IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS FOR MARKING OR IMPRESSING RAILWAY TICKETS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Russell Mortimer, of the firm of H. H. Mortimer
and Company, of Nos. 10 and 25, Bush Lane, London, Wholesale
. Shipping Ironmongers and Merchants, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Russell Mortimer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
July 1865.
I, RUSSELL MORTIMER, of the firm of H. H. Mortimer and Company, of
Nos. 10 and 25, Bush Lane, London, Wholesale Shipping Ironmongers
and Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS FOR MARKING OR IMPRESSING RAILWAY TICKETS,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
arranging or combining the parts of instruments for marking or impressing
the date or other inscription on railway tickets, by which said arrangement or
combination great compactness combined with facility of working are secured.
I binge or joint to the top of an opening in the side of a cylindrical or other
shaped case a hollow lever, the said hollow lever constituting a box or
chamber, in which the types for impressing the tickets are carried. The said
lever is capable of advancing some distance into the case, its motion being

page_text: limited by a stop. The said lever is however so hinged to the top of the
opening in the case that the greater part of it projects in its normal position
outside the said case. In the box or chamber of the said lever another or
supplementary lever is situated, the said supplementary lever carrying the
types by which the railway tickets are to be impressed. The upper end of
the type lever enters a V-shaped recess in a bracket on the interior of the case
and turns in the said recess as a centre, the said recess being below and
excentric to the centre on which the principal lever turns. The lower end
of the type lever is fitted in a recess near the bottom of the principal lever, a
bow spring in the said recess raising the said type lever and keeping it to its
bearing in the recess at the top of the care of the instrument. The type lever
is thus connected at one end to the fixed case, and at its other end to the
principal lever. On the turning of the principal lever on its joint the type
lever is made to slide therein, the said type lever descending in the principal
lever as the latter is forced into the case of the instrument, and rising as the
principal lever returns to its normal position. In the front of the principal
lever a slit is made, a support being situated at the back of the said slit and
immediately below the types in the type lever. In impressing a railway
ticket that part to be impressed is passed through the slit described on to the
rest or support and the principal lever is pressed by the hand into the case.
The levers are thereby made to turn upon their joints or centres, the type lever
descending within the principal lever and impressing the ticket. On taking
the hand from the principal lever it returns to its normal position, the type lever
rising from the impressed ticket, which can now be removed from the instru-
ment. The type holder is constructed and attached to the lever in the
following manner:-The type holder consists of a plate, in which a recess is
made near its bottom, into which the types are placed. On the back of the
said holder a spring flap or cover is hinged, the pointed free end of which
flap, when it is shut down, enters a groove in the types and thus holds them
securely in their place. The type holder is connected to the lever by a
flange or shoulder on its upper end entering a recess in the lever, and is fixed
in the said recess by a binged spring flap on the lever bearing upon a projec-
tion on the said type holder; the type holder is removed from and replaced
in the type lever through a door in front of the principal lever of the
instrument.
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Russell Mortimer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RUSSELL
MORTIMER, of the firm of H. H. Mortimer and Company, of Nos. 10 and 25,
Bush Lane, London, Wholesale Shipping Ironmongers and Merchants, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Russell Mortimer, Her special licence that I, the said Russell Mortimer,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Russell
Mortimer, 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 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 INSTRU-
MENTS FOR MARKING OR IMPRESSING RAILWAY TICKETS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Russell Mortimer, 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 Russell Mortimer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
arranging or combining the parts of instruments for marking or impressing the
date or other inscription on railway tickets, by which said arrangement or
combination great compactness combined with facility of working are secured.
I hinge or joint to the top of an opening in the side of a cylindrical or other
shaped case a hollow lever, the said hollow lever constituting a box or
chamber, in which the types for impressing the tickets are carried. The said
lever is capable of advancing some distance into the case, its motion being
limited by a stop. The said lever is however so hinged to the top of the

page_text: opening in the case that the greater part of it projects in its normal position
outside the said case. In the box or chamber of the said lever another or
supplementary lever is situated, the said supplementary lever carrying the
types by which the railway tickets are to be impressed. The upper end of
the type lever enters a V-shaped recess in a bracket on the interior of the case,
and turns in the said recess as a centre, the said recess being below and at the
back of the centre on which the principal lever turns. The lower end of the
type lever is fitted in a recess near the bottom of the principal lever, a bow
spring in the said recess raising the said type lever and keeping it to its
bearing in the recess at the top of the case of the instrument. The type
lever is thus connected at one end to the fixed case, and at its other end to
the principal lever. On the turning of the principal lever on its joint the
type lever is made to slide therein, the said type lever descending in the
principal lever as the latter is forced into the case of the instrument, and
rising as the principal lever returns to its normal position. In the front of
the principal lever a slit is made, a support being situated at the back of the
said slit and immediately below the types in the type lever. In impressing a
railway ticket, that part to be impressed is passed through the slit described
on to the rest or support, and the principal lever is pressed by the hand into
the case.
The levers are thereby made to turn upon their joints or centres,
the type lever descending within the principal lever and impressing the ticket.
On taking the band from the principal lever it returns to its normal position,
the type lever rising from the impressed ticket, which can now be removed
from the instrument. The type holder is constructed and attached to the
lever in the following manner:-The type holder consists of a plate, in which
a recess is made near its bottom, into which the types are placed. On the
back of the said holder a spring flap or cover is hinged, the pointed free end
of which flap, when it is shut down, enters a groove in the types and thus
holds them securely in their places. The type holder is connected to the lever
by a flange or shoulder on its upper end entering a recess in the lever, and is
fixed in the said recess by a hinged spring flap on the lever bearing upon a
projection on the said type holder. The type holder is removed from and
replaced in the type lever through a door in front of the principal lever
of the instrument.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in vertical section,
an instrument constructed according to my Invention for marking or impress-

