Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating or Recording Distance, Time, and Fare for Cabs, Motor Cars, or other Vehicles, also applicable as an Advertising Medium.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1897-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating or Recording Distance,
Time, and Fare for Cabs, Motor Cars, or other Vehicles, also
applicable as an Advertising Medium.
We, JAMES RIDGE, of Selborne, Hassocks, Gentleman, THOMAS MUTTON, of 84,
King's Road, Brighton, Merchant, and HORACE EDWIN HUPTON, of No. 1, Farm
Road, Hove, Brighton, Electrician, all in the County of Sussex, 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:-
Our invention relates to apparatus to be applied to cabs, motor cars, delivery vans,
and other vehicles, for indicating or recording the distance travelled, the time
occupied, and the amount of fare to be paid, also recording to the owner of the
vehicle, the amount of the fares taken during the day, the distance and duration of
time of each journey, & the number of miles traversed during the day, thus indicating
to the passenger the exact amount of the fare chargeable, and preventing fraud and
over charge on the part of the driver, and giving to the owner of the vehicle a reliable
knowledge of the amount and nature of the business transacted during the day.
The apparatus is comprised of two machines, one acted upon by the wheel of the
vehicle and transmitting pneumatic pressure to the other, which is placed in, a
convenient situation within or upon the vehicle, and being the indicator.
This indicator is operated by means of a cam fixed upon one of the wheels of the
vehicle, which in revolving with the wheel presses against the piston of a pneumatic
pump and forces a small quantity of air into an elastic air chamber contained in the
interior of the indicator, the communication being made by means of a tube,
preferably an india rubber tube encased in metal, passing underneath the body of
the vehicle, or otherwise more or less hidden from sight.
The indicator is composed of an ordinary clock movement as an indicator of time,
and when acting as an indicator of distance it is brought into communication with a
suitable arrangement of pinions wheels and such like mechanism, hereinafter
described.
The mechanism contained in a case having* an opening in the front. exposing a
dial divided as a clock face with hands, answering to the hour and minute hands of
an ordinary clock, and two other openings, or wickets, one to expose the fares
chargeable for distance travelled, & the other the fares chargeable for time. And
other openings or wickets may be formed as desired when further utilizing the
mechanism to expose advertisements or the like.
When the vehicle is engaged by any person the driver has to open one of the
two wickets indicating either time or distance according to the wish of the hirer, &
this is done by the action of a lever under the control of the driver alone.
This being done a bell rings and at the same time in one or other of the wickets
is exhibited to the passenger the amount due for the first mile or first half hour.
Shortly before the arrival at every succeeding half mile or half hour the bell again

page_text: rings giving warning of the advance in the fare due for a further distance or time,
the mechanism causing to be exposed to view a change in the amount.
If the hirer engaging the vehicle by distance should desire to break his journey,
say for half an hour more or less; the apparatus is so constructed that five minutes is
allowed him without further charge, but at the expiration of that time an automatic
arrangement is brought into action and the price of the hire continues to increase
as though he were travelling at the rate of four or five miles an hour.
After the hiring has ceased, the driver operates his lever to close the wickets and
shews the vehicle is disengaged, this action at the same time places the hands of the
indicator at zero and the vehicle is ready for a fresh engagement.
When the vehicle is engaged by distance the clock face of the indicator is used as
a measure of miles up to 12 (which number of course may be repeated) the short
hand indicating miles and the long hand fractions of miles.
When the vehicle is engaged by time the face represents an ordinary clock and
the hands indicate respectively hours and minutes.
The amounts of the fares for the hire either by distance or time are printed upon
tapes each carried upon a pair of reels or rollers, the mechanism when brought into
action causing the tapes to travel at the required point of time from one roller to the
other and expose the change of fare at the wickets as above described.
The mechanism also sets into action two other pairs of rollers carrying tapes both
printed with fares; these records are intended for the owner of the vehicle alone and
are not exposed to view of the driver or hirer nor are they under the control of the
driver or effected by the action of the lever but are under lock & key and continue
the full record until referred to by the owner and reset to starting point by him.
A flag or indicator that the vehicle is disengaged may be placed in public view
upon the vehicle in a position to be caused to fall by the operation of the lever, by
this means if any one is travelling in the vehicle with the flag up, the fact that. the
fare indicating apparatus has not been put in work can at once be detected.
