A New or Improved Signalling Apparatus for Road Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 18th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Signalling Apparatus for Road Vehicles.
We, ALBERT RHODES, Senior, and RICHARD ATKIN, both of 17, Buckingham
Street, Brighton, in the County of Sussex, Organ Builder and Hairdresser
respectively, 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: -
Our invention relates to an apparatus for attachment to road vehicles, and
adapted to be operated by mechanical, or a suitable combination of mechanical
and electrical devices, actuated by the driver, as a means for signalling and
making known to the next following vehicle or vehicles, that the said first or
leading vehicle is about to stop.
It has up to the present date been the rule of the road, that when any vehicle
is about to stop, the driver of such vehicle makes the fact known to the drivers
of the next or following vehicle or vehicles, by raising his whip and swinging
round the thong of same, but it is well known that if at that moment the driver
or drivers of the next or following vehicle or vehicles should happen to have his
attention taken in another direction, such signalling on the part of the leading
vehicle may be unobserved by the following driver, with the result that not
infrequently the pole or shafts of the following vehicle is forced through the
back of the said leading vehicle, and if the latter happens to be a brougham,
cab, clarence or other carriage, such accident may be attended with serious and
fatal results.
Our invention is intended to prevent such accidents, which we attain by fixing
in a suitable position upon a carriage or other vehicle, a device carrying in
large and readable letters the word "STOP," the said device being so arranged
that while the vehicle is travelling the-said word is unseen, but when the vehicle
is about to stop the driver by placing his foot upon a lever operates the said
device and causes the word "STOP" to be read by the driver of the next following
vehicle, and lest such following driver may at this moment have his attention
diverted, such movement of the apparatus would operate a sonorous signal to
attract the attention of the said following driver, a suitable electric or other light
being provided within the said apparatus by which the said word "STOP
" may
be seen and read at night when brought into position as stated.
As an example of the manner in which we purpose constructing and employing
our said invention for the purposes mentioned, we have hereunto appended two
sheets of drawings, in which we have chosen to illustrate our invention as applied
to a four wheeled cab, which will suffice to make clear its adaptability to broughams,
omnibuses, box-vans and closed vehicles generally, although to any person skilled
in such matters it will be easily understood that by a slight and easy modification
of the details hereinafter given and shewn, the same may be employed upon
ordinary open carts or vans, such for instance as upon the back of the dicky of
an open van etc.
Fig. 1 Sheet 1 is a side sectional elevation of our invention as it may con-

page_text: veniently be arranged when intended to be lighted at night by an ordinary
bulls-eye or other suitable lantern.
.
Figs. 2 and 3 are sections upon the line A B and viewed from left to right
of Fig. 1, the former shewing the device in its normal position, while the latter
shews the position of same when signalling the next or following vehicle.
Fig. Sheet 2 is a side sectional elevation of our invention as it may con-
veniently be arranged when intended to be illuminated at night by an electric
lamp or lamps.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the movable portion of the device as we prefer
to arrange it for use in connection with Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal central section of a ordinary four-wheeled cab to which
our invention has been connected, Fig. 7 being an end view of Fig. 6 as it would
appear when the signal is in action.
In so far as relates to the apparatus illustrated by Sheet 1, we carry our inven-
tion into effect by providing of waterproofed. wood, enamelled or other metal,
or other material, or combination of materials, a case, the roof A of which is
formed to throw off the rain, the said case having vertical ends B and B¹,.. the
former of which may be wholly or partly open or glazed as may be desired,
the latter being preferably in the shape of a door, or provided with a door, which
may be either perfectly opaque, or composed wholly or partly of perforated zinc
or wire guaze as shewn in Fig. 2, this serving the double purpose of an exit for
the sounds created by the signal, and as a means for ventilating the case.
said case has opaque or glazed sides C C and a part partition 1), the whole being
mounted upon a base E adapted to be screwed or otherwise fixed, upon the roof F
of the carriage, cab, or other vehicle.
