IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO OMNIBUSES AND TRAMWAY CARS NUMBER FOR REGISTERING THE PASSENGERS CARRIED THEREBY, OF INVENTION IS APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER SIMILAR REGISTERING PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left. by Benjamin Waterhouse at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th July 1874.
I, BENJAMIN WATERHOUSE, of Pendleton, in the County of Lan-
caster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MEANS OF AND APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO OMNIBUSES AND TRAMWAY CARS
NUMBER
FOR REGISTERING THE
PASSENGERS CARRIED THEREBY,
OF
INVENTION IS APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER SIMILAR REGISTERING PURPOSES," to be
as follows:
WHICH
This Invention is intended principally to be applied to omnibuses and
tramway cars for registering the number of passengers carried thereby,
but it is also equally applicable to theatres, concert halls, public gardens,
and other places of public resort or amusement for the purpose of
registering the number of persons entering therein.
The apparatus acts by means of a step or platform, upon which each
person to be registered is compelled to step on entering the vehicle or
place, the said step or platform being supported by a spring or springs
and attached to a frame or parallel levers connected with suitable
counting or registering apparatus.

page_text: One of the levers which support the step or platform has a connecting
rod attached to its outer end (or that furthest from its fulcrum) and to
a second lever beneath which is provided with a pointed catch taking
into the teeth of a star wheel keyed upon a short shaft. On this shaft
is also keyed a ratchet wheel having as many teeth as the star wheel.
A pawl acting on the teeth of this ratchet wheel is carried by a lever
also mounted and oscillating on the shaft, the other end of the said lever
bearing a pin, which projects between two studs attached to the con-
necting rod before-named.
As often as any person treads upon the step or platform the weight
of the said person causes the step or platform to descend, and the stud
on the connecting rod causes the ratchet lever to oscillate, and the pawl
to take up the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and thus give a certain
portion of a revolution to the shaft, which being connected by a spur
wheel and pinion to a pointer causes it to indicate a corresponding
number on a dial.
The strength of the spring or springs supporting the step or platform
is adjustable, and is to be so regulated that a person of the ordinary
weight (or above that weight) will press down the step or platform to
the full extent, and this will take up two teeth of the ratchet wheel,
whilst the weight of a child will only force it down half way, and take
up only one tooth of the ratchet wheel, and as each person will tread on
the step or platform twice (once on entering and once on leaving) the
dial is divided that every time the ratchet wheel is moved four teeth
it indicates one full fare, and each time it is moved two teeth it indicates
one half fare.
The pointed catch acting in the dents of the star wheel will always
bring the indicator to the exact mark (either full or half fare) and a
spring acting both ways always brings the pawl into position for
actuating the ratchet wheel as soon as the weight is taken off the step
or platform. This spring also acts upon the oscillating ratchet lever
and prevents the pointed catch ever coming opposite to the points of the
star wheel.