AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR HOLDING, PUNCHING, REGISTERING, AND DELIVERING TICKETS, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR THE CONDUCTORS OF OMNIBUSES AND TRAMWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Henry Small at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th July 1874.
I, JAMES HENRY SMALL, of Buffalo, New York, United States of
America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby
,declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR HOLDING, PUNCHING, REGISTERING, AND DELIVERING TICKETS, CHIEFLY
DESIGNED FOR THE CONDUCTORS OF OMNIBUSES AND TRAMWAY CARRIAGES," to be
as follows:-
"
My said Invention relates to an apparatus formed by the addition of
new parts to the "registering ticket punch" described in the Specification
of former Letters Patent, bearing date 11th day of May, A.D. 1874,
No. 1667: The said "registering ticket punches are instruments that
have in combination with a punch proper a receptacle for the punch
cuttings, an alarm bell, and registering mechanism, which are actuated
simultaneously through a handle at the delivery of each ticket by the
conductor.
My present Invention is designed to adapt the said "registering
ticket punch to the delivery of tickets from bands, strips, or ribbons
"

page_text: of paper or other suitable material, instead of having separate tickets
of card, paper, or the like. For this purpose I combine with the said
registering, punching, and alarm apparatus a box or case in which I
place a reel or spool, or a number of reels or spools, whereon I wind
or coil the bands, strips, or ribbons forming the tickets. The said reels
may all be fitted to turn upon one long bolt or rod passed through the
said box, or may be fitted on separate spindles or rods. These strips
or ribbons will be of different colours to distinguish the tickets repre-
senting fares of different amount from each other.
The end of each strip is taken from its reel through a slit or aperture
in the aforesaid box or case, so that it may be drawn therefrom by the
conductor or other person who delivers the tickets.
When a number of these strips or ribbons are used the said apparatus
must have a corresponding number of punches, and the said punching
and registering devices.must be modified so far as may be necessary to
permit the operation of the registering and alarm apparatus to be effected
simultaneously with the action of either of the said punches. All of
the punches are connected to and actuated by one handle or lever,
that is to say, to the lever which actuates the registering and alarm
mechanism. Therefore it will be obvious that all of the said punches
are actuated each time the said lever or handle is actuated by the
conductor, but it is necessary that only the ticket being taken and
delivered by the conductor shall be punched; I therefore provide the
box or case with a contrivance for permitting the strips or ribbons to
be adjusted with regard to the said punches as follows:-In front of
the said slits or apertures I form or fix guide channels or grooves,
through which the strips or ribbons are drawn from the box or case,
These channels are wide enough to permit the said ribbons or strips to
be adjusted laterally, so that they may be either in or out of the line
of the descent of the punches; and in combination with these channels
or grooves I arrange small springs or other devices which tend to
keep the said strips or ribbons out of the path of the punches, but will
offer no resistance to the adjustment of either strip in line with the
corresponding punch when required.
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