page_text: ing railway tickets; Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 are portions of the same, as
herein-after explained. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts.
in each Figure of the Drawing.
turns. The lower part
a is the case of the instrument, which may be of a cylindrical or other.
figure; b is a hollow lever hinged or jointed at 6 to the top of an opening in
the case a, the said hollow lever completely closing the said opening. The
said hollow lever b is provided with sides and constitutes a box or chamber,
in which the types for impressing the tickets are carried. The said lever 6 is
capable of advancing some distance into the case a, its motion both inwards
and outwards being limited by a stop c on the base of the case. The said.
lever 6 is so hinged to the case that when it is in its normal position it pro-
jects from the case a, as illustrated in the Drawing; d is a second lever
situated within the first or principal lever b, the said lever & carrying the
types e, by which the railway tickets are to be impressed.. A front elevation.
of the said type lever d is shewn in Figure 3. The upper end of the type.
lever d is V-shaped and enters a corresponding shaped recess fin a bracket
or projecting piece 9 on the under side of the top of the case a, the lever
turning in the said recess as a centre. The said centre of the type lever is.
situated below and at the back of the centre on which the principal lever b.
of the type lever d is bent out of the plane of the
other part and works in a recess 63 in the bottom of the lever b. In the said
recess is a bow spring h, which presses against the bottom part d³ of the
type lever d, raising the said lever therein and keeping it to its bearing in its
recess at f. The type lever d is in this way connected at top to the fixed case
of the instrument and at bottom to the principal lever b, the said type lever d
being capable of a sliding motion within the said principal lever b. When
the principal lever 6 is turned on its joint by being pressed into the case a the
type lever & turns upon its centre at g, and by a sliding motion descends in
the principal lever b, and on the said lever 6 retiring to its normal position
the said type lever rises in the said lever. The types e fixed to the lever d
are carried by a holder i, shown separately in front and side elevation in
Figures 4 and 5 respectively. Figure 6 represents the types separately. The
type holder i consists of a plate, near the bottom of which a recess k is made,
in which the types e are fitted. On the back of the holder a spring flap or
lever is hinged, the free end of the said flap being pointed as represented.
In the side of the types a depression or groove e³ is made, as best seen in
Figure 6. The types baving been arranged in the proper order in the recess k
the spring flap is shut down, as seen in Figures 2 and 4, its pointed end
passing through an opening m in the. holder i and entering the groove or.
.

page_text: depression in the types e. The types are thus locked firmly in their places
in the holder. The type holder i is connected to the type lever d by a flange
or shoulder on the upper part of the said holder entering a recess in the
said type lever. The said holder is maintained in its place in the lever by the
pressure of the hinged spring flap n, the said flap n bearing upon a projection
on the said type holder (see Figure 2). Access to the type holder i is gained
by the door p in front of the principal lever b. In order to remove the type
holder i from the instrument and re-arrange the types in the said holder the
door p is first raised on its hinge, and afterwards the spring flap n is lifted
from the type holder i. The type holdor can now be removed from the
instrument, and by raising the spring flap on the said holder, as represented
in Figure 5, the types e are released and can be removed. After the types
have been arranged in the proper order for impressing the required date or
other inscription on the railway tickets the spring flap is shut down and the
types fixed in their places. The holder i is introduced through the opening
in the lever b and its projection or shoulder fitted in the recess in the type
the holder i is fixed to the
In front of the lever b is a
lever d. The spring flap n being then shut down
type lever and the instrument is ready for use.
slit 9, and at the back of which slit is a support r, the said support being
immediately below the types e, as represented in Figure 2. In impressing or
marking a railway ticket by the use of the instrument Figures 1 and 2, that
part of the ticket to be impressed is passed through the slit 9 on to the
support r, and the principal lever 6 is pressed by the hand into the case a. The
levers b and d are thereby made to turn upon their joints or centres 6" and f,
the type lever d descending within the lever b and impressing the ticket
placed on the said support r. The type lever d having descended upon
and impressed the ticket the hand is taken from the principal lever b. The
said lever b now returns to its normal position, the type lever d rises from the
impressed ticket, and the said ticket can be removed from the instrument
through the slit q. The types used in the instrument are made of steel or
other hard metal or alloy, and have very narrow or sharp faces, so as to fit
them to impress or mark the cardboard of which the tickets are made.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention. But I claim as my Invention the improvements in instru-
ments for marking or impressing railway tickets herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, arranging or combining

page_text: the parts of the said instruments substantially in the manner described and
illustrated, whereby great compactness and facility of working are secured.
In witness whereof, I, the said Russell Mortimer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
H. H. MURDOCH.
R. MORTIMER. (L.S.)