Improvements in or relating to Indicators or Telegraphs for Cabs or other Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1895-Accepted, 16th Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Indicators or Telegraphs for Cabs
or other Vehicles.
I, RICHARD Bowes of No. 3, Paradise Terrace, Darlington in the County
of Durham, Solicitor do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
-
This invention has for its object a telegraph for cabs or other vehicles, whereby
instructions may be given by the passenger to the driver, thus obviating the
necessity of the passenger having to open the window or door to shout directions,
as in the old system, to which my present invention is in every way superior.
In carrying my invention into effect, the plan I prefer is to provide an indicator
mounted in any suitable position, preferably in front of the driver.
This indicator, in one form, comprises a dial having marked on its face the words
"drive on," fast,"
," "to right," "home," "turn back," "to left," "slow," "stop,"
"office"; or it may have any other indications thereon to suit special require-
ments. This dial is preferably rotatable and controlled by a spring. It is operated
by a cord, wire, band or shaft, which is carried to the interior of the carriage where
a similar or other description of indicator is placed and provided with a handle for
operating the apparatus, so that, by turning the handle or pulling the cord, the dial
may be rotated to give whatever instructions the passenger desires.
The driver's
indicator may be provided with a bell to call his attention each time fresh instruc-
tions are given by the passenger. The lettering on the dial may be iu luminous
paint and a special arrangement of dial might be used on public omnibuses to
indicate the exact place of stoppage desired.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The handle inside the carriage is turned round to the words on the dial which
indicate the particular instructions which the passenger requires to give to the
driver. This movement of the handle pulls the cord, ringing the bell in the driver's
indicator and moving the dials so as to point to exactly similar indications as those
to which the handle in the interior is moved. The bell is rung each time the
handle is operated.
I have described one way in which my invention may be carried into effect, but
it is obvious that, if the indicator in front of the driver is visible by the passenger
inside, an indicator in the interior of the carriage is not necessary but the cord
alone will be sufficient. Also it may be mentioned that other forms of indicators
may be used as I do not confine my invention to the exact arrangement described.
One of these other arrangements is formed with a vertical slotted plate provided
with a sliding pointer which is controlled by a spring designed to keep the pointers
at the top. By pulling the pointers downwards by a cord they can be made to
point to any required information displayed on the slotted plate.
In another arrangement the indicator may be made of annular shape and the
centre fitted with a watch or clock; or it may be fitted into a leather case which
may form a rein holder and indicator combined, and can be made to hook on and
off the splash-board, rail or other projection or may be a fixture as is found most
convenient. In most cases I prefer to provide an opening in the front of the

page_text: indicator to allow the indication on the dial behind to show through, but I wish it
to be understood that I do not limit myself to this arrangement as in some cases a
pointer may be found to answer best.
Dated this 31st day of March 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Indicators or Telegraphs for Cabs
or other Vehicles.
1, RICHARD BOWES of No. 3 Paradise Terrace, Darlington in the County
of Durham, Solicitor 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 has for its object a telegraph for cabs or other vehicles, whereby
instructions may be given by the passenger to the driver, thus obviating the
necessity of the passenger having to open the window or door to shout directions,
as in the old system, to which my present invention is in every way superior.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 shows part of a cab;
Figure 2, a front view of the driver's indicator ;
Figure 3, a section;
Figure 4 a front view of occupant's indicator with a device for pulling so as to
hold the indicator in the exact position;
Figure 5, a section thereof;
Figure 6 is a detail view;
Figure 7, a front view of the driver's indicator showing spring arranged in a
slightly modified way; and,
Figure 8, another view with spring extended.
In these figures, A is the driver's indicator, B the indicator inside the cab, and
(the connection which may be a simple wire, cord or catgut. D, Figure 2, is a bell
which can be struck in any convenient manner by a pull on the cord C, d being a
hammer mounted loosely on the support and arranged to strike the bell D when
struck by spring hammer d which is worked by means of ratchet teeth on spring
roller (but I do not confine myself to this arrangement. Figures 2 and 4 show in
English some of the most frequent signs required, any other signs will do, and they
may be reduced or increased in number as desired. E, Figures 4 and 5, shows a
handle with a spring claw and notched rack ; is a stud by which the spring
can be disengaged from the rack e', and F pointers on each indicator which are
connected by the wire or cord C. By depressing the stud " so as to disengage the
spring, and pulling on the handle E, the pointers F in Figures 2 and 4 are worke
synchronously and are brought exactly opposite any desired word and are held
there until the occupant depresses the stud e and allows them to return.
spring roller or cylinder and H a flexible connection passing round it and attached
to the cylinder, and coupled to the pointer F on outside or driver's indicator,
whereby the pointers on both indicators are caused by means of the spring to take
the highest position. An alternative way of retaining the pointers Fat indication
is shown in Figure 6. In this figure, G is the spring roller or cylinder to which
the flexible connection His attached, I pouls or catches rotating with the
cylinder G and adapted to engage a notch in the fixed disc J. Half a turn of the
G is a

page_text: cylinder G is equal to the distance between each indication on the dial, and piw] I
will engage in the notch and keep the cylinder stationary. The pawls are however
easily thrown out of gear by a rapid movement of the spring roller. The dial
instead of being formed as shown in the drawing may be circular in shape or
annular, and fitted with a watch or clock, or they may take any other form found
to be most convenient.
In
An alternative way of arranging the spring is shown in Figures 7 and 8.
these, F is the pointer, A the dial, K spiral spring located behind the dial and
attached to it at point &, L metal plate to which the pointer F is attached at top,
and to which the end of the spiral spring K is attached at point 1, C the wire or
catgut attached to plate L at c. By pulling on the wire or cord C, the plate L and
pointers are pulled downwards and the spiral spring is extended. By releasing
the wire C, the pointer and its plate spring back by the action of the spring K.
I have described the above ways in which my invention may be carried into
effect, but it is obvious that, if the indicator in front of the driver, is visible by the
passenger inside, an indicator in the interior of the carriage is not necessary, but
the cord alone coupled to a notched handle inside the cab with a spring holding it
in place will be sufficient. Thus the occupant in the cab by pulling on this handle
can bring the indicator opposite any desired word or sign on the dial and keep it
there until he forcibly releases the handle and allows it to return. Moreover it
is obvious that a notched handle is not essential and this may be dispensed with if
desired, in which case the occupant will hold the pulling handle at required
indication until obeyed. Also I do not confine myself to the position of the alarm
bell H, as in some cases it may be desirable to have it in some other position as for
instance below the dial instead of at top or even some distance away. In either
case, the bell could be acted upon in a somewhat similar manner to the arrangement
described. In another arrangement, the indicator may be fitted with a watch or
clock, or it may be fitted into a leather case which may form a rein holder and
indicator combined or can be made to hook on and off the splash-board, rail or
other projection by hook M, or may be a fixture, as is found most convenient. The
lettering on the dial may be in luminous paint and special lettering on the dial
might be used on public omnibuses to indicate the exact place of stoppage
desired.
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:-
1. The improvement in indicators or telegraphs for cabs or other vehicles, which
consists in forming them of a dial or scale and pointer in front of the driver, a
second dial or scale and pointer in the cab, with mechanism for connecting the two
and making them work synchronously, and a handle in the cab, whereby the
occupant in the cab can bring his indicator and consequently the indicator outside
to any given word or sign on the dial, substantially as described.
2. The improvement in indicators or telegraphs for cabs and other vehicles,
namely forming them of a dial or scale and pointer, located outside in such a
position that it is visible both to the driver and to the occupant inside, a notched
handle or its equivalent in the cab, with mechanism for connecting the two and
bringing the pointer normally back to zero, whereby the occupant in the cab by
pulling on this handle can bring the indicator opposite any desired word or sign on
the dial, and keep it there until he forcibly releases the handle and allows it to
return substantially as described.
3. In indicators or telegraphs for cabs or other vehicles, the combination with
the dial, of an alarmn worked by the connection or cord, so that whenever a sign is
given, the bell is rung substantially as described.
4. In connection with an indicator or telegraph for cabs or other vehicles, the
devices for bringing the pointers normally back to zero substantially as described.

page_text: 5. The several combined arrangements and construction of parts forming my
improved indicators or telegraphs for cabs and other vehicles substantially as herein
set forth.
Dated this 30th day of January 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.