IMPROVE- MENTS IN REGISTERING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO OMNIBUSES AND OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Ollis, of Netherfield Road South, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REGISTERING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO OMNIBUSES AND OTHER
VEHICLES."
Sealed the 31st March 1868, and dated the 7th October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Ollis at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th October
1867.
I, THOMAS OLLIS, of Netherfield Road South, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REGISTERING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO OMNIBUSES AND OTHER
VEHICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the application of apparatus similar to that used
for stamping or endorsing purposes for registering or indicating the number
of passengers that have travelled by an omnibus or other vehicle.
The apparatus consists of a set of, say, six similar wheels revolving on a
fixed axis, having on their peripheries ten projections, upon each of which is
marked a number from 0 to 9 inclusive. The first wheel represents units,

page_text: the second tens, the third hundreds, the fourth thousands, and so on according
to their number. The first number wheel is provided with a ratchet escape-
ment the teeth of which correspond in number and position with the numbers
on the first wheel. The ratchet is operated by an oscillating lever arm
provided with a handle or projection at its lower end within reach of the
conductor of the vehicle; this oscillating lever also has a counterbalanced
catch lever pivoted thereon, taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel for the
purpose of partially rotating the same at each oscillation of the lever by the
conductor, which is to take place on the entry of each passenger for the
purpose of registering the number using the vehicle. A spring pawl also
takes into said ratchet for preventing the backward movement, the motion of
each wheel being further limited by spring projections inside the wheels taking
into longitudinal grooves on the "boss" or central axis. To this pawl is
attached an arm provided with a hammer for striking a signal bell to warn
the passenger of the registry being made, the hammer being operated by the
notion of the pawl in slipping over the teeth of the ratchet. I prefer to
enclose the apparatus in a case provided with a glazed opening at one end for
exhibiting the numbers on the wheels.
nt zero.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing all the wheels to be
The first wheel and ratchet is rotated one tooth, equal to one-tenth
of a revolution by the conductor oscillating the lever arm as before mentioned;
the effect of this will be to indicate the number 1 at the slit or opening in the
case. Each succeeding partial rotation exposes a higher number until it
reaches 9, when a spring catch on said wheel becomes depressed by contact
with an inclined projection on the case, carrying round the second wheel and
with it the first one-tenth of a revolution, so as to indicate 10. The first
wheel then continues its rotation alone until it indicates 19, when the second
wheel again moves a tenth round, and so on, similar spring catches on the
several wheels moving them round in the same manner by the aid of the pro-
jection on the case, the third wheel moving one-tenth of a revolution for every
revolution of the second wheel, the fourth one-tenth for every revolution of
the third, and so on, to indicate bundreds and thousands, the fifth and sixth
wheels indicating tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands, or more if
desired. After each wheel has performed ten revolutions the whole will have
returned to zero for recommencing the registering operation, thus obviating
the necessity of resetting the apparatus, the same action taking place whatever
may be the number of wheels employed, which is regulated according to the
number of years the counting is to extend over. To prevent tampering with

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Ollis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
OLLIS, of Netherfield Road Soutb, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Ollis, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Ollis, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Ollis, 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 REGISTERING
APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO OMNIBUSES AND OTHER VEHICLES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Ollis, 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 Thomas Ollis, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in the application of apparatus similar to that used
for stamping or endorsing purposes for registering or indicating the number of
passengers that bave travelled by an omnibus or other vehicle.
!
The apparatus consists of a suitable number of wheels or discs revolving on
a fixed axis, having on their peripheries ten distinctive divisions, upon each

page_text: of which is marked a number from 0 to 9 inclusive. The first wheel repre-
sents units, the second tens, the third hundreds, the fourth thousands, and so
on according to their number. The first number wheel is provided with a
ratchet escapement the teeth of which correspond in number with the
numbers on the wheel. The ratchet is operated by an oscillating lever arm
provided with a pull handle within reach of the conductor of the vehicle;
this oscillating lever has also a counterbalanced catch lever pivoted thereon,
taking into the teeth of the ratchet for the purpose of partially rotating the
same at each oscillation of the lever by the conductor, which is to take place
on the entry of each passenger for the purpose of registering the number
using the vehicle. The motion of each wheel is limited by spring pro-
jections inside the wheel taking into longitudinal grooves on the boss or
central axis, or the spring projections may be in the axis taking into grooves
in the wheels. A spring pawl also takes into said ratchet, preventing its back-
ward movement, attached to an arm provided with a hammer for striking a
signal bell to warn the passengers of the registry being made, the haminer
being operated by the motion of the pawl in slipping over the teeth of the
ratchet. I prefer to enclose the apparatus in a case provided with a glazed
opening at one end for exhibiting the numbers on the wheels, and with one or
several holes for the escape of the sound, but the bell may be placed outside
the box and otherwise connected with the wheels than as before described.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing all the wheels to be
at zero. The first wheel and ratchet is rotated one tooth, equal to one-tenth
of a revolution, by the conductor oscillating the lever arm as before mentioned;
the effect of this will be to indicate the number one at the slit or opening in
the case. Each succeeding partial rotation exposes a higher number until it
reaches nine, when a spring catch or a pawl by contact with the second
wheel moves it one-tenth of a revolution so as to indicate 10. The first wheel
then continues its rotation alone until it iudicates 19, when the second wheel
again moves a tenth round, and so on, similar spring catches or pawls on the
several wheels moving them round in the same manner, the third wheel
moving one-tenth of a revolution for every revolution of the second wheel, the
fourth one-tenth for every revolution of the third, and so on, to indicate
hundreds and thousands, or more if desired. After the last wheel has per-
formed ten revolutions the whole will return to zero ready for recommencing
the registering operation, thus obviating the necessity of resetting the
apparatus, the same action taking place whatever may be the number of
wheels employed, which is regulated according to the time the counting is to
extend over. To prevent tampering with the apparatus I provide a lock

