IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND DELIVERING TICKETS FROM WEB PAPER FOR RAILWAY, TRAM AND OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Von Hoven, of Castle Street, Holborn, in the City
of London, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR CUTTING AND DELIVERING TICKETS FROM WEB PAPER FOR RAILWAY,
TRAM AND OTHER LIKE PURPOSES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Von Hoven at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th August 1880.
LOUIS VON HOVEN, of Castle Street, Holborn, in the City of London, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND DELIVERING TICKETS FROM
WEB PAPER FOR RAILWAY, TRAM, AND OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
According to this Invention I take a long strip or web of paper of suitable width
and perforate it at intervals, and mount it upon an axle that the roll may be
suspended upon forked uprights. The free end of the paper is then passed over a
roller or guide and under a fork or pinned lever, and also under a feeding finger,
the points of which are caused by lever arrangement to engage the perforations
and draw a fixed quantity of paper from the reel and cause the free end to project
into a hood shaped capping, within which knives are fitted to sever the paper
ticket from the web, the cutters and levers being controlled by a hand lever which
can be depressed for the purpose, the return of the hand lever under the action of a
spring and suitable appliances ensuring sufficient paper for the next ticket to be
brought over the knives, that at the next depression of the lever handle it is cut
off and discharged from the apparatus.
A stop lever is fitted to prevent the paper being drawn out except by the motion
of the hand lever.
Connected with the above mechanism is a lever and a paul provided with the
necessary return springs. The lever, at each depression of the handle, causes its
paul to act upon a star wheel and to rotate it a portion of a revolution at each
action, so that through the intermediation of spur gearing or otherwise index hands
can be moved over the faces of dials to register the depressions of the handle, the
numbering of the tickets being previously arranged if desired to correspond to
those of the index.
Any number of these apparatus may be arranged in the same casing with
different coloured paper strips partitioned off as tickets to represent different
amounts of money receivable upon their issue.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said Louis Von Hoven in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th February 1881.
LOUIS VON HOVEN, of Castle Street, Holborn, in the City of London, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND DELIVERING TICKETS FROM
WEB PAPER FOR RAILWAY, TRAM, AND OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
According to this Invention I take a long strip or web of paper of suitable
width and perforate it at intervals, and mount it upon an axle that the roll may be
suspended upon forked uprights. The free end of the paper is then passed over a
roller or guide and under a fork or pinned lever, and also under a feeding finger,
the points of which are caused by lever arrangement to engage the perforations
and draw a fixed quantity of paper from the reel and cause the free end to project
into a hood shaped capping, within which knives are fitted to sever the paper
ticket from the web, the cutters and levers being controlled by a hand lever which
can be depressed for the purpose, the return of the hand lever under the action of a
spring and suitable appliances ensuring sufficient paper for the next ticket to be
brought over the knives, that at the next depression of the lever handle it is cut
off and discharged from the apparatus.
A stop lever is fitted to prevent the paper being drawn out except by the motion
of the hand lever.
Connected with the above mechanism is a lever and a paul provided with the
necessary return springs. The lever, at each depression of the handle, causes its
paul to act upon a star wheel and to rotate it a portion of a revolution at each
action, so that through the intermediation of spur gearing or otherwise index hands
can be moved over the faces of dials to register the depressions of the handle, the
numbering of the tickets being previously arranged if desired to correspond to
those of the index.
'
Any number of these apparatus may be arranged in the same casing with
different coloured paper strips partitioned off as tickets to represent different
amounts of money receivable upon their issue.
In the annexed Drawings A represents a strip of paper wound into a coil or
roll A¹ around a shaft or core B, and mounted in uprights or supports B. The
paper of which the strip is composed is of suitable thickness and width, and it is
printed or ornamented upon either or both sides in any preferred manner to
represent tickets, etc.
The strip is further provided with perforations a, a, at proper intervals to afford
a secure hold for the feeding mechanism and locking detent to be presently
described; C, the operating handle or lever fulcrumed between lugs d, d, cast with
or otherwise formed upon a metallic frame or covering D, and projecting through a
slot d¹ in said frame or casing within convenient reach of the operator. To the
inner or short end c¹ of the lever I attach two feeding fingers or prongs E curved
and pointed, as shown, and adapted to vibrate over a curved bed G on the frame.
The free end of the ticket strip passes first over a friction roller F' mounted in a
bracket or extension E', and thence through guides g, g, at the ends of the curved
bed G, beneath the feeding fingers. As the handle or lever is depressed the fingers
or prongs E, E, ride along the surface of the strip and enter the perforations a, a,
therein, and as the handle is again raised the strip is pulled forward by a positive
movement. The bed G is curved, so that when the fingers ride over the paper the

