Improvements in or relating to Means for Indicating the Fare between Certain Places, applicable for use in connection with Railways, Steamboats, and other Conveyances.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 17th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means for Indicating the Fare between
Certain Places, applicable for use in connection with Railways,
Steamboats, and other Conveyances.
I, CHARLES MACKINTOSH of 25 St. Alban's Road, Leicester, Advertising
Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a chart, diagram, tabulated form,
synopsis, or medium from which may be readily ascertained the amount chargeable
as fare between certain places, and applicable for use in connection with railways,
steamboats, and other conveyances.
As far as I am aware, there is not in existence any medium devoted solely
to indicating fares, by which it is possible to ascertain readily, and which
shews in a very simple and uncomplicated form the chargeable fares between any
two or more given places, stages, or stations on the lines, systems, or routes of the
different railways, steamboats and other conveyance companies.
A medium giving in general form the fares referred to, would be specially
valuable to commercial travellers; would afford a ready means for heads of firms
to check the various items charged by their employés for travelling; and would
enable that portion of the public that are unused to travelling, to obtain quickly
the necessary information without the assistance of a second party and the
necessity of consulting the various complicated time-tables of railway, steam-
boat, and other companies, and some of which do not even afford the information
desired.
According to my invention, the names of the various stations, places, or stages
are placed one under the other, on one or both sides of the chart, diagram, tabulated
form or synopsis, they may also be set out in the same order along the top or bottom
or both ends of same.
The stations, places or stages may be arranged either alphabetically or numerically
or both alphabetically and numerically and the fares inserted in columns in the space
between the names of the places, stations or stages.
If it be desired to know the fare between any two places, stations or stages, the
name or number of one of the places is first found among the names down either of
the sides of the chart, diagram, tabulated form or synopsis, and the horizontal line
traced across the paper until the column or point is reached which is directly
vertically underneath the other place, station or stage and at such point the amount
of the required fare is indicated.
Movable horizontal and vertical sliding strips, plates or equivalents may be
employed to assist in finding the fare, so that when moved into position against the
desired places the fare is indicated at the angle.
Dated this 17th day of March 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means for Indicating the Fare between
Certain Places, applicable for use in connection with Railways,
Steamboats, and other Conveyances.
I, CHARLES MACKINTOSH of 25 St. Alban's Road, Leicester, Advertising
Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide a chart, diagram, tabulated form, synopsis,
or medium from which may be readily ascertained the amount chargeable as fare
between certain places, and applicable for use in connection with railways, steam-
boats, and other conveyances.
As far as I am aware, there is not in existence any medium devoted solely to
indicating fares by which it is possible to ascertain readily and which shews in a
very simple and uncomplicated form the chargeable fares between any two or more
given places, stages, or stations on the lines, systems, or routes of the different
railways, steamboats and other conveyance companies.
A medium giving in general form the fares referred to would be specially valuable
to commercial travellers, would afford a ready means for heads of firms to check
the various items charged by their employés for travelling, and would enable
that portion of the public that are unused to travelling to obtain quickly
the necessary information without the assistance of a second party and the
necessity of consulting the various complicated time-tables of railways, steam-
boat and other companies, and some of which do not even afford the information
desired.
According to my invention the names of the various stations, places, or stages are
placed one under the other on one or both sides of the chart, diagram, tabulated
form or synopsis, they may also be set out in the same order along the top or
bottom or both ends of same.
The stations, places or stages may be arranged either alphabetically or numerically
or both alphabetically and numerically and the fares inserted in columns in the space
between the names of the places, stations or stages.
If it be desired to know the fare between any two places, stations or stages, the
name or number of one of the places is first found among the names down either of
the sides of the chart, diagram, tabulated form or synopsis, and the horizontal line
traced across the paper until the column or point is reached which is directly
vertically underneath the other place, station or stage and at such point the amount
of the required fare is indicated.
Movable horizontal and vertical sliding strips, plates or equivalent may be
employed to assist in finding the fare, so that when moved into position against the
desired place the fare is indicated at the angle.
In order to assist to a clear understanding of the invention reference is made to
the accompanying drawing illustrating how it is carried into effect in its application
to railway fares.
The stations, stages or places are arranged down one or each of the sides or ends
of the chart, diagram, tabulated form, synopsis or equivalent medium and along
either the top or bottom or both the top and bottom.
The fares are preferably inserted in squares in the body of the chart or other
medium mentioned, as shewn, and the amounts are obtained from the guides or time
tables of the various railways, steam-boat or other carrying companies or corporations
or from the offices thereof.
Suppose now for instance it is desired to ascertain the railway fare for travelling
from Lincoln to Belfast.
The list of stations down one side of the chart is traversed until Lincoln
is arrived at. the horizontal line across the chart is then traversed until the

page_text: square is reached which is in a vertical line with Belfast where the fare 14/8 is
indicated.
.
When the chart, diagram or the like is of a very extensive character i.e. comprises
a large quantity of names, the stations or places at the sides and ends may not
only be arranged in alphabetical sequence but also in numerical order so as to
facilitate the finding of the fares between any two given points or stations.
As a still more convenient means of arriving at the same results, I may employ
two strips or bars A and B movable in the directions of the length and width
respectively of the chart or diagram.
Presuming it is desired to ascertain the fare between London and Birmingham,
one strip A is moved along the chart until it is adjacent to and parallel with the
horizontal line in which London is printed and the other strip or bar B is similarly
shifted to the vertical line with Birmingham and in the corner or angle the fare 9/5
is indicated; as the dotted lines will shew.
The ends of the strips or bars are let into grooves in the frame C of the chart
so as to be capable of freely moving up and down or they may be otherwise
movably connected.
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. A tabulated form, synopsis or equivalent medium shewing the fares chargeable
between given stations, places or stages arranged substantially in the manner
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
2. The use or employment in connection with a tabulated form, synopsis or
equivalent medium such as claimed in the preceding claim of one or more movable
strips or bars such as A and B operating substantially in the manner and for the
purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 16th day of December 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.