IMPROVE- MENTS IN INSTRUMENTS FOR MARKING OR IMPRESSING RAILWAY TICKETS AND DIE DARDARDS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Russell Mortimer, of the Firm of H. H. Mortimer
and Company, of Nos. 10 and 25, Great Bush Lane, London, Wholesale
Shipping Ironmongers and Merchants, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN INSTRUMENTS FOR MARKING OR IMPRESSING RAILWAY TICKETS AND
DIE DARDARDS
"
Sealed the 29th March 1867, and dated the 3rd October 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Russell Mortimer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
October 1866.
I, RUSSELL MORTIMER, of the Firm of H. H. Mortimer and Company, of
Nos. 10 and 25, Great Bush Lane, London, Wholesale Shipping Ironmongers
and Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS FOR MARKING OR IMPRESSING RAILWAY TICKETS AND
FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination herein-after
described of the parts of an instrument for marking or impressing railway
tickets and for other like purposes, the said Invention being an improvement

page_text: or improvements on an Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to
me, bearing date the 27th day of July 1865, No. 1948.
The parts in my present Invention resemble in most essential respects the
parts of the patented Invention berein-before referred to, but the said parts
are inverted and their construction thereby simplified.
wards.
In constructing an instrument according to my present Invention I make
the base of the instrument capable of being screwed or otherwise fixed to the
counter or place where the instrument is to be used; to the said base a
vertical lever is jointed, the said lever having motion in a vertical plane through
a small angle; at the top of the said lever is a hollow chamber or box in
which the impressing types are fixed, their, faces or acting ends being down-
One edge of such type is provided with a shoulder which bears
against a shoulder in the inside of the box or chamber; the types are fixed
in their places by being clamped by wedges of wood or otherwise. After the
types are put in their places a dovetail slide or cover closes the top of the box
or chamber and forms an abutment against which the types are supported.
In front of the box is a wedge-shaped opening or slit at which the ticket or
card to be marked or impressed is introduced; the narrow inner end of the
said slit or opening is very nearly on the same level as the acting faces of the
types. At the back of the lever described is a second or supplementary lever,
the lower end of which is supported by the middle of the axis on which the
first-described or principal lever turns; the said middle portion of the axis is
of smaller diameter than the other portion and is excentric thereto, so that
the two levers in moving turn upon different centres. The upper end of the
supplementary lever enters the bottom of the box or chamber of the first or
principal lever and supports a sliding bed of copper or other metal, the upper
surface of which bed when the levers are in their normal positions is about
one-eighth of an inch below the acting faces of the types and on a level with
the lower edge of the opening or slit at which the ticket or card is introduced.
In using the instrument the ticket or card to be impressed is pushed into the
slit and passes between the types and bed described: By pressing against
the box or chamber of the principal lever the two levers are made to turn on
their centres, and the second or supplementary lever raises the sliding bed
and compresses the ticket or card between it and the faces of the types in the
box or chamber of the principal lever, the ticket or card is thereby impressed.
By relaxing the pressure on the box or chamber the levers retire to their
normal positions by the action of a coiled spring, and the impressed ticket
or card can be readily removed from the slit or opening. The base of

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filel-
by the said Russell Mortimer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RUSSELL,
MORTIMER, of the Firm of H. H. Mortimer and Company, of Nos. 10 and 25,
Great Bush Lane, London, Wholesale Shipping Ironmongers. and Merchants,.
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Russell Mortimer, Her special licence that I, the said Russell Mortimer,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Russell
Mortimer, 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, exorcise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel'
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS FOR
MARKING OR IMPRESSING RAILWAY TICKETS AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," upon.
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Russell Mortimer, 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 Russell Mortimer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say :-
'
My Invention consists in improved instruments or apparatus for marking or
impressing railway tickets, and for other like purposes, the said Invention being
based upon improvements for which Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing
date the Twenty-seventh day of July 1865, No. 1948.
The working parts which I employ in my improved apparatus resemble in

page_text: divers essential respects the parts of the patented Invention herein-before
referred to, but the said parts are arranged in a more convenient and efficient
manner, and the construction of my instruments or apparatus is simplified and
improved, and the cost of manufacturing it is much lessened.
In
In constructing my marking instrument or apparatus according to my
present Invention I make the base of the instrument capable of being screwed,
or clamped, or otherwise fixed to the counter or place where the instrument is
to be used; to the said base a vertical lever is jointed, the said lever having
motion in a vertical plane through a small angle; at the top of the said lever
is a hollow chamber or box in which the impressing types are fixed, their faces
or acting ends being downwards. One edge of each type is provided with a
shoulder which bears against a shoulder in the inside of the box or chamber;
the types are fixed in their places by being clamped by wedges of wood or
otherwise. After the types are put in their places a cover closes the top of the
box or chamber and forms an abutment against which the types bear.
front of the box is a wedge-shaped opening or slit at which the ticket or card
to be marked or impressed is introduced; the narrow inner end of the said slit
or opening is very nearly on the same level as the acting faces of the types. At
the back of the lever described is a second or supplementary lever, the lower
end of which is supported by the middle of the axis on which the first described
or principal lever turns; the said middle portion of the axis is of smaller
diameter than the other portion and is excentric thereto, so that the two levers
in moving turn upon different centres. The upper end of the supplementary
lever enters the bottom of the box or chamber of the first or principal lever
and supports a sliding bed of copper or other metal, the upper surface of which
bed when the levers are in their normal positions is about one-eighth of an
inch below the acting faces of the types and on a level with the lower edge of
the opening or slit at which the ticket or card is introduced. In using the
instrument the ticket or card to be impressed is pushed into the slit and passes
between the types and bed described. By pressing against the box or chamber of
the principal lever the two levers are made to turn on their centres, and the second
or supplementary lever raises the sliding bed and compresses the ticket or card
between it and the faces of the types in the box or chamber of the principal
lever, the ticket or card is thereby impressed. By relaxing the pressure on
the box or chamber the levers retire to their normal positions by the action of
a coiled spring, and the impressed ticket or card can be readily removed from
the slit or opening. The base of the instrument is made hollow, and contains
à drawer or receptacle for holding the impressing types.

