A NEW OR IMPROVED LOCALITY OR STATION INDICATING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES, OR VESSELS OF TRANSPORT, WHETHER FOR LAND OR WATER
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Blanchett, of 45, Upper George Street,
Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED LOCALITY OR STATION INDICATING APPARATUS FOR
RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES, OR VESSELS OF TRANSPORT,
WHETHER FOR LAND OR WATER."
Scaled the 30th June 1871, and dated the 3rd January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. Thomas Blanchett at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd January 1871.
I, THOMAS BLANCHETT, of 45, Upper George Street, Marylebone, in
5 the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED LOCALITY OR STATION INDICATING

page_text: APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES, OR VESSELS
OF TRANSPORT, WHETHER FOR LAND OR WATER," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in adapting to the interior or exterior of
carriages and vehicles, or vessels, whether for land or water transport,
index or dial plates, or contrivances whereby the name of the station or
locality at which a carriage or vehicle or vessel is about to or has
arrived, or is stopping at may be seen by the passengers, so that those
who wish to there alight may not fail to do so for want of information.
This I can effect in various ways according to the circumstances of
the case, but the following description of an arrangement I consider
generally suitable will well illustrate the nature of my said Invention,
and the means whereby I intend to carry the same into effect:-Attached
to the carriage, vehicle, or vessel, I have a drum or roller, on which the
names of the different stations or localities at which the carriage, vehicle,
or vessel is accustomed to or may stop at are printed, painted, engraved,
or otherwise displayed thereon in such manner that the rotation of the
ḍrum, or roller, or index carries the appropriate name of a station or
locality to where there is an opening in the carriage, vehicle, or vessel,
or in a case attached thereto, whereby such name only becomes visible.
The drum, or roller, or index can be made to rotate by means of a spring
click or pall acting upon a ratchet wheel at the end or other convenient
part of the said drum, or roller, or index, the same being so adjusted
that only one movement showing only one name can be given at a time,
which is effected by means of a rod or other gear acted upon by a
handle or handles in the guard or attendant's compartment, so 'that he
may be enabled to work the indicators in the different carriages in
accordance with suitable regulations, as arranged. Instead of a roller or
drum an endless band, or a pointer and dial plate, or other arrangement
or contrivance may be used, and if found convenient, an arrangement
may be adopted whereby an arm placed near to each station may act
upon an arm projecting from the train or vehicles, and thus act upon
the rods or other gear, the requisite motion may be given to the index,
drum, or dial, or indicating contrivance.
In some cases it may be thought desirable to use electrical or other
applicable power to give motion to the indicator.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
'filed by the said Thomas Blanchett in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BLANCHETT, of 45, Upper George Street, Marylebone, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of January,' in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred 'and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Blanchett, Her special licence
that I, t he said Thomas Blanchett, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Blanchett, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED
LOCALITY OR STATION INDICATING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY
CARRIAGES, AND VEHICLES, OR VESSELS OF TRANSPORT, WHETHER FOR LAND OR
WATER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Blanchett, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Blanchett, do hereby declare
the nature of my said 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 consists in adapting to the interior or exterior of the
carriages and vehicles, or vessels, whether for land or water transport,
indicators, indexes, dial plates, or contrivances workable in the manner
and by the means herein-after described in order that the name of the

page_text: station or locality at which a carriage or vehicle or vessel is about to or
has arrived or is stopping at may be seen by the passengers, so that those
who wish to there alight may not fail to do so for want of information.
This I prefer to effect for railway trains by adopting what I term a
self-acting arrangement of the following character:-Attached to the
carriage I have a drum or roller on which the names of the different
stations or localities at which the carriage, vehicle, or vessel is accus-
tomed to or may stop at, are printed, painted, engraved, or otherwise
displayed, thereon in such manner that the rotation of the drum, or
roller, or index carries the appropriate name of the station or locality
to where there is an opening in the carriage, vehicle, or vessel, or in a
case attached thereto, whereby such name only becomes visible and
properly readable. The drum, or roller, or index, can be made to rotate
by means of a pawl and ratchet arrangement, whereby only one movement
showing only one name can be given at a time, which is effected in
the self-acting system by having a pin or projection on the side of the
rail placed near to each station or stopping place, so as to come in
contact with and thereby act upon a suitable lever attached to each
carriage of a train, which lever is so arranged as to act in manner referred
to upon the ratchet and pawl arrangement. Instead of a roller or
drum an endless band, or a dial plate and pointer, or other indicating
arrangements or contrivance may be used. For vessels, and also in
some cases on railways where it is not possible or not convenient to
adopt the self-acting system, the indicating arrangements may be worked
by pawl and ratchet or other gear (set in motion from a handle) by
the guard or attendant.
'
Thus far in compliance with the said condition in the said Letters
Patent, I have particularly described the object and nature of the said
Invention, therein adverting to the manner of performing or putting
the same in practice; and now in further compliance with the said
Letters Patent I will particularly describe and ascertain in what
manner the same is to be performed or put in practice by referring to
the accompanying Drawings as follows, that is to say:-

page_text: A, body of carriage; b, case for indicating arrangements fixed to the
carriage at the upper part of a partition of the compartment in such
manner that there may be an opening for the name of the station in
each compartment; c, ratchet and pawl gear which actuate the rollers
on which the names of stations are displayed. The pawls are connected
to the moving bar d, extending the whole length of the carriage, thus
being capable of working any number of indicating arrangements
which may be used in the carriage; e, are knee-jointed lever's actuated
as hereafter described by a pin or projection e¹ fixed to the side of
the rail.
The action of my apparatus is as follows:-Assuming the train to be
about to arrive at a station the levers e, which are placed at the end
of the carriage near to tho rail, are knee-jointed so as only to strike
effectively on going forwards. The lever placed at one end strikes
against the pin or projection e¹ and actuates the bar d, on which are
fixed the pawls c, which gear into the ratchet wheels c. By this motion
the bar d with the pawls is, when going forwards, pulled the space of
one tooth of the ratchet wheel and the pawl for the ratchet drops into
the next tooth, whereby the drum marked in dotted lines, which is inside
the outer case b, revolves and shows by means of a slit in the outer
case b, and in the partition if necessary the name of the station. A
ratchet wheel and pawl c is placed on each side of the bar d, but the
teeth are in opposite directions, so that when the train has gone the
length of the liue, and the same stations are to be shown in returning,
the roller is caused to revolve the opposite way, which is effected by
the jointed lever at the other end of the carriage. It is to be noticed
that at one end the joint of the jointed lever e is so placed that when
this lever strikes the pin or projection e¹ it is in a rigid state, whilst
the jointed lever e at the other end is placed so that it bends and
slides over the pin or projection, thus causing no action to take place
except in forward motion.
'
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my said Invention and in what manner the same may be
performed or carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim,
the Invention of "A New or Improved Locality or Station Indicating
Apparatus, for Railway and Tramway Carriages and Vehicles, or Vessels
of Transport, whether for Land or Water," as herein-before set forth

page_text: and described, it being understood that I do not limit or confine myself
to the precise details of construction herein-before described, as the
same may be varied as circumstances may require, still adhering to the
general characteristics of the Invention as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Blanchett, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand sight hundred and arrantz
THOMAS BLANCHETT. (L.S.)
Witness,
THOMAS MORGAN,
Secretary,
Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street.