Improvements connected with the Issue of Theatrical and other Tickets.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1893-Accepted, 16th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with the Issue of Theatrical and
other Tickets.
I, CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH BEETON, of Number Sixteen North Place, Brighton,
in the County of Sussex, Retired Schoolmaster, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The aim, and purpose, of this invention is to obtain an absolutely safe, & secure
system of issue, of theatrical, or other entertainment tickets, or vouchers, & to
render void & impossible all power of peculation on the part of negligent or
dishonest employees. For the due carrying out of this aim, & purpose, I place,
in the front side of the pay box, or ticket office, which faces the public, an
opening, of suitable size & position, having a ledge, or shelf, on the bottom part
thereof, one half of which is within, & the other half without, the line formed by
the aforesaid opening. At one side of this opening I place what I call a
"registration & delivery box," affixing the same firmly to the ledge, or shelf,
aforesaid, & so arranging the said registration & delivery box that the side con-
fronting the public shall be flush with, or just immediately within, the border, or
framing, of the aforesaid opening. The interior of this box will be more
conveniently described later on; & it should be here remarked that, in order to
the due carrying out of this system, the sides of the pay box, or ticket office, (if
not continued right up to the ceiling of the place wherein such pay box, or ticket
office, is situated,) must be closed, or covered over, so that no means of access, or
egress, can be had, or effected, thereby. For the same reason the door, or
entrance thereto, must be likewise closed, fully up, & secured, from the outside, by
the manager, or supervisor, immediately following upon the money taker's entry
therein. I also close the remainder of the first named opening, by a grille of
metal, which grille will be fixed flush with the front of the registration & delivery
box aforesaid, & will entirely close the whole of the remainder of the said opening,
save for a small slit, or aperture, for the passage of the payers money, & the
return, if needed, of change therethrough, & which cash slit, or aperture, is cut at
the bottom of the frame of the said grille, or at any other position, & is to be of
sufficient size to permit the free passage of the largest coin current in the realm,
or country, wherein this invention is adopted, & used, & no larger. This point, as
will be seen presently, is of importance. The lattice work of the grille itself.
whether square, diamond, or fashioned, must be so constructed, that, in no part of
its design, or pattern, would it be possible to pass a coin, or disc, of larger size
than would pass the cash aperture aforenamed. To make this the clearer under-
stood let it be assumed the cash aperture is one & a half inches (14") in length,
& the pattern of the grille were simple squares; then, the diagonal, from corner
to corner, must not exceed the measure of the cash aperture, or
one & a
half inches (1). This is essential, as will be also seen, later on. At this stage
of the description it will be well to direct full attention to the circumstance, that,
whether by irregular passage through the grille, or by the cash aperture, no coin,
or disc, of greater size than one & a half inches (1) can, by any possibility, be
clandestinely passed into the pay box, or ticket office. I now proceed to describe
the construction, & interior, of the registration & delivery box more fully. The
whole width of that side thereof which fronts the public, down to within a few
inches from the bottom of the said box, is partitioned off from the remainder, so
as to form a shoot, down which, from a slit, or aperture, in the top of the box, &

page_text: The
just immediately over the centre of the shoot, may be dropped a disc of metal
which will take the place of the pasteboard ticket usually supplied in return for
cash paid. This disc must be, appreciably, larger in size than the largest coin
current in the realm, or country, wherein this invention is adopted, & used.
disc, dropping down the aforesaid shoot, alights, for an instant, ou a finely balanced
receiver, or shelf, which inclines itself lowest towards the outer side of the box
presented to the public. The disc is of sufficient weight to cause the receiver, or
shelf, to drop slightly lower, until stopped by a pin, or other means, provided for
that purpose, & to so discharge the said disc, through a second slit, or aperture, in
the outer side of the box, on to the outer half of the first named ledge, or shelf,
whereon the grille rests, & consequently on to the outer side of the said grille.
The apertures in the registration & delivery box, both the one for reception, inside
the pay box, or ticket office, & also the one for discharge, on the outside, & which
twain I will call disc apertures, will be uniform in size, &, on the previous suppo-
sition of the cash aperture being one & a half inches (1") in extreme length, the
disc apertures would be not less than one inch & three quarters (12"). It is self
evident therefore, that, while on the one hand, as previously shown, no coin, disc,
or other article, of greater diameter, or size, than one & a half inches (1) can
be passed into the pay box, or ticket office, so it is now made equally clear, that,
no disc of greater diameter than those figures, or in other words that no disc of
nearly one inch & three quarters (12") can be passed out of the said pay box, or
ticket office, except by the shoot, & disc apertures, already described.
