AN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTER- ING THE NUMBER OF PERSONS ENTERING A PUBLIC VEHICLE OR CARRIAGE
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Thomas Crofton, of Leeds, in the County of
York, for the Invention of "AN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTER-
ING THE NUMBER OF PERSONS ENTERING A PUBLIC VEHICLE OR CARRIAGE."
Sealed the 31st March 1857, and dated the 2nd October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. Michael Thomas Crofton
at the Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd October 1856.
I, MICHAEL THOMAS CROFTON, of Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of.the said Invention of "AN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND
REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PERSONS ENTERING A PUBLIC VEHICLE OR CARRIAGE,"
to be as follows:
This Invention.consists in combining certain novel mechanism into an appa-
ratus formed with two dials ór faces; one of these dials is covered with a 'sheet.
of glass; and the apparatus is so fixed in the_omnibus or other public vehicle'
as that such dial shall be exposed to the person's: within the omnibus, &c.; and
the other dial is at the outside of the vehicle; and presents.to view different
uúmeral-units rat three different openings in this dial, whilst the other dial.
exhibits other dials registering tens and hundreds, and if necessary; thousands..
In connection with the above apparatus and inside the. same there are three
Bells and levers; corresponding to the different fares charged, extending there-
from to the outside of thetapparatus, and it is intended that the conductor of
the vehicle should pushoin onerior.other of such said levers each time. a
passenger leaves the vehicle, thereby sounding, the bell, and simultaneously
therewith operating upon certain pins. in a wheel, by which the unit' dials are
advanced from one numeral figure to the next and adjoining one in regular-

page_text: progressive order; and by these means the number of persons who shall have
entered a public vehicle during a day, or even a week, or a shorter or longer
time, shall be registered and indicated, the conductor or servant each time
pushing such of the three levers as correspond with the particular fare that
each person shall bave, paid; thus showing at a glance the number of persons
that shall have entered the vehicle. Each of the above-mentioned unit dials
are connected with certain toothed wheels for registering or indicating tens,
hundreds, and thousands.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.filed
by the said Michael Thomas Crofton in the Great Seal Patent Office on.
the 2nd April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
THOMAS CROFTON, of Leeds, in the County of York, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,' the said
Michael Thomas Crofton, Her special licence that I, the said Michael
Thomas Crofton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Michael Thomas Crofton, 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, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PERSONS
ENTERING A PUBLIC VEHICLE OR CARRIAGE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Michael Thomas Crofton, 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 Michael Thomas, Crofton, 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 following
statement thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: My Invention consists in combining certain novel mechanism into an appa-
ratus formed with two dials or faces; one of these dials is covered with a sheet
of glass or a solid door of wood, and the apparatus is so fixed in the omnibus
or other public vehicle as that one dial shall be exposed to the persons within
the oninibus, &c., and presents to view different numeral units at three
different openings in this dial, whilst the other face exhibits other smaller dials
for registering tens, hundreds, and if necessary, thousands. In connection
with the above apparatus and inside the same there are three bells and levers,
corresponding to the different fares charged, said levers extend outside the
apparatus and it is intended that the conductor of the vehicle to which my
indicating apparatus is attached, shall push one or other of such said levers
inwards each time that a passenger leaves the vehicle and after he has paid
his fare; the effect of pushing the lever is to sound a bell, and simultaneously
to operate upon certain pins in a wheel, by which the unit dials are advanced
from one numeral figure to the next and adjoining one in regular progressive
order; and by these means the number of persons who shall have entered a
public vehicle and paid fare during a day, or even a week, or a longer or
shorter period, shall be registered and indicated, by the conductor or servant of
the vehicle each time pushing such of the three levers as correspond with the
particular fare that each passenger shall have paid; thus enabling the pro-
