SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COUNTERS FOR CABS, CARRIAGES, OB OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Pierre Tronchon, of 2, Rue Sainte
Appoline, Paris, France, Mechanician, for the Invention of "SOME
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COUNTERS FOR CABS, CARRIAGES, OB
OTHER VEHICLES."
Sealed the 23rd April 1872, and dated the 8th November 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th November 1871.
I, ALFRED PIERRE TRONCHON, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline, Paris,
France, Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COUNTERS FOR CABS, CARRIAGES,
OR OTHER VEHICLES," to be as follows:-

page_text: The apparatus is contained in a closed box, and is moved by clock-
work, which turns a drum making one revolution in the twenty-four
hours. On the circumference of the drum a band of printed paper,
divided into hours, half-hours, and quarters, is fixed.
Two pencils are used for tracing or making two distinct and separate
lines on the paper band, and they are caused to trace or mark by the
action of clock weights or by springs.
The top of the seat for passengers is movable and rests on springs,
and carries a rod which enters the box of the indicator, and supports a
pencil which is sufficiently far from the band of paper that it cannot
make marks thereon when the vehicle is empty; but as soon as the seat
is occupied the pencil is brought into action, and traces or marks a line
on the band of paper, and will continue to do so as long as a person
occupies the seat. There is a second pencil at the side of the first
actuated as the other, which makes a second line on the paper.
Now it is this second and continuous line which forms an essential
feature in my Invention, for by it I am enabled to ascertain the time
the vehicle has travelled, and the time it has been at rest; because this
second pencil when the vehicle is at rest makes a particular kind of
mark different to that which it makes when the vehicle is in motion.
The difference then between the two marks gives exactly the time the
vehicle has been running and the time it has been at rest; and as the
first pencil, as before explained, indicates the exact time the vehicle
has been occupied, so the two lines together on the drum shew how
the time of the cab, carriage, or other vehicle has been employed during
the day.
It may be arranged to indicate the different number of "
"
courses
it

page_text: Instead of a drum to carry the paper the pencils may be caused
to make their marks or indications upon pieces of straight paper or
card.
SPECIFICATION
in pursuance of
CEC
filed by the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRÈD
PIERRE TRONCHON, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline, Paris, France,
Mechanician, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon,
my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COUNTERS FOR CABS,
CARRIAGES, OR OTHER VEHICLES,' upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in

page_text: and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
Apparatus constructed according to my Invention count, register,
control, or indicate in a continuous and self-acting manner the state of
rest or motion or the duration of the rest or motion of a body or object.
The
purposes
for which such apparatus may be employed are numerous,
the construction of them is simple, and they are not liable to get out of
order. They work as regularly as a pendulum and register faithfully.
The following are some of the principal purposes to which they may
be applied:-
1st. For controlling cabs and similar hired vehicles.
2nd: For controlling carriages of all sorts, carts, carriers' carts,
tumbrils, omnibusses, and other vehicles.
3rd. For controlling railway trains.
The principle is very simple, and may be understood by reference to
Fig. 1 A, B, is a strip of paper put into a uniform motion from A to B.
On a point M of the paper there is a pencil or other marking instrument
which passes through a supporting guide S, S, and acts by means of its
own light weight or by means of a light spring. It is evident that the
pencil being in contact with the moving paper will produce a line on
it, which according as the whole apparatus is in motion or at rest will
present a different appearance owing to vibrations in the first-named
state. I have found this by experience. When the whole apparatus is
at rest and the band is moved regularly the pencil will produce a fine
regular line; but when the apparatus is in motion the pencil, owing to
the vibrations of motion, will produce a thicker or more defined line.
If now the speed of the paper per hour be known it is easy to ascertain
therefrom the duration of repose or motion, because they are marked
distinctly different.
Fig. 2 is a section through an apparatus constructed according to my
Invention; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of same; Fig. 4 is a plan.
A, A, is the box containing the counter; M, M, contains the clockwork
of ordinary construction. It drives the spindle O, O, which carries a
drum T, T, which may be fixed by means of a screw and nut H. A
card of paper is wrapped round the drum; the paper is printed and