The peculation which so often prevails, by a clandestine return, on part of the
checktaker, of sundry used checks, or vouchers, back to the money taker, who,
reselling same, & accounting for only one issue, or sale, is thereby enabled to
divide spoil with his dishonest coadjutor, is, by this invention, orendered wholly
impossible. Concluding the description of the registration & delivery box I desire
to add, that, the receiver, or shelf, (whereon the disc alights for the instant
previous to its discharge,) is fitted, on its higher side, with an arm, which projects
itself beyond the shoot, & into the other, or mechanical, portion of the box.
This arm, on rising, sets in motion a pawl & ratchet wheel, whereto is attached a
reel, whose revolutions gradually draw off, from a spool, a narrow band of tape,
or paper, which, in travelling, is so placed as to be printed, or perforated, at
each & every falling of a disc down the shoot, & thereby registers the number
issued & sold; or I perform the same registration by means of interlocking wheels,
working, & indicating numbers on a dial, or clock face, inserted in one side of
the box, or by electricity. The box is furnished with a locked door, on one of its
sides, affording managerial or supervisorial access, for all necessary purposes.
Dated this Fifteenth day of September 1892.
CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH BEETON,
Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with the Issue of Theatrical and
other Tickets.
I CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH BEETON of No. 14 Dorset Gardens and formerly of
No. 16 North Place, both in Brighton in the County of Sussex, Retired School-
master, 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 :-
The aim and purpose of this invention is to obtain an absolutely safe & secure
system of issue of theatrical & other entertainment tickets or vouchers, & to
reuder void & impossible all power of peculation on the part of negligent, or
dishonest employees.

page_text: In the drawing, deposited herewith,
Fig. 1 represents a front view of a pay box, or ticket office; Fig. 2 the side
view of same; Fig. 3 the grilled top thereof; & Fig. 4 the plan.
For the due carrying out of the aim, and purpose, of my invention, I place, in
the front side of the pay box, or ticket office, which faces the public, an opening A,
of suitable size & position, having a ledge, or shelf B, on the bottom part thereof,
one portion of which is within, & the other portion without, the line formed by
the aforesaid opening A. At one side of this opening A, & upon the shelf B,
I place what I call a registration & delivery box C, affixing the same firmly to the
ledge, or shelf B, aforesaid, & so arranging the said registration & delivery box C
that the side confronting the public shall be flush with, or just immediately within,
the border, or framing, of the aforesaid opening A. The interior, of this registra-
tion & delivery box C will be more conveniently described later on, & it should be
here remarked, that, in order to the due carrying out of this system, the sides of
the pay box, or ticket office, (if not continued right up to the ceiling of the place
wherein such pay box, or ticket office is situated, as illustrated in the draught
herewith,) must be grilled, latticed, closed, or covered over, (see Fig. 3) so that no
means of access, or egress, can be had or effected thereby. For the same reason the
door D, or entrance thereto, must be likewise closed fully up, and secured, from
the outside by the manager, or supervisor, immediately following upon the money
taker's entry therein. I also close the remainder of the first named opening A,
with a grille of metal E, which grille E will be fixed flush with the front of the
registration & delivery box C aforesaid, & will, with it, entirely close the whole
of the said opening A, save for a small slit, or aperture F, for the passage of the
payer's money, & the return, (if needed,) of change therethrough; & which cash
slit, or aperture F, is cut at the bottom of the frame of the said grille E, just
above the ledge, or shelf B, or at any other position, & is to be of sufficient size
to permit the free passage of the largest coin current in the realm, or country,
wherein this invention is adopted, & used, and no larger. This point, (as will be
seen presently,) is of importance. The lattice work of the grille E whether
square, diamond, or fashioned, must be so constructed, that, in no part of its design,
or pattern, would it be possible to pass a coin, or disc, of larger size than would
pass the cash aperture Faforesaid. To make this the clearer understood, let it
be assumed the cash aperture F is 1½ inches, (one inch & a half,) in maximum
length, & the pattern of the grille E simple squares, as shown in the draught then
the diagonal of such squares, (from corner to corner,) must not exceed the measure
of the cash aperture F, or 14 inches, (one inch & a half). This is essential, as
will be also seen, later on. At this stage of the description it will be well to
direct full attention to the circumstance, that, whether by irregular passage through
the grille E, or by the cash aperture F, no coin, or disc, of greater size than
1 inches, (one inch & a half,) can, by any possibility, be clandestinely passed into
the pay box, or ticket office. I now proceed to describe the construction, &
interior, of the registration & delivery box C, more fully. The whole width of
