AN IMPROVED INDICATOR FOR CABS AND OTHER VEHICLES "
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Finney of Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED INDICATOR FOR CABS AND OTHER
VEHICLES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Finney at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th August 1882.
JAMES FINNEY of Manchester in the County of Lancaster "AN IMPROVED
INDICATOR FOR CABS AND OTHER VEHICLES
"
The object of this invention is to enable the passenger or passengers in a cab or
other vehicle to communicate with the driver by means of a visible signal or
indicator which is constructed and arranged to act in the following manner.
Conveniently situated near to the driver of the cab or other vehicle is a box or
case, provided with a dial, preferably made of transparent or semi-transparent
material in order that it may be illuminated at night or in foggy weather.
Upon this dial are written or printed directions arranged in circular or other
suitable position somewhat after the manner of the hours on a clock-dial. These
directions are words indicating the wishes of the passenger or passengers such as
"Stop" "Right turn" " 'Left turn" "Faster" and so on.
Through this dial and running into the inside of the box or case is a shaft
provided on the outside of the case with a pointer or indicating hand and on the
inner side with a chain-wheel and chain, which latter is passed over a second
chain-wheel upon a shaft situated within convenient reach of one of the passengers
inside the vehicle.
This shaft is also provided with a dial and land so that as the passenger turns
the latter and moves it over the face of its dial; the hand outside the aforesaid
case or box will be moved into a corresponding position.
Inside the box is also an alarm which is so constructed as to sound and intimate
to the driver that a signal of instructions has been given.
Upon the shaft or axle of the chain wheel inside the box I mount four ratchet

page_text: wheels two being fast and two loose, the teeth of the two fast ratchet wheels being
reversed as also are those of the loose ones, so that a spring catch or pawl mounted
upon one of the loose wheels will be driven round by one of the fast ratchet
wheels when the shaft is turned in one direction but will remain stationary when
the shaft revolves in the other direction in which case the other fast wheel will
actuate its corresponding loose wheel in a similar manner.
Resting on one of the inclines of each of these loose ratchet wheels is one end
of a pair of spring levers each provided with a small hammer which is so arranged
in close proximity to a bell or gong above that when the end of one of the spring
levers is released by falling over the edge of its ratchet tooth the hammer sounds
the bell or gong and indicates to the driver that a signal has been given.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Finney in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th February 1883.
JAMES FINNEY of Manchester in the County of Lancaster "AN IMPROVED
INDICATOR FOR CABS AND OTHER VEHICLES
"
The object of this invention is to enable the passengers in a cab or other vehicle
to communicate with the driver by means of a visible and audible signal or
indicator.
Such being the nature and object of my said invention I will now proceed to
describe the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood I have
annexed hereunto a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof and have marked the
same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. in the annexed drawing is a transverse section of the improved signal
apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same (the casing being shown in
section) and Fig. 3. is a face view of the dial inside the vehicle by means of which
the signal is worked. Fig. 4. is a side view of a cab showing the application of
the whole apparatus thereto.
Conveniently situated near to the driver of the cab or other vehicle is a box or
case a, a provided with a dial b, b preferably made of transparent or semi-
transparent material in order that it may be illuminated by a lamp placed inside
the casing at night or in foggy weather.
Upon this dial b, b are written directions arranged in a circular or other suitable
position somewhat after the manner of the hours on a clock-dial. These directions
are words indicating the wishes of the passenger or passengers such as "stop"
'right turn" "left turn ""drive on" and so forth.
.
Through this dial and running into the inside of the box or case a, a is a
shaft c, c provided on the outside of the case with a pointer or indicating hand d, d
(see Fig. 2) and on the inner side with a chain wheel e, e and chain f,f which
latter is passed over a second chain wheel g, g upon a short shaft h, h (see Fig. 3)
situated within convenient reach of one of the passengers inside the vehicle. This
shaft is also provided with a dial i, i marked with the same directions as the
outside one, and a band k, ke so that as the passenger turns the latter and moves it
over the face of its dial the band d, d outside the aforesaid case or box a, a will be
moved into a corresponding position.
Inside the box a, a is also an alarm which is so constructed as to sound and
intimate to the driver that a signal of instructions has been given. Upon the
shaft or axle c, c of the chain wheel e, e inside the box I mount four ratchet
wheels two , being fast and two m, m' loose, the teeth of the two fast ratchet
wheels being reversed as also are those of the loose ones, so that a spring catch or
pawl n, n mounted upon one of the loose wheels m will be driven round by coming
against the teeth of one of the fast ratchet wheels when the shaft c, c is turned
in one direction but will remain stationary when the shaft revolves in the other
direction in which case the other fast wheel will actuate its corresponding loose
wheel m in a similar manner.
Resting on one of the inclines of the teeth of each of these loose ratchet wheels
m, m³ is one of a pair of spring levers o, o each provided with a small hammer p, p
which is so arranged in close proximity to a bell or gong q q that when the end of

page_text: one of the spring levers o, o released by falling over the edge of its ratchet tooth
the hammer p sounds the bell or gong and indicates to the driver that a signal
has been given.
The lamp for illuminating the outside dial is placed beneath the axle in the
space between the signalling apparatus and the semi-transparent dial b, b (see
Fig. 2) above which is provided a chimney, r for the escape of the smoke.
Having now described the nature and object of my said invention together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention the
construction of visible and audible signalling apparatus or indicator for cabs and
other vehicles substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the
drawing annexed and especially I claim the construction and arrangement of the
reversed fast and loose ratchet wheels whereby I am enabled to produce the audible
signal whether the finger inside the vehicle is moved to the right or to the left.
In witness whereof I the said James Finney have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twenty seventh day of February in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and eighty three.