page_text: latter will yield and be pressed into the curve, and thus be prevented from being
torn.
In rear of the fingers, and over the friction roller, I arrange a detent or
locking device, consisting in this instance of two curved arms H, H, mounted upon
a common shaft H³, journalled in the extension E² above the strip, and having
their extremities formed to enter the perforations in the strip as the latter is fed
along. This detent is so arranged with respect to the feeding fingers E, E, that as
the latter are moved backward to engage with the strip they, or a projection e,
located between them, will strike the cross bar I which connects the arms H, H, of
the detent and raise the points of the latter from the perforations, the fingers E, E,
at the same time dropping into the perforations, and pulling the strip forward, as
before explained. As the detent is released by the fingers a spring S forces it back
again upon the strip in position to engage with the next series of perforations that
are presented. It will thus be seen that the detent operates as a check to the
movement of the strip, and prevents its withdrawal except when operated by the
feeding fingers; J is a sliding metallic frame or plate surrounding the lower part
of the handle, and having extensions j, j, at its lower portion to guide it in its
movements. It is provided with central projections j', j', against which the handlo
bears when moved up and down to impart to the frame a positive reciprocating
movement. A knife blade K is arranged at the lower edge of the sliding plate,
and a similar stationary blade K¹ is located on the frame beneath the path of the
strip and at a slight inclination to the edge of the moveable knife K, so that
when the lever is depressed the knives will act upon the strip and sever the part
projected through the delivery aperture with a shearing cut.
A spring pressure bar W is located at the lower edge of the sliding frame J in
rear of the knife, its function being to bear upon the strip and hold it securely
while it is being severed, and to assist in directing the strip after said operation
has been performed. Springs T connected to the upper portion of the sliding frame
are employed to raise the lever after each depression and hold it normally in this
raised position.
L is a bell crank lever pivotted to the extension E¹, one of its arms / projecting to
the front in the path of one of the extended guides j of the sliding frame J, and
the other carrying a spring paul M arranged to engage with a ratchet N on a
shaft m.
This shaft m is provided with a pinion O, which meshes with another
pinion P, and said pinion P in turn meshes with the initial gear wheel of a suitable
registering mechanism Q. A spring St holds the paul M normally disengaged from
the ratchet N. The numbers on the registering wheels are visible from the front
through an aperture R covered by a glass plate, so that they may at all times be
open to the inspection of those controlling the apparatus.
It is intended that every depression of the operating handle shall, through the
medium of the devices above enumerated, cause the initial wheel of the register to
advance one unit, even though such depression be insufficient to either feed the slip
or sever a ticket from the same. The employe or agent is thus required to exercise
greater care in the use of the apparatus, and he will not be liable to tamper with
it except when he desires to legitimately withdraw a ticket in the regular course of
business. When he leaves the apparatus he locks the lever in an elevated position
by any suitable means to prevent disarrangement during his absence.
ordinary operation of the Invention will be thus:-Supposing the parts to be in the
position shown in Figure 1, the operator depresses the handle to its full extent,
causing the knives to sever a ticket from the projecting end of the strip and the
register to move forward one number. This depression of the lever also causes the
detent to be raised by the fingers E, E, and the points of the latter to engage with
the perforations just occupied by the points of the said detent.
The
Upon releasing the lever the springs T, T, elevate it to its normal position,
causing the fingers to move the strip forward by a positive movement in position
for the next succeeding operation.

page_text: It is often desirable to detach a series of tickets without separating them from
each other, so that they may be more conveniently carried about the person and
with less liability of loss. In order that this may be accomplished in the use of
my apparatus, I have so arranged the lever, feeding fingers, detent, knives, and
registering mechanism with respect to each other and with the ticket strip, and so
timed them in their operation, that while the depression of the lever a certain
distance will be sufficient to advance the register one number and move the fingers
far enough to disengage the detent from the perforations in the strip without
themselves engaging therewith, yet the movable knife will not have descended far
enough to co-act with the stationary knife to sever the strip.
]
It is therefore evident that by pulling upon the projecting end of the strip and
depressing the lever successively a certain predetermined distance any number of
tickets may be withdrawn undivided, though each one will be properly recorded
before passing out of the apparatus.
The shaft or core B upon which the strip is coiled is dropped loosely in recesses
or bearings b in uprights B', and can be conveniently removed and replaced as
occasion may require. Each upright B' is further formed with a bearing b' on its
opposite side for the purpose of accommodating the core or shaft of the roll of
another machine placed alongside, a dividing partition 62 being formed to prevent
contact of the cores with each other. This construction materially reduces the
number of uprights required, besides economizing space. I do not desire to limit
myself to any particular form or arrangement of the perforations in the strip,
though I preferably locate one near each extremity of the line which divides the
tickets, as shown in the Drawings.
It might happen that after depressing the lever to obtain a ticket the agent would
discover that the strip had run out and the supply of tickets had become
exhausted, but in such case the record already made by the registering mechanism
would be accounted against him when it came to a settlement with the company,
the same as if a ticket had been regularly detached and paid for. To obviate this
hardship to the agent, the inner end of the strip within the coil is left blank for a
considerable distance, or printed with characters different from those employed on
the tickets themselves, so that when a section is cut from this portion of the strip
the agent can preserve the same and turn it in as a voucher to offset the charge made
by the register. The use of this device is not limited to the registering of railroad
and other tickets, for it is apparent that it may be used as a bar room register, or
revenue stamps may be substituted in place of the tickets and the knives operated
upon them as before indicated. Where stamps are used, it may be necessary to
vary the form of the feeding devices and detent, as, for example, by constructing
the former so that it shall clamp the strip instead of engaging with perforations in
it, and adapting the detent to hold said strip of stamps by frictional contact alone.
A gong or bell may be connected to the registering mechanism so that at every
registry it will be sounded to keep every one within hearing distance informed of
the proper operation of the machine.
The whole mechanism is intended to be encased, and to be opened only by the
proper authorities for the purpose of adjusting a fresh roll of tickets or to make
necessary repairs to the parts, the handle or lever alone being left free to be
operated from without.
As an equivalent of the arrangement herein described, an imperforate strip may
be employed, and the mechanism for feeding may be arranged to perforate said
strip as it feeds it along. This will save the expense of specially preparing the
strips beforehand.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
The apparatus hereinbefore described and shown in the annexed Drawings for

page_text: presenting, cutting and delivering tickets from web paper for railway, tram, and
other like purposes, the several detail appliances being arranged in the manner
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Von Hoven, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
LOUIS VON HOVEN. (L.S.)