Improvements in Apparatus Employed for Checking the Receipt of Money from Persons Riding in Public Vehicles and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application. 30th Apr.. 1896
Complete Specification Left. 30th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 10th Apr., 1897
Improvements in Apparatus Employed for Checking the Receipt of
Money from Persons Riding in Public Vehicles and the like.
I JOHN MELTON BLACK of Tabernacle Street London Gentleman do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus used by conductors of public
vebicles for the purpose of punching tickets to be given in exchange for money fares
from passengers riding in public vehicles and the like.
These improvements consist of
First. An improved means of recording the number of depressions of the lever
actuating the punch plunger or cutter of a punch apparatus such as described in the
Specification of Letters Patent No. 124 A.D. 1871 No. 1667 A.D. 1874 No. 6551
A.D. 1889.
Second. An improved means of making the maximum rise of the punch lever
(by the action of the spiral spring placed in the punch frame) of a punch similar to
those described in the above mentioned specifications of Letters Patent positive.
For the purposes of the first improvement I employ as a means of recording the
number of depressions of the punch lever, ratchet wheels having 30, 40 or 50 teeth
as may be preferred in place of 32 teeth as heretofore used in apparatus of this kind.
The mechanism for recording the number of depressions of the lever being the same
as described in the above mentioned specifications of Letters Patent, that is to say
by providing the punch lever with an arm which is partly concealed in the frame of
the punch and which arm actuates an oscillating tumbler upon which a double tooth
dog or pawl is mounted and so placed that the pawl with one of its teeth moves
forward one of the ratchet wheels one tooth at each depression of the lever and at
the complete revolution of this ratchet wheel the second tooth of the double dog
moves forward one tooth of the second ratchet wheel (placed above) at each revolution
of the lower ratchet wheel. These forward movements are indicated by a long and
short hand fastened to the head of the spindles of each ratchet wheel, the long hand
being fastened to the spindle of the lower ratchet wheel the short hand to that of the
upper ratchet wheel.
These long and short hands are placed over a dial plate divided into 30, 40 or
50 divisions according to the number of teeth in the ratchet wheels.
It is obvious that by the simple multiplication of the unit 3, 4 or 5 according to
the number of teeth in the ratchet wheels the number recorded by the long and short
hands can be ascertained without the necessity of multiplying by two figures as
heretofore when ratchet wheels of 32 teeth are used as for instance, suppose the short
hand points to division 25 and the long hand to 20 and ratchet wheels of 40 teeth are
employed then 4 x 25 = 100 add 0 to the right hand of the quotient = 1000 then
add the number 20 indicated by the long hand = 1020.
The object therefore of this improvement is that the number of depressions of the
punch lever can be more readily ascertained than heretofore in punches of that class
as described in the above mentioned specifications of Letters Patent.
For the purpose of the second improvement I restrain the action of the spiral
spring which raises the lever of the punch when it has been depressed so as to ensure
that the lever rises to a definite height at each return. For this purpose I mount

page_text: upon the top of the punch frame a rod which passes through the Never and on this
rod I mount a screw head which adjusts the rise of the lever to the necessities of the
internal appliances of the punch. This position being ascertained the screw head is
secured by a pin passing through the same to prevent it being unscrewed by the
repeated tappings of the lever at each return.
The object of this improvement is to prevent the rack arm of the lever turning
over or otherwise interfering with the proper function of the tumbler pawl and to
avoid giving shock to the tumbler upon which the double dog which actuates the
ratchet wheel is mounted in that class of punch as described in the before mentioned
specifications of Letters Patent.
Improvements in Apparatus Employed for Checking the Receipt of
Money from Persons Riding in Public Vehicles and the like.
I, JOHN MELTON BLACK, of Tabernacle Street, London, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the said is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus used by conductors of public
vehicles for the purpose of punching tickets to be given in exchange for the money
fares of the passengers riding in such vehicles the said improvements being especially
applicable to the instrument known as the "bell punch" and described in the
Specifications of Letters Patent No. 124 of 1871, 1667 of 1874, and 6551
of 1889.
