running, thearm 35 of the particular lock 31, which? moves the slide 39 to close the motor switch, extends down into its notchl 42 in the slide and the key 31'L can not be withdrawn from the lock.

On turning the key to raise the arm 35, the

latter in its swinging movement moves theV slide 39 towards the right to open the switch and permit thea-rm 29 of the associated unit .18 .to move the gearv 27 out. of mesh with its pinion 28 on the shaft 16 to disconnect thp unit from said shaft.

kThe meter of my present application is strong yet simple in construction and op.- eration and requires the user to manipulate only one key to set Aboth the washing machine and meter in operation.

By driving the meter by the motoru which operates the washing machine, the meter may be mounted directly on the machine as a. part of its equipment. With the units 18 registering the duration of time the washing machine is operated, the use of the machine is not hindered by the .users not having the required coins to start the machine, as withcoin con-- trolled meters. With my improved meter, the users may be billed at stated intervals for their use of the'machine, similar to gas and electric light bills.

The details of structure shown and described may be variously changed and modi-l ed without departing from the spirit and scope of my' invention.

While I have shown m improved meterl that the meter could be equally as well usedv in connection withany other machine capa.-

ble of u se by a number of different persons, like an ironing machine. In the latter term,

I include wringers of all 'types whether a part of the washing machine or not. i

`I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a washing machine having an electric motor for operating the same, of a meteron the machine and hav'- ing means for registering the number of operation, means connecting the motor to the meter for operating the same, an electric switch for the motor, and means operable by a single key for closing and openingv the vswitch and simultaneously connecting the hours and fractionsV thereof the machine is in 4the machine is in operation, an operating shaftfor said unit, a gear Xed `to sind shaft, a gear slidably mounted in the unit, a spring arm connected with the unitgear for moving the' same into and out of mesh with the sha-ft gear, and key operable means for moving said arm.

3. 'The combination with an electrically operated Washing machine,of a meter for the machineand having a unit for registering the number. of hours and fractions thereof the machine is in operation, a shaft for operating said unit, a gear fixed to said shaft, a gear in the unit, a spring arm connected With the unit gear,\said arm having a bent portion forming ay cam, and key operable means acting on said cam portion for meshing and unmeshing said gears.

4. The combination with an electrically operated Washing machine, of a meter for the machine and having ya unit for registering the number of hours and fractions thereof the machine is in operation, a shaft for operating said unit, a gear xed to said shaft, a gear in the unit, an arm connected With said unit gear and having offset straight portions and an interposed connectinginclined portion, and key operable means having a projection movable over said straight and inclined por-` tions, respectively, for effecting the meshing and unlneshing of said gears.

5. The combination with kan electrically operated Washing machine, of a meter associated with said machine and having a plurality of units for registering the number of hours and fractions thereof the machine is in operation by different users, a main operating shaft extending past the units and common thereto, a gear fixed/to said shaft at each unit, a slidably mounted gear ineach unit, and a single key operable means for each unit for moving by the key the slide gear' of the unit into and out of mesh with the associated shaft gear.

6. A meter of the' character described having a plurality of registering units having operating gears, a common operating shaft for said units, a motor connected with said shaft for operating the same, a gear on said shaft for each unit, a switch for said motor, an endwise movable bar common to said units and connected with said switch, and a single key operable means for each unit for moving one of the unit gears into and out of mesh with its associated shaft gear, each key operable means having a part to engage said bar for moving the same in opposite directions through the key for opening and closing said switch simultaneously with the meshing and unmeshing of the unit and shaft gears.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature this 18th day of April, 1927.

CHARLES F. SPlEli-Y.

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