Improvements in Apparatus employed for Checking the Receipt of Money Fares from Persons Riding in Public Vehicles, and in the Means employed therewith.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1893-Accepted, 16th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus employed for Checking the Receipt of
Money Fares from Persons Riding in Public Vehicles, and in the
Means employed therewith.
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 an improved method of illuminating the punching
platform of a punch such as described in the Specification of Letters Patent
No. 8273 A.D. 1887 or any modification of the same so as to enable the conductor
of a vehicle or the like to punch the sectional or other divisions of a ticket with
accuracy in the dark.
In the Specification of Letters Patent No. 6551 A.D. 1889 a means is described
of illuminating the punching platform of a box punch by means of electricity
stored in accumulator cells placed at the back of the punch and acting at intervals
as required upon a small incandescent lamp of the usual construction.
In this Specification the contact of the two poles of the accumulator is made
by means of a press push placed at the lower part of the punch frame by which
the operator can render the lamp incandescent when required by the action of the
ball of the thumb pressing upon the press push when about to punch a ticket.
In this case it is left optional with the operator to use the press push and tickets
might be punched and issued in the dark without the punching platform of the
punch being lighted by the incandescent lamp at the time of punching the ticket
or the press push could and might be used for other purposes than illuminating the
punching platform of the punch for the purpose of punching tickets accurately in
the dark and in order to prevent these uses and to confine the use of the
incandescent lamp to the special object of illuminating the platform of the punch
when about to punch a ticket the improvements hereunder described have been
made.
These improvements consist in the lamp being rendered incandescent only by means
of the ticket itself when about to be punched and issued whereby the storage of
electricity in the accumulator cells is maintained for the special purpose required
namely to illuminate the punching platform of the punch when about to punch and
issue a ticket in the dark.
For this purpose I employ as described in the Specification No. 6551 above
referred to, a small accumulator preferably of two or three cells capable of storing
the electricity required and which accumulator is placed preferably at the back of
the box punch in a receptacle and covering of suitable form. Insulated wires are
attached to each pole of this accumulator, one of these wires in direct connection
with one of the wires of the incandescent lamp and the other attached to a spring
push rod placed directly at the back of the slit of the punch head in which the
tickets are inserted to be punched and over a spring platform or the like connected
by insulated wire with the other wire of the incandescent lamp. This spring
platform is so constructed that it can be set at one side by a suitable appliance
outside the covering of the accumulator cell so as to avoid contact with the spring
push but can by this appliance easily be replaced in the proper position to complete
the circuit when the spring push is depressed by placing a ticket home in the slit of
the punch head. The spring push is placed in suitable guides directly over the
spring platform and acted upon by a spiral or other spring and is in direct
connection by means of an insulated wire with the other pole of the accumulator.
This push is made sufficiently long to enter a hole placed at the back of the slit in
the punch head and projects when in its correct position about one eighth of an

page_text: inch in the slit of the punch head and in the centre of the same by preference but
is completely concealed from view. When a ticket is inserted in the slit of the
punch head for the purpose of punching the same the ticket cannot be brought
home to the proper position for punching except by depressing the spring push and
in doing this contact is made with the spring platform which completes the circuit
and thereby renders incandescent the carbon or other filament of the lamp. When
the ticket is punched and withdrawn the spring push again assumes its normal
position about one eighth of an inch in advance of the back of the punch slit and
so breaks the contact. The slide of the punch bearing the arm which carries the
punch cutter has a slot in the same at the back of the slit of the punch head and
sufficiently long to allow the slide to descend to its full stroke by means of the
cross lever at the foot of the same and at each depression of the punch lever
without touching the spring push.
In place of the moveable spring platform I may employ a thin plate of ebonite
or other like insulating material for the purpose of preventing contact between the
spring push and platform or I may employ a switch so placed as to prevent the
circuit being made except when required.
I may also employ a punch cutter with dies suitably placed which shall by the
act of punching a ticket break at once the contact with the push and platform
without the ticket being withdrawn from the punch slit and for this purpose I may
employ a cutter of a V form or half round or other form which form when punched
out of the margin of the ticket will allow the spring push to regain its normal
position by entering the part so punched out and thus break the contact.
I may further alter the position of the spring push and place same outside the
slit but in the same line to be acted upon by a ticket when placed in the slit or I
may place same above or below that line to be operated by the hand or otherwise.
Dated this 30th day of September 1892.
J. M. BLACK..
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus employed for Checking the Receipt of
Money Fares from Persons Riding in Public Vehicles, and in the
Means employed therewith.
I, JOHN MELTON BLACK, of Tabernacle Street, Finsbury, in the County of
London, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus used by the conductors of public vehicles for
the purpose of punching, and retaining the punched-out pieces of tickets given in
exchange for the fares received from the passengers; or used by persons employed
in the collection of the fares or tolls of steam boats, ferries, piers or the like, or of
admission money to places of recreation or amusement.
"
My invention, however, especially relates to that class of such apparatus in which
means are provided for illuminating the punching platform or the ticket thereon by
means of electricity stored in an accumulator or storage battery. Hitherto the
illuminating apparatus of such a punch has been so arranged as to require a separate
or independent operation from that of issuing the ticket for the purpose of lighting
the lamp.
Now the object of my invention is to provide means whereby the act of
introducing the ticket into the usual slot in the punching platform will cause an
electric lamp to be rendered incandescent, thereby effecting a considerable saving
of electricity as compared with the old method.
. In carrying out my invention I employ a casing adapted to have the punching
apparatus removably applied thereto and to this casing 1 fix a small incandescent
electric lamp suitably protected by a shield which also serves as a reflector in such

