IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE NUMBER OF AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY PASSENGERS IN PUBLIC CARRIAGES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, Esquire, of Tong
Castle, Salop, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
ASCERTAINING THE NUMBER OF AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY PASSENGERS IN
PUBLIC CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 4th March 1856, and dated the 8th September 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Anguish Honour Augustus
Durant at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th September 1855.
I, ANGUISH HONOUR AUGUSTUS DURANT, Esquire, of Tong Castle, Salop, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR ASCERTAINING THE NUMBER OF AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY PASSENGERS IN
PUBLIC CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, first, of apparatus which I intend calling the
"monitor," for indicating the number of passengers entering a public carriage;
for which purpose motion is communicated to a pointer from a moveable step
on a passenger entering a carriage. The pointer is acted on by a spiral spring
tending to force it outwards, so that when it has made one revolution in a
circular groove on the dial, it is by the spring forced outwards, and caused
to enter another circular groove, around which it passes step by step as pas-
sengers enter, till the pointer arrives at the end of such second groove, when

page_text: the pointer is again forced outwards, and enters a third groove. And in order
to ascertain how far passengers in cabs or such like carriages have travelled,
the seats are hinged, and by springs and levers are held up, by which the
counting instruments are kept out of action so long as there are no pas-
sengers, but so soon as the seats are depressed by passengers sitting thereon,
the measuring, and counting of distance proceeds, and is recorded by the dial.
And in order that the time also may be indicated, a time keeper is combined
with the apparatus.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANGUISH
HONOUR AUGUSTUS DURANT, Esquire, of Tong Castle, Salop, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, Her special licence that I, the
said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, my
executors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING
THE NUMBER OF AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY PASSENGERS IN PUBLIC CARRIAGES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Anguish Honour Augustus
Durant, my executors or administrators, 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 Anguish Honour Augustus Durant
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of a novel and improved apparatus, which I intend
calling the "monitor," for indicating the number of passengers entering a
public carriage; for which purpose motion is communicated to a pointer from
a moveable step on a passenger entering a carriage. The pointer is acted on
by a spiral spring tending to force it outwards, so that when it has made one
revolution in a circular groove on the dial, it is by the spring forced outwards,
and caused to enter another circular groove, around which it passes step by
step as passengers enter, or distances are told till the pointer arrives at the end
of such second groove, when the pointer is again forced outwards, and enters
a third groove. And in order to ascertain more particularly how far passengers
in cabs or such like carriages have travelled, the scats are hinged, and by
springs and levers are held up, by which the counting instruments are kept
out of action so long as there are no passengers, but so soon as the seats are
depressed by passengers sitting or standing thereon, the measuring and count-
ing of distance proceeds, and is recorded by the dial. And in order that the
time also may be indicated, a time keeper and a second hand on a similar
principle may be combined with the apparatus on the same dial, if necessary.
For the purpose of explaining my said Invention as completely as possible,
I now proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked
thereon respectively, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing at Figures 1 and 2 exhibits an apparatus in detached parts,
constructed according to my said Invention, and adapted for ascertaining the
number of persons entering an omnibus.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the extreme back plate, with certain parts
connected thereto; Figure 2 is a front elevation of a graduated plate, placed
in front of the aforesaid back plate; Figure 3 is a longitudinal and vertical
section of a cab, shewing the general adaptation of my Invention thereto for
ascertaining the number of persons entering such vehicle, and, if necessary,
the number that shall have entered in a given time. At each of the foregoing
Figures I employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts, in
so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of the said Figures respec-
tively. At Figure I, A is a circular plate of metal, into the centre of which
a stud B is securely fixed, same being employed as the fulcrum or axis of the