The
The case so constructed is adapted to carry any form of lantern suitable for
the purpose, which may be an ordinary oil wick lantern such as G, having a
bulls-eye G, this being conveniently placed centrally of the width of the case,
which provides that the partition D may occupy a position between the lamp
and the side C, the said partition being for supporting the standard a of a dome
shaped bell, and for carrying a horizontal pin or spindle, having upon one
end the bell clapper and upon its opposite end a jointed lever d, the said clapper
being normally held in the position shewn by dotted outline in Fig. 1 by the
tension of a spiral spring e (Fig. 2).
The base E carries a pair of standards H and H', which form bearings for
the ends of a wood or other rod J. of preferably rectangular formation in cross
section, one face of which carries a circular or other shaped frame K, glazed
with preferably green glass, or an opaque substance, while the next face at
right angles to K carries an oblong frame L, in which is placed a glass or other
plate M bearing the word Stop," "Halt," or any other word having a like
meaning, the said plate being so arranged that the whole may be opaque, while
the letters are in transparent red indicative of danger, or the letters may be
opaque while the rest of M may be of transparent red, as desired, the said letters
and the surface of the plate M being in either case so arranged that the said
letters may be read (when L M is placed vertical as hereinafter explained) as
easily by day as by night. The rod J also carries an arm N. to the free end
of which is connected a cord or wire f, which extends downwards through a
hole in the base E, and in practice the apparatus operates is follows.
Assuming its adaptation to a four-wheeled cab or like covered carriage, as at
Fig. 6, the base E would be screwed or otherwise fixed upon the back end of
the roof F of same, centrally of its width or thereabouts, and with the end B¹
towards the driver. The cord or the like f would then be passed through a
hole h in the roof F, around and under a pulley j, and through or over one or
more guides k, to the inner end of a double armed lever 1, pivotted at m,
anywhere beneath the seat 0 of the vehicle, the outer end of l
being conveniently within reach by the foot of the driver. Normally the
frame Lis retained in a horizontal position as at Fig: 1, resting upon a
•

page_text: stop n, by the tension of a spring p, at which moment the green glazed or
opaque frame K is in a vertical position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but when the
driver of the vehicle F is going to pull up for various reasons he would press
down with his foot the outer end of the lever 1, thus imparting a pull upon the
cord /, arm N and frame K, until a stop 7 upon N engages with a recess in the
standard H', when, by this movement of J frame L would be brought into
a vertical position as at Fig. 3, when the word "STOP" or its equivalent would be
readable by the driver of the following vehicle, accelerated by the light from the
lamp G if the vehicle be travelling at night. The frame L in passing from its
horizontal position in Fig. 1 to its vertical position shewn in Fig. 3, would
collide with the lever d, and by raising this would cause the clapper c to recede
from the bell b, but when the frame L in its upward travel has passed the lever, d,
the latter would be released, when the clapper c would be brought violently back
and strike the bell b by the tension of the spring e, thus giving an audible signal
to the driver behind and drawing his attention to the optical signal L. Upon the
removal of the drivers foot from the lever 1, this would be again naised by the
tension of a spring s, thus loosening the cord or the like f and permitting the
frame L to return to the stop n by the tension of the spring p, thus again
placing the alright" or "go ahead" signal K in view of the driver of the
following vehicle.
