Improvements in Station Indicators.
Year: 1894

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Station Indicators.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc, M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A.,
F.I. Inst., practising as Phillips and Leigh, at 22 Southampton. Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
My invention relates to improvements in station indicators and is adapted for use
in railway trains, and other public conveyances which stop. only at certain. points,
known as stations in railway parlance, along their route.:
In carrying the invention into effect, I. provide a series of! tablets each carrying
the name of the respective station. All the tablets are pivotted upon a horizontal
axis by their lower edges. They therefore present the station names to the front
only when they stand up above the axis, and then only the name on the front tablet
is' visible: Above each name there is a notice conveying the idea that the next
station is the one named below. The back of a tablet may be used as an
advertising space which is presented when the tablet is swung down on the
horizontal pivot. This latter may be provided by a pair of staples, the upper legs
of which pass through holes in the bottom edges of the tablets, and which holes
serve to suspend the said tablets, after their reversal, from the lower legs of the
staples.
The tablets are dropped singly by the following device. A star wheel is pivotted
to revolve in the vertical plane in front of the tablets. The top edges of the
tablets are notched alternately right and left of a vertical diameter of the star
wheel. The notches are large enough to pass a tooth. When a tooth is coincident
with a notch, the front tablet drops forward and reverses itself the forward
impulse being given by a spring constantly bearing upon the rear tablet. The next
tablet presents its material to the tooth and its notch to one side of the latter.so
that the wheel must be turned the distance of a tooth before the said tablet can
drop and reverse.
The star wheel' is moved step by step through any suitable agenoy. I propose
the following as a suitable ouc. A series of teeth or studs are combined with the
star wheel and two adjacent teeth or studs are embraced by the notched or forked
outer end of a lever. A pull on the opposite end of this lever rotates the star
wheel for the distance of one tooth, during which time, another of the teeth
or studs engages a trigger and sounds a gong. Suitable returning springs are
provided for both lever and trigger.
Any other equivalent combination of step by step trigger and gong mechanism
may be employed, as well as electrical connections for actuating a series of
indicators, eg, in the several compartments of a train, synchronously.
Dated this 6th day of October 1894.
1

page_text: I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH of 22 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane,
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a com-
munication to me from John Francis O'Brien of Montreal Canada) and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to station indicators for
railways, steamboats and the like, and my invention consists in the improved
construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter described..
In the annexed sheet of drawings, wherein like letters indicate corresponding
parts in both figures :—
Figure 1, represents a front elovation of my invention, and
Figure 2, représents a sectional side elevation thereof.
In carrying out my invention I provide a oase A of suitable construction, said
case being provided at about the centre with two or more staples B which are
removably attached to said case. Upon said staples I hang a series of suitable
discs C bearing the names of the stations at which the train or boat stops. At a
suitable position above the case A, 1 provide a star-wheel D supported on a pin.or
stud d upon which stud said star-wheel is capable of being revolved. The number
of points or projections of said star-wheel may be any which may be convenient
and one side of said star-wheel is provided with a series of pins E there being two
such pins for each point or projection. For the purpose of revolving said star-
wheel I provide a lever F pivoted at 1 which is normally held in the position
shown in Figure 1 by means of a spring or equivalent which is connected at one
end to the inner or shorter end of said lever and at the other end to the case A.or
to some other fixed 'part. The outer end of the lever F is provided with a cord
or equivalent G which is carried to any convenient part of the train or boat, the
arrangement being such that when said cord is pulled the lover F is operated or
moved against the action of the spring. The shorter end of the lever F is, pro-
vided with a pawl II which is formed at about its lower end with a catch which
engages with the pins E so that when the lever is operated as described, the
star-wheel D will be revolved from the position shown in full lines to that shown
in dot and dash lines Figure 1.
The discs Care normally held in the upper portion of the case A and are
normally pressed outwards by springs c aud said discs have portions cut, from
their edges; each alternate disc having the portion c' and the others the portion c
cut out so that each disc covers or nearly covers the cut out portion of the next.
adjacent disc. The said discs C are held or retained in the upper portion of the
case A, and against the action of the springs c, by means of the points or pro-
jections of the star-wheel D, until the lever F is operated, when the star-wheel
will be revolved as above described and the projection, which is in engagement
with the discs C moved out of engagement with the uppermost disc, thus,
permitting said uppermost disc C to fall outwards as shown in Figure 2 and
exposing the next disc, bearing the name of the next stopping place.. The disc
which has been released swings down on the staples B into the lower part of
the case A from which all the discs when released may be swung back, the star-
wheel and other mechanism being for this purpose preferably fixed to a suitable
frame which is hingedly attached to the case A. For the purpose of preventing
the star-wheel D being accidentally moved or revolved, I provide a stop pawl K
which prevents the return motion of the star-wheel on the return motion of the
pawl H, and in order to prevent the accidental forward motion of the star-wheel D
the pawl H is formed with a projection or the like which engages with the

page_text: pins E as shown, and for the purpose of normally holding both pawls H and K in
proper engagement with the pios E, I connect said pawls with a spring L. The
action of my improved station indicator is as follows:-The discs Care put in
the upper portion of the case A, the uppermost disc displaying the name of th
first stopping place, when said place has been reached and passed, the guard or
other responsible official pulls the cord G, thus moving the disc D whereby the
first or uppermost disc is released and the second disc left exposed, said second!
disc bearing the name of the next stopping place. If there should be one or more.
discs bearing names of places at which the train or boat does not stop, it is only
necessary for the guard or other responsible official to pull the cord a sufficient
number of times until the disc bearing the proper name of the next stopping place.
is exposed.
The reverse and if desired portions of the front side of each of the discs C may
be used for advertising purposes, and I wish it to be understood that I do not
coufine. myself to the exact mechanism as herein described and further my
improved indicator may be provided with a bell M which is sounded at each
operation of the mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said.
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what.
I claim is :-
1. The combination in a station indicator, of a star-wheel D having pins Ea
lever Fhaving a pawl H, a pawl K, springs fand L, discs C having, alternately,
slots or equivalents c, staples B and a case A, all for the purposes and
substantially as set forth.
2. In a station indicator having a case A, disos C having slots or equivalents c', c²
and supported on staples B, a star-wheel D provided with pins E, pawls H and K,.
a lever F and springs and L, all for the purposes and substantially as set forth.
Dated this 6th day of August 1895.
HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH,
By his Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
Somerset Chambers, 151 Strand, London.