An Electric Device for Indicating Tabulated Public Information.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 11th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Electric Device for Indicating Tabulated Public Information.
I HERBERT LESLIE MANTON of No. 7 Queen's Walk Swanston Street Melbourn.
in the Colony of Victoria Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
This invention has been designed for the purpose of affording the public increased
facilities for ascertaining the times of arrival and departure of mails, trains, trams,
steamers and other similar information. The apparatus consists of an upright
pedestal box or similar receptacle conveniently placed for use at street corners,
public places of resort or other similar positions, in this box is placed an indicator
in circuit with any number of commutators or press buttons and with a battery or
other source of electric energy each commutator having a characteristic mark at
its face so that on any one being actuated the indicator will show corresponding
information to the said mark.
For instance upon the press button marked "Manchester" being actuated a list
will be instantly exhibited in said indicator of departure of trains and closing of
mails for Manchester from the city in which the apparatus is erected. Assume in
London that a person is at a distant part of the city and desires to know the time
of closing of the next mail for Glasgow he can step across to the nearest of these
devices and on looking at the row of press buttons in the face of the pedestal box
he finds the one marked "Glasgow "and upon pressing same causes the indicator
shutter to fall exhibiting a card upon which is printed the time of closing of the
Glasgow mails, thus it will be seen that much annoyance and mistakes combined
with loss of valuable time will be obviated by the use of my electric information
apparatus.
The exterior of the said box is divided off into conveniently sized spaces which
are used for advertising purposes. I intend to deposit full specifications and
drawings defining and illustrating my invention.
Dated
Klovanth dow
MOT IX9I
Unted avanth dow at
X4
H. L. MANTON,
By his Agent,
W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Electric Device for Indicating Tabulated Public Information.
I, HERBERT LESLIE MANTON of 454 Collins Street Melbourne in the Colony
of Victoria, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 is for the purpose of affording the public increased facilities for
ascertaining the times of arrival and departure of mails, trains, trams, steamers
or other conveyances and in general any information that is of public utility and
value. The mechanism is placed in an upright pedestal box or similar casing
conveniently placed at street corners, places of resort and other positions where
considered necessary, so that if a person is at a distant part of the city and wishes
to know the time of departure of a mail, train or steamer, by going to one of these
apparatus and looking at the row of press buttons or plugs arranged on the face
thereof, he will notice a button referring to the desired information and upon
D
031

page_text: pressing same as directed, a dial will be rotated, until arrested by the button
pressed upon, the end of the latter entering one of the holes in the said dial with
the result that the desired information is exhibited in a window placed in the front
of the box for that purpose.
The apparatus consists of a dial constructed of metal or other suitable material
set vertically and affixed to a shaft mounted in bearings suitably attached to the
casing in which the apparatus is contained. On this dial are arranged any
number of spaces on which the items of information are placed and in said dial are
formed any number of holes (at varying distances from the centre of the dial)
for receiving the ends of the press buttons or plugs when the latter are actuated,
said press buttons being of any convenient number and mounted on the front of
the box and having characteristic marks upon or near them, referring to the
items of information upon the dial. These buttons are provided with springs
for bringing them back to their normal position after being pressed. To each
button there is a corresponding hole and item of information in and upon the dial
respectively.
A counter balance weight is attached to the dial so as to bring it back to a pre-
determined point, and thus exhibit a blank or other card at the window during the
time the apparatus is not in use.
The front of the box is divided off into spaces of any desired size, for the placing
thereon of advertisements, also the top is of an ornamental design, and in which
a clock is preferably placed, so as to make the apparatus more of a public con-
venience and necessity and complete in its nature.
The turning of the dial is performed by a small electric motor, placed in the box,
and actuated by an electric current brought into circuit by the operation of any
one of the press buttons or plugs before referred to.
Reference may now be had to the accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure 1, is a partial front view of the apparatus, with the front of the box
removed for clearness sake.
the
Figure 2, is a partial transverse sectional view.
Figures 3 and 4, are respectively side and back detail views to a larger scale of
press button or plug and its connections.
Figure 5, is a perspective elevation of the apparatus as erected, and showing the
divisions for advertisements.
Figure 6, shows the means of revolving the dial by an electric motor.
