AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR INDICATING OR REGISTERING THE SPEED OR DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY ALL KINDS OF VEHICLES, WHICH SAID APPARATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO ENGINES, WATER-WHEELS, AND PRIME MOTORS OF ANY DESCRIPTION
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean Baptiste Charles Lange, of Paris, in the
Department of the Seine, France, Householder, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR INDICATING OR REGISTERING THE SPEED OR
DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY ALL KINDS OF VEHICLES, WHICH SAID APPARATUS IS
ALSO APPLICABLE TO ENGINES, WATER-WHEELS, AND PRIME MOTORS OF ANY
DESCRIPTION."
Sealed the 16th February 1864, and dated the 21st August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean Baptiste Charles
Lange at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st August 1863.
I, JEAN BAPTISTE CHARLES LANGE, of Paris, in the Department of the
Seine, France, Householder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR INDICATING OR REGISTERING THE SPEED
OR DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY ALL KINDS OF VEHICLES, WHICH SAID APPARATUS IS ALSO
APPLICABLE TO ENGINES, WATER-WHEELS, AND PRIME MOTORS OF ANY DESCRIPTION,"
to be as follows, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in forming a register or indicator for measuring and
indicating the distance travelled by common carriages, waggons, or locomotives,
or for registering the revolutions of stationary engines, or such like. It is
composed of a spindle kept in its proper position by suitable counterbalances;
or otherwise as convenient, the axle of which carries a stud or projection 'so
adjusted as to touch a toothed wheel similar to an ordinary escapement wheel

page_text: of a clock. A ratchet lever acted on by a spring keeps this wheel steady, and
is so arranged as to allow only one tooth at a time to pass; on the axle of this
toothed wheel is a small pinion gearing into a wheel suitably proportioned,
and working into similarly toothed wheels, which give motion to hands or
pointers working on a dial in the same way as those of a clock. In some
cases I employ a third hand or pointer, which works loosely on the axle, and
can be turned back or put on without derangement of the works; this hand
is actuated by means of another wheel placed underneath the toothed wheel
first mentioned, and kept isolated from it by means of a spring round the
main axle. Supposing this apparatus to be fixed in the centre of a wheel of a
carriage, or the main shaft of an engine, the whole of the machinery would
turn round the axle or spindle before mentioned, and at every revolution the
stud or projection would strike against a tooth of the ratchet wheel, which
would of course communicate the motion in a greater or less degree to the
whole train of wheels, and consequently the hands.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jean Baptiste Charles Lange in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN
BAPTISTE CHARLES LANGE, of Paris, in the Department of the Seine, France,
Householder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of August in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Jean Baptiste Charles Lange, Her special licence that I, the said Jean
Baptiste Charles Lange, my executors, administrators, and assigns, .or such
others as I, the said Jean Baptiste Charles Lange, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR INDICATING OR REGISTERING THE
SPEED OR DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY ALL KINDS OF VEHICLES, WHICH SAID APPARATUS
ALBO APPLICABLE TO ENGINES, WATER-WHEELS, AND PRIME MOTORS OF ANY
DESCRIPTION," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jean

page_text: Baptiste Charles Lange, 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 Jean Baptiste Charles Lange, 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 :-
My Invention consists in the construction of a register, indicator, or meter
for indicating or measuring the distance travelled by all kinds of vehicles, and
also for registering the revolutions of stationary engines of any description,
the principle being that my apparatus shall receive its motion directly from the
main axle or shaft. I prefer to construct it of such dimensions so that when
used for vehicles on common roads it can be easily inserted in the cap of the
axle box of a patent axle, which will require but slight modification to receive
it. It is composed of a spindle carrying a stud or pallet, which strikes
against a toothed wheel similar to an ordinary escapement wheel of a clock, a
ratchet lever acted on by a spring keeps this wheel steady, and acts on it so
as to allow only one tooth at a time to pass; on the axle of this toothed wheel
is a small pinion gearing into a wheel suitably proportioned and working into
similarly toothed wheels, which give motion to bands or pointers working on a
dial in the same way as those of a clock. In some cases I employ a third
hand or pointer, which, if preferred, works loosely on the axle, and can be
turned back or put on without derangement of the works; this band is
actuated by means of another wheel placed underneath the toothed wheel first
mentioned, and kept isolated from it by means of a spring round the main
axle. Supposing this apparatus to be fixed in the centre of the wheel of a
carriage, or the main shaft of an engine, the whole of the machinery would
turn round the axle or spindle before mentioned, and at every revolution the
stud or projection would strike against a tooth of the ratchet wheel, which
would of course communicate the motion in a greater or less degree to the
whole train of wheels, and consequently the hands.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood, I have to this
Specification appended the accompanying Drawings, which fully show the
mode of construction, together with the details of the mechanism I employ to
produce the desired results, it being well understood that modifications of all
or any of the parts may be made so long as the main principles are retained.