A further use to which this our invention may be put is to have attached to or
forming part of the case, an extended portion containing another set of rollers and
mechanism to actuate same, which rollers carry tapes bearing advertisements which
will at any desired set periods be brought in front of a wicket or opening for the
purpose of exposing them.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a front view of the case of the apparatus with the dial indicating a hire
by time & the amount of fare due.
Fig. 2 is a view of the mechanism in same position as for Fig. I shewn with the
front of case removed.
Fig. 3 is a back view of the mechanism.
Fig. 4 is a view of the automatic apparatus for regulating the fare while the
vehicle is stationery when on hire.
Fig. 5 is drawn double the scale of Fig. 2 and represents same, out of its case with
the plate W the cam F and the hour wheel 8 removed.
We will now describe the working of the indicator.
A Fig. 1 is an ordinary clock dial, B wicket indicating the amount of fare when
hiring by time. C, the wicket indicating the amount of fare when hiring by
distance.
D is the lever under the control of the driver.
This lever D is upright at D1 when the vehicle is disengaged and the raising of
it into that position sets the index to zero by lifting the arm J (pivotted to the
same centre as the lever D) into the position shewn in dotted lines at J1 Fig. 2
thus raising the lever (a) with its duplex arms E¹, carrying the duplex rollers E into
the position shewn in dotted lines at x¹ and E2 so as to bring the duplex rollers E
into contact with the heart-shaped cam F Fig. 2 and snail F¹ Fig. 5. which cams
carry the hands of the dial or index A, at the same time the raising of the lever (x)
draws up the chain I which is attached to it and passes over rollers at Go and also
round the pulley G² so that the raising of the chain revolves the pulley G2 which is

page_text: fixed on the spindle G on which spindle is fixed the cog wheel G³ which works into
the pinion G5 on the shaft which carrys the upper rollers H H¹, and by thus revolving
the upper rollers the lower rollers are also revolved by means of the tapes upon them,
and a spring in the case G is thereby wound up. The rollers are held in check by a
ratchet on the roller H. and paul or click attached to the cog-wheel H2 which gears into
the escape pinion G7 on the shaft Q which carries the escape wheel (A3) having near its
circumference a pin projecting on both sides (a, a¹) which rests on the pallets (y)
attached to the lever S and the escape wheel is thus held until the moving of the
pallet (y) by the raising of the lever S allows the pin to pass.
Lowering the lever to the position shewn at D on the drawings turns the arm J to the
position shewn in Figs. 2 and 5 and releases the lever (a) which drops and slackens
the chain I and sets the spring G free for action and the falling of the lever x releases
the cam F and leaves the clockwork free.
Placing the lever D into the upright position D¹ draws the slide K (Fig. 3) into a
central position by means of a chain or wire L on a drum M.
To this slide is attached an arm K2 which passes to the front and carries the slide
or shutter for opening and closing the wickets B and C, and when the slide K is in
the central position caused by placing the lever D upright as above stated, the
wickets are closed, at the same time; bringing the lever D to this upright position
throws the idle wheel N out of gear as shewn in Fig. 4. This idle wheel N being for
the purpose of gearing into the wheels P or T for bringing into action the fare
indicator for time, or for distance, as desired.
When the lever D) is brought into the position as shewn in full line in Figs. 2
and 5 it moves the slide K (Fig. 3) to the one side, and thus opens the time wicket B
(Fig. 1) this.movement of the slide K acts upon the central lever R (Fig. 2) the lower
end of which R lies in the groove K¹ (Figs. 2 and 3). The lever R being pivotted
at R2 is thus tilted as shewn in Figs. 2 & 5 by reason of the slide K coming in
contact with the lower end of the lever R at Ri and this tilting action throws the
idle wheel N, which is pivotted at the top of the lever R into gear with, the minute
wheel P of the clock (as shewn in Fig. 2) to indicate time, N being always. in
gear with the spindle of the minute band.
When the clock-work has thus been brought into action and has performed the
first half hour, the lever S is raised by one of two pins (9) Fig. 5, born upon the
inner cam or snail F¹. This raising of the lever S releases the escapement by allowing
one of the two pins (a, a¹) on the escapement. wheel a³ to pass and thus: freeing the
escapement wheel for one revolution allows the rollers to turn sufficiently for the tape
to indicate an increase of fare, and this is repeated every half-hour.
The warning bell U (Fig. 3) is acted upon each time the escapement is released by
the turning of the escape wheel (a³) (Figs. 2) causing the pins a a¹ to act on the
pallets. (b) and thereby causing the hammer 62 to vibrate on the bell U, as in an
ordinary alarm clock..
