IMPROVE- MENTS IN REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS CARRIED ON OMNIBUSES AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thomson King, of Liverpool, in the
:
County of Lancaster, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS CARRIED ON OMNIBUSES
AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."-A communication from
abroad by George Lauder, of Pittsburgh, in the State of Penn-
sylvania, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thomson King
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th November 1875.
I, JOHN THOMSON KING, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
** IMPROVEMENTS IN REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS CARRIED ON
OMNIBUSES AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide means whereby the number
of passengers carried in or on omnibuses or like public vehicles may be
automatically and correctly counted and registered both as regards the
gross number carried and the number at any time during the journey.

page_text: For these purposes a movable step is employed in comomation wion
movable seats in such manner that although the registration of the
number of passengers is performed by the motion of the step such
registration is controlled by the motion of the seats.
As means for carrying the Invention into effect,-
Under a first part a movable step is connected with printing apparatus
in such manner that each time a passenger enters or leaves the vehicle
a printed or other suitable impression is impressed upon paper or suitable
material by means of a type wheel or its equivalent.
Under the second part the position of the said type wheel is controlled
by means of a cord or other suitable means, say, electrical, so arranged
in connection with the movable seats that the position of the type wheel
is altered according to the number of seats depressed.
°
Under a third part of the Invention it is secured that only the number
of seats corresponding to the number of passengers in or on the vehicle
shall be depressed at one time by so interconnecting such seats by
means of rocking levers and catches or other suitable appliances, that
on any one seat being depressed all the other seats not being sat upon
will rise.
Under a fourth part of the Invention it is secured that the raising of
the scat or seats shall be effected when a passenger or passengers leave
or leaves the vehicle by connecting the movable step to the rocking
lever or similar appliances mentioned under the above third head.
Under a fifth part a way bill is caused to move automatically by
means of clockwork or otherwise so as to bring a fresh portion of such
way bill into position to be marked by the printing apparatus mentioned
under the above first part each time a passenger enters or leaves the
vehicle. A series of keys are also provided by means of which the
guard or conductor may imprint on the way bill the amount of the fares
received. The registration of the movements of the passengers effected
by the apparatus described under the above four parts shows whether
the said keys have been correctly operated.
Under a sixth part arms are used between each seat so as to prevent
a passenger occupying more than one seat at a time, such arms being so
fitted as to be capable of a certain amount of lateral motion to allow for
varying sizes of passengers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Thomson King in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
THOMSON KING, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Thomson King, Her
special licence that I, the said John Thomson King, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Thomson
King, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS CARRIED
ON OMNIBUSES, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," a communication to
me from abroad by George Lauder, of Pittsburgh, in the State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John. Thomson King, my, executors or admini-
strators, 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 John Thomson King, 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 and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of illustrative Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to provide means whereby the number

page_text: of passengers carried in or on omnibuses or like public vehicles may be
automatically and correctly counted and registered both as regards the
gross number carried and the number at any time during the journey.
For these purposes a movable step is employed in combination with
movable seats in such manner that although the registration of the
number of passengers is performed by the motion of the step such
registration is controlled by the motion of the seats.
As means for carrying the Invention into effect,-
Under a first part a movable step is connected with printing
apparatus in such manner that each time a passenger enters or leaves
the vehicle a printed or other suitable impression is impressed upon
paper or suitable material by means of a type wheel or its equivalent:
Under the second part the position of the said type wheel is con-
trolled by means of a cord or other suitable means, say, electrical, so
arranged in connection with the movable seats that the position of the
type wheel is altered according to the number of seats depressed..
1
Under a third part of the Invention it is secured that only the
number of seats corresponding to the number of passengers in or on the
vehicle shall be depressed at one time by so inter-connecting such seats
by means of rocking levers and catches or other suitable appliances that
on any one seat being depressed all the other seats not being sat upon
will rise.
Under a fourth part of the Invention it is secured that the raising of
the seat or seats shall be effected when a passenger or passengers leave
or leaves the vehicle by connecting the movable step to the rocking
lever or similar appliances mentioned under the above third head.
Under a fifth part a way bill is caused to move automatically by
means of clockwork or otherwise so as to bring fresh portion of such
way bill into position to be marked by the printing apparatus mentioned
under the above first part each time a passenger enters or leaves the
vehicle. A series of keys are also provided by means of which the
guard or conductor may imprint on the waybill the amount of the fares
received. The registration of the movements of the passengers effected
by the apparatus described under the above four parts shows whether
the said keys have been correctly operated.

