An Improved Counting Apparatus for Railway Tickets or other Objects.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 22nd Aug., 1894-Accepted, 6th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Counting Apparatus for Railway Tickets or other
Objects.
I PETER HOOKER of Pear Tree Court Farringdon Road E.C. Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This my invention relates to an improved counting apparatus for railway tickets
or other objects and my invention consists of an apparatus comprising the following
parts arranged constructed and operating substantially as follows
The machine consists of a vertical shoot in which the tickets to be counted are
placed the said shoot being of such a shape that the tickets are contained therein
one above the other and of sufficient size to allow the free descent of the said
tickets by gravitation.
Mounted vertically below said shoot is a drum or cylinder having a number of
blades projecting from the periphery thereof which blades are adapted to strike the
lowest ticket within the shoot and push it forward along a guide across which it
passes into and descends a second shoot.
The drum is rotated by any suitable means and upon the shaft of said drum is
fixed a worm which gears with a worm wheel. The spindle of said worm wheel
carries a pointer or hand which indicates on a fixed dial (according to the number of
revolucions made by the drum) the number of tickets passed through the machine.
I do not wish to confine myself to the use of a single dial as two or more may be
used with hands or pointers for each.
In order to allow the pointers or hands to be adjusted to zero I prefer to allow
the bosses thereof to butt against a fixed collar on the spindle being pressed
against the face of said collar by a spring in such a way that the friction of the
adjacent faces will cause the pointer to be carried round with the collar but the
pointer may at any time be set in the required position by the attendant.
The shoot in which the tickets are received has a table therein which is caused
to descend at an uniform rate to the feed of the tickets.
The mechanism for effecting this consists of a vertically mounted screwed rod or
worm in which is engaged a segmental nut or socket projecting from the side of the
said table through a vertical slot in the shoot the said nut being kept in engagement
with the worm during the descent of said table. When the shoot is filled with
tickets the latter are removed and the table is readjusted at the top of the shoot
when the filling operation is repeated. The worm may be driven either direct from
the shaft of the drum or in any other suitable manner.
Although I have described my invention as applied to a machine for counting
tickets it is to be understood that it is also applicable to a machine for counting
other objects such as coins &c. without departing from the spirit thereof.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1894.
PETER HOOKER,
Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Counting Apparatus for Railway Tickets or other
Objects.
I PETER HOOKER of Pear Tree Court Farringdon Road London E.C.
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This my invention relates to an improved counting apparatus for railway tickets
or other objects and my invention consists of an apparatus comprising the following
parts arranged constructed and operating substantially as follows
In order that my invention may be more readily understood reference is made to
the accompanying drawings wherein like letters indicate corresponding parts in
both of the figures and in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine for
counting tickets constructed in accordance with my invention and Fig. 2 is a
plan of the same.
The machine consists of a vertical shoot A in which the tickets to be counted
are placed the said shoot being of such a shape that the tickets are contained
therein one above the other and of sufficient size to allow the free descent of the
tickets by gravitation.
Mounted vertically below said shoot A. is a drum or cylinder B having a number
of projecting blades on the periphery thereof which blades are adapted to
successively strike the lowest ticket within the shoot A. and push it forwards
along a guide C across and through which it passes into and descends a second
shoot D.
The drum B is rotated by any convenient means and at a suitable position upon
the shaft a of the said drum is fixed a worm which gears with a worm wheel. The
spindle of the latter carries a hand or pointer e which indicates on a fixed dial E
the number of tickets passed through the machine.
I do not wish to confine myself to the use of a single dial as two or more may
be used with hands or pointers for each.
In order to allow the hands or pointers to be adjusted to zero I prefer to allow
the boss thereof to butt against a fixed collar on the spindle being pressed against
the face of the said collar by a spring or elastic washer in such a way that the
friction of the adjacent faces will cause the pointer to be carried round with the
collar but will readily allow the pointer to be set in the required position by
the attendant.
The shoot. D in which the tickets are received has a table F therein which is
caused to descend at a uniform rate to the feed of the tickets. The mechanism for
effecting this consists of a vertically mounted screwed rod or worm G with which is
engaged a segmental nut projecting from the side of the said table F through a
vertical slot in the shoot the said nut being kept in engagement with the screw G
during the descent of the table.
When the shoot is full the tickets are removed and the table is readjusted by
the attendant at the top of the shoot when the filling operation is repeated. The
screw G may be driven either direct from the shaft of the drum or in any other
convenient manner.
Although I have described my invention as applied to a machine for counting
tickets it is to be understood that is also serviceable for counting other objects
such as coins &c. without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what I
claim is
An apparatus for counting tickets coins or other objects comprising a shoot

page_text: through which the said objects are fed a rotary drum having projecting blades, a
receiving shoot having a descending table or platform therein and one or more
dials and pointers for indicating the number of tickets passed through the machine
the whole being constructed and operating substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1894.
PETER HOOKER,
Applicant.