An Improved Apparatus for Collecting Coin in Payment of Fares in Public Vehicles and in other Places.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 7th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Collecting Coin in Payment of Fares in
Public Vehicles and in other Places.
I, ANDREW HOWAT, of 6 Belwood Terrace, Old Trafford, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be
as follows:-
My improved portable fare collecting boxes are particularly applicable for use
in tramcars and other places the chief object of my invention being to give
increased security against tampering with the contents of the boxes.
In constructing a fare collecting box according to my invention I propose to
make the body of the apparatus cylindrical, the lower portion forming a receptacle
for the coin, above and to this portion is fitted and secured the upper part of the
box, which may be composed of a cylinder of glass surmounted by a metal cap
in the top of which is a slot to admit coin. Each coin as placed in the slot falls
through a passage specially shaped or curved into the upper part of the box the
passage being shaped so as to prevent coin being abstracted from the box and as
a further safeguard I propose to pivot to the lower sides of the passage a small
transverse bar or its equivalent free to move up and down which bar stands
normally about half an inch below the bottom of the passage and allows the coin
to enter the box readily. The small bar or equivalent is so arranged that it
drops on and closes the mouth of the coin passage when the box is turned upside
down.
The lower chamber when it is cylindrica! in formn is preferably covered by a loose
cone shaped metal shield with the apex projecting into the glazed chamber the
shield is provided with a central stem which is loose in a slotted tube secured to
the bottoin of the lower chamber a spring in this tube keeps the conical shield
normally up to divide the upper from the lower chamber; a trigger outside the
casing being used to press down the spring and allow the shield to drop when
required to let coin drop from the upper to the lower chamber. The coin cannot be
passed back to the upper chamber as the shield always closes the passage even if the
spring is depressed and the box turned upside down.
I propose to screw the upper part of the box to the lower and in place of a lock and
key to secure the box I prefer to employ a substantial rivet locking device the rivet
after being put in its place and rivetted having a seal or device stamped upon one or
both its heads. The seal can be stamped during the riveting operation or by a separate
operation.
My improvements may be applied to stationary collecting boxes and the body may
be cylindrical as described or of any other convenient form for portable or stationary
apparatus.
H. B. BARLOW,
À cent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Collecting Coin in Payment of Fares in
Public Vehicles and in other Places.
1, ANDREW HOWAT, of 6 Belwood Terrace, Old Trafford, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 an improved apparatus for collecting coin in payment of

page_text: fares and is particularly applicable for use in tramcars and other public vehicles and
places the chief object of my invention being to give increased security and to prevent
any tampering with the contents of the boxes.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings reference being had to the
figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section taken through the middle of a portable fare
collecting box or receptacle made according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a side eleva-
tion of the said receptacle and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken on the plane of the
line A B Fig. 1.
In these views-a designates the lower chamber or coin receptacle which in this
case is made of metal and is rectangular in form although it might be cylindrical or of
any other convenient shape.
Above and to this portion a is fitted and secured the upper part composed of a
cylindrical glass b surmounted by a metal cap c which is secured to the coin
receptacle a by rods or pillars d. This chamber 6 might be made of metal with a
glass window but I prefer to make it wholly of glass to enable any coin therein to be
inore clearly seen and distinguished. In the top of the cap c is a coin slot forming
the entrance to a specially shaped or curved passage c¹ through which each coin as it
is placed in the slot falls; below the end of the passage are two metal leaves or
plates ee which are pivoted to two cross pieces ff secured to the exterior of the
passage c¹ and are prevented from swinging too widely open by two stop pieces gg
secured to c¹. The pivoted plates e e are so arranged that when the box is in a vertical
position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 they hang apart sufficiently to allow a coin to drop
down between them but directly the box is inverted the free ends of the plates e e fall
together and close the end of the passage c' so as to prevent any coin being abstracted
from the box.
Instead of the swinging plates e e any equivalent device may be employed to fall
upon or otherwise close the mouth of the coin passage when the box is turned upside
down.
The entrance to the coin receptacle a from the cylindrical glass chamber b is kept
normally closed by a cone shaped shield with a tubular stem ' which is mounted
loosely upon one arm of a bent or cranked piece i the other arm of which is fitted
loosely in a slotted tubej secured to the inside of the coin receptacle a. A coiled
spring is placed within the tube; and compressed between the lower end of the
cranked piece i and a screw 7 which closes the bottom of the tubej so that by means
of this spring the cranked piece i is kept normally raised and the apex of the conical
shield projects into the glass chamber 6 to divide it from the coin receptacle a.
To allow coin dropped through the coin slot and passage c¹ into the glass chamber b
to pass into the coin receptacle a it is necessary to lower the conical shield h. For
this purpose there is a trigger or thumb piece m which passes through a hole in the
metal top of the receptacle a and is connected to a slide piece n which is fitted in a
chamber formed between the handle o and the outside of the receptacle a to which the
handle o is secured. The slide piece n is attached to a pin which is fixed on the
cranked piece i and projects through the slot in the tube and a corresponding slot in
the side of the receptacle a. To lower the conical shield therefore into the position
indicated by dotted lines Fig. 1 it is only necessary to press down the trigger
any coin in the glass chamber will be free to drop past the shield into the coin
receptacle a.
m when
The coin cannot be passed back into the glass chamber b as the shield / being mounted
loosely on the cranked piece i will always drop onto its seating and close the top
of the coin receptacle a even if the box be turned upside down when the spring k
is compressed by depressing the trigger m.
It is obvious that instead of attaching the slotted tube ; to the side of the
receptacle a and employing a cranked picce i as shown and described that the
slotted tube might be fixed centrally to receive a central stem on the shield h.
In this case also a trigger or thumb piece outside the casing would be used to

page_text: enable the spring to be compressed to lower the shield and further the shield
wonld always fall back and close the passage between the two chambers even if the
box were turned upside down with the spring compressed.
To withdraw coin from the receptacle a I prefer to furnish the latter with a
sliding false bottom p which is bent upward outside the receptacle a and has a
slot in it to allow a corresponding eye a¹ on the outside of the receptacle to pass
through the sliding piece p which is then secured in position either by a padlock
or preferably by means of a lead rivet s put into the eye a¹ and then sealed by
any suitable appliance such for example as the rivetting machine for which I
obtained Letters Patent numbered 13409 and dated August 26th 1889.
My improvements may be applied to stationary collecting boxes and the receptacle
may either be rectangular cylindrical or of any other suitable form.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In a portable fare collecting box the combination with a glass chamber to
which coin is admitted through a non-return passage, and a lower chamber or
coin receptacle, of a conical shield arranged and operating substantially as and
for the purposes herein set forth.
2. The general construction and combined arrangement of parts constituting my
improved apparatus for collecting coin substantially as herein described and as
illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
Dated this fith day of Fahrver 1800
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for Applicant.