IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING BY PUBLIC CONVEYANCES AND THE AMOUNT OF FARES PAID
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Louis Constantin Détouche
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th February 1868.
I, LOUIS CONSTANTIN DÉTOUCHE, of Nos. 222, 228, and 230, Rus
Saint Martin, in the City of Paris, in the Empire of France, Clock
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS
TRAVELLING BY PUBLIC CONVEYANCES AND THE AMOUNT OF FARES PAID," to
be as follows:-
This apparatus consists of a metal or other box divided into four
compartments and placed in any convenient position in the omnibus,
the exterior of the box shews the fares, being furnished with four
circular openings protected by glass and in which the Figures 2, 8, 4,
and 6, appear representing so many pence, being the fares to be
indicated or registered. The internal mechanism for working the
machine is placed and supported between two plates occupying
the upper portion of the box, which is divided into four equal parts
corresponding with the four circular openings exhibiting the fares
outside the omnibus. The upper plate is divided into four parts as
shewn in Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings which form the

page_text: four compartments before alluded to as corresponding with the four
circular openings, shewing the fares outside the omnibus, each indicator
comprises three Figures marking up to 900.
Fig. 1 shews one of the compartments open, the figures appearing
through the three openings, the small squares A, A¹, A", serve to
turn them at zero when desired. Each of the indicators is set in
motion by means of the rods B, one of which the conductor pulls on
seeing what amount of fare is to be registered, at the same time
a bell is struck denoting that the fare received has been marked. In
Fig. 2 the upper plate is removed shewing the arrangement of the
dials. In Fig. 3 the dials are removed, the three ratchets have each
10 teeth the right hand one actuates the second (after having made
a complete revolution) by means of the pawl G the second ratchet
in its turn revolves the third, the first indicates the units, the second
the tens, and the third the hundreds. The right or unit ratchet by
means of a movable lever D pivoting at F and having at its extremity
a pawl E, turns the ratchet by it one tooth at a time. The ratchet
of the dial denoting the hundreds, see Fig. 3, has at its lower part a
disc in which a notch is made, on this disc is a spring L which presses
continually an elbow piece K having a pin at each end, the right
hand one rubbing against the disc. By the position of the ratchets
as shewn in this Figure the dials would indicate 899, and in adding
another figure the first in which the pawl E is engaged will turn
the second which in its turn will revolve the third in such wise
that the notch in the disc C presents itself before the pin borne by
the lever or elbow piece K, which by the pressure or impulsion of
the spring L is made to enter the notch, see Fig. 4, the other pin M
is then engaged with the arm of the lever D, which latter is prevented
rising by means of the spring S checking the rod B at this point by
aid of the stop pin T, when the indicator has reached 900 it will not
act further till reset; but the indicating numbers may be increased
or diminished if desired by a very slight modification. In setting
the indicators at zero all that is necessary is to push the lever K from
left to right by means of the cramp U and the square key or axis
of the respective dials, turning the latter from left to right. The
left pin of the lever K will then recover its position on the diameter
of the disc C and the lever D passes readily before the pin M. Each
striking of the bells of the respective dials is made by the hammer V

page_text: which at the same time acts as a pawl to the ratchet of the unit dial.
The lever is only in an horizontal position when acted on by the
rod B and the hammer is ready to strike, when in repose it is reinstated
by the spring S as high as the stop pin T will admit. In order to
facilitate the working of the indicator and to prevent ringing any
of the bells in connection with a dial marking a lower fare than the
money paid four openings are made in its inside in the interior of
the carriage as at Fig. 4 which are opened or closed by the action
of the lever B drawing with it in rising or in descending by means
of the piece Y a movable plate Z pivoting at N. When the indicator
is not in operation the plate occupies the position as shewn in Z' and
the opening X is uncovered. In ringing the bell by drawing down
the rod B the plate is lowered and takes the position at Z closing
the opening. It is easy to see from the inside at which of the
openings the plate has appeared so as to prove whether the proper
fare has been marked.