IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE OCCUPANTS OF VEHICLES AND THE DRIVERS OR OTHER ATTENDANTS THEREOF
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Ernest Petito at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th September
1865.
I, ERNEST PETITO, of Grange Terrace, Michael's Grove, Brompton, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE
OCCUPANTS OF VEHICLES AND THE DRIVERS OR OTHER ATTENDANTS THEREOF," to be
as follows:-
My Invention, which relates to means of communication between persons
occupying vehicles and the driver, or it may be the guard or other attendant,
consists in the application of apparatus, simple in itself, whereby a number of
different communications may be made by a system of signals, or it may be
by means of a signal hand or pointer. In private carriages it is usual to
signal the driver by means of what is termed the check string, but which is
limited to the simple communication of stop; and if further directions are to
be given, it is usual to do so verbally by the occupant protruding his or her
head through the side window, which is not only a very inconvenient and
to some extent dangerous proceeding, but is often very difficult in noisy streets,
and moreover it attracts the drivers attention from his horse, which in crowded
thoroughfares is very objectionable.
According to one of my plans, I establish a very simple code of signals by
means of one, two, three, or more strings or pulls operating on an apparatus
disposed in the view of the driver for instance. For this purpose, I prefer to

page_text: employ three pulls disposed inside the vehicle (carriage or cab for example),
each of which pulls are in communication with an index lever arm mounted
on a fixed axis. The same axis is common to all the lever arms which are
each further under the control of a separate spring which has a constant
tendency to keep and bring its respective lever to a zero or starting point.
These lever arms are exposed to the ready view of, say, the driver, and are each
capable of movement on the axis by its pull, by which they may be each
deflected separately from the zerò position, or any two, or all three deflected
at the same time, each making a separate communication to the driver. To
effect this, suppose three pulls, 1, 2, 3, to be suspended parallel and adjoining
in any convenient part of the carriage, pulling 1 may indicate on the left, 3 on
the right, and 2 the indication to stop; these indications I inscribe on the pulls.
Again, I apply additional tassels or pulls, uniting pulls 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and
1 and 3, as also 1, 2, and 3, which will give four other signals, such as turning
first on the left, first on the right, faster, or slower, or it may be any other code
of signals, each of which are inscribed on the individual pull. By these
means I am enabled to establish a code of seven simple and effective signals
with three main pulls and their combinations. The signal being exhibited to
the driver or other person by the deflection of any one of the lever arms
separately, or by a combined movement of any two or of all three at the same
time, accordingly as the pulls are pulled singly or in combination, as before
described.
In order that the lever arms may be more visible at night, I introduce or
dispose at the end of each arm a piece of colored glass or transparent material,
using a different color for each arm, which will indicate distinctly by its
transparency and colour which arm is moved, and will be visible either by the
carriage lamp or by surrounding artificial light. More than three pulls may
be employed, which will result in more combinations and signals, but I believe
three will be sufficient for all practical purposes; on the other hand one
pull may be adopted in combination with one lever arm, by deflecting which
to a greater or lesser extent may give separate signals. Two such separate
pulls may be employed and worked either separately or in combination, and I
find it convenient when using a single indicator to dispose it on a dial having
the different signals inscribed legibly thereon, from which the driver or other
person can readily read the signal. In this dial signal apparatus I dispose a
dial and index pointer inside the carriage the same as that on the outside,.
the two being in connection by an endless chain or otherwise, so that the
pointer or band on being moved to a signal on the inside dial by the occupant.
of the vehicle, a corresponding movement will be given to the pointer outside

page_text: and so exhibit and make. the signal. Instead of the pointers moving, the
dials may be moved and the pointers stationary. In connection with either of
these apparatus I attach a bell or other audible signal apparatus, which every
time that a pull is operated upon it sounds the bell, and so calls the driver's
attention to the signal about to be made. 1 prefer that the bell should be
struck repeatedly by one movement of the pull to ensure its being heard.