IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR ISSUING TICKETS PROGRESSIVELY NUMBERED TO PASSENGERS IN PUBLIC CONVEYANCES AND TO VISITORS AT PUBLIC MEETINGS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Haworth, of Mode Wheel House, near the City
of Manchester, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR ISSUING TICKETS PROGRESSIVELY NUMBERED TO
PASSENGERS IN PUBLIC CONVEYANCES AND TO VISITORS AT PUBLIC MEETINGS."
Sealed the 8th October 1867, and dated the 24th April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Haworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th April 1867.
I, JOHN HAWORTH, of Mode Wheel House, near the City of Manchester,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR ISSUING TICKETS PROGRESSIVELY NUMBERED
TO PASSENGERS IN PUBLIC CONVEYANCES AND TO VISITORS AT PUBLIC MEETINGS,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention is particularly beneficial when applied to act as a check on
omnibus conductors, but it may be used with advantage by cab proprietors,
railway companies, on steam boats, and in concert halls or other public meetings.
The apparatus consists of a circular case containing a strip of paper rolled
on a fixed hollow perforated rotating barrel, which paper is divided into tickets
each of which has a cousecutive number and any device or matter printed or

page_text: stamped upon it. The case is provided with a mouth piece having an elastic
upper lip for the end of the strip of paper to be drawn through; the month
piece is covered with a flap of leather or other elastic substance, and with a
saw toothed paper cutter to facilitate the tearing off of the tickets. The
conductor when he collects the fares must tear off a ticket and give it to each
passenger. In order to be able to catch hold of the strip of paper in the
event of the apparatus being out of order I make an opening in the side of
the case near the mouth piece above referred to. The conductor must be
provided with an apparatus for each description of tickets he issues, and the
cases are connected together by a central bolt and secured by a lock and key,
thus preventing any tampering with the tickets. When the conductor pays
in the fares received the number on the ticket that projects through the slot in
the case indicates the number of tickets he has issued in the same manner
as the number on railway tickets.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Haworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HAWORTH, of Mode Wheel House, near the City of Manchester, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Haworth, Her special license that I, the said John Haworth, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Haworth, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR ISSUING TICKETS PROGRESSIVELY NUMBERED TO PASSENGERS
IN PUBLIC CONVEYANCES AND TO VISITORS AT PUBLIC MEETINGS,'
upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Haworth, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the

page_text: 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 John Hawarth, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention is particularly beneficial when applied to act as a check on
omnibus conductors, but it may be used with advantage by cab proprietors,
railway companies, on steam boats, and in concert halls or other public meetings.
The apparatus consists of a circular case containing a strip of paper rolled on
a fixed hollow perforated rotating barrel, which paper is divided into tickets,
each of which has a consecutive number and any device or matter printed or
stamped upon it. The case is provided with a mouth piece having an elastic
upper lip for the end of the strip of paper to be drawn through; the mouth
piece is covered with a flap of leather or other elastic substance, and the case
has a saw-toothed paper cutter to facilitate the tearing off of the tickets. The
conductor when he collects the fares must tear off a ticket and give it to each
passenger. The conductor must be provided with an apparatus for each
description of ticket he issues, and the cases are connected together by a
central bolt and secured by a lock and key, thus preventing any tampering
with the tickets. When the collector pays in the fares received, the number
on the ticket that projects through the slot in the case indicates the number
of tickets he has issued, in the same manner as the number on railway
tickets.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawing,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an end view of the apparatus, Figure 2 a vertical section,
Figure 3 a longitudinal section and Figure 4 a plan of the same.
I wish to remark that the apparatus I am now going to describe is made
with three compartments, each containing tickets of different value, but it is
evident that the apparatus may be used single or double, and with any other
number of compartments according to the different value of tickets required.
In the Drawing shewn each compartment of the apparatus consists of a
circular sheet metal case a containing a strip of paper as shewn detached in
Figure 4, on which the value of the ticket into which the strip of paper is
divided and a consecutive number are printed. The strip of paper is wound
on the hollow perforated rotating barrel 6, which is also made of sheet metal,

page_text: and is prevented from moving endwise in the casing a by a shoulder on one
end and a wire at the other. The end of the strip of paper wound on the
barrel b is taken through the mouth piece formed by a slot in the circumference
of the casing, which slot is provided with an elastic lip c made of leather or
other suitable material. This lip is provided with one or more plugs of
india-rubber, which are tapered below to allow the strip of paper to pass out
freely and to prevent its returning into the case; needle points or other
equivalents may be applied for the same purpose. The mouth piece is covered
with the flap d, which is also made of leather or other elastic substance, and
to the circumference of the casing is fixed the saw toothed paper cutter e to
facilitate the tearing off of the tickets. When two or more compartments
are used they are connected together by the bolt f and secured by a lock and
key, and as a further protection against fraud I paste or glue a piece of
paper or other material between the lip c and the flap d.
The mode of operation is as follows:-A narrow strip of plain paper or
parchment is first introduced into the casing through the mouth piece, the
end of which strip is caught hold of by a needle or other suitable instrument
and secured in the slot or perforation in the barrel b. To the outer end of this
strip is then pasted or otherwise secured the end of the strip of paper on
which the fare and consecutive numbers are printed; this strip is then wound
on the barrel by inserting the end of a taper plug into the end of the barrel
and turning it round until the whole strip is wound up, excepting -so much
as is required for one ticket, and the portion so projecting should bear the
first progressive number. When the apparatus is in use it may be suspended
by a strap to the neck of the omnibus conductor or other person employed.
In collecting the fares of omnibus passengers the conductor when he collects
the money must give a ticket to each passenger, and in tearing off the ticket
The draws out with one hand a sufficient length of the strip to bring the
division lines of the tickets over the cutter e and with the other hand he
presses the flap d on to the cutter; the projecting ticket can then easily be
torn off and handed to the passenger. The tickets are numbered progressively,
consequently when the collector pays the fares received, the number on the
'ticket that projects through the slot in the case indicates the number of
tickets that have been issued, and acts as a check or indicator for the amount
of money to be paid in. In omnibuses it is desirable that each passenger
should keep the ticket received as it may be requisite to appoint an inspector
to see occasionally that every passenger has a ticket, so as to prevent the
conductor to allow anybody to travel without a ticket, and to ascertain that
'the number of passengers corresponds to the number of tickets issued. When

page_text: the last ticket has been issued another strip of tickets must be pasted to the
end of the strip secured to the barrel and again wound on the barrel. From
the foregoing it will be evident that the apparatus above described will act
as a complete check to the dishonesty of omnibus conductors and others
employed in issuing tickets and collecting money, and that the tickets when
in the case are beyond the control of the party issuing them.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim the apparatus described for
issuing tickets and for checking the number of tickets issued.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Haworth, have
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October, One
hundred and sixty-seven.
hereto set my
thousand eight
JOHN HAWORTH. (L.8.)