In Fig. we illustrate the manner in which we purpose constructing the
apparatus when an electric lamp or lamps is used instead of the lamp G. In
this arrangement we provide in the case A B C a transverse vertical partition P,
and a glass or other opening in the end B. The frame L we connect at right
angles with a like shaped but opaque frame K¹ to the ends of which are attached
a pair of triangular metallic frames and v', either or both of which may be in
electrical connection with a metallic plate w, fixed upon the upper portion of the
inner face of K. The frames and are pivotally mounted upon a pair of
bearings S, fixed upon the base E, in such a manner that normally the opaque
frame Kis in a vertical position, like unto the frame K in the previous arrange-
ment, while the frame L is in a horizontal position, and preferably at the lower
end of K. One end of the cord f is connected to K¹ and passes therefrom in a
horizontal direction through the partition P, over a pulley P¹ and then down
through the hole g in E, and h in F, to the lever under the seat of the driver,
as in the previous arrangement. The partition P carries an electric glow lamp
or lamps T, while the space between P and the end B¹ may contain an electric
bell S, and a suitable primary or secondary battery S2, the latter being in electrical
connection with the said bell, the lamp T, and one of the frames vor v or both,
or when the ordinary lamps of the vehicle are lighted electrically a shunt circuit
from the installation for lighting such lamps may be employed for lighting the
lamp or lamps T. In practice, the electric circuit is broken when the frame K¹
is in a vertical position, but when a pull is imparted to the cord f by the driver
operating the lever 1, the transposition of K' from a vertical position, to that shewn
by horizontal lines in Fig. 4 would cause the plate w on K¹, to collide with and
deflect a spring a on A, and in electrical connection with the bell S¹, and while
such contact between w and a continues the current would pass from the battery
or its equivalent S2 through the frame vv, plate w, spring a, bell S and back
to S2, but when the frame K¹ reaches its horizontal position, arrested by the
stop n, the current through the bell would be broken, and would then pass from S
through the frame plate w stop n, and lamp or lamps T back to S2 thus lighting
the said lamp or lamps and illuminating the frame L M. Upon the release of
the lever the frames L and K' would be returned to their normal positions by
the tension of a spring or springs z and during the return journey of K¹ it would
again pass and deflect the spring without closing the circuit or ringing the bell,
as the plate w would not come in contact with the said spring.
The cord passing along the roof of the vehicle may carry a loop or its
equivalent W (Figs. 1 and 6) so that the occupant of the vehicle, if he desires

page_text: the driver to stop, may, by a pull imparted to W, cause a motion to be imparted
to f, and the sonorous and optical signal, equal to that given by the deflection of
the lever 1, and such pull upon W by sounding the bell would convey the fact
to the driver, who would proceed to stop the vehicle.
Although in the illustration given we have chosen to show the bells b and S³
at the side of, and within the case A, B, C, we do not confine ourselves to this
position for the bell, but may place this upon any other part of the apparatus,
either inside or out, and may employ any form of sonorous signal other than a
bell, and arrange the mechanical or electrical means for operating the same,
without departing from the principle of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
(1) The herein described device or apparatus adapted to be fixed upon a road
vehicle, and operating for imparting by day and night a stop signal to the
driver of a following vehicle, such signal being, when necessary, illuminated by
electrical or other lamp or lamps, substantially as and for the purposes herein
set forth and shewn.
(2) The device or apparatus for signalling on road vehicles, consisting of the
combination of a case or container such as A, B, B' C, C' E, containing or other-
wise carrying a bell or other sonorous signal b, and oil or other lamp G, and a
shaft carrying a neutral optical signal K, and an optical danger
or stop signal LM, the said optical signals being operated by a pull upon a
cord or the like f, actuated by the driver or occupant of the vehicle, the whole
connected and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein described
and shewn by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6 and of the accompanying drawings.
(3) The device or apparatus for signalling on road vehicles, consisting of the
combination of a case or container such as A B B C C and E containing or
otherwise carrying means for conveying an electric current to a bell or other
sonorous signal $1, and a lamp or lamps T, and having a neutral optical signal K,
and an optical danger or stop signal L, M, the frames carrying the said signals
being supported by metallic frames, supported upon standards S, and con-
nected up with the said electric circuit, and adapted to convey the current to
the signal S, and lamp or lamps T, when the signal L M is operated by a pull
upon a cord or the like f, actuated by the driver or occupant of the vehicle, the
whole connected and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn by Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the appended drawings.
.. נ.
f
1000
с
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1. Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C..
Agent for the Applicants.