IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RECORDING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS ENTERING AND LEAVING OMNIBUSES, TRAMWAY CARS, OR OTHER PUBLIC VEHICLES, AND CHECKING THE PAYMENTS RECEIVED FROM SUCH PASSENGERS, WHICH APPARATUS, OR PARTS OF WHICH APPARATUS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Patrick Auld at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 9th May 1877.
sex.
PATRICK AULD, of Frederick Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of Middle-
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RECORDING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS
ENTERING AND LEAVING OMNIBUSES, TRAMWAY CARS, OR OTHER PUBLIC VEHICLES,
AND CHECKING THE PAYMENTS RECEIVED FROM SUCH PASSENGERS, WHICH APPARATUS,
OR PARTS OF WHICH APPARATUS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SIMILAR
PURPOSES."
My Invention consists of a spring step, so placed that each passenger inside and
outside on entering and leaving the vehicle shall be necessitated to step upon and
depress it, and thereby act upon recording mechanism, as herein-after more fully
described, the step instantly resuming its normal position upon the pressure being
removed.
A horizontal lever or bar is fixed to the under side of the steps, which lever or
bar being connected by means of small chains and pulleys, or otherwise, with a
perpendicular rod, connected at the top to a smaller lever, sets in motion by a pawl
and ratchet arrangement a wheel which turns a smaller one, causing the revolution
of a reel or winder, upon which a strip of paper is wound from another reel. Upon
one side of the smaller wheel are arranged knobs, which as the wheel revolves are
pressed each in turn upon a spring, attached to which are one or more points or
prickers. Each time the spring is pressed by one of the knobs the points or prickers
pass through the paper, so that one prick is made in the paper every time a
passenger enters or leaves the vehicle.
The mechanism above described is compactly arranged in a case or box, securely
fixed to the end of the vehicle, as is also the rod connecting the apparatus with the
lever attached to the step, the rod being maintained in a perpendicular position by
means of guide rings fixed to the casing.
Connected with the apparatus is a movable box, subdivided into compartments
corresponding to the different stages of the journey, and fitted with a shutter,
sliding from top to bottom, or in one direction only, in which an opening is so
arranged as to give the conductor access to one compartment at a time. In each
compartment are tickets to be issued by the conductor at or during the stage to
D927

page_text: which the compartment corresponds, also a receptacle in which he must place those
tickets collected during the same stage. At one side of the shutter are knobs,
arranged so that as the shutter is moved by the conductor at each stage one of them
presses on a spring with pricker attached which pierces the strip of paper above
mentioned, but on the edge opposite that which registers the entrances and exits of
passengers, so that the number of passengers entering and leaving during the several
stages of the journey is clearly shewn.
Upon each ticket is printed the stages from and to which it is issued, with the
fare; and as at the end of each stage the conductor must place all tickets collected
during such stage in the place provided for them, which he must then close before
he can issue fresh ones, it is evident that. if any ticket is found in a compartment
other than that corresponding with the stage to which it was issued the difference
of fare between such stages represents the excess for which the conductor must
account.
As the whole of the above apparatus is arranged in a very small space no plat-
form or arrangements other than those now in use are required, so that it can be
readily applied to existing vehicles without materially altering them, and at a very
moderate cost.
The recording apparatus may be employed in combination with the ordinary
turnstiles or spring doors, the parts being suitably modified to adapt them to the
purpose.
The Invention is also partly applicable to the recording of the number of persons
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