page_text: Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, Figure 2 in side elevation, and
Figure 3 in plan my instrument or apparatus for marking or impressing
railway tickets, and for other like purposes, constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 4 is a vertical section of the same taken through the
line A, Figure 1, and Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the instrument
The same
taken through the base; Figure 6 is a portion of the same.
letters of reference indicate. the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
At
a is the base of the instrument capable of being screwed or otherwise
fastened by its flange as to the counter or place where the instrument is to be
used. To the uprights or bearings a³ carried by the said base a a hollow
lever 6 is jointed, the said lever turning on the ends of the fixed axis c, c.
the top of the lever 6 is a chamber or box d in which the impressing types e
are fixed, their faces or acting ends being downwards. The said types are
supported in the chamber or box d by means of a shoulder or shoulders on
the said types resting upon a shoulder or shoulders in the inside of the box or
D.chamber, as represented in Figure 4. The types are fixed in the chamber d
by means of a strong hinged cover f, which closes the top of the chamber and
forms an abutment against which the types bear. The cover f is held down
by a clamping screw g carried by the jointed rod h, the stem of the said rod
passing through a slot i in the said cover. When the cover ƒ has been shut
5 down the rod h is afterwards raised into the slot and by screwing home the
screw upon the cover the latter may be fixed down with the required
degree of tightness. By removing the screw 9 from the cover f the rod h
falls, and the cover f may be thrown back, as represented in Figure 3, and
access to the types e thus obtained. At the back of the hollow lever b is a
0 second or supplementary lever k, the lower end of which is supported in the
manner represented in Figure 4 by the part 2 of the axis c, c, which is
recessed excentrically in its middle part. The said middle part of the
axis c being of smaller diameter than the other portions and excentric thereto,
the two levers 6 and k in moving turn upon different centres, that is, the
5 principal lever 6 turns upon the ends of the axis marked c, c, and the other
and supplementary lever k turns upon the smaller and excentric middle
part 2 of the axis. The axis c with the part recessed excentrically upon
which the levers turn is represented separately in Figure 6, and the

page_text: excentricity of the middle portion of the said axis is best seen in the section
Figure 4. The upper end of the supplementary lever k enters the bottom of
the chamber or box d and supports a sliding bed of copper or other metal 7,
the upper surface of which bed 7 when the levers b, k, are in their normal
positions, as represented in the Drawing, is a little below the acting
faces of the types e, and on a level with the lower edge of the wedge-
shaped opening or slit m in the front of the chamber d of the principal lever b,
leaving a space through which the ticket or card to be impressed is intro-
duced. The return motion of the instrument and levers b, k, is effected
by the coiled spring p situated in the hollow base a of the instrument; the
said spring acting upon the tail piece 63 of the lever 6 restores the instru-
ment to a perpendicular position, and a stop 7 on the said tail piece b³, and
á stop on the base a, limits the motion of the lever b in either direction.
In the circular hollow base a of the instrument is a nearly semicircular
drawer or receptacle a³ turning on the centre a' for holding the impressing
types.
The action of the instrument is as follows:-The ticket or card n to be:
impressed is pushed into the slit m and passed between the types e and the
upper end of the bed 7, as represented in Figure 4. By pressing upon the
chamber d formed in the hollow of the lever b in the direction indicated by the
arrow in Figure 4, so as to bring the tail piece 63 of the said lever nearly
vertical, as indicated in dotted lines in the said Figure 4, the two levers b
and k are made to turn upon the centres c, c. By this motion the second or
supplementary lever k raises the sliding bed 7, and compresses the ticket or
card n between it and the faces of the types e in the box or chamber d of the
lever b. The ticket or card n is thereby impressed with the marks or letters
on the types. By relaxing the pressure on the principal lever b the two
levers b, k, are restored to the positions represented in the Drawing by the
action of the spring p, which had been compressed by the tail piece b³ of the
lever b, and the impressed ticket or card n may be removed from the opening
or slit m.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details of parts herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention the combination of parts forming
the improved instruments or apparatus for marking or impressing railway
tickets and for other like purposes constructed and arranged substantially in

page_text: the manner herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Russell Mortimèr, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
H. H. MURDOCH,
7, Staple Inn.
R. MORTIMER. (L.S.)