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
My Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 of
which shows a side elevation of the registering apparatus with the covering
plate removed, Figure 2 an end view, and Figure 3 a transverse section of
the same on line 1, 2, Figure 1.
The apparatus is enclosed in a box or case a, a, which is recessed in the
case of an omnibus into the framing at the back or in other position, so as to
be easily accessible to the conductor for counting the number of passengers
entering the vehicle. At one end of the case a is a horizontal fixed axis b, on
which are mounted loosely the wheels or discs c, d, e, f, four being shown in
this example, although a larger number may be employed. These wheels"
have their peripheries equally divided into ten parts or divisions, as shown in
Figures 1 and 3, on each of which is marked a figure from 0 to 9 inclusive.
Each wheel is similarly provided with numbers in the manner stated, the
wheel c representing units, wheel d tens, wheel hundreds, and wheel f
thousands, other wheels being added to indicate ten and hundreds of thousands
if desired. These wheels have independent motion on axis b imparted by a
ratchet escapement 9 forming part of the unit wheel c, and having the same
number of teeth as the divisions on said wheel, whereby the ratchet and wheel
may be rotated one-tenth of a revolution at a time. The ratchet 9 is rotated
by means of a lever arm h oscillating on a point i, and provided with a
counterbalanced catch lever k acting on the teeth of the ratchet g every time
the pull handle and rod 1 connected to lever arm h is drawn outwards, as
shown dotted in Figure 1, by the conductor, which takes place as each
passenger enters the vehicle. The oscillation of the lever arm h is limited by
a stop at back of same, which on completing its forward motion comes in
contact with the number wheels, and so limits their rotation to the extent
required for moving the discs and ratchet one-tenth of a turn, their motion
being further limited by spring projections taking into the grooved central
boss on which the discs are mounted, as shown in Figure 3 at a, or the studs
may be carried on the boss and enter orifices in the wheels if desired. The
pull handle on being released immediately returns to position, together with
the oscillating lever h, in readiness for again acting by the aid of a spring on
the pull rod. The backward motion of the ratchet is prevented by a spring
pawl an attached to a jointed arm n, provided with a hammer at its other end
acting on a signal bello placed inside the case a, as shown, every time the

page_text: being ensured by the slipping of the
I make a glazed opening p at one end
knob is pulled outwards, this motion
pawl m over a tooth of the ratchet g.
of the case a just above the knob 2, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, for exhibiting
the numbers on the several wheels, the other end of the case being perforated
to allow of the sound from the bell escaping freely, although said bell may be
placed outside the case, and otherwise connected with the ratchet than as
before described. A spring 9 is mounted on each of the number wheels, which
is depressed once for every entire revolution by contact with a projection r on
the cover a¹ of box a, as seen in the section, Figure 3. These springs q
are placed in corresponding positions in the several discs in such manner that
after the wheel c has completed one whole turn the spring 9 will be brought
in contact with the projection r on the cover, the effect of which is to depress
the spring 9 and bring it in gear with the wheel d for the purpose of rotating
it in turn one-tenth of a revolution, and the springs 9 on the several wheels
being arranged to act on each other, the wheel d, after performing an entire
revolution, similarly moves the wheel one-tenth of a turn by bringing the
spring of the said wheel d into gear therewith, as before explained, and so on.
In this manner the counting will regularly proceed until the wheelf has
performed ten revolutions, when the whole will return to zero in readiness for
a fresh counting operation. s is a lock, the bolt of which is made to take
into the pull rod l in order to fix the same, and so prevent any tampering with
the number wheels when the apparatus is not in use.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention, to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination and
arrangement of parts constituting an improved apparatus for registering or
indicating the number of passengers travelling in vehicles, as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Ollis, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.
THOMAS OLLIS.
(1.8.)