A New or Improved Locality Indicating Device for use in Tramcars, Omnibuses, Railway Carriages, and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 4th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 6th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Locality Indicating Device for use in Tramcars,
Omnibuses, Railway Carriages, and the like.
I, GEORGE COUZENS of 14 Tudor Street Cardiff, Builder, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention has for its object to provide an apparatus for use in tramcars,
omnibuses, railway carriages and the like which will indicate the names of streets,
places of interest, stations, &c. passed by the vehicle, the device being operated.
automatically from the shafts, wheels or other moving parts of the vehicle.
According to one arrangement an endless band may be used having printed or
written on it the names of the streets or stations passed during the circuit of the
vehicle. This band passes over rollers which are driven from the shaft or other
moving part by bands, gear wheels, or worm and screw, any suitable device being
used to reduce the motion sufficiently to drive the apparatus at the required speed.
Instead of an endless band a board with the names painted on may be used, being
In order that the
raised or lowered according to the direction of the vehicle.
.
position of the vehicle be shown a case may be employed having an opening
through which one or more of the names can be seen, each one being brought
behind it in succession. Instead of this arrangement a pointer may be fixed so
that the names approach and recede from it as the vehicle moves, all the names
being visible at the same time, or the names may be stationary and the pointer
move..
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> 4.
It will be seen that should the vehicle be required to reverse its motion at any
time, this indicator will follow and reverse its motion, still giving the position
accurately. For omnibuses or other vehicles, which do not run on lines, the:
apparatus can be made capable of ready adjustment should the motion not be.
regular and the indicator point inaccurately.
Dated this 30th day of June 1892.
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Locality Indicating Device for use in Tramcars,
Omnibuses, Railway Carriages, and the like.
I GEORGE COUZENS, 14 Tudor Street, Cardiff, Builder, 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 invention has for its object to provide an apparatus for use in tramcars,
omnibuses, railway carriages and the like, which will indicate the names of streets,
places of interest, stations etc. passed by the vehicle, the device being operated
automatically from the shafts, wheels or other moving parts of the vehicles.
An indicating device of suitable construction having index finger, hand or other
operated part, is employed, and an arrangement of gear wheels with or without
chains is connected to a shaft or other revolving part. The indicating device may be
in the form of an endless band, having printed or written on it the names of the
streets or stations passed. This band runs over rollers operated as above described,
and a fixed pointer or opening through which the names can be seen, indicates the

page_text: part at which the vehicle is situated at any time. A moving board, reciprocating
according to the direction of motion may be employed in place of the hand, but
the arrangement I prefer to employ is a moving pointer on a fixed name board. It
will be seen that should the vehicle be required to reverse its motion at any time,
the indicator will follow and reverse its motion, still giving the position accurately.
The device should be made capable of ready adjustment especially in the case of
omnibuses or other vehicles which do not run on lines, and in which the motion
may not be regular.
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference is had to
the accompanying two sheets of illustrative drawings, showing the device applied
to a tramcar, and to an omnibus, respectively, a similar arrangement being
applicable to various other vehicles having a regular course.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tramcar.
Fig. 2 is a cross section showing the indicating arrangement inside the car and
the connected parts,
Figs. 3 & 4 are detail views to a larger scale,
Fig. 5 is a cross section of an omnibus looking towards the front where the
indicator is fixed, and
Figs. 6 & 7 are respectively a side elevation & plan of the main parts of the
device to a larger scale.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 A is the axle from which the device is driven, having
a chain wheel upon it, connected to the chain wheel B by a chain C. On
the spindle carrying the wheel B is also mounted the bevel wheel B through
which motion is transmitted to the indicator.
The spindle is carried in adjustable bearings D which can be lowered or raised
by the screw d with handle or hand wheel d on the upper side of the floor of
the vehicle, so that it can be operated by the driver or conductor. The frame
carrying the bearings projects through the floor. E is a screwed rod which
operates the indicating hand H, raising or lowering it when turned.
On the lower end of this rod is a mitre wheel e engaging with the wheel B', so
that when the latter is operated from the shaft as above described the rod E will
will be turned.
The board or Sheet F having the streets and other points marked on it and
on which the indicating band moves is fixed at one end of the car, and the
names &c. may be marked on glass or other transparent material to be rendered
more clearly visible, if desired.
An adjusting device G is fitted which can turn the rod E until the pointer is
at the proper place, the parts being disconnected for that purpose. This is done
by lowering the bearings D by means of the screw as above described, until the
bevel wheels cease to engage with each other, the chain allowing the parts to
move readily. The arrangement shown in Figs. 5, 6 & 7 is very similar to that
already described but instead of the chain wheel a being on, the shaft it is placed
on the hub or box. A' of the wheel as the shaft does not revolve with the wheels.
One of the back wheels should be used for this purpose as the front shaft has to
turn round the centre of the vehicle when the latter turns a corner. The spindle
in the arrangement shown is not actuated direct from the chain wheel B, the latter
being furnished with a small bevel wheel gearing into a similar wheel on the
spindle b. The adjustable bearing D only raises or lowers one end of the spindle,
and in order to allow of it turning around the slight angle freely a second
bearing D' at the other end is mounted on the spindle carrying the wheel B. The
chain allows of the differing height of the body of the vehicle on the wheels owing
to the weight carried and the jolting on the road. One form of indicator only
is shown, but any other well known construction can be employed in its place, the
arrangement shown being the one preferred. The board is placed preferably in
the position usually occupied by the fare board but may be arranged in any other
suitable position.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
(1) An indicating device for use in tramcars, omnibuses and the like, indicating
the various points passed on the journey, actuated from a shaft or wheel through
gear wheels or chains raising or lowering a pointer or similar device in such a
manner that it will follow automatically the motion the vehicle, the device being
also adjustable by hand for correction, substantially as described.
(2) The device for use in tramcars, omnibuses and the like for indicating
automatically the position of the vehicle during the journey, consisting of a
pointer moving on a board having names of streets &c. on it, operated from a wheel
or shaft, substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 4th day of March 1893
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.