Improvements in Apparatus for Registering the Number of Persons Entering or Leaving Tramway-cars and other Vehicles, Buildings, and other places
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1891
Improvements in Apparatus for Registering the Number of Persons
Entering or Leaving Tramway-cars and other Vehicles, Buildings,
and other places.
I, ADRIAN GAJARDO, a citizen of the Republic of Chili and resident of
Valparaiso, in the Province of Valparaiso, Chili, at present residing temporarily
a Rue Maubeuge, 15 bis Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineer, 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:
My invention relates to apparatus for registering the number of persons entering
or leaving tramway cars and other vehicles buildings and other places and comprises
certain improvements in the apparatus of this kind or class described in the
Specification of my former application for British Letters Patent No. 15898 filed
7th October 1890.
In the said Specification I have described an apparatus wherein a pair of side
posts or pillars are each supplied with two arms bars or gates secured at right
angles to one another, upon a vertical shaft or spindle, one of these arms or gates
viz. that through which the persons pass and hereinafter designated the primary
arm or gate, projecting in its normal position directly across the path or passage
while the other or auxiliary arm rests at the side thereof so that when a person
presses back the first named bar in passing the same; the vertical pillar or shaft is
thereby rotated and the auxiliary arm is moved round over the path to prevent
another person passing till the arms have again resumed their normal position which
they do automatically under the influence of suitable springs. Now in some situa-
tions as for instance in tram-cars and other vehicles the amount of space which is
available is frequently too small to permit of the use of these primary and auxiliary
arms as hereinbefore described, and my present invention is chiefly designed to
overcome this difficulty by constructing the said primary and auxiliary arms in a
more compact form than that described in the said former Specification.
An important feature of my present invention consists in making the auxiliary
arms or gates which serve to prevent the entrance of more than one person at a
time, in the form or approximately in the form of a segment of a circle and so
arranging the same that when the parts are in their normal position the said
segmental auxiliary arms are retired into suitably shaped recesses or guides behind
the pivots of the primary arms, the two sets of arms being coupled together and
co-operating as hereinafter described so that when the primary arms are pushed
backward or displaced the auxiliary arms are moved out of their respective casings
or recesses and serve to prevent any one passing the apparatus until the parts have
resumed their normal position.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan of my improved apparatus showing the arms or gates in their
normal or undisturbed position.
Figure 2 is a plan showing the position into which the arms or gates are moved
by a person passing through them.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 a part of the
casing being removed to show the operating mechanism, and
Figure 4 is a similar view of the apparatus shown in Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a side view of the apparatus, one of the arms and a part of the casing
being removed, showing the operating device in position.

page_text: Figures 6 and 7 are views hereinafter referred to showing certain details of the
mechanism.
A, A are the two uprights or fixed side portions of the apparatus. B and C
represent the respective co-operating arms of the apparatus, B being the primary
arms between which the person enters, and C being the auxiliary arms the purpose
of which is to prevent more than one person passing the apparatus at a time.
These auxiliary arms are adapted to enter suitable recesses C¹ provided to receive
the same in each of the side posts or uprights the said recesses being open at both
ends to permit of the auxiliary arms sliding out of the same from either end
thereof.
D is a vertical shaft or spindle upon which the arms B are carried and which is
provided at its lower extremity with a collar or enlargement E in the circumference
of which a cam groove E' is formed. This cam groove is adapted to act on a suit-
able pin or stud F carried at the extremity of a curved piece G₁ forming one arm
of a bell-crank G secured upon a pivot H at the base of the upright. The other
arm of this bell crank is connected, by a flexible steel or other suitable rod or bar I,
which also serves as hereinafter described the purpose of a retracting spring, with
the auxiliary arm C. The rod or bar I is connected with the auxiliary arm by a
suitable universal joint preferably comprising a ball J carried in arms or brackets K
secured to the said auxiliary arm.
The whole apparatus is preferably fitted up in duplicate that is to say, each of
the uprights A is provided with one or more primary arms or gates B and with one
or more auxiliary arms C, connected and co-operating together as described.
