REMOTE METER READ-OUT STATION WITH PULL-OFF COVER

• US 3,748,654 A
• Filed: 01/21/1972
• Issued: 07/24/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ray Sutherland
• Original Assignee: Ray Sutherland
• Inventors: Sutherland, Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swann, III, Glen R.
• Application Number:
  US05/219,749
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 340/177R,188R 73/194E 49/463,465 174/48,58 339/12R,17C,37,123
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means

Abstract

A remote meter reading terminal housing having a terminal access opening that is closed by a removable cover. The cover is pulled off to provide access to the terminals in the housing by a magnet that is magnetically coupled to the cover by the meter reader.

Claims

1. In combination with a remote flow meter read-out station adapted to be located remotely from a flow meter whose reading is to be taken and having terminal means to which electrical signals representing the output of said meter are supplied, a housing receiving said terminal means and having an opening to provide access to said terminal means, pull-off cover means removably mounted on said housing and closing said opening, a portable meter reading apparatus adapted to be carried by a person taking the meter reading and comprising hand-carried casing means, connector means mounted by said casing means for manual insertion through said opening and engagement with said terminal means upon removal of said cover means to transmit said signals, means for receiving the signals transmitted by said connector means and being responsive to said signals to provide an indication of said meter output, said cover means having magnetically attractable metallic means, and magnetic means adapted to be magnetically coupled to said metallic means by the person taking the meter reading for pulling said cover means off said housing.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said magnetic means comprises a magnet positioned on said casing means.

3. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said magnet is fixed on said casing means at a region that is spaced from said connector means.

4. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said apparatus comprises further casing means formed separately of said hand-carried casing means and mounting said signal-responsive means.

5. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said signal-responsive means is mounted in said hand-carried casing means.

6. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said cover means is exteriorly free of protuberances that are manually grippable for pulling said cover means off said housing without use of said magnet.

7. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said housing is formed with an outwardly opening recess, wherein said opening is formed in the bottom of said recess, and wherein said cover means has an exteriorly exposed portion interfittingly received in said recess.

8. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said cover means further includes a closure member for said opening, and wherein said metallic means comprises a part positioned on the exterior of said closure member.

9. The combination defined in claim 8, wherein said closure member is formed from electrical insulating material.

10. The combination defined in claim 8, wherein said housing is formed with an outwardly opening recess, wherein said opening is formed in the bottom of said recess, and wherein said closure member has a first portion interfittingly received in said opening and a second portion interfittingly received in said recess exteriorily of said opening.

11. The combination defined in claim 10, comprising elastically deformable means carried by said first portion and deformed between said first portion and said housing to provide a seal between said housing and said closure member.

12. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said cover means is retained on said housing only by frictional engagement with wall surfaces of said housing.

13. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said cover means is exteriorly free of protuberances that are manually grippable for pulling said cover means off said housing without use of said magnetic means.

14. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said housing is formed with an outwardly opening recess, wherein said opening is formed in the bottom of said recess, and wherein said cover means has a portion interfittingly received in said recess exteriorly of said opening.

15. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said cover means comprises a closure member for said opening, wherein said housing is formed with an outwardly opening recess, wherein said opening is formed in the bottom of said recess, wherein said closure member has a first portion interfittingly received in said opening and a second portion interfittingly received in said recess exteriorly of said opening, and wherein said metallic means comprises a part fixed on an exterior face of said second portion.

16. In combination with a remote flow meter read-out station adapted to be located remotely from a flow meter whose reading is to be taken and having terminal means to which electrical signals representing the output of said meter are supplied, a housing receiving said terminal means and having an opening to provide access to said terminal means, pull-off cover means removably mounted on said housing for closing said opening and comprising a magnetically attractable metallic part, a portable meter reading apparatus adapted to be carried by a person taking the meter reading and comprising a hand-carried casing, electrically conductive, signal-transmitting connector means mountEd by said casing for manual insertion through said opening and engagement with said terminal means upon removal of said cover means, and a magnet mounted on said casing and being manually positionably to be magnetically coupled to said metallic part for enabling the person taking the meter reading to pull said cover means off said housing.

17. The combination defined in claim 16, wherein said cover means is supported by said magnet upon magnetically coupling said magnet to said part and pulling said cover means off said housing.

18. In a remote meter reading apparatus for remotely reading the quantity-indicating output of a flow meter, means for converting the output of said meter into electrical signals, a meter read-out station located remote from said converting means and including terminal means, conductor means interconnecting said converting means and said terminal means for transmitting said signals to said terminal means, a portable meter read-out unit including electrically conductive connector means for selectively and detachably contacting said terminal means for transmitting said signals, means for receiving the signals transmitted by said connector means and being responsive to said signals to provide an indication of said meter output, and a housing receiving said terminal means and being formed with an opening to provide access to said terminal means, said connector means being manually insertable through said opening to contact said terminal means, the improvement comprising pull-off cover means removably mounted on said housing for closing said opening and comprising a magnetically attractable metallic part, and magnet means adapted to be magnetically coupled to said metallic means by the person taking the meter reading for pulling said cover means off said housing.

19. The remote meter reading apparatus defined in claim 18, wherein said unit further includes a hand-carried casing mounting said connector means and said magnet means.

20. The remote meter reading apparatus defined in claim 19, wherein said unit includes a further casing formed separately of said hand-carried casing and mounting said signal responsive means.

21. The remote meter reading apparatus defined in claim 19, wherein said signal responsive means is mounted in said hand-carried casing.

22. In combination, a remote flow meter read-out station adapted to be located remotely from a flow meter whose reading is to be taken and having a card that is provided with terminal means to which electrical signals representing the output of said meter are supplied, and a hollow housing receiving said card and having a back wall formed separately of the remainder of said housing and mounting said card, means detachably securing said remainder to said back wall, said remainder being formed with an opening opposite from said back wall to provide access to said terminal means, and cover means removably mounted on said remainder for closing said opening.

23. The combination defined in claim 16, wherein wherein said terminal means comprises electrical conductive strips printed on said card.

24. The combination defined in claim 22 wherein a portion of said remainder is formed with a recess, and wherein said back wall is separably seated in said recess.

25. The combination defined in claim 22 wherein said back wall is adapted to be mounted on a wall structure, and wherein said remainder is formed with a portion that peripherally surrounds said back wall and has a recess that opens toward said wall structure and receives said back wall.

26. The combination defined in claim 25 comprising terminal elements extending through said back wall and adapted to be connected to an electrical signal transmission line exteriorly of said housing, said elements being electrically connected to said terminal means in said housing.

27. The combination defined in claim 25 wherein said securing means comprises fastener means engaging said portion and said back wall to detachably fix said remainder to said back wall independently of the mounting of said back wall on said wall structure.