Year: 1888

page_text: 1, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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:-
The present invention relates to an electric turnstile and has for its object to obviate
the employment of a booking clerk or attendant in concert-halls, museums, theatres
and the like by permitting the visitor to pass after the introduction of a coin of a
certain value in the apparatus, which is moreover provided with a recording device.
The construction of the apparatus is very simple, and consists essentially of a four-
way gate, a device for locking the same and a mechanism for the reception of the
money which automatically closes an electric current for the purpose of unlocking
the gate.
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The gate consists of the spindle a with the four wings b and the ratchet wheel c fixed
to the top of the spindle a.
This ratchet wheel chas four teeth and is provided on its
face with four studs d. The locking device consists of a three armed lever pivotted
in e the arm of which is movable and engages with the teeth of the ratchet
wheel, while the rigid arm is influenced by the studs d of the ratchet wheel c.
The third arm 2 of the lever is the longest one and is at its end provided with a
projection or a tooth formed with a pallet face. A spiral spring is fixed to about
the middle of the arm and this spring has the tendency to hold the tooth against
a similar tooth formed at, the outer end of the arini of the armature
electromagnet m.
.
of the
The armature g is pivotted in -and provided with an arm i which is formed with a
tooth at its end which engages with the tooth at the end of the three armed
locking lever to hold the latter in such a position that the movable arm flocks the

page_text: ratchet wheel of the gate. At the other end the armature g is provided with another
arm which acts as a pawl for the ratchet wheel 7 of the recording mechanism.
mm is the electromagnet which is suitably connected with a battery or other
suitable source of electricity and with the contact plate n of the money slide.
which
The mechanism for the reception of the money consists of a slide B ending in a
suitable receptacle. In this slide are formed two openings the higher and smaller
one p of which permits the smaller coins to fall through onto a second slide
guides them out of the receptacle. The lower opening r is closed by a- -hinged flap s
provided with an arm s¹ which is screw threaded and is provided with an adjustable
nut which serves as counterweight and contact maker.
At the periphery of the opening the slide B is provided with a stop to prevent
the coin from sliding over the opening and its flap. Under this stop r¹ on the lower
side of the slide B is another similar stop 2 to prevent the coin from sliding off the
flaps too soon or to prevent the following coin or coins from slipping over the first.
The slide B is further provided with adjustable sides t which enable the width of the
opening to be adjusted to the size of any desired coin.
Underneath the slide B are arranged the contact plates n n' the former n of which
is electrically connected with the electro-magnet m which is connected with the
battery, while the contact plate n¹ is directly connected with the battery. A small
space is left between these contact plates n n¹ which is filled by the counterweight s²
when the flaps is pressed down by the weight of a coin and thus makes contact and
closes the electrical circuit.
The recording mechanism.is of the usual type and consists of a spur wheel gearing
operated by the ratchet wheel which is moved for the space of one tooth by the
arm k of the armature with each quarter turn of the turnstile.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
When the contact plates n n' are electrically connected with the electro-magnet and
the battery respectively, the apparatus will be in the position represented in figures 1
and 2 in section and plan respectively. The gate is locked by the arm engaging
with the ratchet wheel c on the top of the spindle a, the long arm f being held by the
tooth of the arm i so that the lever cannot move and the gate cannot be turned. When
the desired coin is introduced through the opening u it will pass down the slide B onto
the flaps and lower this to drop into the receptacle. When the flaps is lowered the
counterweights will be lifted and will bear against the two contact plates n n¹
thus closing the circuit. The electro-magnet m will now attract its armature g and so
release the lever by disengaging the two teeth and f³; the spiral spring v
will now draw the arm f' down and simultaneously disengage the arm from the
ratchet wheel c as represented in figure 3. The armature is drawn back by the spiral
spring directly the circuit is broken by the counterweight s² dropping and raising
the flaps after the passage of the coin.
The gate is now unlocked and the person may pass. During the passage of the
person, the gate and with it the ratchet wheel c will make a quarter turn and one of
the studs d on the face of the said ratchet wheel will push the arm f¹ on one side in
such a manner,
that the tooth on the arm f engages again with the tooth ¹ of the
armature and the arm is thereby retained. This movement will engage the arm f
again with the ratchet wheel c and the gate will be relocked until the passage of the
next time when the same operation will recommence.
The arm is made movable in one direction so that the gate may also be used as
exit without influencing the apparatus.
The apparatus may also be used as a recording device in manufactories, in which
case the coin may be replaced by a metal ticket.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
An electric turnstile permitting the passage of a person by the weight of an
introduced predetermined coin or the like causing an electric circuit to be closed

page_text: thereby unlocking the gate, which after the passage of the person, is automatically
relocked, said electric turnstile comprising
a) The device for the reception of the coin or the like, consisting of a slide such
as B on an inclined plane and having adjustable sides t and two openings p and the
lower one of which is closed by a flaps provided with a counterweight the said
flap being lowered by the weight of the coin or the like whereby the counterweight
closes an electric circuit thus unlocking the gate.
b) The locking device consisting of the ratchet wheel c fixed to the spindle of the
gate and having four teeth and provided on its face with four studs d the three armed
lever the arm of which is movable in one direction, the armature g provided
with the arm and the pawl arm k and the electro-magnet m in connection with an
electric circuit, the said electro-magnet attracting the armature when the circuit is
closed thus releasing the three armed lever which will then unlock the gate, which will
be relocked automatically by one of the studs d pushing the lever arm on one side
and thus re-engage the lever arm and the arm i of the armature when the circuit is
broken, the whole constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
13 T
1090