.In apparatus of this kind as heretofore constructed a recording mechanism is
arranged having two ratchet wheels each provided with 32 teeth and which are
operated by the punch lever on which is an arın partly concealed in the frame of the
punch and which arm actuates an oscillating tumbler upon which a double tooth dog
or pawl is mounted and so placed that the pawl with one of its teeth moves forward
the units ratchet wheel one tooth at each depression of the lever and at the complete
revolution of this ratchet wheel the second tooth of the double dog moves forward one
tooth of the second ratchet wheel (placed above). These forward movements are
indicated by long and short hands fastened to the heads of the spindles of the said
ratchet wheels, the long hand being fastened to the spindle of the lower ratchet wheel
and the short hand to that of the upper ratchet wheel. These long and short hands
are placed over a dial plate divided into 32 divisions according to the number of
teeth in the ratchet wheels. Hitherto in order to find the number recorded by the
long and short hands, it was necessary to multiply the number 32 by the number
indicated by the short hand of the counting mechanism adding to the result the
number of units which the long hand indicates past the zero point, for instance, if
the short hand indicates 29 and the long or "units" hand 16 it is necessary to
multiply 32 by 29 and to add to the result 16 in order to ascertain the number
recorded.
The object of the first part of my invention is to simplify the arithmetical
calculations necessary for ascertaining the number of depressions of the punch lever
and to this end I employ ratchet wheels having 30, 40, 50 or other decimal number of
teeth so that it is only necessary to multiply the number recorded upon the dial by
the short hand 3, 4 or 5 according as to whether a 30, 40 or 50 tooth wheel is
employed and then placing a nought after the result to which latter the odd "units"
are then added.

page_text: The object of another part of my invention is to prevent the rack arm of the lever-
turning over or otherwise interfering with the proper function of the tumbler pawl
by ensuring that the said lever only rises to a definite height at each return movement
and to avoid giving shock to the tumbler upon which the double dog which actuates
the ratchet wheel is mounted. Hitherto an abutment upon the punch lever adjacent
to the hinge and co-operating with a corresponding abutment on the frame of the
punch was solely depended upon for this purpose. According to the present invention
I mount upon the top of the punch frame a rod which passes through the lever and
on this rod I mount a screw nut or head which adjusts the rise of the lever to the
necessities of the internal appliances of the punch. The position being ascertained
the screw head is secured by a pin passing through the same to prevent it being
unscrewed by the repeated tappings of the lever at each return.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by reference.
to the accompanying drawing, in which,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a punch having my improvements applied
thereto, and
Figure 2 is a similar view shewing the dial and hands of the counting mechanism.
removed.
Figure 3 is a view of the opposite side of the punch to that shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
illustrating the arrangement of the stop rod.
a is the frame of the punch and b is the punch lever which has attached to it the
arm or blade c. d is the upper of the two ratchet wheels of the recording mechanism
the said wheels which, as shewn in the drawing, are each provided with forty teeth
being operated by the double pawl or dog e carried on the tumbler f which is engaged
with the blade c of the lever b in such a manner that each time the lever 6 is
depressed the tumbler will be oscillated to move the "units" ratchet wheel. The
wheel d has a tubular shank carrying the short hand 9 whilst the "units" wheel
which is behind the wheel d has a shank projecting through the tubular shank of the
"tens" wheel and carrying at its outer end the long hand. These two hands 9, h
move over a dial i which is graduated with forty divisions to correspond with the
teeth of the ratchet wheel. The hands g and 4 in the drawing are represented
at the divisions 30 and 18 of the dial respectively to ascertain the number of
passengers which this reading indicates it is only necessary to multiply the-
number 30 by 4 = 120 adding a nought = 1200 and then adding the odd
18 units=1218.
The arrangement of the stop rod will be readily understood by reference to
Figure 3 in which j inlicates the said rod which is screwed into the frame a and
extends through a hole or aperture k formed in the lever. I is the nut upon the said
rod and m the pin for fixing the said nut in the required position. is the usual
tumbler which engages with the notches or teeth upon the edge of the plate 6 in a
well known manner.
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 fare recording apparatus of the kind described the arrangement of the
counting mechanism, substantially as described by reference to Figures 1 and 2 of
the drawing.
2. In a fare recording apparatus of the kind described the arrangement in
combination with the punch lever of a rod such as j having a head or nut, substantially-
as, and for the purpose, described.
Dated this 90th day of January 1967
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.