Year: 1888

page_text: I, ARTHUR VENTRIS, of No. 5 Tavistock Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus whereby the use of a closet or latrine or other
like convenience, for which a fee is paid, is registered and recorded at some station
which may be at a distance, so as to operate as a check on the amount collected by
the attendant. In applying this apparatus, for example, to a latrine which has a seat
or a foot plate slightly movable and kept up by a weight or spring, I so arrange the
parts that it requires two separate actions, the opening of the door and the pressure on
the seat or foot plate, to effect transmission of a signal or recording impulse. The door
may be opened and closed repeatedly without having any effect if the seat or foot
plate be not pressed down, and consequently the attendant can at any time enter for
cleaning or other purposes without having his entrance recorded. Also the seat or
foot plate may be repeatedly pressed down if the door be not opened, without
effecting any record. But when the door is opened to give admission and then the
seat or foot plate is pressed down, a signal is transmitted to make a mark on a
travelling strip or revolving cylinder, indicating that the latrine has been used.
In order that the apparatus may act in this way, I connect the door of the apart-
ment to an arm at the seat or foot plate, so that when the door is opened this arm is
moved into a certain position, in which position it remains notwithstanding that the
door may be closed, or opened and closed again repeatedly. The seat or footplate
being pressed down acts on this arm moving it back to its original position, this
movement transmitting a signal to the recording station either by making an electrical
contact or by forcing air or liquid along a pipe. When there are several contiguous
latrines under the charge of one attendant, each may be arranged to transmit a
separate signal and make a separate mark, or they may be all connected to one marker,
and, if it be desired to distinguish then, this may be done by arranging the arms

page_text: moved by their respective seats or foot plates so as to send different numbers or
extents of impulses. Thus, when electricity is used for transmission, the arm of No. 1
when acted on might send one impulse, that of No. 2 might send two and so on.. Or
if the transmission be effected by fluid, the mark from No. 1 might be a short stroke,
that from No. 2 a stroke twice as long and so on.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Checking Fees taken for Admission to Closets and
the like.
1. ARTHUR VENTRIS of No. 5 Tavistock Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus whereby the use of a closet or latrine or other
like convenience, for which a fee is paid is registered and recorded at some station
which may be at a distance, so as to operate as a check on the amount collected by the
attendant. In applying this apparatus for example, to a latrine which has a seat or
a foot plate slightly movable and kept up by a weight or spring, I so arrange the parts
that it requires two separate actions, the opening of the door and the pressure on the
seat or foot plate, to effect transmission of a signal or recording impulse. The door
may be opened and closed repeatedly without having any effect if the seat or footplate
be not pressed down, and consequently the attendant can at any time enter for
cleaning or other purposes without having his entrance recorded. Also the seat or
foot plate may be repeatedly pressed down if the door be not opened, without effecting
any record. But when the door is opened to give admission and then the seat or
foot plate is pressed down, a signal is transmitted to make a mark on a travelling strip
or revolving cylinder, indicating that the latrine has been used.
In order that the apparatus may act in this way, I connect the door of the apart-
ment to an arm at the seat or foot plate, so that when the door is opened this arm is
moved into a certain position in which position it remains notwithstanding that the
door may be closed or opened and closed again repeatedly. The seat or foot plate
being pressed down acts on this arm moving it back to its original position, this
movement transmitting a signal to the recording station either by making an electrical
contact or by forcing air or liquid along a pipe. When there are several contiguous

page_text: latrines under the charge of one attendant, each may be arranged to transmit a
separate signal and make a separate mark, or they may be all connected to one
marker, and, if it be desired to distinguish them, this may be done by arranging the
arms moved by their respective seats or foot plates so as to send different numbers or
extents of impulses. Thus, when electricity is used for transmission the arm of
No. 1 when acted on might send one impulse, that of No. 2 might send two and so
on. Or if the transmission be effected by a fluid the mark from No. 1 might be a
short stroke that from No. 2 a stroke twice as long and so on.
Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings shew one arrangement of my before
described invention applied to the door and seat of a latrine, whereby a registration is
effected by means of the successive acts of pressing upon the seat when in use, and
subsequently opening the door.
Fig. 1 shews a sectional plan, Fig. 2 an enlarged view of the mechanism at the
door and Fig. 3 an enlarged detail of the action at the seat.
A rod F, by preference enclosed in a tube for protection as shewn extends from the
door D, to the seat S where it passes through the riser R and carries at its end a lever
or tappet B, while at the other end it carries another lever or tappet C. The lever B
is supported upon a block T, and before the seat has been in use it is held in the
raised position shewn in full lines by means to be presently described, the seat S being
at the same time held in the slightly raised position shewn in full lines by means of a
balance weight W or suitable spring device. When the seat is pressed down into the
dotted position it depresses the lever B into the dotted position, thereby slightly
turning the rod F, and bringing the second lever C from the position shewn in full
lines to that shewn in dotted lines, and these parts will remain in that position,
although the seat may be allowed to rise and be again depressed, so long as the door D
is not opened. By the said movement of the lever C it turns the horse-shoe arm M,
which is pivoted in an insulated manner to the plate H, from the position shewn in full
into the dotted position. The arm M is in electrical connection through a spring Q
with the one terminal screw Z of an electrical circnit, including an indicator or
registering apparatus of any suitable known construction; and the lever C is in
electrical contact through plate H with the second terminal screw P of the circuit.
The part I of the arm M is insulated from the other part thereof, and consequently
the above described movement of M by C is effected without closing the electric
circuit. The plate H carries a sliding bolt L similar to that of an ordinary lock,
which is pressed forward by a spring X. When the door is closed, the bolt is pressed
back thereby into the dotted position, but on opening the door it is pressed forward
by its spring, when, if the lever C has been moved into the dotted position as
described, a projecting tail piece L of the bolt will press against the tail C' of the
lever, and will cousequently move the latter back into the position shown in full lines.
In doing so, the lever will first come in contact with the projection K on the arm M
and in thus effecting the closing of the electrical circuit will cause an indication to be
given on the registering apparatus.
This contact will however only be momentary, as directly after it is effected, the
end of the lever C will come in contact with the projecting stud I¹ of insulating
material, and consequently in bringing the arm M back to its original position, it
will move out of contact again with the projection K.
The circuit will therefore only remain closed a sufficient length of time to effect the
required registration. By the above described movement of the lever the lever B
will be again brought to its raised position, ready for the next operation.
It will be seen that if the seat S is not previously depressed so as to bring the
lever C into the dotted position, the door U can be opened and closed repeatedly
without actuating the lever C, and consequently without closing the electrical
circuit.

