IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE DISTANCES TRAVELLED BY VEHICLES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander James Eli, of Euston Road, and
Henry Sawahn, of Camden Town, both in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND
REGISTERING THE DISTANCES TRAVELLED BY VEHICLES."
Sealed the 29th March 1870, and dated the 1st October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander James Eli
and Henry Sawahn at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 1st October 1869.
We, ALEXANDER JAMES ELI, of Euston Road, and HENRY SAWAHN,
5 of Camden Town, both in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE DISTANCES TRAVELLED BY VEHICLES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for the
purpose of measuring or indicating the distances travelled by wheeled
vehicles of various descriptions whereby such distances are registered
on a dial, and, if necessary, the fares indicated when the apparatus is
applied to cabs.
The apparatus consists of a case or chamber of wood, metal, or other
3 suitable material provided with a dial plate and index, with divisions to

page_text: indicato parts of miles or other measurements; and on the dial an
aperture is made, through which a number on a revolving plate is
exposed, indicating (for example) total measurements of miles, while a
travelling index, pointer, or needle shews the fractional parts of such
measure or distance. Within the frame or case and in the centre a
spindle is held carrying the needle or pointer, and also a ratchet wheel
and pinion in gear with a larger toothed wheel, the spindle carrying a
cam, screw, projection, or excentric, which at every complete revolution
of the spindle acts upon a lever and pall so as to bring the number plate
one tooth further round, and thus add an unit to the distance, the needle
indicating the fractions or divisions of measure.
The method of operating the apparatus is as follows:-To the axle
or shaft of the main wheels of the vehicle a rod is attached or applied,
and caused to oscillate by means of an excentric or other equivalent on
"the axle; the upper part of this rod is terminated by a flat spring, which
passes through a groove or fork of a lever pall, which is thus moved
from side to side by the spring, and is kept between the limits of two
studs on the inner surface of the case, an india-rubber spring or other
equivalent being attached to both pawls to steady and control their
return motion. The object of terminating the rod by a flat spring
instead of a rigid bar is to render the whole action easy and yielding,
and to prevent jar or shock, and also to accomodate the bar to the
-motion of the springs of the vehicle and the consequent variations in
the distance from the centre of the axle to that of the spindle of the
apparatus. Moreover, any extra play or movement of the rod from
side to side is permitted, the spring yielding while held in the fork or
groove.
In order to indicate the fare to be paid for cab hire a second aperture
may be made in the dial, and a slide plate placed behind it having
numbers thereon, such slide plate being moved by the same action which
denotes the termination of each mile, by which means the fare to be paid
would be indicated both to the driver and passenger. The fractional
measurements would not interfere with this indicator, but would always
be shewn by the travelling pointer. Or a separate small dial may be
placed over the first dial, and a thin ratchet wheel and pall between
them, the wheel having the fares marked thereon at intervals, so that
each revolution of the main pointer will actuate one tooth of the wheel
and bring the fare under an aperture cut in the second dial. The

page_text: apparatus may be placed on either side of the vehicle above the wheels,
so as to be seen easily by the occupant or driver. By these improve-.
ments the various complicated toothed wheels are dispensed with, and,
an apparatus may be constructed on a small scale with a very few.
working parts, not liable to get out of order as is the case where fine
toothed work, is used. Each motion of the rocking rod causes the needle
to move by the palt action..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander James Eli and Henry Sawahn in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st April 1870..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALEXANDER
JAMES ELI, of Euston Road, and HENRY SAWAHN, of Camden Town,
both in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-.
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Alexander James Eli and Henry Sawahn,.
Her special licence that we, the said Alexander James Eli and Henry
Sawahn, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Alexander James Eli and Henry Sawahn, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE DISTANCES TRAVELLED BY
VEHICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Alexander James Eli and Henry Sawahn, our executors or adminis
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain, the nature.
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be per
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Paicut.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Alexander James Eli and Henry
Sawahn, do hereby declare the nature of our said 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 certain improvements in apparatus for the
purpose of measuring or indicating the distances travelled by wheeled
vehicles of various descriptions whereby such distances are registered
on a dial, and, if necessary, the fares indicated when the apparatus is
applied to cabs.
.
The apparatus presents a dial plate with a central pointer, the complete
revolution of which indicates one mile travelled. The dial is divided
into quarters and subdivided as may be necessary. Two apertures are
cut in the dial, the one on the right hand shewing the passengers'
mileage, that on the left the owner's mileage, or the total mileage of the
day. Behind the dial, which is about six inches in diameter, a ratchet
wheel of five inches diameter is set on the central axis on which the
pointer is carried; this wheel actuates the passengers' mileage. At the
rear of this wheel the second ratchet wheel of six inches diameter is set
on the axis (both being loose), and which indicates the master's mileage.
Thirdly, the curvilinear toothed wheel is fixed on the axis; this wheel
contains 40 teeth, and is operated by the small pinion of 5 teeth fixed
on the axis of the lowermost ratchet wheel (the motor), which is
actuated by the spring rocking lever, to which a rod is screwed de-
scending to the nave of the wheel, the rotation of which causes the
rod to oscillate. A cam or tappet set on the axle close to the nave is
sufficient to work the rod and permit the free spring of the vehicle, since
the rod only forms contact with the cam and is not a fixture thereto..
It will be observed that the brass lever descending from the instrument
is formed in two parts jointed, and with a flat spring connecting the
two, by which means any undue play of the cam will not strain the lever
in regard to the instrument.
The operation is as follows:-The wheel of the cab at each turn
actuates the rod and consequently the motor ratchet wheel and pinion,
whence motion is given to the curved toothed wheel axis and pointer,
which then continues to travel round the dial. The axis carries
behind each of the two ratchet wheels which indicate the master's and
passengers' mileage a tapet or cam, above which are two levers set
on fulcra on opposite sides of the instrument, and holding palls which

