Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Length of Time that a Cab and other such-like Vehicles are Occupied and Unoccupied, and whether at Rest or in Motion. OTHER SUCH-LIKE VEHICLES ARE OCCUPIED AND UNOCCUPIED AND WHETHER AT REST OR IN MO
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Length of Time
that a Cab and other such-like Vehicles are Occupied and
Unoccupied, and whether at Rest or in Motion.
I, JAMES BISSET Junior of 10 North Broadford, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT A CAB AND OTHER
SUCH-LIKE VEHICLES ARE OCCUPIED AND UNOCCUPIED AND WHETHER AT REST OR
IN MOTION to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to Improvements in apparatus for indicating the
length of time that a cab and other such-like vehicles are occupied and unoccupied
and whether at rest or in motion, consists in arranging below the floor of the
vehicle two arms which pass transversely inwards and are connected in a manner
which admits of a slight radial motion being imparted to the said arms. The outer
extremities of the arms are pivoted, one at each side of the cab in any convenient
manner, and at the part where the two arms are connected, a pencil is carried, the
said pencil being provided with a spring for pressing it forward on to the diagram
paper which is carried round upon a drum.
The hereinbefore mentioned arms support the floor (which may be regarded as a
"false floor") and seats of the vehicle in such manner that the pencil is capable of
receiving a vertical motion of about half an inch. The arins are supported in their
normal position by means of springs.
The drum, which is supported in any convenient manner beneath the false floor
of the vehicle, is rotated by clockwork once in twenty-four hours, and the diagram
paper which is marked with a centre line extending longitudinally throughout its
length, is divided transversely by lines into ninety-six spaces, each such space
representing one quarter of an hour.
When there is no person occupying the cab or other such-like vehicle fitted with
the hereinlast described apparatus, and when such conveyance is at rest, the pencil,
by reason of the progress of the diagram paper, marks a straight line inch above
and parallel with the centre line thereof, but when any one enters the said
couveyance, the arms are caused to move downwards at their inner extremities
and carry the pencil inch below the centre line, and thus a line is marked in
that osition, the nature of the line under any conditions indicating whether the
{
Paving &.71

page_text: conveyance has been standing or in motion, for, when in motion the vibration
causes the pencil to mark a wavy or irregular line. Should the occupant leave the
conveyance and desire it to be kept waiting, the pencil ascends to inch above the
centre line and marks a steady line there, indicating by its length, the length of
time it has been waiting. Should the conveyance at that time be discharged and
be driven back empty to its stance or cab rank, a wavy or irregular line would be
traced upon the diagram paper.
The drum which carries the diagram paper is driven by clock-work as herein-
before described and may be of any suitable construction and size. The said drum
and its directly-operating parts are supported beneath the false floor of the vehicle
and they are contained within a case which may be locked, so that the proprietor
of the conveyance retaining the key, may, at the end of the day, remove the
diagram paper, which then indicates how often the conveyance has been hired and
the length of each time of hiring within the past twenty-four hours. A new
diagram paper may then be put on the drum for the next day's work, and the
indicator mechanism wound up and locked as before.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Length of Time
that a Cab and other such-like Vehicles are Occupied and
Unoccupied, and whether at Rest or in Motion.
I, JAMES BISSET Junior of 10 North Broadford, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT A CAB AND OTHER
SUCH-LIKE VEHICLES ARE OCCUPIED AND UNOCCUPIED AND WHETHER AT REST OR
IN MOTION and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention, which relates to improvements in apparatus for indicating the
length of time that a cab and other such-like vehicles are occupied and unoccupied
and whether at rest or in motion, consists in arranging below the floor of the
vehicle two arms which pass transversely inwards and are connected in a manner
which admits of a slight radial motion being imparted to the said arms.-The outer
extremities of the arms are pivoted, one at each side of the cab in any convenient
manner, and at the part where the two arms are connected, a pencil is carried, the
said pencil being provided with a spring for pressing it forward on to the diagram
paper which is carried round upon a drum.
The hereinbefore mentioned arms support the floor (which may be regarded as a
"false floor ") and seats of the vehicle in such manner that the pencil is capable of
receiving a vertical motion of about half an inch. The arms are supported in their
normal position by means of springs.
The drum, which is supported in any convenient manner beneath the false floor
of the vehicle, is rotated by clockwork once in twenty four hours, and the diagram
paper which is marked with a centre line extending longitudinally throughout its
length, is divided transversely by lines into ninety-six spaces, each such space
representing one quarter of an hour.
When there is no person occupying the cab or other such-like vehicle fitted with
the hereinlast described apparatus, and when such conveyance is at rest, the pencil,
by reason of the progress of the diagram paper, marks a straight line inch above
and parallel with the centre line thereof, but when any one enters the said
conveyance, the arms are caused to move downwards at their inner extremities
and carry the pencil inch below the centre line, and thus a line is marked in
that position, the nature of the line under any conditions indicating whether the
conveyance has been standing or in motion, for, when in motion the vibration
causes the pencil to mark a wavy or irregular line. Should the occupant leave the
conveyance and desire it to be kept waiting, the pencil ascends to inch above the
centre line and marks a steady line there, indicating by its length, the length of
time it has been waiting.-Should the conveyance at that time be discharged and
be driven back empty to its stance or cab rank, a wavy or irregular line would be
traced upon the diagram paper.
The drum which carries the diagram paper is driven by clock-work as herein-
before described and may be of any suitable construction or size.-The said drum
and its directly-operating parts are supported beneath the false floor of the vehicle