page_text: Under a sixth part arms are used between each seat so as to prevent
a passenger occupying more than one seat at a time, such arms being
so fitted as to be capable of a certain amount of lateral motion to allow
for varving sizes of passengers. ·
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation, partly in section, of an omnibus
fitted with registering apparatus under my Invention; Fig. 2 is a plan ´
view of part of same.
Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views of modifications of apparatus.
Figs. 6 and 7, views of further modification; and Fig. 8 a front
view, and Fig. 9 a back view showing the mechanism of the recording
instrument.
Under the first part 1, Fig. 1, is the movable step over which each
passenger passes on entering or leaving the vehicle; the said step is
hinged at 2 and held in position by the spring 3; when the said step is
depressed by a passenger entering or leaving the omnibus or vehicle.
motion is given by the wire cord or its equivalent 4, Figs. 1 and 2, to
the rocking lever 5, thence through the wire cord or its equivalent 6 to
the lever 7, Fig. 9; the lever 7 gives motion to the printing hammer 8
through the roller 9, an impression being thus given to the paper 10
from the type wheel 11 through the inking riband 12.
Under the second part 11, Fig. 9, is the type wheel, retained in
zero position by a spiral spring; 13 is the controlling cord, chain, or
equivalent, which is led along the omnibus over the fixed pullies 14 and
under the pullies 15 attached to the under side of the movable seats 16,
and finally secured to the end of the vehicle. It will be obvious that
when a seat is depressed, as shown at 16ª, the controlling chain 13 will
cause the type wheel 11 to rotate one division, and that the rotation of'
the type wheel will be in proportion to the number of seats depressed. .
Under the third part the seats 16 are provided with hooked
catches 17 which take into slots in the sliding bar 18, and are locked in
position when depressed by a passenger sitting thereon; 19 are springs
for raising the seats to their normal position; 20 is a spring for
retaining the bar 18 in locking position. It will be evident that every
time a seat is depressed the hooked catches 17 will give a lateral motion'
.

page_text: to the bar 18 so as to pass through the slots, the bar will then spring
back to its normal position and lock down the seats. It will also be
evident that any seat depressed or locked but not being sat upon will
rise as soon as any other seat is depressed. By the above arrangement
only the number of seats being sat upon can effect the motion of the
type wheel.
Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show a further modification of this part of my
Invention. Here a rocking bar 21 provided with catches 22 is used
instead of the sliding bar 18; the catches 22 take into hooks 23 attached
to the seats.
Figs. 6 and 7 show a further modification, in which the catches
instead of being attached to the seats are arranged in a frame at the end
of the omnibus and are operated by wires from the seats. 23 is the.
sliding bar; 24 are the catches; 25 are the wires to the seats; the
catches 24 are arranged by means of the pullies 25ª to operate the
controlling cord 13.
Under the fourth part the movable step 1 is attached by means of
the cord 4 to the cam lever 5 which operates the sliding bar 18, Fig. 1,
or the rocking bar 21, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, so as to release the seats not
sat upon when a passenger enters or leaves the omnibus or vehicle.
In Figs. 6 and 7 the cord 4 is shown attached to a bell-crank lever 26
for the same purpose.
Under the fifth part motion is given to the way bill or paper 10 by
means of the ratchet wheel 27 operated from the printing hammer 8 and
pawl 28 each time a passenger enters or leaves the omnibus; motion
may be given to the said way bill by means of clockwork. If desired
the
or way bill be made of extra width, and a series of printing
keys provided at 29 to be operated by hand for printing the amount of
each fare.
paper
may
Under the sixth part 30, Fig. 1, are movable arms hinged at 31
for preventing a passenger sitting on more than one seat at a time and
yet allow for variations in the size of passengers.
Fig. 8 shows a dial and hand operated from the type wheel so as to
indicate, the number of passengers in the omnibus or vehicle.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention so that others
will be enabled to carry my improvements into effect, I claim,-

page_text: Under the first part, the combination of the movable step with printing
apparatus, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Under the second part, altering the position of the type wheel by
means of a cord or its equivalent, operated by movable seats, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Under the third part, locking seats in a depressed position, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Under the fourth part, releasing locked seats by means of a movable
step, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Under the fifth part (a), giving motion automatically to a way bill
in combination with parts one, two, three, and four, or any of them,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Under the fifth part (6), using in combination with parts one, two,
three, and four printing keys, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Under the sixth part, the movable arms 30 for the purposes set
forth.
•
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thomson King, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
J. JOHNSON,
4, Clayton Squaro,
L'pool.
1
J. T. KING. (L.S.)
Witness.