The construction of the bell-crank G and the flexible rod I is shown more clearly
in Figures 6 and 7 the former of which is a view of the said parts in side elevation
while the latter is a plan thereof. It will be seen that the curved arm C¹ of the
bell-crank is bent for convenience so as to partly surround the collar or enlargement E
on the shaft D.
As above mentioned the flexible rod or bar I is connected to the segmental
auxiliary arm by means of a perforated ball J through which passes a projection
or stem I' on the rod I. The ball J fits into two suitable recesses
or sockets
formed one on each of the adjacent extremities of the brackets K which partially
enclose the same and retain it in position as shown more clearly in Figure 5,
while permitting the free motion thereof about its centre, to allow it to correspond
to the changes in the relative position of the short stem I¹.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows. On a person passing into the car,
vehicle, building or the like at the entrance of which the said apparatus is
situated, the primary arms are moved in the direction indicated by the arrows in
Figure 1 thereby operating the counting mechanism situated at A' (which counting
mechanism is substantially similar to that described in the said former Specification
No. 15898) and at the same time causing the vertical shafts or spindles D to turn
on their axes. The cam groove formed in the collar or enlargement E of each
of the said spindles D thus caused to act on the pin F of the bell-crank G
which is turned upon its pivot H and causes the flexible rod or bar I to move
in a corresponding direction and to draw the auxiliary arm C out of the recess
in which it is situated, and to move the same forward to close the path between
the uprights of the apparatus. Since however the said auxiliary arm moves in
a curved or circular path the flexible rod or bar I which is rigidly secured to
the bell-crank G is bent or twisted to one side in the act of withdrawing the
auxiliary arm and energy is thereby stored in the same to cause it to act as a
retracting spring to effect the return of the parts to their normal position after the
person has passed through and is clear of the arms B.
This return movement takes place as follows. The flexible bar I in straightening
itself moves in the opposite direction to that in which it was bent in the withdrawal
of the auxiliary arms and thereby carries the said auxiliary arms back into the
recess provided for them. At the same time the said bar I assumes a vertical
position, and by the corresponding movement of the bell-crank G upon its pivot,

page_text: causes the pin F to press upon the side of the cam groove in the collar E with
sufficient force to rotate the shaft or spindle D upon its axis and so swing the arms B
back to their normal position and close the path.
In cases where it is desired to register the number of persons passing the apparatus
in the opposite direction to that herein before described the arms B and C co-operate
together in a similar manner to that above set forth since the said arms C can as
hereinbefore mentioned be moved out of either extremity of the recesses adapted
to receive them. The action of the mechanism in this instance will be more clearly
understood by reference to Figure 3 from which it is evident that if the arms B are
moved in the opposite direction to that indicated in Figure 1 the cam groove E¹
will act to raise the arm G¹ of the bell crank G instead of to lower it as in the
former case.
The effect of this will be to throw the flexible bar I backward and
to move the auxiliary arms out behind the person passing through the apparatus,
the said flexible bar being bent to one side or put in a state of tension in following
the motion of the said auxiliary arm as hereinbefore described and serving by its
reaction to restore the arms to their normal position.
It is obvious however that instead of a separate cam and bell-crank being provided
in each post A, only one of the posts A might be so fitted the two sets of arms on
either side of the entrance being coupled together by suitable connecting gearing
arranged beneath the flooring or foot plate, the motions of one set thus serving to
operate both sets of arms or gates. Moreover instead of the cylinder E having the
cam groove E' formed therein any other suitable form of cam may be employed in
place thereof.
It is obvious moreover that other parts of my said invention as for instance the
joint by which the flexible bar I is connected to the auxiliary arm C may be modified
without departing from the nature thereof.
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 :-
First In an apparatus for the purposes above specified, the combination of suit-
able arms or gates pivoted or hinged at one extremity thereof, and one or more
curved or segmental sliding bars or gates arranged to close when the pivoted or
hinged gates are opened for the purpose set forth.
Second In an apparatus for the purposes above specified, the employment of a
set of curved or segmental sliding bars or gates acted on by a flexible rod, which is
bent to one side in moving the said bars outward and reacts to restore the same to
their normal position, substantially as described.
Third An apparatus for the purposes above specified constructed substantially
as described with reference to the accompanying drawings and operating as set
forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.