that side thereof which fronts the public, down to within a few inches from the
bottom of the said box C, is partitioned off, from the remainder, so as to form a
shoot G, down which, from a slit, or aperture, H in the top of the box C, & just
immediately over the centre of the shoot G may be dropped a disc of metal I,
which will take the place of the paste-board ticket usually supplied in return for
cash paid. This disc I must be appreciably larger in size than the largest coin,
current in the realm, or country, wherein this invention is adopted, & used. The
disc I, dropping down the aforesaid shoot G, alights, for an instant, on a finely
balanced receiver, or shelf, J, which inclines itself lowest towards the outer side
of the box presented to the public, & is suspended from the pivot, or pin, K which
passes through the centre support L. The disc 1 is of sufficient weight to cause
the receiver, or shelf J, to drop slightly lower, (until stopped by a block, or pin,
at M, or by any other means provided for that purpose,) & to so discharge the
said disc I, through a second slit, or aperture N, in the outer side of the box C,

page_text: onto the receiver, or bowl O, affixed to the outer portion of the first named ledge,
or shelf B, whereon the grille E rests, & consequently on the outer side of the
said grille E. The apertures in the registration & delivery box C, both the one
for reception, H, inside the pay box, or ticket office, & also the one for discharge, N,
on the outside, & which twain I will call disc apertures, H & N, will be uniform
in size; &, on the previous supposition of the cash aperture F, being 14 inches,
(one inch & a half,) in extreme length, the disc apertures H & N would be
not less than 1 inches, (one inch & three quarters). It is self evident therefore,
that, while on the one hand, as previously shown, no coin, disc, or other article,
larger than 1 inches, (one inch & a half,) in diameter, or size, can be passed into
the said pay box, or ticket office, so it is now made equally clear, that, no disc of
greater diameter than those figures, or in other words that no disc of nearly
14 inches, (one inch & three quarters,) can be passed out of the said pay box, or
ticket office, except by the shoot G, & disc apertures H & N, already described.
The peculation which so often prevails, by a clandestine return, on part of the
check taker, of sundry used checks, or vouchers, back to the money taker, who,
reselling same, & accounting for only one issue, or sale, is thereby enabled to
divide spoil, with his dishonest coadjutor, is, by this invention, rendered wholly
impossible. And to secure this end, in its greatest efficiency, the check taker
should be provided with a lockable, self-registering collecting box, of similar
principle to the registration & delivery box C, into which the metal discs I, must
be dropped, immediately upon their delivery to him by the public; as, under no
circumstances, must the check taker be suffered, or allowed, to retain these discs I
in his possession.
Concluding the description of the registration & delivery box C, I desire to
add that the receiver or shelf J, (whereon the dise I alights, for the instant,
previously to its discharge at N,) is fitted on its higher, and inner side, with an
arm P which projects itself into the mechanical portion of the box C, situated
behind the shoot G & to the back of the said box at Q. As the receiver J drops,
when the disc I alights thereon, so the arm P (turning easily & slightly on the
pivot K) rises correspondingly, & this action would set in motion any kind of
electric, or other internal mechanism, whereby the number of discs dropped upon
the receiver J, (or in other words the number of discs sold,) would be registered
upon the clock faces R inserted in the upper portion of the side of the box C at S.
The box C is furnished below the portion marked S with a lockable door T,
which closes along the dotted line T, U, (Fig. 4) affording managerial or super-
visorial access for all necessary purposes. V is the lock of the door D which
opens along the dotted line V, W; X, X, brackets supporting the shelf B.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st. The invention of a grille of metal placed in the front side of the pay box
or ticket office, facing the public, and where necessary the maximum size of whose
lattice work is not larger than the largest coin current of the realm substantially
as described in this Specification.
2nd. The use of a registration and delivery box furnished with any kind of
electric, or other internal mechanism, for registering the number of discs passed
therethrough, & used in conjunction with a grille of metal, as aforesaid, affixed to
the front of a fixed or moveable pay box, substantially as described in this
Specification.
3rd. The use of such registration and delivery box, fitted with registering
appliances, as aforesaid, in conjunction with a collection box, substantially as
described in this Specification.
4th. The use of such registration and delivery box in conjunction with such
grille of metal, as aforesaid, and such collecting box as aforesaid, substantially as
described in this Specification.
!

page_text: 6th. The use of any form of self registration & delivery box in conjunction
with any form of self registering & collection box used in combination with a grille
of metal substantially as described in this Specification.
Dated this 14th day of June 1893.
CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH BEETON,
Applicant.