Patent GB-212592-A (GB)
Abstract: 212,592. Julius, G. A. Sept. 20, 1922. Index type-wheel machines with printing-surfaces for tickets. -A machine for use particularly on tramway vehicles but applicable generally for checking admission fees, is adapted at each operation to print and issue a single ticket, Fig. 26, showing the stage of issue, the fare, the direction and length of the journey, and a serial number and date, to display the fare and the stage of issue, and to register the aggregate value and number of tickets issued, as well as the number of each separate value or class. The machine is set manually by the conductor, and may be operated manually or bv motor. The ticket strip 70, Fig. 6, passes between a printing and feeding-roller 84 and a platen roller 85, through a guide shoot 86, between a second printing-roller 87 and its platen roller 88, and past a guillotine 90 to a delivery shoot 91. The machine is fitted at the top with two setting- plungers or keys 51, 52, Fig. 1, one for the outward and the other for the inward journey, each movable over a range of holes 55 for the sections or stages. The plungers are pivoted at 145, Fig. 11, in housings 60 mounted on sleeves 168, 169 rotatable in bearings in the frame, and are pivotally connected to knuckles 144 on vertical plunger rods 142, 143, passing through the sleeves. These plunger rods are pivotally connected to an oscillatory bar 124 suspended by a bail 123 from an arm 125 fast on a shaft 126. At the beginning of a journey, a key lock 116, Fig. 3, is turned by the conductor to move a cam plate 115 and thereby release a lug 112 on a locking-bar 113 from one of three notches 109, 110, 111 in a pivoted anchorshaped member 107. The stock 153 of the anchor member is pivotally connected to collars 150, 151 on the plunger rods, which are fitted with buffer springs 148, 149, so that when the anchor is moved to one side or the other by means of an external knob 262, Fig. 6, the plunger not required on the journey is latched in a depressed position. The plungers are positively prevented from approaching one another beyond the parallel position. Before adjusting the anchor member 107, the conductor sets the plunger not required in the last hole of its range so that after it has been latched the other plunger may be moved over its whole range. The bar 124 is lifted about one of its end pivots 140, 141 by the depression of the plunger that is in use, and this movement serves to release the driving- mechanism of the machine for operation, as described later. When, however, the anchor member 107 is in the middle or " neutral " position shown in Fig. 3, a pin 121 thereon blocks the bail pivot 122 and the machine cannot be operated. A hollow shaft 22, Fig. 3, attached to a crank disc 26, is driven by a hand-crank 21 or by a motor. Where a hand-crank is used, its driving notch 23 and the cross pin of the shaft are eccentric, as shown in Fig. 4, to minimize risk of unauthorized operation by an ordinary notched crank. The crank disc has a bay 27, Fig. 4, for engagement by a locating-roller 29, and drives the main shaft 80 by a pitman 32 pivotally connected at 134, Fig. 5, to cheeks 239 loose on the shaft 80. A driving-pawl 133 is mounted between the cheeks on the same pivot 134, its tail 132 being forced outwards by a spring 136 tending to engage the pawl 133 with teeth on a wheel 137 fast on the shaft 80. When a plunger 51 or 52 is depressed into one of its holes, an arm 125 on a shaft 126 is raised and an adjustable stop 128 is engaged with the tail 129 of a lever 130 loose on the shaft 126, and thereby releases the tail 132 of the pawl 133, whereupon the machine may be operated. Each upward active stroke of the pitman is adapted to turn the shaft 80 and a toothed wheel 104, Fig. 4, through a quarter of a revolution. The wheel 104 gears directly with a pinion 105 on the second-printing roller 87 and with a pinion 106 adapted to drive the first printing-roller 84 through ratchet-mechanism. The arrangement of gearing is such that the second printing-roller 87 makes a complete revolution for each upward stroke of the pitman, while the first printing- roller 84 makes less than a complete revolution. On the downward stroke of the pitman a toggle arm 251, Fig. 5, through a rocker 248 loose on the shaft 243 of the printing-roller 84, turns the roller the remainder of the revolution, during which time an arm 235 is rocked by a cam 237 to actuate the guillotine 90. A locator roller 220, Fig. 4, engages a bay in a disc 221 on the printing-roller 84 to ensure restoration to normal position. A locator cam 214, Fig. 4, on the main shaft 80 engages a counter-actuating arm 211 and holds a lug 217 in the path of a stop 216 to prevent setting of the plungers during operation. The first printing-roller 84 has consecutive-number type wheels 102 advanced by a