An Improved Indicator for Hansom Cabs.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 25th May, 1894
An Improved Indicator for Hansom Cabs.
I, JOSEPH BENJAMIN FREEMAN of The Old Park, Southgate, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
:-
My invention relates to an indicator signal for hansom cabs whereby to enable
the occupant to readily signal to the driver directions for his guidance. The trap
door provided in the roof of the cab is ill adapted for the purpose of oral com-
munication, and is often unavailable when luggage is carried on the roof. Moreover,
it frequently happens that the driver's attention cannot be attractel in time to
enable a necessary direction to be given and obeyed. My improved indicator
signal is so situated as to be presented directly before the eyes of the driver who
cannot, therefore, fail to see, and at once act upon, the directions given.
6.
"
According to my invention I provide upon the roof of the cab, just beneath or
in front of the rein guide frame, a casing within which is fitted to slide or to rotate
an indicator tablet bearing certain conventional directions, such as Right,'
"Left," "Stop," and "Hallo," or equivalent indications for the guidance of the
driver or intimation of the desire of the occupant to communicate orally with the
driver. This tablet and its enclosing casing (which may be glazed at front and
back) are so constructed as to normally offer no obstruction to the view of the
driver and means are provided whereby the tablet may be operated from within
the vehicle in order to cause any one of these indications to be exhibited at the
will of the occupant by bringing a handle opposite to the corresponding indication
within the vehicle, said handle being preferably a pull handle working in a slide
at the side of the cab and connected with the indicator tablet by tensional,
torsional, or lever connections extending immediately beneath or in front of the
roof of the cab.
The preferred arrangement is a rotary disc which has an aperture or segmental
gap so as to normally offer no obstruction to the view of the driver, and which
bears the necessary indications, said disc being mounted upon or actuated in one
direction by a spring barrel or other form of spring power and in the other by a
cord led within the cab over suitably arranged guide pulleys, said disc being
contained within a suitable casing fixed to the front edge of the cab roof
immediately in front of or beneath the rein guide bracket so that it may readily
be applied to existing cabs. In its normal position the apertured segment of the
disc coincides with the glazed or other aperture of the enclosing frame so that
nothing is presented to view, but by pulling the cord the disc may be rotated so as
to bring any desired indication to view, the disc being inmediately returned to its
normal position by the spring on the handle being released.
Or the operation of the tablet or disc may be effected by means of a rock shaft
with lever arms to which the handle and tablet are respectively connected either
directly or through rack and pinion gear according as the tablet has a rectilinear
or rotary motion. Or it may be a rock lever similarly connected or geared to the
indicator, or bell crank levers and wire connections may be used for imparting the
motion to the indicator.
Dated this 21st dow of Tune 1002
J. B. FREEMAN,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: An improved Indicator for Hansom Cabs.
I, JOSEPH BENJAMIN FREEMAN of The Old Park, Southgate, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, 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 an indicator more particularly designed for hansom cabs,
whereby to enable the occupant to readily signal to the driver directions for his
guidance. The trap door provided in the roof of the cab is often unavailable
when luggage is carried on the roof, and is ill adapted for the purpose of oral
communication as it frequently happens that the driver's attention cannot be
attracted in time to enable a necessary direction to be given and obeyed. Moreover,
the reception of oral directions by the driver through the trap door distracts his
visual attention and is sometimes the cause of accidents. My improved indicator
signal is so situated as to be presented directly before the eyes of the driver, who
cannot, therefore, fail to see, and is enabled at once to act upon, the directions
given, without, however, withdrawing his attention from his driving.
66
65
According to my invention, I provide upon the roof of the cab, preferably just
beneath the rein guide frame, a casing within which is fitted to rotate an indicator
tablet bearing certain conventional directions, such as "Right,"
Left," and
Stop," or equivalent indications adapted to convey indications for the guidance
of the driver or an intimation of the desire of the occupant to communicate orally
with him, and provide means whereby the tablet may be operated from within the
vehicle in order to cause any one of these indications to be exhibited at the will of
the occupant.
The preferred form of tablet is a cylinder which bears the necessary indications,
mounted to rotate on an axis within a stationary apertured casing and turned in one
direction by a spring and in the other by a cord led within the cab over suitably
arranged guide pulleys and connected to a pull handle working in a slide at the
side of the cab. In its normal position a blank part of the cylinder is opposite the
aperture of the casing, but by pulling the cord the cylinder may be rotated, so as
to bring any desired indication to view, the cylinder being immediately returned to
its normal position by the spring, on the handle being released.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification, Figure 1 is
an elevation of the indicator, as viewed by the driver, and Figure 2 is a side
elevation, the cab body being in section in both figures to shew the operating
handle. Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the indicator.
To enable the indicator to be readily applied to existing cabs by fixing it to the
rein guide bracket, I prefer to form the ends of the casing A with grooves or flats
adapted to be clamped against the uprights of the various patterns of rein guides B
by means of any suitable fastenings, such for instance as screw-hooks a and
wing-nuts b. Within the cylindrical casing A is the indicator cylinder Crevolvable
on journals c in bearings in the ends of the casing, in order to bring the indications
of the cylinder opposite an aperture A¹ in the casing. The cylinder C has grooved
ends or pulleys D, E. Attached to, and coiled around, the former is a rubber
spring attached at its other end to the casing. Or instead of this rubber spring
and its pulley, a helical wire spring may be coiled about the axis of the cylinder
so as to tend to make the latter rotate in one direction. Attached to, and coiled
around, the pulley E in the opposite direction to the stress of the spring is a wire
or cord F which is led through an aperture in the casing A and in the roof G of
the cab, and around guide pulleys g g₁ mounted at the inside of the cab front, and
is attached to a pull handle H adapted to slide in a guide slot 1, and provided
with a pointer working over a tablet alongside of the slot bearing indications

page_text: corresponding to those of the cylinder, so that the occupant of the vehicle, who
cannot see the external indicator, may know how far to pull the handle to
communicate a given direction to the driver.
Although I have described my invention as applied to a hansom cab, for which
it is more particularly designed, I would have it understood that I do not limit
myself in this respect and that the apparatus may be applied to four wheeled
vehicles, in which case the tablet would be mounted preferably on the splashboard,
the index and pull handle being placed in any convenient position within the
vehicle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The herein described indicator for cabs and other vehicles, constructed
substantially as specified.
2nd. An indicator for hansom cabs, consisting of a spring barrel tablet revolvable
within an apertured casing mounted preferably upon, or beneath, the rein guide
bracket and operated through a cord connection by a pull handle working in
connection with an index tablet within the cab, as specified.
Dated this 20th day of ADH 1894.
UA TOUT
J. B. FREEMAN,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.