Patent GB-420186-A (GB)
Abstract: 420,186. Ticket-issuing machines. LEWERS, W. H., 47, Victoria Street, London. -(Ruscher, H. ; 114, West 7th. Street, Mount Vernon, New York, U.S.A.) July 29, 1933, No. 21364. [Class 106 (iii)] In a railway passenger or like electricallyoperated ticket-issuing system, each station is represented by a key, the depression of which initiates a cycle of operations resulting in the printing on a strip ticket, Fig. 24, of the destination, fare value, date, fixed information and serial number and on three superposed record strips, Fig. 26, of the serial number, destination contraction, and fare totals. Two separate units are provided, one, the key box, being connected by a wire conduit and flexible shaft to the other which comprises a casing enclosing the operating, selecting and printing mechanism. The selected key, when depressed, closes a number of circuits which individually select and set the various letters and numerals and energize the motor controlling the feeding and printing operations. Key box. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 8, 20. Keys 32, each representing a station, are held in the raised position by springs, and each when depressed operates its individual counter 89<1> and closes a number of circuits. A metal strip 39 on the end of the key then serves to convey current from the post 43 and contact spring 41 to those of the metallic springs 40 which are connected up to the setting &c. mechanism. The stem of each key is formed with projections 44 and notches which co-operate with recesses in locking plates 46, 47, 48, 49 slidable lengthwise so as to lock the given key down and lock all the other keys against depression. All the locking plates are connected by rocking levers 50, 51, 52 so as to move together and a spring 53 tends to keep them in engagement with the sides of the keys on which the projections 44 are provided. When any key is depressed, its projection 44 moves all the locking plates against the pull of the spring 53 and then engages below the edge of the notch allowing the plates to spring back slightly. When the setting and printing cycle is completed, the main operating shaft, through a flexible connection 359 acts on the end plate 49 by means of the rocking lever 55, and thus moves all the plates so that the projection 44 on the depressed key is released allowing the key to rise, after which all the plates spring back. In the lower part of the box is arranged an insulating plate 69 supporting metallic binding posts 60, each post corresponding to a letter or numeral on the printing members. As many of the spring contacts as may be needed for any particular station are connected by wires 81 to the binding posts, each of which may thus have wires from a number of keys connected to it. Power operating mechanism. Figs. 11, 12, 19. The selecting, printing and operating mechanism is housed in a casing S, shown in longitudinal section in Fig. 11. Depression of any one of the keys closes a circuit through an electromotor which drives the vertical shaft 92 through worm gearing 89, 91, shown also in Fig. 12. A solenoid 399 in the motor circuit checks rotation of the shaft 92, except when the motor is energized, by means of a pin 403 on the cam 94 which is driven by a friction clutch 911 from the shaft. The longitudinal shaft 109, by which the letters and numerals are set, is rotated first forwards and then backwards during the cycle by bevel reversing gears 107, 108, 353 operated by the cam groove 95. The upper end of the shaft 92 drives bevel wheels 256, 280, mounted freely upon shaft 250, in opposite directions. The bevel wheel 256 rotates the sleeve 249 continuously and turns the longitudinal shaft 265, which operates printing mechanism &c. through one revolution during one quarter of its own rotation, and holds it locked for the remaining three quarters. This is effected by a pin 258 engaging radial grooves 259 in a Geneva wheel to rotate it and a circular arc 262 engaging the surface 263 on the wheel to hold it stationary. The two shafts 250, 265 are connected by 4 to 1 gearing to the Geneva wheel. In a similar way, the bevel wheel 280 drives through the Geneva mechanism shown also in Fig. 19, a feed roller 268 for the ticket strip PR and a longitudinal shaft 315 for the ribbon feed roller 311. The flexible shaft 359, Fig. 12, which releases the key locking plates on the completion of the cycle, is operated from the vertical shaft 92 through a Geneva wheel 355 and worm gearing 356, 