Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Sorting, Holding, and Distributing Railway and other Tickets, and Checking their Returns.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 18th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 1st June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Sorting, Holding,
and Distributing Railway and other Tickets, and Checking their
Returns.
"
I JAMES HARPER, Accountant 30 Argyle Street Inverness and "Preventer
Highland Railway (Audit Department) Inverness do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SORTING
HOLDING AND DISTRIBUTING RAILWAY AND OTHER TICKETS AND CHECKING THEIR
RETURNS to be as follows:-
A way for placing and keeping tickets to enable them to be referred to without
getting displaced when being removed and handled about although only held in single
tickets or in any greater number always retaining the same order whether there is
one or up to the number of 25 in each Cavity or Cell for which number it is only
intended. This is secured by having a frame and a bottom of wood forming a Case
Box or Tray in which are fixed strips or bars running lengthways and crossways.
The longitudinal strips of wood (preferred) and the transverse strips of thin Iron
such as Tin-plate Iron or of thin brass or other metal or any other suitable material.
The inside of the case box or Tray is formed into cavities or cells of a size that
will admit of 25 tickets being placed lengthways on their edges in each. The number
of these cavities being in proportion to the area or size of the Tray. The same Tray
without the transverse divisions forming longitudinal cavities only or partly of both
forms of cavities. A case Casket or Chest of wood with openings in front such as
in a Chest of Drawers for the Trays to slide into ; or to be placed into, such as in
a Chest, or as both by having the latter on the top to hold one Tray or more than
one or for other purposes such as for paper tickets, passes, or other kinds of tickets.
The purpose of this invention is to secure perfect accuracy in Auditing and Checking
the Returns sent in to the Audit Departments of Railway Co. by the different stations
on their systems and to simplify and facilitate the work of the auditing staff in
a way that has not hitherto been practicable or been accomplished or provided for.
This is done by my method or system-viz. To be able to compare the returns by

page_text: the Tickets actually collected and forwarded daily or at any other time to the Audit
Department by the key Tickets of the series issued also to enable and facilitate
tickets collected on one line that have been issued by another line to be arranged
and sorted and sent to the clearing house and also to other lines interested therein
as the case may be, also to enable ticket collectors to sort and arrange the tickets
they collect from Passengers in a correct and suitable way before sending them in
to the Traffic Auditor; and also as a Ticket holder from which Tickets can be issued
if necessary as easily and correctly as from the ordinary Ticket Case now in use
solely for that purpose. And for any purpose besides for which it may be adapted
partly or wholly.
The mode of applying the invention to the purposes specified is as follows-The
tickets collected at each Station from Passengers are sent in daily to the Traffic
Auditor arranged in Station Class and Number order along with a Return of the
Tickets issued by that station for the day.-The ticket clerk opens the Returns when
all have been received and arranges them in Station order and places the packages
of tickets on the table or in any convenient position for the future handling of
them; then either immediately or preferably by allowing some two or three days
to elapse he proceeds to examine the tickets, and places the Sorter or Holder before
him, into the proper cavities of which he places the highest Number or Key ticket
of each class and notes on that ticket either the number of each class collected or
the intervening Numbers of the tickets that are wanting in the regular progression
of the Numbers and when finished he re-places the Sorter until wanted again when
another day's Key tickets are added-and so on until the sorter is full which will then
contain the Key tickets only for so many days, the other tickets having daily been cut
up and destroyed.
At the end of any day or at the end of the month such stations daily Key tickets
are in this way available for checking the daily or Monthly Returns and by laying
out these tickets to each station from the Station issuing them, and looking over
and selecting the highest Number of each class which if correct should agree with
the closing Numbers in the Returns and if not correct will or may be enquired into
and made correct.
These Key tickets after being finished with, may either be retained in Holders with
whole length cavities for a certain time or then destroyed as may be thought
desirable.
For ticket Collectors the tickets are placed in the proper cavities after each
collection, and at the end of the day made up to be sent in to the Traffic Auditor.
To issue tickets they must of course be placed in station order in the Holder or
Distributor from which they then can be issued in regular progressive order.
D 17th T... 1000