Similar letters denote similar parts in all the figures.
In these figures, A is the dial, mounted vertically on the transverse shaft A',
working in bearings A2, affixed to casing. In said dial are holes A', of any con-
venient number, formed at different distances from centre of dial A, for receiving
the ends of the press buttons, or plugs hereafter described. A' is the counter
balance weight attached to the dial A. F¹ (Fig. 6) is an electric motor arranged
to drive the shaft A' by means of the toothed wheels F2, and F³ is the electric cell
or battery. F are wires which connect together the motor, battery, and the
press buttons or plugs. On the dial A, are spaces C, upon which are placed
the items of tabulated public information C. D are the press buttons or plugs
suitably mounted on the face of the box, and having reduced ends D¹, for
insertion into (when pressed) the holes A', in dial A, and thus shoulders are
formed on the buttons D, which stop their unnecessary progress into the holes A.
These buttons D, are provided with retention springs D, affixed at D³ to the
casing, pins or stops D₁ are placed in the buttons, against which the springs D'
exert their force. Contiguous to the outer ends of the buttons are words or marks
referring to the items C on the dial A. E is the casing, containing the apparatus,
E' the face, which is divided into advertisement spaces E. E' is the window in
which the items Care exhibited.
In Fig. 6 only one plug button D is shewn for the sake of clearness, but it will
be understood that the number of the press buttons D, items C' and holes A' are
similar, each referring and corresponding to each other. I do not confine myself

page_text: to the size or materials of construction of the apparatus, nor to the size or shape
of the box, nor to the number of press buttons or advertisement spaces on the box.
The mode of using this invention is as follows:-
Assume that a person requires to know when a train departs for "Dog Bay,"
from the town in which one of these apparatus is in use: He runs his eye along
the row of press buttons or plugs D, and upon finding the one referring to "Dog
Bay," he presses same and by thus completing the electric circuit through the
contact springs D5, D6, causes the motor F to turn the dial A, till its progress is
arrested by the button entering the "Dog Bay "hole A in the dial, and simul-
taneously the item of information C', showing the time of departure of the train
for "Dog Bay," will be exhibited in the window E. Upon the operator being
satisfied with the information shown, he withdraws the pressure from button D,
thus breaking the circuit and releasing the dial A, the latter then revolves back
(by means of the weight A³) to zero and exhibits the blank or zero card until again
put in motion by the next operator.
I prefer to provide the dial A with a hand-wheel B, by which the said dial
may be rotated should the electric motor F¹ be out of order, but it would then be
necessary for the operator to use both hands in order to actuate the apparatus.
If preferred however the electric motor F1 may be dispensed with and the
apparatus be actuated by the hand wheel B.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is:
1. A machine provided with a number of press buttons or plugs, which latter
upon being pressed, arrest a revolving plate or dial, thus exhibiting a card con-
taining public information or advertisements, at a window placed in the face of the
said machine, said dial being rotated, either by turning a handle on the exterior or
by an electric motor, (whose circuit is completed by the said press buttons or plugs)
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
2. In a machine for exhibiting tabulated public information and advertise-
ments: A dial in which holes are formed for receiving press buttons or plugs for
arresting its progress at any predetermined point, centred on a shaft and provided
with spaces on its face containing information and rotated to conveniently exhibit
the said information at a window in its casing, substantially as explained and
illustrated.
3. In a machine for exhibiting tabulated public information and advertise-
ments:-The peculiar shape of the press buttons or plugs as D, with rounded ends
and provided with a return pressure spring substantially as explained and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a machine for exhibiting tabulated public information and advertise-
ments:-A hand wheel as B, centred on a shaft as A', suitably supported in
bearings as A', a dial as A, mounted on said shaft, substantially as explained and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a machine for exhibiting tabulated public information and advertise-
ments: The combination of electric motor, press buttons or plugs and battery or
other source of electricity, with a dial as A, substantially as and for the purposes
herein described and illustrated in Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In a machine for exhibiting tabulated public information and advertise-
nents:-The combination of any of the above claimed parts with one another or
altogether, substantially as and for the purposes herein explained and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Thirtieth day of September 1891
H. L. MANTON.
W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.