REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS OR PEOPLE ENTERING OR LEAVING TRAMWAY CARS, OMNIBUSES, ETC., OR FOR ANY SIMILAR PURPOSE
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Thomas Emslie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd January 1874.
I, JAMES THOMAS EMSLIE, Engineer, of Aston, in the County of
Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS OR PEOPLE ENTERING OR LEAVING
TRAMWAY CARS, OMNIBUSES, ETC., OR FOR ANY SIMILAR PURPOSE," to be as
follows:-
The improvements consist in registering and indicating the number of
users of tell-tales, by means of apparatus capable of perforating or cutting
or of perforating and cutting (either or both) one or more bands or strips
of paper or other convenient material, and in the use of such band or
bands for the purposes of such numerical registration. Also in the use
of an improved moveable step or platform that may be used in com-
bination with the foregoing improvements or with ordinary tell-tales
at present in use.
The improvements may be performed by mounting endless paper on
suitable drums or rollers, one or more being for storing and holding. the..

page_text: paper, and others for winding or taking it up or receiving it after
perforation or cutting. These rollers or some or one of them to have a
suitable clockwork motion actuated or permitted to come into use by
means of any convenient levers or detents attached to a bar or gate as
and when used with ordinary tell-tales, or to levers or detents working in
conjunction with the improved steps herein-after described. Or one or
more of the rollers to have a continuous motion and consequently to
give a continuous instead of an intermittent motion of the paper, in
which case it will be convenient to employ a train of wheels regulated
by a flyer in a similar way to that in which the Morse telegraph is
worked, the paper band being also payed in a similar way thereto instead
of round the roller. And sometimes it is intended that the spring or
springs or motive agent should be wound up by the motion of the steps
produced or given to them by passengers or persons walking upon them
or passing through a bar or gate, such "winding up" arrangement
having if desired a check or preventive contrivance against over winding.
Between the store and receiving rollers or along the path of the paper
band a perforator and cutter or one of them are or is placed for per-
forating and cutting the paper bands, said perforator and cutter being
actuated by convenient levers in connection with the aforesaid ordinary
tell-tales or improved steps.
The improved steps may be made of any convenient size and shape,
but sufficiently narrow on the tread to prevent two people standing
or passing thereon at the same time, also sloped sides may be used to
protect ladies' dresses without crushing them. The tread is moveable
and has a certain amount of play; a counterpoise or weight is furnished
at one end, and the tread of the step moves or works on a pivot or centre
fixed conveniently near the riser. One or more such steps may be used
and springs substituted for weights.
The action is as follows:- -A passenger or person puts his foot on a
step and by so doing depresses it so that a lever in connection therewith
causes the perforator or cutter (or both) to act upon the paper, and
when the travelling movement of the paper is intermittent to actuate the
clockwork or driving motion or permit it to come into use.
The step
rises into its normal position directly the foot leaves it, and is kept in
such position by the counterpoise or spring so as to be ready for another

page_text: foot and so on. The clockwork or driving motion (of or for the paper)
when intermittent also being arrested by the rising of the step.
When an ordinany tell-tale bar or gate is used the act of opening or
moving such bar or gate is made to cause the paper rollers and per-
forator to work as before described.