page_text: Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Sorting, Holding,
and Distributing Railway and other Tickets, and Checking their
Returns.
I JAMES HARPER of 30 Argyle Street Inverness in the County of Inverness
Accountant and late of Audit Office of Highland Railway 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 :-
This invention for Improvements in the method of and apparatus for sorting,
holding, and distributing railway and other tickets, and checking their returns, and
for the use of ticket collectors and distributors, and for subsidiary and similar
purposes has for its principal object to secure perfect accuracy in auditing and
checking the returns of tickets sent to the audit departments of Railway Companies
from the different stations and ticket collectors on their systems and to simplify and
facilitate the work of the auditing staff: and consists essentially in placing in a
special sorting tray or drawer the highest numbered or key tickets of each class in
separate compartments or cells set apart for each station. The tickets collected at
each station are sent daily or at longer intervals, arranged in station-class and number-
order along with a return of the tickets issued on the day from that station, to the
traffic auditor. The tickets are then taken up in station order; and immediately, or
preferably after two or three days have elapsed, are examined and the highest
numbered or key tickets of the different classes of tickets issued from each station
are placed into a separate compartment or cell, or consecutive set of compartments
or cells as they become full, of the special sorting tray or drawer hereinafter
described. The compartments are taken up in station order in the tray, three, four
or five compartments being ordinarily set apart for each station or according to the
importance of the station. The key tickets before being inserted in the compartments
are marked with figures indicating how many of the same class of tickets are collected
or with the progressive numbers that are wanting or missing, if any, in the progressive
order of those collected. The remaining tickets are then destroyed. Although not
essential the key tickets of each successive day are as a rule placed in the order of
their numbers or dates in front of the previous ones. The key tickets are added each
day or at longer intervals to the sorting tray or drawer until parts of it begin to get
too crowded for convenient use; and then another similar sorting tray is used for
holding the key tickets to the end of the month, when the returns are usually checked
for the month.
These daily key tickets are readily available for checking the daily or monthly
returns, for the highest number of each different set of tickets should agree with the
closing number in the returns. These key tickets after being dealt with as above
described may be retained for a certain time in the holding tray without transverse
divisions herinafter described or may be destroyed at once.
The sorting tray or drawer for holding the key tickets in sorted order consists of
a shallow box or drawer divided into a number of small compartments or cells
suitable for retaining the tickets lengthwise on their edges. The sorting tray is also
suitable and intended for sorting in a suitable way the tickets collected by each
station or ticket collector before being sent to the Traffic auditor and also for a
ticket holder from which the tickets may be issued. The sorting tray or a smaller

page_text: one of the same kind is suitable for facilitating the arranging sorting and holding of
special tickets and tickets to be sent to the clearing house or to other lines interested
in them. The trays or drawers may be arranged in a chest cabinet or press similarly
to an ordinary set of drawers, sliding in a case one above the other or they may be
partly made for sliding in and partly for placing from the top; and the chest or
press is intended to be made so as to lock all the trays with one lock, and one sliding
or hinged bar or plate in front.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings Fig. 1 is a plan of a sorting tray for
holding the key tickets constructed according to my invention and Figs. 2 and 3 are
part vertical sections on a and y y respectively of the same.
The tray, or drawer A is divided into a number of compartments by longitudinal
strips B and transverse strips C. As shewn the strips B are of wood and the strips C
are of sheet metal. The compartments or cells are inade of such breadth and depth
that the tickets are kept on edge and are not liable to get displaced unless the tray is
turned upside down and can be readily lifted out by the fingers and are narrow
enough to keep a single ticket or a halved ticket sufficiently on edge to be easily
caught by the fingers whether in sloping or upright position in the compartment.
Rounded notches or gaps of nearly semi-circular or other suitable shape are made in
the lips of the strips C for convenience in fingering the tickets.
The compartments or cells are shewn of a sufficient size to hold twenty five
ordinary railway tickets which is a convenient number but a size for a less number
may be used or such greater or less size as will suit the sizes of the tickets to be
dealt with.
When it is desired to retain the key tickets after the sorting tray or trays are full
they may be removed to a holding tray similar to that illustrated except that the
transverse strips Care omitted. This arrangement of holding tray is also suitable for
holding the tickets before they are sorted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The method of checking the returns of railway and other tickets consisting in
placing the highest numbered or key tickets of each different class of tickets issued
during any day from each station in a separate compartment or set of consecutive
compartments in a tray, the separate compartments being apportioned in station order
in the tray and all the key tickets of each different class of tickets issued from any
station being put in the same compartment or set of compartments in the tray so that
the number of tickets issued from any station to any other station during a month
or any shorter period or up to any date can be readily and accurately arrived at
and consequently the returns from the different stations readily checked substantially
as described.
2. The arrangement of sorting tray or drawer for sorting and for holding in
assorted order and so as not to get displaced by handling or moving about railway
and other tickets consisting of a shallow tray divided into suitably sized compart-
ments, for holding from one to the greatest suitable number of the said tickets so
that they can be easily examined and caught by the fingers, by longitudinal strips
and by transverse strips with specially notched lips substantially as described and for
the purposes set forth.
Dated this Seventeenth day of Anril 1889.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
156, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agents.