page_text: Figures 4 to 7 shew a modification of the above described arrangement in which
it is applied to a rising flap latrine, the electrical contact mechanism being applied at
the seat instead of at the door. Figure 4 shews a sectional plan, Figure 5 a vertical
section of the rising flap and its mechanism and Figures 6 and 7 shew enlarged views
of the mechanism.
In this case the bolt L fixed behind the door and acted upon by a spring X or
weight as before, effects the partial rotation of the lever a in opposite directions by
means of projections L' L' as the bolt is moved in the one direction or the other,
according as the door is opened or closed. The lever a is on a rod b carrying at its
other end a lever d, to which is pivoted a rod e having a fork el; this fork embraces
a pin J¹ on an arm J fixed on the axis of a lever C, which is similar in construction
and action to the lever C of the first described arrangement, that is to say, it acts
upon the horse shoe arm M having insulating contacts at II¹ and a conducting
contact at K and is connected by spring Q to the one terminal of an electric circuit,
the other terminal P of which is connected to the plate H which is in conducting
connection with the lever C.
The bolt B is pressed upwards by the turning down of the flap, and is thereby made
to move lever and arm J into the dotted position by pressing with its shoulder
at B against the tail C', and C will remain in that position though the seat be raised
and lowered repeatedly so long as the door be not opened.
When C and J are in the position shown in full lines, it will be seen that the
opening and closing of the door D and consequent moving backwards and forwards
of the forked rode will not have any effect on the lever C, the fork e¹ being of
sufficient length to prevent this, as indicated. But when by the turning down of the
flap S and consequent pushing up of the bolt B, the lever C and armi J have been
brought into the dotted position, the subsequent opening of the door in moving the
lever d into the dotted position, causes the fork e¹ to move the arm J and consequently
the lever back into the full position, and thus to effect the closing of the electrical
circuit in the manner described with reference to the first arrangement.
It will be evident that in both the above described constructions the action of the
parts might be reversed, that is to say, the lever C and arm M might be arranged to
be brought into the dotted positions on the opening of the door; and be moved back
so as to close the electrical circuit on depressing the seat.
Also, in either of the before described arrangements, instead of causing the lever C
to close an electrical circuit on the return motion as described, it may be arranged
to effect the registration through a fluid medium. Thus there may be fixed to the
lever C a ratchet wheel, in gear with which is a pawl on a lever that is made to
actuate the push of a pneumatic signalling apparatus of any known construction, so
that when the lever is moved into the dotted position on depressing the seat, the
ratchet wheel turns without actuating the signalling lever, but when the lever is
moved back again on opening the door, the ratchet wheel will actuate the pawl of the
signalling lever, so as to cause this to transmit a signal or effect a registration through
the fluid medium.
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. The use in combination with the door and moveable seat or foot plate of a latrine
or similar convenience, of an electrical contact apparatus so arranged that by the
combined operations of opening the door and depressing the seat the said contact
apparatus closes an electrical circuit so as to actuate a registering apparatus, while if
only the door or only the seat be moved no such closing of the electrical circuit is
effected substantially as herein described.
2. The use in combination with the door and moveable seat or foot-plate of a latrine
or similar convenience, of a lever, arm, or cam and an apparatus for conveying signals
or effecting registrations through a fluid medium, the lever arm or cam being so
arranged that it is caused to actuate the signalling apparatus by the combined
:

page_text: operations of opening the door and depressing the seat, but if only the door or only
the seat be moved the lever, arm, or cam does not actuate the signalling apparatus,
substantially as herein described.
3. In apparatus for checking fees for admission to latrines and the like, the use of
an arm, lever, or cam, and an electrical contact piece so arranged in combination with
the door and seat or foot plate of the latrine and with an electric circuit including a
registering instrument, that on depressing the seat or footplate, the said arm lever or
cam and contact piece are moved into a certain position without closing the circuit
but that on subsequently opening the door, the arm lever or cam and contact piece
are moved back into their original position, and are thereby made to close the
electrical circuit so as to actuate the registering apparatus, substantially as herein
described.
4. In apparatus for checking fees for admission to latrines and the like, the combi-
nation of the rod F with levers B C, the sliding bolt H acted upon by the door D and
spring X, the arm M with electrical contact K and insulating contacts I and I', and
the electrical circuit terminals P, Z, connected respectively with the lever C and
arm M arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein described
with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.
5. In apparatus for checking fees for admission to latrines and the like, the combi-
nation of the rod 6 with levers a and d, and forked rod e e¹ the bolt L acted upon by
the door D and spring X, the lever C with arm J, arm M having an electrical contact
at K and two insulating contacts I I', the electrical circuit terminals P Z connected
respectively with the lever C and arm M, and the bolt B actuated by the flap S,
arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose herein described with
reference to Figs. 4 to 7 of the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of November 1888
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.