page_text: a manner that when the illuminating apparatus is applied to the punching
mechanism the lamp will be in proximity to the punching platform. In the said
casing I place an electric accumulator or accumulators the terminals of which
make contact with two springs connected to the circuit wires of the lamp. In the
said casing is a rod so arranged as to project into the said slot of the punching
platform under the action of a light spring and adapted at its rear end to complete
the electric circuit of the lamp so that when a ticket is introduced into the slot of
the punching platform the spring-rod will be pushed backwardly to complete the
circuit so that the lamp will be rendered incandescent and the ticket illuminated,
thereby enabling the conductor or other person to place the ticket so that it can be
punched in the required position.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are a side elevation, front elevation and plan respectively of
a ticket-punching apparatus having adapted thereto my apparatus for causing the
illumination of the ticket :
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Figure 2:
Figure 5 is a side elevation partly in section and with part of the casing removed
in order to shew the parts within the same :
Figure 6 is a front elevation of the casing containing the accumulator removed
from the punching mechanism:
Figure 7 is an elevation of the plate closing the front of the casing shewn in
Figure 6 and serving to carry the punching mechanism: and,
Figure 8 is a plan of the same:
Figure 9 is an elevation of the punching mechanism detached from the said plate.
a indicates the casing of the punching mechanism, the punching platform
having the slot c for the insertion of the ticket; the handle or lever for
operating the punch, and e the plate upon which the punching mechanism is carried
by means of the guide-pieces f,f forming grooves in which flanges g, g upon the
casing a engage, the said plate e being provided with studs h, h, as shewn in
Figures 7 and 8, to which a strap, for suspending the punching apparatus around
the neck of the conductor or other person using the said apparatus, is attached,
when not used in conjunction with my illuminating arrangement. These parts,
however, are all of well known construction and therefore require no further
description.
"
i is the casing for containing the electric accumulator or accumulators, this
casing being preferably attached to the plate e at one edge by a hinge and
secured at the other edge by means of a spring-catch k. Studs ', ' similar to
the studs h, h are secured to the back of the casing i for the purpose of suspending
the apparatus when the punching mechanism is used in connection with the lighting
mechanism. is the electric accumulator which is of any suitable construction
and provided with two studs m, m² forming the terminals. The studs are rounded
or inclined or bevelled, as shewn most clearly in Figure 4, in such a manner that
when the accumulator is placed in the casing the said studs will impinge against
two contact springs n, n' and force the same apart so as to ensure a good contact
without the necessity of employing screws or other devices for completing the
circuit. o, o are two clip-springs or packing-pieces for holding the lower end of
the accumulator in its proper position, and p,p are pivotted plates which, after
the accumulator is introduced into the casing i, are turned to the position shewn
in Figure 6 to prevent the said accumulator from becoming displaced.
?"
9 is the electric lamp which is suitably secured to the casing i and connected
to the contact spring n by the wire and by a wire r¹ to a contact plate s insulated
from the casing i. t is the rod which projects into the slot c of the punching
platform b. This rod slides in the two arms t¹, t' of a bracket secured to and in
electrical contact with the casing i and in such a manner that when the said pin t
is pushed inwardly it will make contact with the plate s. The spring n¹ is in
electrical contact with the casing i through the bent arm u, so that when the said

page_text: rod is in contact with the plates the current will flow from the accumulator
through the terminal m, the spring n and the wire r to the lamp, and thence through
the wire, the plate s, the rod t, the arms t', ', the casing i, the bent arm u and the
contact spring n' to the terminal m' of the accumulator thereby completing the
circuit.
vis the spring which surrounds the rod t and at one end bears against a collar
thereon whilst the other end bears against one of the arms t¹ so that normally the said
rod t will be projected into the slot c out of contact with the plate s. This spring
is made as weak as possible so that, when a ticket is introduced into the slot c to
be punched, the rod t will be pushed back without any effort on the part of the
operator in order to complete the circuit of the lamp and illumipate the ticket.
To prevent the depression of the pin t from causing the lighting of the lamp
except when desired I attach the spring-arm u, which establishes communication
between the contact spring n' and the casing i, to a slide w in the side of the said
casing, as shewn most clearly in Figure 1, and I simply bend the lower part of
the contact spring n¹ so that, when the slide is moved down from the position shewn
in the full lines in Figure 6 to the position shewn in dotted lines, the said spring
arm u will be out of contact with the spring n', thereby breaking the electric
circuit.
e is a tubular shield screwed over the lamp g, as shewn most clearly in Figure 4,
to protect the same, the said shield having an opening in one side through which
the light of the lamp is directed onto the ticket. When the casing i is applied to
the plate e the lamp with its shield a projects through a hole y therein and the rod t
through a hole t² as shewn. z is a shield secured to the plate e for affording an
additional protection to the lamp.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manuer the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The combination with a ticket-punching apparatus of an electric lamp and an
accumulator carried in a casing adapted to be connected with and disconnected from
the casing of the punching apparatus, and a spring-rod projecting into the ticket-
slot of the punching apparatus and adapted when pressed by the introduction of a
ticket into the said slot, to complete the circuit of the lamp, substantially as
desoribed.
2. In combination with a ticket-punching apparatus provided with means for
illuminating the ticket by electricity, an accumulator having contact studs adapted
when the accumulator is placed in position to make contact with contact springs
connected to the circuit of the lamp, substantially as described.
Dated the 29th day of July 1893.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.