page_text: and they are contained within a case which may be locked, so that the proprietor
of the conveyance retaining the key, may, at the end of the day, remove the
diagram paper, which then indicates how often the conveyance has been hired and
the length of each time of hiring within the past twenty-four hours. A new
diagram paper may then be put on the drum for the next day's work, and the
indicator mechanism wound up and locked as before.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively an elevation and a plan of apparatus constructed
according to my present Invention.
Figures 3 and 4 are respectively similar views of a modified form of the said
apparatus.
In carrying my present Invention into practice, and as represented at Figures 1
and 2, I provide the two arms a, which pass transversely inwards and are connected
at b, in a manner which admits of a slight radial motion being imparted to the
said arms a.
The outer extremities c, of the arms a, are pivoted, one at each side
of the cab or other such-like vehicle in any convenient manner, and at the part b,
where the two arms are connected, the pencil d, is carried, the said pencil being
provided with a spring (not represented upon the annexed drawings) for pressing
it forward on to the diagram paper which is carried round upon the drum e.
The arms a, support the floor f, (which may be regarded as a "false floor ") and
the seats of the vehicle at the points c¹, in such manner that the pencil d, is capable
of receiving a vertical motion of about half an inch.-The arms a, are supported in
their normal position by means of the springs g.
The drum e, which is supported in any convenient manner beneath the false
floor f, is rotated by clock-work once in twenty-four hours and the diagram paper
which is marked with a centre line (similar to that hereinafter described and indi-
cated at Figure 3 of the annexed drawings) extending longitudinally throughout
its length, is divided transversely by lines into ninety-six spaces each such space
representing one quarter of an hour.
When there is no person occupying the cab or other such-like vehicle fitted with
the herein before described apparatus, and when such conveyance is at rest, the
pencil d, by reason of the progress of the diagram paper, marks a straight line
(one quarter) inch above and parallel to the beforementioned centre line thereof,
but when any one enters the said conveyance, the arms a, are caused to move
downwards at their inner extremities and carry the pencil d, (one quarter) inch
below the centre line, and thus a line is marked in that position.-The nature of
the line marked by the pencil d, under any conditions, indicates whether the con-
veyance has been standing or in motion, for, when in motion the vibration causes
the pencil d, to mark a wavy or irregular line.-Should the occupant leave the
conveyance and desire it to be kept waiting, the pencil ascends to (one quarter)
inch above the centre line and marks a steady line there, indicating by its length,
the length of time it has been kept waiting. Should the conveyance at that time
be discharged and be driven back empty to its stance or cab rank, a wavy or
irregular line would be traced upon the diagram paper.
The drum e, which carries the diagram paper is driven by clockwork and may
be of any suitable construction and size. The said drum e, and its directly-
operating parts are supported beneath the false-floor f, and they are contained
within a case which may be locked, so that the proprietor of the conveyance,
retaining the key, may at the end of the day remove the diagram paper which then
indicates how often the conveyance has been hired and the length of each time of
hiring within the past twenty-four hours. A new diagram paper may then be put
on the drum e, for the next day's work and the indicator mechanism wound up
and locked as before.
In place of arranging the drum e, beneath the false floor of the vehicle that is to
say, in the manner herein before described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the
aunexed drawings, I may arrange the said drum e, beneath the seat or at any other

page_text: convenient part of the vehicle. Under this construction as represented at Figures 3
and 4, the false floor h, which is provided above the original floor a¹, is formed in
two parts which are hinged together at their adjacent or meeting edges as shewn
at i. The original seats b¹, in a manner similar to the original floor a¹, are also
provided each with an upper or duplicate part j, which is formed in two portions
hinged together as indicated at k. The outer edges or ends of the false floor h, and
of the false seat j, are capable of sliding inwards from the sides of the cab or
other such-like vehicle, and are prevented from moving laterally by means of the
fixed guides l.
The false seats j, are each connected with the parts of the false floor h, by means
of a connecting link m, one of which only is represented upon the annexed drawings.
These links m, are formed in two parts secured together by a bolt and nut or their
equivalents in such relation to the slot n, that the two false seats j, inay be adjusted
to the same level.-The pencil o, is carried in the arm q, the position of which is
adjustable in the link m, so that the said pencil may be moved into a position radial
to the drum.-The links m, are provided with India-rubber or equivalent springs r,
secured at one end to the original seats b', of the vehicle and the tendency of which
is always to raise the false seats j, and the false floor h, to their highest position.-
The drum e, as hereinbefore described is situated beneath one of the seats of the
vehicle or it may be suitably supported in any other position convenient for the
changing of diagram papers and winding up and otherwise adjusting.
The false floor h, and seats j, when depressed by the weight of an occupant, rest
upon the original floor a¹, and seats 61, respectively of the vehicle.
It is to be understood when applied to hansoms or other such two wheeled
vehicles wherein only one seat is used, that only one half of the hereinbefore
described apparatus is employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. The combination of parts constituting the apparatus for indicating the
length of time that a cab and other such-like vehicles are occupied and unoccupied
and whether at rest or in motion by marking a line upon a diagram paper carried
by and upon the clock-work or equivalently rotated drum e, situated beneath the
false floor of the vehicle all operating substantially in the manner hereinbefore
set forth with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings.
Second. The combination of parts whereby the false floor h, and false seats j,
are operated together and whereby a line is marked upon a diagram paper carried
by and upon the drum e, situated above the false floor h, of the vehicle all operating
substantially in the manner hereinbefore set forth with reference to Figures 3 and 4
of the annexed drawings.
Dated this twenty-seventh den of Tann 1006