page_text: ratchet wheel C, which is mounted thereon. D is a lever, whose fulcrum is a
pin at d. One arm of this lever has a hooked rod E connected thereto, and
to the other arm or rod G, H is connected by its upper end, the lower end H
of said rod being connected to a foot board I, hinged to K, the ordinary foot
board or principal step of an omnibus. The sides and top of the said foot
board are covered, either partially or entirely, with india-rubber or other elastic
material, to conceal and prevent the hinged part of the foot board from being
tampered with. The springs L, L, serve to raise the lever D and foot board I
upon pressure being removed therefrom. is a pin or stop for arresting the
lever D when the wheel C has been advanced through a space equal to the
distance between one tooth and the next of the ratchet wheel C. The helical
spring M prevents straining of the lever D, as the foot board descends through
more space than the said lever.
I now proceed to describe the construction of the graduated plate, exhibited
at Figure 2, as follows:-N, N, are a series of circular-shaped pieces of metal,
connected together at the back thereof by pieces at n, m, and rivets, or in any
other convenient manner, said circular pieces being so arranged and disposed
with respect to each other, as to leave a groove or channel o, o, between each,
to receive a pin or stud p, fixed in the spring index hand O, shewn partly in
section at Figure 2; said hand is connected to the wheel C, screws at c, c,
and a hole at d, which passes over the stud B. The plates N, N, and index
hand may be concealed from view by fixing a plain plate in front thereof, so that
in the event of the apparatus being tampered with by the omnibus attendant,
he cannot even then be certain whether or not the "monitor" is registering.
The operations of the above apparatus are as follows:-Supposing the index
hand to be placed at 100, as exhibited, when the omnibus leaves the proprietor's
premises the first person entering the omnibus will by his weight upon the
foot board operate upon the lever D, and thereby advances the index hand to
the division numbered 1, thus registering the entrance of one person into the
omnibus, and so on, for each person as they enter; and when the index point
p has passed No. 199, the elastic force of the spring a will force the said point
up the part of the groove or channel o, o, and register 200 on the next
graduated piece of metal, and in this manner the index point continues to
pass along and up the several grooves or channels in succession, and by these
means I obtain in a small compass a large travelling surface or space for the
index hand to move through. In order to prevent the apparatus registering
when the door of the oninibus is shut, I fix a bolt on the door, which bolt takes
into a hole in the rod II, or otherwise holds it when the door is shut, and
disengages it when the door is open.

page_text: 1 now proceed to describe the construction of the apparatus exhibited at
Figure 3, as applied to an ordinary street cab, as follows:-A, A', are the
stuffed seats of the cab, which I propose to hinge to the framework beneath;
B, a hinged foot board, connected to each seat by rods and levers C, C; D, a
lever, fixed to the moveable seat A'. To this lever a spur wheel E is connected,
as also an eccentric rod G, somewhat similar to that marked G, H, at. Figure 1.
The upper end of this rod is put into connection in any convenient manner
with an ordinary clock-work movement, so arranged and contrived as to move
the index hand O at Figure 2 from one division to the next for each mile
travelled by a passenger in the cab.
And I would here remark that the peculiar feature of novelty of this part
of my said Invention consists in causing the weight of the passenger as he
enters the cab to bring the wheel E into gear with the pinion F, and maintain
in action (so long as the passenger is in the cab) the mechanism employed for
indicating the distance travelled by the cab, as also the time consumed in per-
forming such said distance. I also propose to employ another index hand X,
similar in all respects to that before described and marked O. The hand X
I connect with the above-mentioned clock-work, and cause the said hand to
move from one division to the next during each hour; and when this is the
case, it will be desirable to have duplicate figures upon the graduated plate ;
one set for indicating distance, and the other time. I further propose to con-
ceal these two index hands by a dial plate, having hours and parts of hours
marked thereon in the ordinary way, and I connect the hands thereof (which
are of the ordinary kind) with the clock-work, so as to measure and indicate
time in the usual way; and, if desirable, I have divisions marked on the dial,
and a hand pointing thereto, and in connection with the wheel C, so that at a
glance a passenger may know the distance travelled by the cab from the time
he entered it.
66
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention of
Improvements in Apparatus for ascertaining the Number of and Distance
travelled by Passengers in Public Carriages," together with the best means I
am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, I desire it to
be distinctly understood that I do not claim any of the separate parts above
mentioned and referred to, nor do I intend to limit or confine myself to the
precise details of construction above described and represented, so long as the
peculiar character of my Invention be retained; but what I claim as my
Invention is, the use and employment of apparatus of the above construction,
and more particularly the spring index hands and graduated plate exhibited
at Figure 2, and the mode, exhibited at Figure 3, of bringing into and main-

page_text: taining in action the mechanism employed in cabs for recording distance and
time, as above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
BENJ BROWNE,
4, Trafalgar Square.
A. H. AUGUSTUS DURANT. (L.S.)
1