page_text: Whether the engine driver has lost or gained time on the route, and
the exact amount of time lost or gained.
Whether the speed on the route has been according to the regulations,
and the places where it has gained or lost more or less.
Instead of the drum T with a divided card round it any other system
may be used for moving the card while the pencils rest vertically freely
on it; cylinders may for instance be employed, as shown at Fig. 1. The
clockwork may act during a variable time according to the object of the
controlling or counting instrument. The clockwork movement must bo
constructed so as to give the paper a sufficient speed for reading on the
paper the time which it is desired to note. For carriages, tumbrils,
carts, and passenger or goods trains, the time is of course variable. For
goods trains, for instance, it is unnecessary to read off to a minute, while
for passenger trains it is of importance. The instrument should work
for a number of hours, giving a great length of paper for cach working
hour. In order not to increase the dimensions of an apparatus which is
to work for a rather long time, and indicate plainly and readably, I con-
struct the apparatus as shown at Figs. 9, 10, 11, and 12. The same
letters denote similar parts, as described with reference to Figs. 2, 3;
and 4.
The spindle O driven by the clockwork M. and carrying the drum T
works the cylinder B by means of the spur wheels S, S', the cylinder B
making one revolution for one of the spindle O. H is a carriage, the use
of which will be explained below; it holds and guides the pencils C, C'.
S, S, is a bridge which guides and supports the carriage H. U supports
the cylinder B and one end of the bridge S. The cylinder B partly
supports the carriage H.
In Fig. 11 the front of the carriage H is supposed to be removed, and
the cylinder has a grooving f,f, and when it revolves it gives the carriage
a continuous to-and-fro movement by means of a pin or gudgeon G
working in the groove and able to oscillate. The movements of the
carriage cause the pencils to describe screw thread lines on the drum T.
Instead of a double filleted cylinder it is evident a cylinder with a
simple fillet may be used. The pencil holder P' is fork shaped, as shewn
on Fig. 12, and works as described with reference to Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

page_text: By means of the grooves shewn on Figs. 9 and 11 the pencils can traco
two right-handed and two left-handed screw threads, whereby I obtain
distinct indications during four revolutions of the apparatus. It is
evident that by increasing the number of grooves the number of revolu-
tions may be increased as desired. With a drum of about 4 inches in 5
diameter making a turn in four hours, about 18 inches development per
hour or about 075 of an inch per minute are obtained. As there are
four threads distinct indications are obtained for 32 hours.
To adapt such an apparatus as just described as a railway counter it
is only requisite to leave out the pencil O', as explained with reference 1
to Figs. 6 and 7. As already said the pencil when the carriage is in
repose traces a very faint line, while in motion a thick line is produced.
Fig. 7 shews the arrangement of a pencil C, which passes very freely
through a bush a, a, and marks by its vertical oscillations. If it is
desired to increase the intensity of the mark the arrangement shewn on 1
Fig 8 may be adopted. The pencil C is here held in a state of rest by
means of four springs m fixed at one end to the bush a, the diameter of
which is somewhat larger than the pencil. When the apparatus is in
motion the springs m give the pencil horizontal oscillations, which
increase the thickness of the line. The pencils to be preferred are of 2
course those which are least liable to break and which mark well. I
name especially those of Conté, No. 1 lithographic pencils, and those of
Faber blue and red. With such pencils it is very easy to read off the
results. As the pencils have the slight inconvenience of wearing and
occasionally breaking the following should be observed :-
1st. Use a paper card prepared with a chemical solution which colours
when in contact with a metallic pencil, or by electric action. I usc
successfully a paper covered with zinc white and a point made of mixed
lead.
nines of nonor covered

page_text: Having now described the nature of this Invention what I wish to
secure is, an automatic apparatus which can indicate the state of motion
or repose of a body, the exact duration of movement and rest, also the
substitution of space or distance for that of time, all by the use of one or
more pencils resting freely on a paper card, all as herein-before set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
more pencils resting freely on a paper card, all as herein-before set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.