To bring the owners recording tapes 0 0¹ into gear we employ the bar (c) Figs. 2
and 5 which is brought into action by contact with the lever R by means of the studs
or pins d, d.
The end of the bar (c) draws by means of a spring 10 the clutch (w) into contact
with the teeth 11, on the upper rollers the clutch being squared to slide on the
same spindle H³, as the lower rollers H, the rollers O will then revolve with the
rollers H, Fig. 5 shews the clutch in gear on the left hand and out of gear on
the right hand.
When the lever R is thrown to the opposite side for distance fare indication similar
action takes place causing the opposite rollers 0' to revolve with the rollers H¹.
The owner's record is simply reset by winding from one roller to the other
roller Oand from 01 to 01. For setting the apparatus to record the fare by distance
the lever D is brought over to the reverse side Z bringing the idle wheel N into gear
with the mile wheel T thus throwing the action on the other side see Fig. 11.
When about; to start upon a journey, it is necessary to shewn in advance the fare
due for the first hour of time or first. mile of distance; this is done as follows;

page_text: lowering the lever D (as at Figs. 2 and 5) causes the slide K Fig. 3 to travel
from its central position in the direction shewn in dotted line at K³; when
travelling the pin e upon it comes in contact with the lever Y in passing, the
lever Y being thus raised lifts the lever V1 by means of the stud et on the arm V³,
this causes the arm V2 of the lever V to come into contact with the pin e² on the
lever S Figs. 2, 3 and 5 and momentarily raising it releases the ratchet wheel a³
see Figs. 2 and 3, and sets the rollers H in motion as before described and thus
exposes the fare in advance for the first hour of a hire by time. The slide K
having passed to the full distance for opening the time wicket as shewn in dotted
lines at K³ the lever Y (then clear of the pin e) will fall as shewn in dotted
lines, causing the lever V also to fall away from its momentary contact with the
stud e² on the lever S.
'
Bringing the lever D over to the opposite side of the machine so as to move the
slide K in the opposite direction for exposing the distance wicket brings the stud or
pin e in contact (in passing) with the arm V³ and momentarily raising it brings about
the same result as above described for the time fare indication.
Fig. 6, shews a front view of a case for containing and exhibiting tapes carrying
various advertisements and shews in dotted lines the position of the mechanism
therein contained and Fig. 6A is a sectional end view of the mechanism. These two
Figures 6, and 6* are drawn to the same scale as Fig. 5. This case Fig. 6 is attached
by the screws (15) or other suitable means to the under side of the main case Fig. 1.
The mechanism is brought into action by means of the wire (f) Figs. 5, 6 and 64
which is looped at (16) Fig. 5 to the lever S at one end of the wire and to the
detent (17) Figs. 6. and 64 at the lower end. This detent (17) holds in check an
escape wheel (a4) Fig. 64 by means of a pin projecting on both sides of the rim of
the wheel (at) which rests alternately on the stops of the detent (17). This wheel a
engages with a pallet (18) Fig. 64 attached to the shaft of the bell hammer (62) which
when acted upon by the release of the detent (17) allows the escape wheel (a) to
make one revolution and notifies the fact by striking the bell. The lower roller H*
contains a spring in a box G at one end which is wound up by means of a key (19)
fitted onto the same square (20) of the axis of the upper roller H* which at the same
time winds the tape containing the advertisements from the bottom roller H³ to the
top roller H4, this spring in the box G Figs. 6 and 64 acts in a similar manner to
the one in the box G Fig. 5 in connection with the other rollers H. The mechanism
is actuated by the raising at every half hour or half mile of the lever S (as previously
described) which lever S rising lifts with it the wire (f) and so releases the detent 17,
and sets the train in motion.
Fig. 7 is an end view of the pneumatic pump fixed to the axle tree of the carriage
wheel and Fig. 8 is a sectional view of same and elevation of cam.
The cam (h) consists of a ring cut diagonally with the inclined face (i) which in its
revolution presses against the piston (j) of the pneumatic pump.
() is the leather cup of the piston having behind it the spiral spring (k) to keep it up
to its position against the face (i) (i) of the cam (h); (2) is an elongation of the piston
rod adjusted to come in contact with and open the valve (1) each time that the pressure
of the cam (h) drives in the piston rod (j) to the position shewn in Fig. 8.
