IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS ENTERING OMNIBUSES AND OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Theodore Grace at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
November 1871.
I, THEODORE GRACE, of Bristol, in the County of Gloucester, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS ENTERING OMNIBUSES AND OTHER
VEHICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the arrangement of apparatus by means of
which the number of passengers entering or mounting to the top of an
omnibus or other vehicle is registered in a simple and effectual manner.
When it is desired to use this apparatus for the purpose of registering
the passengers entering the inside of the vehicle the ordinary step or
foot plate in front of the doorway is removed, and one or more steps as
herein-after described placed in lieu thereof. The top step or foot plate
is so arranged that it is depressed by the weight of the passenger, and
the bottom step is hinged in such a way as to be capable of being raised
or lowered at pleasure, and is connected by a cord, chain, train of wheels,
or other suitable mcans to the circular plate or pulley berein-after

page_text: mentioned, or in lieu of or in conjunction with this step or steps a
barrier may be placed above the top step or foot plate, which barrier
will be connected by means of a cord, chain, train of wheels, or other
suitable means, to the circular plate or pulley, and acted upon in the
same way as the step. Immediately under the top step or or foot plate or
other convenient place a circular plate or pulley of metal or other
suitable material is placed, and which plate or pulley is provided with
a clutch and works on a spindle which may be bracketed to the bottom
of the vehicle or fixed thereto in any other convenient manner; above
this clutch is another clutch which is brought into gear with the lower
one by the weight of the person on the footboard as before described.
In the doorway of the vehicle a barrier is placed, which barrier is
connected by means of a cord, chain, or train of wheels or other suitable
means to the before-mentioned circular plate or pulley in such a manner
that when the bottom step or barrier is lowered the upper barrier cannot
be raised. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Upon a person
desiring to enter the vehicle the bottom step or barrier is lowered, thus
by means of the cord, chain, or train of wheels attached thereto turning
the circular plate or pulley until the clutch fixed thereto comes
immediately beneath the upper clutch and in position to gear therein.
The person then steps on to the upper step or foot plate, and his weight
The
presses down the top clutch, causing it to gear into the lower one.
upper barrier is then raised, and by means of the cord, chain, or train of
wheels causes the circular plate or pulley to rotate, carrying with it the
upper clutch, a projection thereon being caused to act upon a lever or
other contrivance attached to or connected with a tell-tale or registering
apparatus, as will be well understood by persons conversant with
mechanical arrangements. When the person steps into the omnibus
and the weight is removed from the foot plate the upper clutch is lifted
out of gear by the action of a circular or other spring, or may be lifted
up by the conductor, or may be held in gear with the lower clutch until
the circular plate or pulley returns to its normal condition, when it will
be thrown out of gear as before described, and thus when there is no
weight on the foot board the barriers may be moved and the circular
plate or pulley rotate alone, and without acting upon the tell-tale or
boring annarature

page_text: of passengers mounting to the top of the vehicle by using a ladder
descending from the top to the foot board, before which a barrier will be
placed which will be connected with the circular plate or pulley and
acted upon as herein-before described, or the upper and lower steps as
used at present may be connected together in such a way that when one
step projects the other will be covered and work upon a spindle between
the two steps.
When it is desired to mount to the top of the vehicle the bottom step
is drawn out at the same time, and by the same action withdrawing
the top step. The person mounts, and when he reaches the middle steps
bis weight presses against a clutch which slides upon the spindle,
upon which the upper and lower steps move and gears into another
clutch upon the same spindle, which latter clutch moves a tell-tale or
registering apparatus, and records the number of persons ascending or
descending. The action of this arrangement will be that the upper and
lower steps may be moved in and out without registering unless there is
a weight on the intermediate steps.