Antireversing Mechanism Patents (Class 73/275)
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Patent number: 8931337Abstract: A fluid meter includes a totaliser having an electronic card that communicates with a remote meter reading system. The electronic card may be contained in a metal housing covered in a leakproof manner by an upper transparent panel. The totaliser may be covered by a cover which retains the upper transparent panel in a leakproof manner. The cover may be covered by a cap made from plastic material. The upper transparent panel may be made from glass and the upper transparent panel and the cover may each include an orifice to allow communication between the electronic card and antenna disposed between the cover and the cap.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2012Date of Patent: January 13, 2015Assignee: Itron FranceInventors: Anthony Renoud, Sebastien Schwenter
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Patent number: 7975560Abstract: A magnetic shield may be mounted to a water meter housing to protect the magnetic operation of the water meter from a tamper magnet, including both smaller, flexible tamper magnets and larger, strong tamper magnets. The shield may include a contoured portion and a barrier portion. The barrier portion may provide a physical and spatial barrier between a larger tamper magnet and an internal magnetic sensor of the water meter. The contoured portion may conform to the housing of the water meter and may prevent smaller tamper magnets from being maneuvered close to the housing of the water meter. The shield may be made of a ferrous material suitable for attenuating a magnetic field. The shield may receive a looped sensor transmission cable within a U-shaped opening enabling the shield to be installed and/or removed from the water meter without the sensor transmission cable being detached from the water meter.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2008Date of Patent: July 12, 2011Assignee: Elster Amco WaterInventors: Rolando Armas, Evan Hengge
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Patent number: 7661306Abstract: Some embodiments of an instrument for a flow meter can automatically adjust in response to the rotational direction of the drive shaft of the flow meter, thereby permitting the instrument device to perform its intended function regardless of the fluid flow direction through the flow meter. In one example, the instrument may comprise a corrector instrument that includes a counter.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2007Date of Patent: February 16, 2010Assignee: Dresser, Inc.Inventor: Edward Thompson Crottie
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Publication number: 20090188315Abstract: Some embodiments of an instrument for a flow meter can automatically adjust in response to the rotational direction of the drive shaft of the flow meter, thereby permitting the instrument device to perform its intended function regardless of the fluid flow direction through the flow meter. In one example, the instrument may comprise a corrector instrument that includes a counter.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 6, 2009Publication date: July 30, 2009Applicant: DRESSER, INC.Inventor: Edward Thompson Crottie
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Patent number: 7343795Abstract: A meter register includes a sealed register body having a face portion and a body that are coupled to form an internal cavity. The internal cavity includes a rotatble member, a power source and a visual display. A microprocessor is included that coacts with the power source and the rotatable member to determine a volume flow andlor a flow rate through the meter register. The visual display shows a volume of flew measured by the register corresponding to rotations of rotatable members. A detection switch is included for detecting tampering with said register actuating a signal when the register has been tampered with.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2006Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: Arad Measuring Technologies LTDInventor: Dan Winter
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Patent number: 7245230Abstract: The present inventions relate to a method and apparatus for adding Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) capabilities to utility meters that generate a magnetic field comprising magnetic flux that varies proportionally with the rate of resource consumption. The apparatus comprises a dual magnetic field sensor unit for detecting variations in the magnetic flux density for the magnetic field. The sensor unit may be compact in size so that it can be positioned within a utility meter. The sensor unit may be operatively connected to a data-unit located outside the utility meter. The data unit may be further configured for storing processed or unprocessed sensor signals and is connected to a transmitter. To minimize power consumption, the magnetic field sensors may be configured to have sensor on times and sensor off times. The on/off state of the magnetic field sensors may be controlled by either a dedicated sensor controller or the data unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2005Date of Patent: July 17, 2007Assignee: MARS CompanyInventors: Floyd Stanley Salser, Jr., Ian Phillip Harvey, Roger Allcorn
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Patent number: 6666083Abstract: A meter, in particular a fluid meter, having a meter body provided with a flow rate measuring device, a counter mounted on the meter body and provided in a top portion with a display for displaying the quantity of fluid that has been consumed, and in a bottom portion with a converter device for converting the fluid flow rate into the quantity of fluid that has been consumed, and fraud indicator assembly associated with the top portion. A portion of the fraud indicator assembly being designed to be partially or totally detached from the top portion so as to totally block the operation of the converter device after an attempt at fraud has been made on the meter, even if the mechanical action involved in the fraud is no longer applied.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2002Date of Patent: December 23, 2003Assignee: Actaris S.A.S.Inventor: Laurent Demia
