IMPROVEMENTS IN COUNTING AND REGISTERING APPARATUS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Rivington, of Clerkenwell, in the
County of Middlesex, Printer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COUNTING AND REGISTERING APPARATUS."
Scaled the 8th April 1870, and dated the 22nd October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Rivington
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd October 1869.
I, WILLIAM JOHN RIVINGTON, of Clerkenwell, in the County of
5 Middlesex, Printer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUNTING AND REGISTERING APPARATUS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to a peculiar construction or arrangement of
apparatus for registering the speed of machinery for indicating the
number of passengers travelling in vehicles and other counting purposes.
The apparatus is carried on a plate which is to fixed in the
position desired. On the back of this plate are mounted a series of

page_text: wheels on separate axes so as to slightly overlap each other. These
wheels each bear a series of numbers 1 to 10 on the one side, which are
made visible by a series of apertures in the plate. The wheels have
each ten indentations corresponding with the numbers inscribed thereon,
and are each provided with a projection or tappet and a retaining
spring. I mount the wheels in an inclined position on the plate, so
that although slightly overlapping each other the several numbers
exhibited on the discs may be brought in succession close to the
apertures in the plate and thus be rendered equally visible. The unit
wheel is operated by a spring pawl forming part of a lever arm con-
nected to and operated by the machine, or it may be by hand. The
lever arm on being depressed causes the pawl (which gears in the inden-
tations of the wheel) to rotate the same one-tenth of a turn and after
completing a revolution the tappet with which it is provided is brought
into gear with the next wheel of the series which is in its turn rotated
one-tenth of a turn for indicating tens, the next one-tenth for indicating
hundreds, and so on according to the number of wheels employed.
The wheels are enclosed by a sliding cap or cover, which is only
removed for the purpose of returning the several wheels to zero at any
time.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William John Rivington in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JOHN RIVINGTON, of Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Printer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second 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 me, the said William John Rivington, Her special
licence, that I, the said William John Rivington, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William John Rivington,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the

page_text: term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercisc,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COUNTING AND REGISTERING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William John Rivington, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 performed, 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 Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William John Rivington, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My Invention relates to a peculiar construction er arrangement of
apparatus for registering the speed of machinery for indicating the
number of passengers travelling in vehicles, the distance passed over
by wheeled carriages, and other counting purposes.
The apparatus is carried on a plate which is fixed in the position
desired. On the back of this plate are mounted a series of wheels on
separate axes so as to slightly overlap each other. These wheels each bear
a series of numbers 1 to 10 on the one side, which are made visible by
a series of apertures in the plate. The wheels have each ten indentations
of a peculiar shape corresponding with the number inscribed thereon,
and are each provided with a projection or tappet and a retaining
spring. I mount the wheels in an inclined position on the plate, so
that although slightly overlapping each other the several numbers
exhibited on the discs may be brought in succession close to the
apertures in the plate and thus be rendered equally visible. The unit
wheel is operated by a spring pawl forming part of a lever arm con-
nected to and operated by the machine as it may be by hand. The lever
arm on being depressed causes the pawl which gears in the indentations
of the wheel to rotate the same one-tenth of a turn; after doing this
the lever is raised again by the spring pawl completing a revolution.
When the first or unit wheel has completed a revolution the tappet with
which it is provided is brought into gear with the next wheel of the
series, which is in its turn rotated one-tenth of a turn for indicating

page_text: hundreds, and so on according to the number of wheels employed. The
wheels are enclosed by a sliding or other cover, which is only removed
for the purposes of returning the several wheels to zero at any time.
When the machine operating the lever of my counting machine is
being moved on for any purpose, such as being oiled or prepared for
working I insert through the front plates a stop to hold the lever down
and prevent the counting machine registering the movements of the
machine before it has actually commenced to produce work.
In witness whereof, I, the said William John Rivington, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
WILLIAM JOHN RIVINGTON. (L.S.)