reciprocating plate 257, Fig. 6, dating-wheels, and a fixed-matter type plate 103 adapted to print all the characters representing the sections of the journey, a portion of the plate being detachable to allow the conductor's number to be changed. The roller may be removed bodily endwise through an opening the frame normally closed by a plate 263, Fig. 2. The second printing- roller 87 is provided with adjustable bars 200, Figs. 2 and 3, for cancelling the printed characters of unwanted sections, a rocking plate 163, Fig. 7, set from the anchor member 107 for printing the word " in " or " out," and type 280, Figs. 23, 25, for printing the fare. The plate 163 is rocked by a slider 167, Fig. 7, carried by a rod 161 movable axially by a lever 157, Fig. 3, actuated by a link 156 from the anchor member. The cancelling-bars 200 are attached to sliding collars 199, Fig. 2, engaged by the ends of arms 195, Fig. 11, on the plunger sleeves 168, 169 and are arranged so that their bases abut when the plungers are parallel, leaving a single section character uncancelled. The fare type are carried on pivoted arms 281, Fig. 25, held in recesses in the roller by springs 282. An axially slidable bar 287, Fig. 23, positioned by a rock shaft 184, Figs. 2 and 11, in accordance with the setting of the plunger 51 or 52, carries a plate 284 adapted to lift the proper type out of the recess in the roller to printing level. The platen rollers 85, 88 are mounted in adjustable eccentric bearings. According to a modification, the fare type may be omitted from the roller 87. The sleeves 168, 169, Fig. 11, of the plungers 51, 52 are connected by links 173, 174 to a rocking member 175 pivotally connected to a rack bar 177. This rack bar engages a pinion 180 attached to a wheel 181, Figs. 1 and 6, bearing fare and stage characters visible to the conductor and passengers through apertures 56, 57 in the top of the casing. The rack bar is connected to a lever 183 which is fast on a shaft 184 and is adapted to move a pinion 188 along a stepped barrel pinion 138 fast on a shaft 191 driven from the wheel 105 on the printing roller 87, whereby the shaft of the pinion 188 conveys a differential movement to a totalizing counter 59, Fig. 4. The shaft 184 is fitted with an arm connected by a link 203, Fig. 4, with a member 204, which is positioned over one of a series of keys 206 for the counters 207 of the several classes of tickets. The depression of the member 204 is effected by the four-bay locatorcam 214 on the main shaft 80 at each operation of the machine. In a modification, a similar member 204 may be actuated from a crank pin or eccentric on the second printing-roller 87, the cam 214 being retained merely as a locator-cam for the main drive. When the plungers are parallel, the rack bar 177 remains stationary, the pinion 188 being set to register a minimum fare, preferably double that between succeeding stages. The counter 58 for the total number of tickets is actuated from an eccentric 225, Fig. 3, on the printing roller 87. The back of the casing is secured to the frame members, while the sides are hinged at 39, 40, Fig. 2, and continued round the front to form doors, which are secured by a lock releasable by the hand-crank. The hinged top door 61 is secured by a catch engaging a hook 47, Fig. 3, and manipulated by a push-rod 64. The base of the machine is provided with dovetailed grooves 67 slidable over brackets 68 provided on the vehicle. Web feeding, guiding, and cutting arrangements.-The ticket strip 70, Fig. 6, is drawn from a spool 71 mounted in a hinged arm 73, which is normally latched by a spring hook 78 at the top but may be drawn forward to replace an empty spool by a full one 266, Fig. 3, carried at the side of it. A roller 77 mounted at the end of a spring arm 76 maintains proper tension on the strip, which passes between a guide roller 82 and a spring brake-shoe 83. A knife-edged plate 228, Fig. 3, is fixed over the intermediate ticket shoot 89. The movable blade 90 has an inclined cutting edge and is pivoted at 253 to a bent spring strip 227 pivoted at 229 and held down by a spring 230. A shank part 254 of the movable knife is guided between collars 255 which may be adjusted to set the blade so as to leave a portion of the strip uncut. The spring strip 227 is raised about its pivot 229, to effect the severing of the ticket, by the engagement of a pin 231 on the arm 232, Fig. 5, with a hole 234 in the free end of the spring. Roller inking-arrangements.-Felt-covered inking-rollers 92, 94, Fig. 6, are employed. The roller 92 is detachably mounted in arms 93 on a rock shaft 267 provided with a spring 268 and a setting arm 267<x>, Fig. 2. The roller 94 is mounted on pin centres in arms 95 on a telescopic shaft 100, 100x, having adjustable stop arms 96, and may be removed through a hinged flap 61 at the top of the casing.