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Patent number: 6611769Abstract: An electronic, programmable meter register (10) includes an input section (18, 19, 30) for generating pulses in response to units of flow in a water meter, a stored control program (46), a microelectronic CPU (31) for executing the program (46) to read input pulses and to transmit output data representing units of flow volume. An output device (16) is responsive to output data from the CPU (31) to display units of flow volume, and the CPU (31) stores a programmable meter input resolution factor for a corresponding one of several meters that scales the output data that is transmitted to the output device (16). A magnet (49) is held outside the register unit (10), but in proximity to a reed switch (22) inside the sealed unit (10) to sequence the display (16) through a series of totalization, rate of flow and other screen displays. A magnetic pulse pickup (24, 18, 19) is provided to signal both forward and reverse flows.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2001Date of Patent: August 26, 2003Assignee: Badger Meter, Inc.Inventor: John A. Olson
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Publication number: 20020189343Abstract: A meter, in particular a fluid meter 1 comprises a meter body provided with means 2 for measuring a fluid flow rate, a counter 5 mounted on the meter body and provided in its top portion 8 with means 7 for displaying the quantity of fluid that has been consumed, and in its bottom portion with converter means 6 for converting the fluid flow rate into the quantity of fluid that has been consumed, and fraud indicator means 12, 14, 15, 16 associated with the top portion 8. A portion of the fraud indicator means 12, 14, 15, 16 is designed to be partially or totally detached from the top portion 8 so as to totally block the operation of the converter means 6 after an attempt at fraud has been made on the meter, even if the mechanical action involved in the fraud is no longer applied.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2002Publication date: December 19, 2002Inventor: Laurent Demia
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Patent number: 6098456Abstract: A liquid meter includes a housing with two compartments with respectively a motor member disposed in the path of movement of a stream of the liquid to be measured and a counter, the transmission of the movement of the motor member to the counter being carried out through the separation wall of the compartments with the aid of a magnetic drive device having a pair of magnets, the first magnet associated with the motor member having a face with double polarity in magnetic equilibrium with a face of double polarity of the magnet associated with the counter, each magnet has at least one double polarity on each of its other faces.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 1998Date of Patent: August 8, 2000Assignee: Societe Anonyme de Production de Procedes de Comptage de l'Eau et Autres Liquides, SAPPELInventor: Christophe Munck
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Patent number: 5559289Abstract: A water meter and backflow preventer for use in a water supply system having a meter box includes a housing having water infeed and outfeed openings which are connected to supply water from a main utility pipeline to a water customer domestic system through a pair of infeed and outfeed shut-off valves and a water meter mounted within the housing. A double check valve is installed in the water circuit in the housing to enable use of the double check method of backflow prevention. Test ports are provided through the housing to enable the housing unit to be testable for leaks through the valves. The water meter and backflow preventer combines backflow prevention integrated with an AWWA-approved water meter in one product having the same overall lay length as a current water meter to eliminate the need for re-fitting pipe or using adapters within the meter box.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 1994Date of Patent: September 24, 1996Assignee: Schlumberger Industries, Inc.Inventors: Charles P. Brunson, IV, Thierry W. Swinson
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Patent number: 4489600Abstract: An improved magnetic rotor type water meter having an anti-reverse-rotation device for preventing the reverse rotation of the pointer driving gear of the water meter, although the rotor or impeller of the water meter is rotated in the reverse direction by a counterflow from the outlet or by any type of fluid pressures applied to the outlet.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 1983Date of Patent: December 25, 1984Assignee: Shinhan Kongki Co., Ltd.Inventor: Eui M. Han
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Patent number: 4461174Abstract: A vane wheel water meter having a vane wheel disposed in a vane chamber located between an inlet and an outlet with the meter body being positioned above the vane chamber. The vane wheel has a body with several vanes extending outwardly perpendicular to the vane axis. Stepped back stops are provided on the upper surface of the vane wheel body which gradually incline downwardly in the normal rotational direction of the vane wheel relative to the inlet. Stop pins are mounted within respective cylinders provided in meter body for coacting with the back stops to stop the vane wheel from rotating in the reverse rotational direction. The vane wheel body can be shaped like a truncate cone.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 1982Date of Patent: July 24, 1984Assignee: Shinhan Kongki Co., Ltd.Inventor: Eui M. Han
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Patent number: 4245504Abstract: A gas meter is disclosed having a one-way index incorporated therein for causing the indicating means thereof to run only in a forward direction regardless of the actual direction of gas flow. A pivoting member is oscillated by a rotating cam coupled to the measuring means of the meter and includes pawls attached thereto for driving a ratchet wheel, coupled to the indicating means, in one direction only. By this arrangement, the oscillation of the member is independent of the direction of rotation of the cam, which rotation is indicative of the direction of gas flow.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 1979Date of Patent: January 20, 1981Assignee: The Singer CompanyInventor: Charles W. Albrecht
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Patent number: 4080827Abstract: An improvement in the drive to the index, or register, of diaphragm-type gas meters is disclosed, in which the index always runs in the same direction, regardless of the direction of flow of fluid through the meter.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 1976Date of Patent: March 28, 1978Assignee: Rockwell International CorporationInventor: John L. Esola