page_text: act on the teeth of the ratchet wheels. It will consequently be seen
that at cach rotation of the axis each cam or tappet will be brought to
bear on its respective lever, and thereby pull the ratchet wheels one
tooth. Now these wheels are provided with numbers, words, or indi- '
cators, the one to shew the passengers' mileage and the other the total
mileage for the owner. Each wheel is also controlled from return.
movement by spring teeth, and is also held from accidental motion
out of the teeth by an india-rubber spring or other equivalent, thus
preventing any vibration or noise in the working of the parts..
When the driver is about to start with a fare he sets the instrument
so that the pointer is at zero, or vertically. This is easily done by a key
on the pinion shaft carrying the pointer round to the commencement of
the mileage. When the vehicle is started the tappet or cam on the
passengers' indicator actuates the same and shews 1 mile and the fare,
and so on for each successive mile. The owner's mileage corresponds on
the same principle of action by the other cam or tappet. When the
passenger leaves the vehicle, or when another passenger hires, the driver
adjusts the indicator, and thus the owner's total mileage and earnings
are shewn. It will be obvious that the instrument may be made to
indicate the distance travelled by cabs of various diameters of wheels, it
only being necessary to adjust the number of teeth of the first motor
ratchet. The instrument may be secured in a cab or other vehicle at
the side of the carriage near the passenger by means of the brackets, and
it may be placed in a recess so as to be level with the lining of the
vehicle, the actuating rod descending in a cavity to the tappet or cam
on the axle.
C
Fig. 1 of the annexed Drawings represents a back internal view of the
apparatus; Fig. 2, a transverse section; and Fig. 3, a front view; similar
letters denoting corresponding parts.
a is the dial; b, the pointer; c, the total mileage ratchet; d, the
passengers' mileage ratchet; e, the central axis; f, g, the cams or
tappets; h, i, the rocking bars with their respective palls and springs;
kis the motor ratchet, and the five-toothed pinion working in gear
with the curvilinear tooth driving wheel m of forty teeth; n is the stem.
in connection with the ratchet k, and o its pall kept in gear with the
spring p, and q is a check pall on the other side; r is the jointed brass
rocking lever, and s the steel strip to permit of play. The rod r descends
to the cam on the nave of the wheel.

page_text: Another form of apparatus consists in the application on each side
of the central axis of an endless band running on rollers, such bands
being divided into spaces with miles and fares, one for total or master's
mileage, the other for passengers' mileage and fares. In this example
the two ratchets on the axis are dispensed with, and also the tappets
and rockers with their palls. The rollers are set in bearings, the lower
rollers being tightened, by a spring so as to bear firmly on the bands.
The upper rollers are provided with ratchets, and the central axis causes
motion to the rollers by means. of palls. The dial is cut with two
apertures, by which means. the miles indicated by the bands are clearly
shewn.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we would remark in
conclusion that we do not limit ourselves to the precise details or con-
figuration of parts which we have expressed and shewn, as the same may
obviously be varied or modified without in any degree departing from
the principles on which the Invention is based; but what we claim and
desire to be secured to us by the herein in part recited Letters Patent
are, the general construction, combination, and arrangement of parts
constituting apparatus for registering and indicating distances travelled
by vehicles, and the fares earned thereby, substantially as herein specified
and shewn.
In witness whereof, we, the said Alexander James Eli and Henry
Sawahn, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy.
>
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
A. J. ELI. (L.S.)
H. SAWAHN. (L.S.)