New or Improved Means for Indicating the Occupation or Freedom of Stage Carriage Seats and for similar purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1899
New or Improved Means for Indicating the Occupation or Freedom of
Stage Carriage Seats and for similar purposes.
We, LEONARD GEORGE TATE, of 20, Bucklersbury, in the City of London,
Electrical Engineer, and HERBERT JAMES GODDARD BEECH, of The Badminton
Club, 100, Piccadilly, London, W., Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to indicate externally or otherwise the state of
occupation of the interior or other seats of an omnibus or stage carriage or of a
tram car or railway carriage, or of any series of seats or objects, in order that it
may be readily seen by an inspection of the indicator whether any and if so how
many seats or objects are vacant or occupied or in use as the case may be, and
the invention is applicable to any similar purpose in which an indication is
required as to the state of use or freedom of any congery of objects.
For this purpose I arrange in suitable relation to each seat or other object a con-
tact device so that the occupation or use of such seat or object may automatically
cause a temporary change in the position of such device or parts of the saine
which will be automatically restored to its previous position when the occupation
or use of such seat or object ceases. For example, I may employ a device such
as a contact spring, and two contact abutments so that during occupation con-
tact is made with one contact abutment and during freedom contact is made with
the other, with these contact devices I combine two solenoids and a battery and
so arrange that these solenoids may be energized respectively more or less in
accordance with the proportions that temporarily prevail between the number of
occupied seats or objects, and the number unoccupied. Thus if twelve seats are
fitted and for example three only of them are occupied the proportion between the
energizing of the two solenoids will be as 3 to 9. If seven be engaged, the pro-
portion will be as 7 to 5. The solenoids may be so energized by winding them in
series or in parallel, the one solenoid with coils respectively energized when con-
tact occurs between a contact spring and an abutment of one series, the other
solenoid with coils respectively energized when contact occurs between a contact
spring and an abutment of the other series. As each contact is during freedom
in contact with an abutment of one, series, it follows that when all the seats (say
twelve) are unoccupied the one solenoid will have the energy due to the passage
of current in twelve coils while the other solenoid remain unenergized. When a
seat is occupied the current will be diverted from the corresponding coil of the
first solenoid to the corresponding coil of the other solenoid. Thus the proportion
between the number of energized coils of each solenoid will correspond to the
proportion between the occupied and unoccupied seats.
The suitably guided cores of the solenoid are attached to a cord or chain pass-
ing over a pulley which may itself be the indicating wheel, or the cores, chains
or pulley may move the indicator by gear or connections of any suitable kind.

page_text: The cores will be drawn into and from their respective solenoids more or less in
proportion to the relative energy of each solenoid at each change in the condition
of occupation of the seats consequently the pulley will be turned in the one or
other direction which movement may be utilized to show before an opening a
number corresponding to that of the unoccupied or to the occupied seats as the
case may be.
In place of using two solenoids I may employ an indicator board, tablet or
screen with a number of indicators equal to the number of seats or objects in
respect of which the occupation or use is to be indicated, but in order to render
the same automatic cach indicator is provided with two operative electromagnets
the connections being so made with the aforesaid contacts and contact abutments,
that when a seat is unoccupied one of said magnets is energized forcibly holding
the indicator in one position, and when it is occupied the other magnet is ener-
gized and the former unenergized so that the indicator is forcibly held in the
other position.
"
In view of the jolting to which carriages are subject I prefer to thus forcibly
hold the indicator in each position, but for stationary installations it may be
sufficient to rely upon gravity or a slight spring to return the indicator to a
position equivalent to freedom from occupation when the occupation .ceases, so
that one electro magnet alone is required to hold the indicator during occupation,
and to alter the arrangement of the contacts so that the circuits through the
magnets shall only be completed during the act of sitting down or rising up.
If desired in place of making this device so that it is automatic in action it
may be arranged so as to be worked by hand, for instance by the conductor so
that the latter may control the indication of figures or signs of the number of
vacant seats.
Dated this 2nd day of Annil 1909
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicants.
New or Improved Means for Indicating the Occupation or Freedom of
Stage Carriage Seats and for similar purposes.
We, LEONARD GEORGE TATE, of 20, Bucklersbury, in the City of London,
Electrical Engineer, and HERBERT JAMES GODDARD BEECHI, of The Badminton
Club, 100, Piccadilly, London, W., Gentleman, 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 object of this invention is to indicate externally or otherwise the state of
occupation of the interior or other seats of an omnibus or stage carriage or of a
tram car or railway carriage or of any series of seats or objects in charge of an
attendant, in order that it may be readily seen by an inspection of the indicator
whether any and if so how many seats or objects are vacant or occupied or in use
as the case may be, and the invention is applicable to any similar purpose in
which an indication is required as to the state of use or freedom of any congery
of objects.
In our Provisional Specification we have described various automatic devices
intended to attain this object, but by reason of expense in construction and
liability to error in action such devices are in our belief not so suitable as those
more simple devices operated by the conductor, guard, or similar attendant..

page_text: The annexed drawings illustrate a construction suitable for this purpose.
Fig. 1 is a part front elevation and Fig. 2 a side elevation partly in section show-
ing so much of an omnibus or stage carriage as is necessary for illustrating a
means of performing our invention Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views of parts
thereof on larger scales.
The construction as illustrated is for indicating the number of unoccupied out-
side seats, usually fourteen in number. At a suitable position preferably near
to the left of the driver's seat A there is fastened an upright hollow pillar B
of convenient height terminating above in a drum-like head C. In this drum C
which may be formed of two parts cc bolted together is a shaft 1) carrying a
chain wheel E and two translucent disks FF bearing round near their peripheries
a series of numbers equivalent to the number of the seats and a "0
or other
indication for exhibition when all the seats are occupied. The chain G passing
over wheel E and guided by suitable idle rollers HHH passes under wheel J
housed in an enlargement at the lower end of the pillar B, the said wheel J
being at the extremity of a shaft K which may be journalled in a tube L serving
as a handrail. The shaft K extends rearward to the conductor's platform where
it carries a crank handle M by means of which the conductor may turn the shaft
to bring the required number on the disks FF before the windows N N left in
the faces of the drum or casing C to indicate the number of unoccupied seats.
In order that the conductor may have an indicator adjacent to the handle M
for the correct movement of the handle to ensure the indication of the desired
number, there is fixed behind said handle a dial P' bearing similar numbers in
the same order, and near to each number there may be a recess Q in the face of
the dial for frictional engagement of a spring R on the under side of the handle
to retain the latter against accidental displacement from the position given to it.
For night use an electric lamp S or other source of illumination may be so placed
as to illuminate the disks FF. The wires for such electric light may pass to a
battery at T or elsewhere.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1) The construction upon an omnibus or stage carriage, tram car or other place
comprising a series of seats or other congery of objects, of an indicator having
numbers corresponding to the numbers of seats together with an indication of "0
or "Full
or the like in a suitable position for view, gear for operating said indi-
cator, and a setting device therefor within reach and to be operated by an atten-
dant for the purpose of indicating from time to time the state of occupation or
freedom of said- seats or objects.
2) The construction of stage carriage seat indicator with the means for operat-
ing the same substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the annexed
drawings.
KOM
A
KOTTAY
TA
Con us ITTA
uary
0001
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., Agents to Applicants.