New or Improved Apparatus for Signalling in Hansom Cabs or other similar Carriages.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 21st Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1887,
New or Improved Apparatus for Signalling in Hansom Cabs or
other similar Carriages.
I, ALFRED WEST, of 118 Southwark Bridge Road, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to enable the occupant of a hansom cab, or other
similar carriage to communicate with the driver of the said vehicle by signal, and
thus avoiding the inconveniences of and dangers attending the present system of
verbal communication from the front or roof of the cab or carriage.
The apparatus forming the subject of the present invention consists of an index and
index plate or other suitable indicating apparatus fixed inside the cab or carriage and
capable of being readily operated by the occupant thereof. The movement of this
index imparts motion, through the intervention of rods, levers, gearing etcetera to a
slotted plate preferably situated at the back of the lamp outside of the cab and within
sight of the driver." Between this slotted plate and the lamp, is a second plate
having the required directions indicated thereon (such for example as
go ahead:
"turn right'
stop left" & &c.) in such manner as to be readily seen through the
opening in the before-mentioned slotted plate both by day-light and by the light of the
lamp at night time. Or this direction plate may be formed of the reflector plate of
the lamp itself. An alarm gong or bell is preferably so connected with the indicating
apparatus that any movement of the latter causes the alarm gong or bell to sound and
thus attract the drivers attention to the directions visible through the slotted plate.
The indicating mechanism may be returned into its normal position by a spring or
otherwise. If preferred the slotted plate may be stationary and the direction plate
may be caused to move behind same.
101
1000
ALFRED WEST.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C.,
Agent.

page_text: New or Improved Apparatus for Signalling in Hansom Cabs or
other similar Carriages.
I, Alfred West, of 118 Southwark Bridge Road, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner tho
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying two sheets of Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say
:
The object of this invention is to enable the occupant of a hansom cab or other
carriage to communicate with the driver of the said vehicle by signal, thus avoiding
the inconveniences and dangers attending the present system of verbal communication
from the front or through the roof of the cab or carriage.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings illustrates in elevation my improved
apparatus applied to one of the side lamps of a hansom cab for example, Figure 2 is
a partial section on line A A of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a section on line B B of
Figure 2. Similar letters relate to like parts in all the Figures of the Drawings. Cis
an index pointer and D an index plate fixed inside the cab or carriage (the side of
which is seen in section at E) in a position easily accessible to the occupant thereof.
The index pointer C is centred at Fand has connected to it at G a rod or spindle H
passing through the side of the cab and adapted to slide in a tube I fixed to the out-
side thereof as shown. The outer end of the rod or spindle H is provided with a
rack J which gears into an intermediate pinion K imparting rotary motion to the
toothed wheel L on the axis M revolving in bearings in the casing N, through which
it passes and carrying the plate O which has the required directions to the driver
formed round its circumference as shewn clearly in Figure 1. The axis M also
imparts motion through the train of wheels P to the hammer Q which is thereby
caused to strike the alarm gong R repeatedly every time the index pointer C is moved
in either direction by the passenger. S is a helical spring capable of being compressed
between the two washers T T' whenever the index pointer C is moved in either
direction and tending always to return the said index pointer C to and maintain it in
its central or go ahead" position on its being released by the passenger. The
spring S may be arranged to act in both directions so as to produce similar effects by
extension instead of compression if preferred. U is a plate attached to the back of
the lamp and having formed therein a slot V preferably in the position shewn in
Figure 1 in such manner that as any one of the directions on the plate O is brought
opposite thereto, such direction shall be readily seen by direct vision in daylight, and
by the light of the lamp shining through the slot at night. Or the slot V may in
some cases be formed in the reflector of the lamp itself. I sometimes provide a second
fixed plate with a slot corresponding in position with the slot V and I cause the
direction plate O to revolve between the two slotted plates; by this means all the
directions on the revolving plate are hidden except the one which happens to bo
opposite the slots in the fixed plates and in some cases I arrange that the said slotted
plate or plates shall revolve and the direction plate remain stationary.
[
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
Supposing the passenger wishes the driver to stop the vehicle at a point on the left

page_text: hand side of a street which is the next turning on the right hand he first moves the
index pointer C from the position "go ahead" to "turn right" and then releases it
and having arrived opposite the desired point he again moves the index pointer C from
go ahead" to "stop left." Each time the passenger moves the index pointer C the
alarm gong R will sound and the required direction will appear opposite the slot so
that the driver can easily perceive the wishes of the occupant of the cab or other
vehicle. Instead of an alarm gong, any other suitable or convenient appliance may bo
employed for calling the attention of the driver.
The apparatus is hereinbefore described as applied to a hansom cab, but it will bo
understood that it may readily be modified in order to make it applicable to other
vehicles in which the lamp is situated within view of the driver.
The direction plate may consist of an opaque plate having the directions perforated
therein, or of a transparent plate having the directions painted or otherwise formed of
a more or less opaque substance thereon, so that such directions are easily seen by
direct vision in daylight and by the light of the lamp passing through the slot of the
slotted plate or plates at night.
In order to render the direction, which is to be acted upon by the driver, moro
clearly visible to him in daylight, I sometimes employ a shutter of distinctive colour
placed behind the direction plate at the point where the indication is to be made, so
that when the appropriate direction is brought opposite the said shutter the distinctivo
colour of the latter appears through the perforated letters of the direction plate.
The intermediate pinion K is employed in the arrangement shown, in order that the
motion of the direction plate O or of the slotted plate or plates, as the case may be,
may correspond to that of the pointer Con the index plate D; but if preferred, the
rack J may be arranged to gear direct with the toothed wheel L if it is not desired
that the direction plate O or the slotted plate or plates shall nove in the same direction
as the pointer C. The movement of the direction plate O or of the slotted. plate or
plates, as the case may be, in the same direction as the pointer, may however be
effected by any other suitable means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention'
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The new or improved apparatus for signalling in hansom cabs or other similar
carriages, consisting of a pointer and index plate accessible to the occupant of the
vehicle; fixed and revolving slotted and direction plates in connection with the lamp
or lamps; a gong or other device for calling the attention of the driver; and devices
for transmitting motion from the aforesaid pointer to the revolving plate or plates, and
to the gong striking or other mechanism for calling attention, and for returning the
parts to and maintaining them in their normal positions; the whole arranged,
combined and operating as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the Drawings
hereto annexed.
Second. In carriage signalling apparatus of the kind forming the subject of the first
claim clause hereof, the use of a spring acting in both directions for the purpose of
returning the moveable parts of the apparatus to, and maintaining them in, their
normal positions when, the pointer has been released by the occupant of the vehicle,
whether the said pointer has been moved to the right or to the left, as herein before
described, and illustrated in the Drawings hereto annexed.
101
35
1007