page_text: Figure 1 is a front elevation of my indicator or meter as it will appear
when mounted on the wheel of the carriage or vehicle; Figure 2 is a section
of the same, following the course of the line 1, 2; Figure 3 is a view of the
.gearing employed, the side plate of the case being removed; Figure 4 shews
the escapement wheel, one tooth passing the detent for every revolution of the
wheel of the vehicle.
These four Figures shew the arrangement of my indicator, register, or
meter as applied to the cap of au axle box of a carriage travelling on common
roads. In this instance the escapement wheel A is furnished with 29 teeth,
and carries on its axle the pinion B of 7 teeth, which transmits the motion to
the wheel c, which has 70 teeth; this latter will, of course, only revolve once
for ten revolutions of the pinion b, and therefore the wheel a on the axle of
the wheel c is a pinion d, also of 7 teeth, which works into the wheel E of 70
teeth, which will turn ten times slower than the pinion d, the wheel e coin-
municating in its turn motion to the central wheel 9. The wheel g is mounted
on a hollow spindle h, which is prolonged through the face of the indicator,
and carries the large hand or pointer i which mars on the dial the tenths of
kilometers. On the spindle h is mounted the large wheel k of 100 teeth;
which works on the hollow spindle h, and receives motion from the pinion f of
ten teeth, which pinion makes the same number of turns as the wheel g. The
spindle of the wheel which revolves ten times slower than the wheel g
carries the small needlo or hand l, which indicates or marks the kilometres on
the dial plate. The central axle r carries a small needle or finger t which
with each revolution of the wheel meets or strikes a tooth of the escapement
wheel a, thus only turning one tooth at a time. The foregoing description
being now fully understood, if the apparatus above described be enclosed or
set in the cap of the box of the patent axle of an ordinary carriage, and an
arm j, furnished with a stud m, mounted on the axle r, the axle of the carriage
wheel carrying at the centre of the extremity a bent or curved shank, pro-
jecting sufficiently to be struck by the stud m by the revolution of the indicator
or meter round the axle, the result will be, that for each revolution of the
wheel of the carriage the stud m. will meet the bent shank fixed on the axle,
which causes the arm j to turn the finger t which acts on the escapement
wheel a in the manner above described, and by the arrangement of the
gearing the motion is communicated to the hands marking the degrees on the
dial. If it is wished to register or indicate still further the degrees or
distance travelled, I place a stud in the wheel k of 100 teeth, placed so that
at each revolution it shall turn one tooth of the wheel z which carries ten
teeth, and has on its axle the needle or pointer 7 which works over the small

page_text: dial (Figure 1). It will be evident that by this means the wheel will
revolve ten times slower than the wheel k, and thus each 100 kilometres will
be indicated on the dial by the needle l. When the indicator or meter is
applied to a railway waggon or locomotive, or any other carriage running on a
rail, it will be necessary that the indicator always act in either direction,
whether backwards or forwards, this will oblige me to make a slight modi-
fication in the manner of actuating the escapement wheel. This is fully shewn
in Figure 8. The central axle ŕ receives the rotatory motion of the axle by
means of the stud m when used for ordinary carriages, which has been already.
fully explained. For railway wagons, and such like, I make use of an
excentric o, which by its rotation to the right or left raises or depresses the
lever P, the centre of rotation being at 9, and as this lever carries at one of
its extremities a small triangular tooth s, which works into the teeth of the
wheel a, it follows then that at each movement of the lever P the wheel a will
turn exactly the space of one tooth. This movement once obtained, it will be
easily seen that the desired motion of the hands may be obtained by the
wheelwork before mentioned. If the indicator or register is employed to
indicate the revolutions of stationary engines, water-wheels, and similar
machinery, the mechanism for moving the hands remains the same, but I
make use of a modification which enables me to throw the indicator or meter
out of gear, and to disconnect it altogether from the engine or water wheel.
Figure 7 shews this as a front view, Figure 6. a section, and Figure 8 a front
view of the ratchet or escapement wheel a. The blue lines (Figure 5) indicating
the wheelwork for transmitting the motion to the needles or pointers. To
effect the purpose before mentioned on the axle r, I place a hollow spindle a¹
having a shoulder piece b', against which rests or presses one end of a coiled
spring c (Figure 6), the other extremity of the spring resting against the
cover d'. Behind this hollow spindle is fixed a screwed shaft or spindle e¹,
which works into the pinion f¹, whose axle g¹ carries a handle h', which rests
against the support 2, and is held back by a spring acting on the lever j¹. On
pressing the button ¹ the handle h' no longer retains the coiled spring c
(Figure 6), and the shank e' is drawn within, which action brings the lever m'
close to the cover d', and prevents all contact with the mechanism which
transmits the motion of the prime motor to the indicator or meter. In this
description of indicator, register, or meter, I make use of a third needle or
pointer v, it corresponds to the second hand of a clock, and advances one
division of the dial for every revolution of the engine, water wheel, or prime
motor. This needle receives motion from the pinion 6 of the escapement

page_text: wheel a through the wheels 1, s, indicated by the red lines (see Figures
4 & 5), the needle or pointer being fixed on the hollow spindle s.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and how the same is
constructed, applied, and acts, I wish it understood that what I claim and
desire secured to me by the before in part recited Letters_Patent is,
First, the application of an indicater, register, or meter placed in or applied
to the cap of a patent axle box of a wheel, or upon the middle and at the
center of a carriage wheel, substantially as herewithin described and set forth,
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly, the application of the said indicator, register, or meter to all and
every kind or description of vehicles, carriages, or waggons running on rail-
roads and tramroads.
Thirdly, the application of the said indicator, register, or metre for
registering or indicating the revolutions of steam engines, water-wheels, and
prime motors of any description.
In witness thereof, I, the said Jean Baptiste Charles Lange, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of February, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JEAN B. C. LANGE. (L.S.)