prietor of the vehicle to ascertain readily the number of persons that shall
have entered the same and the amount of fares paid by them. Each of the
above-mentioned unit dials are connected with certain toothed wheels for
registering or indicating tens, hundreds, and thousands.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now pro-
ceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same
into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked thereon
respectively, as follows.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure is an elevation of that side or face or the apparatus situate at the
inside of the omnibus or other public vehicle, and exbibiting units only;
Figure 2 is an elevation of that side or face of said apparatus containing the
dials for registering units, tenis, and hundreds. One of these dials I propose
to enclose or cover by a hinged door, locked to the case of the apparatus, and
intended to be accessible to the proprietor of the vehicle only. Figure 3 is a
top plan view of said apparatus; Figure 4 is a longitudinal and vertical section
through the line A, B, at Figure 3; Figure 5 is a similar section through the
Figure
Is an elevation of that side or face or ne apparatus situate at the
inside of the omnibus or other public vehicle, and exbibiting units only;
Figure 2 is an elevation of that side or face of said apparatus containing the
dials for registering units, tenis, and hundreds. One of these dials I propose
to enclose or cover by a hinged door, locked to the case of the apparatus, aud
intended to be accessible to the proprietor of the vehicle only. Figure 3 is a
top plan view of said apparatus; Figure 4 is a longitudinal and vertical section
through the line A, B, at Figure 3; Figure 5 is a similar section through the

page_text: line C, D, at Figure 3; Figure.6 is a detached portion herein-after-particularly
described and referred to... Figure 7 is a side elevation, and Figure. 8 á front
elevation, of a modified:form of construction of. mechanism to be employed. for
actuating the bells and indicating hands of the. apparatus before described,
said modifications being designed for the purpose of occupying considerably
less space than the arrangements represented at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The
difference, in the two mechanical arrangements consists principally.in.arranging
and actuating the lever ..at.Figure in a vertical direction: instead of hori-
zontally,,as at Figure .;.infother respects the mechanism in both is similar.
At each of the foregoing. Figures I employ similar letters of reference to
denote corresponding parts, in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at
each of such said Figures respectively.
1 .1.
A, A; is a casing, or frame of wrought iron, to which are connected, the
following parts B, C, D, are spindles, supported by and working in suitable
bearings formed in the back and front parts of the casing. A, A; upon each of
these spindles the following..similar pieces of mechanism are affixed, and are
each actuated. from the outside of the apparatus by levers E; of the construc
tion exhibited. at. Figure 4; where E.marks a piece of metal passed. through.a
corresponding shaped hole. in one end. of the casing A, A; the inner end of
the piece E has a slot formed therein,. which passes over. the spindle C;. a.is a
catch lever, connected to a piece of metal b, fixed to the lever E by a pin 1;
c. is a spring, for pressing down. the hooked end of the lever a; d'is,a piece of
elastic material, serving as a spring to return the sliding..lever or rod E.to.its
original position after it has. been. pushed inwards; e is a stud; fixed in the
lever E; G is a bent lever, the fulcrum whereof is a pin at. f passed through
a piece of metal H, fixed. to one end of the casing A, as át Figure 4; I is a
hammer, fixed on the opposite end of the pin f; g is a curved pressure spring,
for giving the blow to said hanımer; h is another spring, for lifting the
hammer from the bell L after it has been struck thereby ; i is a soft piece of
material, covered over the end of the spring h; these two springs, as also the
curved stop piece k, are all securely fixed to the casing A; K is a piece of
metal, the upper part whereof.is.forined i.forked, same being connected by a
pinto the bent lever, G.and the lower part of the piece K, which is formed
solid, abuts against the end, of the piece G, and is made sufficiently. long for
.the.stop e to come into contact therewith; L is a bell, suitably fixed by the
piece m for the, hammer I to strike against; M is a wheel, in which pins n
are fixed at equal distances asunder, and project beyond the face of said
wheel. The wheel M is securely.fixed upon the spindle C, as also another
wheel N, shewn at Figure 8, in which is fixed a projecting pin o, which

page_text: operates upon certain mechanism hereafter described.. O is a dial, fixed upon
one end of the spindle. C; and P is a smaller dial, fixed upon the outside of
the back of the casing A, A, as at Figure 2. Thése. dials have: númeral unit
figures painted or printed thereon: The figures upon the dial O are each visible
upon being brought opposite to the opening p, formed in the front of ithe
casing A, A, as at Figure 1, and the figures upon, the dial P are traversed over
and pointed to by a hand g (shewn at Figure 2) fixed: upon the spindle C...; I
would here remark, that instead of the 'above-mentioned dials being. moveable,
they may be fixed, and a hand made to pass over the face thereof, so as to
point to one or other of the figures thereon, and when..this. is the case, the
dials must be clear of each other at their peripheries; the said dials and
figures may also be made considerably smaller, than. represented by the Draw
ing, and the mechanism, may. be condensed so as to occupy considerably less
space. Q, S, are other wheels, fixéd on spindles r,c, s,. exhibited at Fig. 6;
the edges of the wheels Q, S, are formed notched as, a.ratchet wheel, and said
wheels have pins t inserted 'therein, similar to those marked o at Figure 3;
the edge of the wheel N has a single notch or recess v. formed therein, as at
Figure 5, for the purpose hereafter stated, and there is a pin w fixed in the
wheel N, against which one or other of the feeth. or. notched parts of the
wheel S presses at each revolution of this said, wheel, thus causing the wheel $
to be moved only one division for each entire revolution of the wheel N, which
will have moved ten divisions and exposed .ninë units; and in like, manner the
wheel Qwill be moved from one division to the next for each entire revolution
of the wheel S, thus causing the said wheels. respectively to indicate and
register units, tens, and hundreds. I would here remark, that the notch v in
the wheel N enables this wheel to move from one division to the next on its
respective dial by the action of the teeth of the wheel S.upon the pin w, after
which the plain part of the periphery of the wheel N, being in contact with
any two of the pins u in the wheel, will hold this wheel fast and prevent it
from being advanced, either backwards or forwards, until the wheel N has per-
formed an entire revolution and the notched part v has been again brought
into its original position.
The same arrangement of mechanism .to that lastly. above described is con-
nected with each of the levers E, each of these levers being employed to
indicate and register the number of persons who shall have paid any particular
amount of fare; for example, one lever is employed for registering all those
persons who shall have paid a threepenny fare; another lever, a fourpenny
fare; and the third lever, a sixpenny fare, or such other fares as may be pre-
viously fixed and determined upon by the proprietor of the vehicle. If

page_text: desirable, the large unit figures which are upon the face of the apparatus may.
be exposed to the passengers in the omnibus, and the face containing the
smaller dials may be entirely covered by a door fastened by a lock and key,
said key being in the possession of the proprietor of the vehicle or his agent.
And as by the peculiar construction of the above apparatus, the bell must be
sounded each tiine one or other of the levers E are pushed in, and the unit
figures on the dial are moved forwards, so as to expose to view another unit
figure, it follows therefore that the conductor or servant taking the fares must
either not push the levers when a passenger has paid his fare, in which case
the fact of concealment is apparent to the other passengers, or, if they are
pushed, then the fare received by him must remain registered in the apparatus,
and thus operates as a check upon the amount of money he has been paid
during the day, or other longer or shorter time. I propose to place the said
apparatus in the back of the omnibus on the near or left-hand side of the door
by which passengers enter.
Having now fully described the nature and object of my said Invention of
An Apparatus for Indicating and Registering the Number of Persons En-
tering a Public Vehicle "or Carriage," together with the best means I am
acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark, in
conclusion, that I do not intend to limit or confine myself to the precise
details of construction above described and represented, but reserve to myself
the right of making such modifications thereof as are consistent with the
character of my said Invention, which I hereby declare to consist in, and I
claim, an apparatus of the above construction, for the purpose of indicating
and registering more than one fare in one and the same apparatus; and I
particularly claim the construction of the slotted lever at Figures 3, 4, and 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Thomas Crofton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven..
MICHAEL THOS. CROFTON. (L.S.)
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE, Patent Agent,
4, Trafalgar Square, London.