Patent GB-1102603-A (GB)
Abstract: 1,102,603. Collecting fares. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION. 4 May, 1965 [4 May, 1964; 5 Jan., 1965], No. 18614/65. Heading G4T. In a multiple-zone fare collection system, e.g. for public transport by road, rail, water or air, a coded token is issued to a passenger, the code indicating the zone in which the token is dispensed, and upon completion of a journey the passenger inserts the token in a detecting system which determines the number of zones travelled through, and calculates and indicates the fare to be paid. In the embodiment illustrated, the zone corresponding to the position of a bus is set on a multiple switch 40 whose state is changed by the driver upon a change in zone. Switch 40 selects one of a number of token dispensers 16, one for each zone code, which dispensers upon activation by a boarding passenger issue a token, coded to represent the boarding zone. To prevent fraud, between the dispensers and the switch 40 there may be provided a scramble switch 39 which allows the particular dispenser corresponding to a setting of switch 40, i.e. the particular code corresponding to a zone, to be changed, e.g. at the bus terminus. The tokens may be coded with punched holes arranged in a symmetric pattern to avoid the necessity of correct orientation of the token before insertion in the detector, and each token dispenser consists of a vertical shaft holding a stack of tokens, individual tokens being ejected by a solenoid plunger. When the passenger leaves the bus the token is entered in a code detector which interprets the code by photo-electric or other means 94 (a), 94 (b), 94 (c) and which set switches of a decoding tree 136 to select one of a number of lines 164, 166, 168, 170, 171. The signal over such a line is then " descrambled " in switch 39 and fed to switch 40 which, since it is now set in a new zone position, selects a " fare " line 161 corresponding to the fare to be paid for the number of zones through which the passenger has travelled. Each fare line is fed to a " child's fare " reduction switch 172 where, for example, a single on a 10 c. fare line may, if desired, be diverted to the 5 c. line. Each fare line, is connected to a corresponding terminal of a trip price step switch (188), Fig. 10 (not shown), which has a contact arm which is initially caused to rotate by a fare signal but comes to a halt at the switch terminal corresponding to the line on which the fare signal is received. The state of the switch then represents the fare to be paid, which fare may be indicated on dials moving with the price switch. Payment may be made by coins or by credit tickets, in either case the value paid rotating the price switch arm towards the zero or fare paid position. Over-payment of the fare is recorded on further step switches which upon rotation of the price switch arm below the zero position, select one of a number of change lines to activate change dispensers. Credit tickets may be in sections each representing a money value, successive sections being cut off from the ticket until the fare has been paid. As well as " fare to be paid " indicating dials, further indicating means may be used which merely show the boarding and alighting zones of a passenger, this information being used to determine the validity of journeys travelled using " season " tickets. These indicating means may be merely visual or alternatively may detect codes on the season ticket and may compare the journey travelled with the journey allowable with the ticket, and then calculate any excess fare necessary. For railways systems the zone switch 40 is omitted since each station may be allocated its own zone code.