This pneumatic pump Fig. 8 is connected by the tube (m) with an air chamber (n)
Figs. 3, 4, & 9 the expansion of this air chamber (n) raises a lever (o) as shewn in
Figs. 4 and 9; this lever (o) carries a click (p) which picks up one tooth of the
wheel (9) at every pulsation of the inflatable chamber (n) the check spring (")
checking the return of the wheel (q).
We will now describe the arrangement for allowing of the stoppage of the vehicle
for five minutes during a journey in which it has been hired by distance, and for
setting the mechanism into gear for recording the additional fare due for hire whilst
waiting beyond the five minutes of free time. The idle wheel N will be in gear with
the distance or mile wheel T as shewn in the detail drawing Fig. 11 and reference
should also be had to Fig. 4 which shews both time and distance indication out of
gear and to Fig. 5 which shews the mechanism in gear for time fare. (s) is an air

page_text: tube connecting the air chamber (n) with a second air chamber (n¹), and (m) is the
tube for conducting the air from the air pump to the air chambers (n) and (n¹) and
may be connected to the tube (8) or to one end as-shewn in Fig. 3 or to the other as
in Fig. 4. The chamber (¹) has an interior valve (n³) to prevent the air returning
when it has become inflated at the first pulsation, and it remains inflated until the
vehicle stops when by the time five minutes has elapsed the air will all have escaped
from this chamber (n¹) by means of the escape tube (n²) allowing of the escape of air
whilst no renewal of air is being supplied. The collapse of the air chamber (n¹)
causes the lever (t) to fall as shewn in Fig. 11 from its position shewn in Figs. 4
and 5 and by means of the arm (1) bring an idle wheel N¹ into gear with the
wheel-P2 which is upon the same pivot as the wheel P¹ (at R2) which carries the hands
and doing this brings into gear the clock movement, the wheel P¹ making four
revolutions per hour an increase of fare at the rate for four miles per hour is recorded
and until the restarting of the vehicle causes the first pulsation in the air chamber (n¹)
to bring the lever (t) to the same position as shewn in Figs. 4 and 5, and the lever R
never having been removed from the position shewn in Fig. 11 the recording of fare
by distance is renewed through the medium of the wheel (T).
When the vehicle is disengaged & the lever D upright a stud on the idle wheel N
presses on the end (2) of the lever (t) & throws the clock out of gear.
Figs. 9 & 10 illustrate the means of adjusting the mechanism to the various
diameters of the wheels of vehicles, which consists in the use of two conical reversed
rolls or cones (1 & 2) connected together by a band 3 the position of which is altered
by a slide & screw (4 & 5) to increase or diminish the speed, the cones are fixed on
spindles supported 011 the bracket (6). Cone (2) is connected with the
ratchet wheel (q) & cone (1) has a pinion (7) which is geared into the mile
wheel T.
It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the details of
construction of the described apparatus without departing from the spirit of the
invention, and that when it is desired to construct the apparatus for recording the
fares by time only, distance only, proprietors record only, or in fact omitting any one
of the combined records, it may be found necessary to slightly vary or modify the
construction of the apparatus.
We do not claim the broad principle of applying pneumatic pressure to actuate
the mechanism, pneumatic means being employed in Patent No. 3108, 1891 for
"Improvements in apparatus for indicating or recording distance, time, & fare for
cabs or other vehicles." And we may find it convenient to use electricity or some
other power to cause the rotation of the wheel of the vehicle to actuate the
mechanism of the recording apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. The cam (h) secured to one of the wheels of a vehicle acting upon the piston
of a pneumatic pump for the purposes herein set forth.
2. The pneumatic pump described and shewn in Figs. 7 & 8 for the purposes herein
set forth.
3. In apparatus such as described the combination in the same device of mechanism
for indicating the time the vehicle is occupied, the distance travelled during such
occupancy, the fare to be paid, & the total amount received during the
day, & the mechanism for returning all but the last of these to their zero
position.
4. The arrangement of mechanism herein described by which the amount of fare
to be paid is automatically increased according to the length of time the hirer of the
vehicle is keeping the vehicle waiting for him.
5. With apparatus such as described the use of the regulator described & illus-
trated in Figs. 9 and 10, by which the indicator is adjusted in accordance with the
varying circumferences of the wheels of different vehicles.

page_text: 6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete time,
fare, & distance indicating apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
7. In apparatus such as described the arrangement of mechanism by which adver-
tisements may be exhibited.
Dated this 2nd day of I.1 1005
HENRY F. TALBOT,
7, Cherry Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicant.