A Combined Turn-stile and Ticket-mutilator.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 22nd Dec., 1894
A Combined Turn-stile and Ticket-mutilator.
I, SYLVESTER PIERCE WALMSLEY of No. 36 Perdido Street, New Orleans,
Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, United States of America, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in turn-stiles and has for its object to
combine therewith devices whereby the turn-stile cannot be passed without the
deposit and mutilation of a ticket of admission, and, further, without the registra-
tion of each partial revolution of the turn-stile necessary to give admittance or
passage to the individual depositing the ticket.
A further object is to avoid the possibility of a ticket passing through the
chopper or mutilator without being mutilated, and also to prevent a ticket being
improperly deposited in the machine during the operation thereof.
The invention further relates to improvements in ticket-mutilating or cancelling
devices for so cancelling or mutilating tickets of admission when deposited therein
as to prevent the possibility of a second use thereof and yet without destroying the
character of the ticket.
A further prime object of this invention is to have the apparatus of such
character that the cutters or mutilators serve as a receiving-hopper for the ticket,
and are so disposed and guarded that the ticket can be readily discharged
therefrom when mutilated, but cannot be discharged or accidentally escape
therefrom without being first mutilated.
Another object is to have the apparatus of such character that the edges of the
ticket are notched and thus mutilated by a shear cut in such a manner that they
are automatically discharged from between the cutters into a receptacle provided
for their reception.
Other objects are to provide simple and novel accessory mechanism by which the
ticket is guided to the proper position between the cutters, by which the ticket is
prevented from passing through the cutters without being mutilated, and by which
the deposit of tickets is prevented when the cutters are in the act of mutilating
another ticket and therefore in an operative position.
These and other objects hereinafter set forth are accomplished by the devices
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a turn-stile embodying my invention,
taken from the rear side thereof;
Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 4 looking in
the direction indicated by the arrows:
Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 looking
in the direction indicated by the arrows; and
Figure 5 is a detail section similar to Figure 4 but showing a modification of my
invention:
Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are detached details of different parts of the
ticket punching and mutilating mechanism.
Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.

page_text: I may here state that I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction of
apparatus as herein described although this construction of ticket-mutilator or
chopper and the locking-mechanism for the turn-stile connected therewith and
operated thereby, possesses many advantages over any other device of the same
kind known to me and for that reason is preferred.
The turn-stile proper comprises the post A constituting the bearing for an
upright, rotatable shaft B having secured thereto at the upper end thereof, which
projects outside of the post, the wings C of any suitable character, constituting the
gates. To the frame or brace D, or in any other suitable manner or place, is
secured a register E of any suitable construction, co-operating with the turn-stile
in such a manner that each partial rotation of the turn-stile that permits the
entrance of a person will be recorded by the register. It is to be understood that
the register E shown in the drawing, may be of any suitable kind and may be
located in any convenient relation to the turn-stile that will subserve the intended
purpose, for which reason it is not deemed necessary to herein illustrate or describe
in detail the construction or operation of such register, many forms of which are
now well known.
At a suitable distance from the post A, so as to permit the wings C to pass
between it and the post, is located an upright box or casing F containing, preferably
in the upper end thereof, a ticket chopper or mutilator with which is connected a
bolt locking the turn-stile against rotation except when the mutilator is actuated,
access being gained to such internal mechanism through a door G or in any other
suitable manner, while in the lower end of the post may be located a receiving-box
of any suitable character, in which the mutilated tickets are deposited when
discharged from the mutilating apparatus, the box being inserted in and withdrawn
from the casing through a door H or in any other convenient manner.
A reverse rotation of the turn-stile may be prevented by any of the many
forms of pawl and ratchet connection between the rotating turn-stile and the
stationary post supporting the same, or the teeth 1 operating the register E
may, if desired, subserve this purpose, although the former is preferred by reason
of its greater strength and its presence in the common forms of turn-stile.
This apparatus may be operated either by the hand-lever K or the foot-lever or
pedal L (shown only in Figures 1 and 2), which levers are pivotally connected
by a rod M within the casing. The hand-lever K is pivoted at its inner end N
to a bracket O or to any suitable part of the stationary casing and is vibrated
vertically, being preferably returned to its normal elevated position by means
of a coil spring P attached at its ends respectively to the casing F and to the
rod M, although obviously any other spring or equivalent device for elevating
the hand-lever may be employed without departing from the spirit of my
invention.
The cutting jaws of the mutilator consist generally of a fixed and a movable
jaw, the fixed jaw consisting of a series of cutters Q, Q', rigidly secured in an
alternate or staggered relation, as more clearly illustrated in Figure 4, while the
movable jaw consists of an oblong plate R provided with a series of complementary
notches S in the upper and lower edges thereof, corresponding in number and
location with the cutters Q and Q' so that when the jaw R is moved, the stationary
cutters will enter the notches therein and the meeting edges will operate to cut or
mutilate a ticket there between in much the same manner as a pair of shears, the
purpose being to cut out of the ticket pieces corresponding in number and location
with the notches S in the movable cutter-jaw.
The movable cutter-jaw-R is pivoted at T to the frame U and is provided near
one end with a lateral lug V to which is pivotally connected one end of a link W,
the opposite end of which is pivotally secured to the connecting-rod M, so that
when the said rod is operated either by the hand-lever K or the pedal L, the jaw R
will be given a corresponding movement upon its pivot.
As will be seen from Figures 3 and 4, there is an opening or separation between
the ends of the stationary cutters Q, Qi, through which the body of a mutilated

page_text: ticket is designed to pass, the tickets being delivered between the fixed and movable
cutting jaws by a suitably arranged chute a in which the tickets are deposited.
To prevent the tickets falling through the opening between the ends of the
stationary cutter Q, Q', without being first mutilated, I provide a yielding flap or
shield 6 preferably of sheet metal, suitably slotted to pass over the stationary
cutters and pivoted at c to the frame U, the end of the pivot being bent beyond the
frame U so as to form a crank d to which is secured one end of a coiled spring e,
the opposite end of which is attached to the said frame. The tendency of this
spring e is to normally and yieldingly hold the flap or shield in the position shown
in Figure 3, closing the opening between the cutters Q and Q1, but upon the first
movement of the movable jaw R a projection f thereon strikes the flap or shield b
and forces the same back out of the way so that the ticket when mutilated by the
jaws, will drop through and fall into the receptacle provided for that purpose.
Upon the reverse movement of the movable cutting jaw the flap will return to its
normal position and reclose the opening between the fixed cutters of the stationary
jaw ready to receive the next ticket.
To prevent a ticket being misplaced in the machine if deposited while the
stationary and movable jaws are together, which would result in dropping the
ticket in behind the jaw R without its being mutilated, the said jaw is provided
with a curved shield 9 projecting rearwardly therefrom, which moves over so as
to close the chute a, while the jaw R is over on the opposite side of the chute
in the act of mutilating a ticket.
A convenient means of supporting the cutters is shown in the drawing, consisting
of a laterally extending shank A' on each upper cutter Q fitting into corresponding
slots A2 in a frame-plate U attached to the casing F in which all of the mechanism
before described is contained, the shanks being secured to the frame-plates by
means of pins or screws A³ or in any other convenient manner so as to hold them
rigidly in position with the cutter depending below the frame-plate. The lower
fixed cutters Q' are also provided with laterally extending shanks which find a
support in grooves or sockets in the frame-plate U in which they are secured in
like manner to the upper cutters but with the cutter extending above the frame.
plate.
Immediately below this mechanism is located a suitable casing h in which work
a spring-actuated lock-bolt i normally projected out of the casing F into the pa. of
movement of the end-bar of the wings of the turn-stile, or preferably into the
This lock-bolt
path of movement of an anti-friction roller k carried by said bars.
serves to prevent a rotation of the turn-stile as long as it remains projected and it
can only be withdrawn so as to permit a partial rotation of the turn-stile by the
operation of the chopping-mechanism. As shown in Figure 4, a spiral spring 6 is
employed for throwing the bolt i outward, this spring surrounding an extension 7
of the inner end of the bolt and lying within the casing h. The spring 6 is
interposed between the inner wall of the casing hand a shoulder formed by the
inner end of the bolt i and exerts its pressure against said bolt to throw the latter
outward.
This is accomplished through the medium of a lever / pivoted to the casing h
and carrying at its forward free end a locking-pin m working through the casing h
and engaging a socket m' in the lock-bolt i when the parts are in their normal
position shown in the drawing. The opposite end of the lever / projects into the
path of movement of the hand-lever K and is held in its normal position by the
action of a coiled spring n, or any equivalent device, which will be compressed when
the hand-lever is depressed so as to engage the inner end of the lever l, thereby
causing a corresponding elevation of the outer end of the lever and the withdrawal
of the locking-pin m from engagement with the lock-bolt of the turn-stile. This
permits the lock-bolt to be forced into the casing against the tension of its
protracting spring 6 under the pressure of the rollers on the turn-stile arms thereby
permitting a partial rotation of the turn-stile. Immediately, however, the hand-
lever is restored to its normal elevated position, the lock-pin m will be returned to

page_text: its socket m' in the lock-bolt i of the turn-stile and the latter will be locked against
any further rotation until another depression of the hand-lever in the act of
mutilating another ticket of admission.
Between the hand-lever K and the lock-pin operating lever / sufficient lost
motion is provided to require nearly a full stroke of the hand-lever before the lock-
pin will be withdrawn from engagement with the lock-bolt, and hence sufficient to
ensure the mutilation of the ticket before the turn-stile can be operated to permit
the entrance of the person depositing the ticket in the mutilator.
In Figure 5 I have shown a slight modification of my invention in which, in lieu
of the spring-actuated bolt i, is substituted a bolt o positively operated in both
directions by a bell-crank lever p engaged and actuated by the rod M. The end
of the bell-crank lever works in the elongated slot q in the rod M so as to allow
sufficient lost motion of the said rod to permit the withdrawal of the lock-pin m
from engagement with the lock-bolt o before the latter will be actuated by the
bell-crank lever. In other respects the operation of the device is identical with
that previously described.
Of course, if the foot-lever or pedal L were dispensed with, the rod M could he
shortened considerably and need not be any longer than is necessary for the
attachment of the link W, and, in fact, both the rod M and link W might be
dispensed with and the lug V be directly and pivotally connected with the lever K
by a slot and pin connection, but the construction shown and described is preferred
because of the greater certainty of its operation and the absence of binding, which
might produce an undue friction in the operation of the ticket-mutilator.
A turn-stile constructed in accordance with my invention embodies numerous
advantages over any previously constructed, chief among which is the certainty
with which fraud may be prevented in the admittance of persons without depositing
the required ticket of admission, a fraud which might easily be perpetrated by the
gate-man or operator if the ticket-mutilator alone were employed or if the ticket-
With my
mutilator and turn-stile alone were employed without the register.
device, however, the register on the turn-stile operates as an effectual check upon
the gate-man, for should he hold the operating-lever depressed so as to permit the
continuous turning of the turn-stile, the register thereon would tally or record each
admission, and the difference between the recorded admissions and the mutilated
tickets would be readily detected.
Beside this, the turn-stile cannot be operated to give admission without mutilating
the ticket deposited therein, which is an effectual check upon fraud in that direction,
while the lock of the turn-stile which is dependent for its operation upon the main
operating-lever of the mutilator, will prevent the crowding in or accidental admission
of any person who has not previously deposited the ticket of admission in the
mutilator.
It will of course be understood that the passage-way will be parallel with the
base supporting the post A and casing F, the operator standing on the near side
of the turn-stile as illustrated in Figure 1, and the passengers passing in on the
further side thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The combination with a turn-stile and a ticket-mutilator of a lock for the
turn-stile connected with and actuated by or through the mutilator-mechanism,
substantially as described.
2. The combination with a turn-stile and a ticket-mutilator of a lock for the
turn-stile connected with and actuated by or through the mutilator-mechanism, and
a register connected with the turn-stile for recording the partial rotations thereof,
substantially as described.
3. The combination with a turn-stile and a register therefor of a ticket-mutilator
mechanism and a lock for the turn-stile connected with and operated by or through

page_text: said mechanism, after the latter has mutilated the ticket, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
4. The combination with a turn-stile and a register therefor of a lock for the
turn-stile and a ticket-mutilator mechanism comprising a stationary and a movable
jaw, a lever for operating the same, and a lock-pin for securing the lock-bolt of the
turn-stile against movement actuated by or through the movement of said lever,
substantially as described.
5. The combination with a turn-stile and a register therefor of a lock for
said turn-stile and a ticket mutilating mechanism comprising a stationary and
a movable jaw, a lever for operating the movable jaw, a lock-pin for securing
the lock-bolt of the turn-stile against movement, and a lever for operating said
pin, actuated in one direction by the first mentioned lever and in the opposite
direction by a spring or equivalent device, substantially as described.
6. The combination with a turnstile of a ticket-mutilator comprising fixed and
movable male and female cutters, one of said cutters being slotted for reception of
the other, and means for operating the movable cutter, substantially as described.
7. The combination with a turnstile of a ticket-mutilator comprising fixed and
movable pivoted male and female cutters constituting a chute or hopper for
reception of the ticket, one of said cutters being slotted for reception of the other
and means for operating the movable cutter, substantially as described.
8. The combination with a turnstile of a ticket-mutilator comprising fixed and
movable male and female cutters, said movable cutter being pivoted and one of
said cutters being slotted for reception of the other for operating said movable
cutter, substantially as described.
9. The combination with a turnstile of a ticket mutilator comprising fixed and
movable cutters, said fixed cutters consisting of two sets of independent cutters,
a yielding flap for closing the space between said cutters and means for operating
the movable cutter, substantially as described.
10. The combination with a turnstile of a ticket-mutilator comprising fixed and
movable cutters, said fixed cutters consisting of two sets of independent cutters,
a spring-actuated flap for closing the space between the sets of fixed cutters and a
projection on the movable cutter for engaging and displacing said flap during the
mutilating operation, substantially as described.
11. The combination with a turnstile of a ticket-mutilator comprising fixed and
movable cutters constituting a chute or hopper for reception of the tickets, said
cutters being enclosed within a casing, and a shield attached to the movable cutter
for temporarily closing the opening in the casing admitting tickets between said
cutters, substantially as described.
12. The combination with a turnstile of a ticket-mutilator comprising fixed and
movable cutters constituting a chute for reception of the tickets and contained
within a casing, said fixed cutter consisting of two sets of independent cutters,
a spring-actuated flap for closing the space between said sets of fixed cutters,
a projection on the movable cutter for engaging and displacing said flap, and a
shield for temporarily closing and opening in the casing admitting tickets between
the fixed and movable cutters, substantially as described.
1001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.