An Improved System of and Means for Checking and Controlling the Payment of Omnibus and Tram-car Fares and similar Payments.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1891-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System of and Means for Checking and Controlling
the Payment of Omnibus and Tram-car Fares and similar
Payments.
I, ALFRED BUCKLEY WARHURST of 9 Farringdon Road in the City of
London and County of Middlesex, Paper Merchant, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved system of and means for checking and
controlling the payment of omnibus and tram-car fares and similar payments.
According to these improvements there is employed in each vehicle or in each
place in which the fare is to be paid or other similar payment has to be made, an
automatic coin-freed apparatus from which on the insertion of the predetermined
coin or token, a card or ticket may be taken by, or will be delivered to, the
passenger or other person by whom the coin or token representing the amount of
the fare or payment is placed in the apparatus.
This card or ticket or a portion or coupon thereof, will be given up in proof of
the payment to the conductor or other authorised person on demand, and since the
tickets or coupons thus given up would correspond exactly with the cards or tickets
taken from the apparatus in a journey or given time, control is established which.
will render fraud impossible or very difficult. At the same time, since no payment
is made into the hands of the conductor or other servant, the temptation to defraud
is greatly reduced.
The coin-freed apparatus may be of a similar type to that which has been in
public use for some years for the sale and automatic delivery of post-cards, or it
may be of any other similar and suitable type, and be fixed near the entrance to the
vehicle or building or in any suitable and convenient position, or it may be carried
by the conductor or servant and personally presented to the passenger or person
making the payment.
The cards or tickets delivered by the apparatus may be of any suitable character
and may have imprinted or denoted thereon any means for identification and any
necessary or desired information. If only a portion or coupon of the card or
ticket is to be given up, it may be perforated so that the coupon may be easily
separated.
I prefer to employ the cards or tickets also as a means for advertisement.
Dated this 20th day of November A.D. 1890.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System of and Means for Checking and Controlling
the Payment of Omnibus and Tram-car Fares and similar
Payments.
I, ALFRED BUCKLEY WARHURST of 9 Farringdon Road in the City of
London and County of Middlesex, Paper Merchant, 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 relates to an improved system of and means for checking and con-
trolling the payment of tram-car and omnibus fares and other similar payments.
According to these improvements I employ in each vehicle or in each place in
[Price 4d.]

page_text: which the fare is to be paid, or in which other similar payments have to be made,
an automatic coin-freed apparatus from which on the insertion of one or more pre-
determined coins or tokens (which are equal to or represent the amount of the fare
or other payment), a card or ticket may be taken by or delivered to the passenger
or other person by whom the same are placed in the apparatus.
The card or ticket so obtained by the person is a proof of the payment and a
conpon thereof is (if required) to be given up on demand to an authorised con-
ductor guard ticket collector or other servant of the company to which the payment
is due.
In the case of a tram-car for example, a number of dated tickets sufficient for a
journey, for several journeys, or for a day, may be placed in the coin-freed apparatus
which is then locked and delivered to the conductor. In the car the conductor pre-
sents the apparatus containing the tickets to the passenger who inserts therein the
coin or token or the number of coins or tokens representing the amount of the fare
and takes from the apparatus the coupon-ticket which will be delivered thereby. The
coupons are collected from the passengers by the conductor or by an inspector or
ticket collector.
In the case of a theatre or place of amusement or other place of public resort,
the apparatus may be placed at or near the entrance, and the coupons will be given
up to the door keeper or other person duly authorised to receive them.
The coupon is preferably partly separated by perforations from the main portion,
so that it may be readily detached, and the date or a number is impressed on the
ticket together with any other means for identification and any information which
may be thought desirable. Upon the main portion of the ticket, advertisements
may be printed and these advertisements will provide a source of revenue which
will more than cover the cost of the system and of the means for carrying it into
effect.
Although I prefer that the tickets should be-dated before being placed in the
coin-freed apparatus, this is not essential, as the tickets may be identified by
numbers, denoting marks, colours, and other means, so that the time and place of
issue of each ticket may if required be ascertained.
In order to induce the passenger or other person to examine the ticket and thus
observe the advertisements thereon, I arrange that the main portion of the ticket,
which is not to be given up, shall be evidence of insurance against any accident
arising during the journey or during the day or during such other period as may be
determined, or of any other benefit or advantage.
The coin-freed apparatus will be identical with or of a similar type to those
which have for some time past been publicly employed in the sale of postal cards
and other similar articles.
In the case of some tram-cars, for example, where the traffic is small, the
apparatus instead of being presented by the conductor, may be fixed in some con-
venient and accessible part of the vehicle.
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,―
The hereinbefore described system of and means for checking and controlling
the payment of omnibus and tramcar fares and similar payments, which consists
in the use of numbered and dated or otherwise identifiable coupon-tickets upon
which advertisements may be printed, the ticket being issued by coin-freed apparatus,
the coupons being given up, and the tickets themselves being retained as evidence
of insurance or other fact; substantially as set forth.
Dated this 20th day of August. A D 1891
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.