357. Feeding mechanism. Figs. 11, 12, 15. The ticket strip PR, Fig. 11, is fed longitudinally between feed rollers 267, 268, the former being driven intermittently as described previously, and then passes over the serial number printing rollers NW, the printing plate P, date wheels DW, the price wheels PW and the destination wheels AW to the outlet TO, the ticket being cut off by a knife 287 operated by a cam on the sleeve 249. The record strip TR in triplicate is fed transversely over the price totalizer and printing wheels PT, the destination contraction printing wheels SD and the serial number printing wheels SN. The strip passes between rollers 291, 292, Fig. 15, the former being actuated by a pawl 296 from an arm 297 operated by a cam 299 driven by the sleeve 249. The two upper record strips are printed by carbon surfaces below them; the lower strip and also the main ticket strip PR are printed from an inking strip 266<1> which is fed from the spool 281, Figs. 11 and 12, to the spool 311, driven intermittently by worm gearing from the shaft 315. Two of the record strips are directed upwardly as at 303, Fig. 15, and one downwardly as at 304. Setting printing wheels and printing. Figs. 11, 13. Cams 283 on the intermittently operated shaft 265 simultaneously raise for printing the date wheels DW, the plate P and the serial number wheels NW. The date wheels may be set from outside the casing and the numbering wheels NW are moved one step each cycle by a pawl 404. The serial number wheels SN for the record strips are similarly operated by cams 322 on the shaft 265. Each of the destination wheels AW, the price wheels PW and the contracted destination wheels SD is set and operated for printing by mechansim shown in Figs. 11 and 13. The shaft 109 carries a number of operating gear wheels 110-132 each connected to a corresponding type wheel through intermediate gear wheels and concentric sleeves freely mounted on the shaft 205. The wheels 110-132 are spaced and driven from the shaft by friction discs and helical springs 135 through not more than half a revolution, but the extent of the movement in each case depends upon the letter or numeral to be printed. For example, the operating wheel 118, Fig. 13, and the printing wheel 251 have teeth extending round about half their circumference, the wheel 251 having also a number of printing characters 252, any one of which may be projected radially outwards by the pin 254 according to the adjustment of the wheel. The pins 254 for all the wheels are moved upwards by cams 266 on the intermittently rotated shaft 265. A letter is selected for printing in each wheel by projecting the appropriate solenoid plunger as for example 139 into the path of a shoulder 138 on the wheel 118, thus preventing further movement of the wheel, the light friction drive from shaft 109 allowing this stop action. Fixed stops 137<1> position all the wheels on the return movement. To obtain the necessary close setting, two rows of staggered solenoids are employed for each printing wheel, each being electrically connected to the appropriate binding post in the key box. Totalizing mechanism. Figs. 11, 14. The wheels indicating and printing units, tens, hundreds and thousands of the price totalizer PT are also operated by shaft 109 through gear wheels 129-132 by means of similar solenoid mechanism for limiting the range of movement according to the fare set up ; but in each case the transmission includes an additional element mounted on the shaft 250 and giving only a one-way movement to the totalizing wheel. For example, when the wheel 130 is rotated through an angle determined by the shoulder 138 engaging one of the solenoid plungers corresponding to a given digit, the sector 324 is turned through the same angle in a clockwise direction, so that a sector 327 carried by the sector 324 will engage and rotate one of the totalizer wheels 333. The sector 327 is, however, pivoted at 328 to an arm of the sector 324 and is integral with a curved arm 329 which is operated by a cam 404<1> on the intermittently operated shaft 265 during the return movement of the sectors so that the wheel 333 is not turned backwards. Each of the four totalizer wheels is similarly operated, but the four sectors 327, 335, 334, 331 are spaced angularly so as to operate in succession. Spring catches 346, 345, 344, 343 hold the sectors clear of the wheels 333 during the return movement. The higher wheels of the totalizer are also each operated one from the other in the usual way.