Flow meter for propane or the like gas with a safety device combined therewith

Claim 1

A GAS HANDLING DEVICE PARTICULARLY FOR USE WITH GAS SUPLIED FROM A PRESSURIZED GAS CONTAINER SUCH AS A PROPANE GAS CONTAINER, COMPRISING WALL MEANS DEFINING A CONTAINER HAVING A FLOW METER CHAMBER AND A PRESSURE REGULATING CHAMBER WITH A PARTITION WALL THEREBETWEEN HAVING A GAS PASSAGE DEFINED THEREIN FOR THE FLOW OF GAS BETWEEN SAID CHAMBERS, MEANS DEFINING ON OUTLET PASSAGE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID FLOW METER CHAMBER, MEANS DEFINING AN INLET PASSAGE TERMINATING IN AN OPENING IN SAID PRESSURE REGULATING CHAMBER, A RESILIENT MEMBER IN SAID PRESSURE REGULATING CHAMBER SUPPORT IN A LOCATION TO BE EXPOSED TO THE PRESSURE OF THE GAS FLOWING THROUGH SAID INLET PASSAGE AND BEING DISPLACEABLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRESSURE OF THE GAS, A VALVE MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID RESILIENT MEMBER AND MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OPENING OF SAID INLET PASSAGE IN RESPONSE TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID RESILIENT MEMBER FOR CLOSING SAID PASSAGE UPON INCREASE IN GAS PRESSURE IN SAID PRESSURE REGULATING CHAMBER, AND FLOW METER MEANS IN SAID FLOW METER CHAMBER FOR MEASURING AND INDICATING THE AMOUNT OF GAS FLOWING THERETHROUGH, SAID FLOW METER MEANS INCLUDING A ROTATABLE IMPELLER ARRANGED ABOVE THE OPENING OF SAID PARTITION WALL IN A POSITION WHERE THE FLOW OF GAS THROUGH SAID OPENING CAUSES ROTATION OF SAID IMPELLER, AN INDICATOR DIAL MOUNTED IN SAID FLOW METER CHAMBER, AN INDICATOR POINTER ROTATABLE AROUND SID INDICATOR DIAL, GEAR MEANS CONNECTING SAID POINTER TO SAID IMPELLER FOR MOVING SAID POINTER INDICATOR IN PROPORTION TO THE ROTATION OF SAID IMPELLER, SID INDICATOR DIAL HAVING GRADUATIONS THEREON SAID INDICATING QUANTITIES OF GAS WHICH IS FLOWING THROUGH SAID FLOW METER CHAMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID POINTER INDICATOR, A ROTATABLE RING MOUNTED ON SAID WALL MEANS TO OVERLIE SAID INDICATOR DIAL, SAID RING BEING ROTATABLE AND HAVING GRADUATIONS THEREON INCREASING AROUND SAID RING IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF INCREASE OF THE INDICATIONS OF SAID DIAL, SAID RING BEING ROTATABLE TO POSITION THE INDEX OF SAID RING WITH THE INDEX OF SAID DIAL IN AN INITIAL POSITION OF SAID POINTER INDICATOR WHEREBY SAID POINTER INDICATOR WHEN MOVED BY SAID IMPELLER SIMULTANEOUSLY INDICATES THE QUANTITIES OF GAS FLOWING THROUGH SAID FLOW METER CHAMBER ON SAID DIAL AND THE QUANTITY OF GAS REMAINING IN THE GAS CONTAINER ON SAID RING MEMBER.