Improvements relating to Fare Indicating Mechanism for Hackney Carriages and other Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 13th May, 1899
DIONAL DI BULTIVATION.
Improvements relating to Fare Indicating Mechanism for Hackney
Carriages and other Vehicles.
I, FRIEDRICH WILHELM GUSTAV BRUHN, of No. 1, Schaper Strasse, Berlin,
in the Empire of Germany, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention relates to fare-indicators for hackney carriages, its object
being, firstly, to prevent the driver from conveying passengers without having
thrown the fare indicator into operation, and, secondly-during the time the
carriage is engaged to cover those controlling devices which are of value only
for the owner of the vehicle, in order not to confuse the passenger by the indi-
cation of superfluous figures.
These objects are attained by the arrangement of a slide cover, which is dis-
placed by the reversing mechanism that is to say the mechanism, by, which the
fare-indicator is thrown into or out of operation. In the said slide-cover trans-
parent places or openings are provided, which admit of the fares becoming
visible and which indicate the amount of each fare to be paid and the registers
or controlling mechanisms according to their position.
These openings in the slide so coincide with the slots of the indicating disc,
which covers the mechanical arrangement of the fare-indicator, that, when the
fare-indications become visible, the indications on the controlling apparatus are
covered over and vice versa.
The displacement of the slide is effected by counter-acting the effect of the
spring by means of an eccentric attachment of the disc, which is so turned by
the driver, that the respective function of the apparatus-namely whether the
same be acting or not on the basis of the respective rate or tariff-is visible to the
passenger.
As the object is to indicate to the passenger the fare to be paid; only the
amount of such fare is visible, whilst the controlling discs are covered over.
If the fare-indicator is to be thrown into or out of operation by means of the
signal device or the flag, indicating that the carriage is disengaged, or any
analogous signalling medium, then the slide is moved by means of such signal
device or flag or the like.
Owing to the fact, that the fare, to be paid, is covered during the time, in
which the apparatus occupies the position "disengaged," the driver is compelled
to throw his apparatus into action, when the carriage is occupied by a passenger,
because he would otherwise have no right to claim a fare, seeing, that the
apparatus does not indicate the amount of the fare.
Moreover, as the apparatus is thrown into operation, the controlling discs are
covered over, so that the passenger observes only those indications or figures,
which apply to his special case.

page_text: Instead of using a slide cover, such as above described, a rotary slide or equiva-
lent mechanism may be employed.
T
111
T1
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements relating to Fare Indicating Mechanism for Hackney
Carriages and other Vehicles.
I, FRIEDRICH WILHELM GUSTAV BRUHN, of No. 1, Schaper Strasse, Berlin,
in the Empire of Germany, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this inven
tion 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 fare-indicators for hackney carriages, its object
being, firstly, to prevent the driver from conveying passengers without having
thrown the fare indicator into operation, and, secondly-during the time the
carriage is engaged to cover those controlling devices which are of value only
for the owner of the vehicle, in order not to confuse the passenger by the indi-
cation of superfluous figures.
I attain this object by the mechanism and arrangement of parts illustrated in
the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a front view of the apparatus, of which, for the sake of clearness,
the cover plate is removed and the fare displayed;
Figure 2 is a similar view with the cover plate in position;
Figure 3 is a front view of the apparatus with the cover plate removed and the
figures of the controlling means displayed, and
Figure 4 is a similar view with the cover plate in position.
Similar letters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views.
The essential part of the invention is the arrangement of a slide cover b, which
is displaced by the reversing mechanism, that is to say the mechanism, by which
the fare indicator is thrown into or out of operation. In the said slide cover b
a transparent place or opening e is provided, which admits of the fares on the
disc e becoming visible, that is to say the amount of each fare to be paid; the
slide cover b is further provided with other openings el, which display the indi-
cations of the registers or controlling mechanism f according to their position.
The openings e e¹ in the slide bare designed to coincide with openings or
slots g g of the cover or dial plate A, which covers the mechanisms of the fare-
indicator, so that, when the fare-indications become visible through the slots
and g, the indications on the controlling apparatus f are covered over by the
slide and cannot be seen through the holes or slots e¹ and g¹, and vice versa.
The displacement of the slide 6 is effected by counteracting the effect of a
spring by means of an excentric attachment a¹ on the tariff-disc a, which is so
turned by the driver, that the respective function of the apparatus-namely
whether the same be acting or not on the basis of the respective rate or tariff-
is visible to the passenger
If the fare-indicator is to be thrown into or out of operation by means of the
usual signal device or the flag, indicating that the carriage is disengaged, or any
analogous signalling medium, then the slide is moved by means of such signal
device or flag or the like.

page_text: The figures indicating the fare to be paid, are covered by the slide 6 during the
time in which the apparatus occupies the position disengaged." The driver
is thus compelled to throw his apparatus into action when the carriage is occu-
pied by a passenger, because he would otherwise have no right to claim a fare,
seeing that the apparatus does not indicate the amount of the fare.
When the apparatus is thrown into operation by rotating the disc a and thus
disengaging the cam or excentric a from the slide b, the controlling discs f
become covered over by the slide . To the passenger therefore only those
indications or figures, which apply to his special case are displayed, so that he
cannot become confused by seeing a number of figures.
Instead of using a slide cover, such as above described, a rotary slide or equi-
valent mechanism may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a fare indicator for hackney carriages and other vehicles, the arrangement
of a slide cover or disc provided with openings or transparent places through
which the indications on the fare-discs can be made visible and with other open-
ings or transparent places through which the indications on the controlling
mechanism can be made visible, said openings or transparent places being so
arranged that when the indications on the fare-disc are displayed, those on the
controlling mechanism are covered by the slide and vice versa, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a fare indicator for hackney carriages and other vehicles, the combination
of a slide cover provided with openings or transparent places and capable of
being displaced against the action of a spring, an excentric or its equivalent on
the tariff-disc designed to act upon the slide cover, a stationary cover or dial
plate provided with suitable openings or transparent places in front of the tariff-
disc as well as of the fare-disc and the controlling mechanism, all arranged and
actuated substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 11th day of April 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.