IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING FRAUD BY THE CONDUCTORS OR OTHER PERSONS IN CHARGE OF OMNIBUSES AND OTHER PUBLIC CONVEYANCES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Sedgwick and Henry
Harris Lake at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th March 1873.
We, RICHARD SEDGWICK and HENRY HARRIS LAKE, both of Great
Tower Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING FRAUD
BY THE CONDUCTORS OR OTHER PERSONS IN CHARGE OF OMNIBUSES AND OTHER PUBLIC
CONVEYANCES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention is designed to afford the means for preventing fraud
with regard to the fares of passengers in omnibuses, tramway cars, and
other public conveyances, by the use of simple and convenient apparatus,
which may be readily applied to the vehicle without requiring any
change in its construction, and without materially increasing the cost of
the same.
The said Invention consists in the peculiar combination of two steps
with recording or registering mechanism, as herein-after described.
The said Invention is applied to an omnibus or tramway car as
follows:-We arrange in front of the doorway of the omnibus or car two
steps, by which passengers must ascend either to the interior of the
omnibus or to the top of the same, and by which they must also leave

page_text: either part of the vehicle, that is to say, we provide no other means of
ingress or egress, and it is essential to our Invention that no other way
into or out of the vehicle shall exist. These two steps are yielding or
movable to a limited extent when stepped upon by any person entering
or leaving the vehicle, and another feature of our Invention is the
arrangement of these steps in such positions in relation to each other
and the vehicle that any person in entering the same must tread first on
the lower and then on the upper step, and in leaving the vehicle must
tread first on the upper and then on the lower step.
The two steps are connected by rods and levers, or other suitable 1
mechanism with two pencils, punches, or other markers, which are
arranged in combination with a sheet or strip of paper, or other suitable
material.
The paper is preferably coiled around a drum or roller, and conducted
therefrom to another drum or roller; the latter is connected through a 1
pawl and ratchet wheel, or other suitable contrivance with the aforesaid
steps, whereby it is moved forward a slight distance at each depression of
the steps. The said steps, the pencils, or other markers, and the rollers
are in such combination with each other and the other parts of the
apparatus that the entrance of the passengers will be indicated by one 2
pencil, and their exit by the other pencil, one mark being made for each
entrance upon one portion of the paper, and another for each exit upon
another portion of the said paper.
The order in which the steps are depressed governs the indications of
the recording apparatus, that is to say, if the lower step is first depressed 2
the pencil which has to record the entrance is thereby adjusted in front
of the paper, and then the succeeding depression of the upper step causes
the pencil to make its mark on the paper. On the other hand, when
the upper step is first depressed, the pencil which indicates the exits is .
adjusted into the proper position with regard to the paper, and the 3
succeeding depression of the lower step causes it to mark the said paper.
To obtain this action of the apparatus we prefer to connect the lower
step to a hollow shaft, through which we pass another shaft for
supporting the upper step. These shafts are capable of turning slightly
in their bearings; each shaft carries at one end a lever. A double pencil 3
or punch holder is arranged in front of the paper, and is fitted to vibrate
on a central pin or pivot. At the back of the said pencil holder we
arrange two sliding rods which are connected directly or indirectly with

page_text: the levers on the step shafts. These rods are so formed and arranged
that the step first depressed causes one of them to raise one of the
pencils in position for marking, and then by the succeeding depression
of the other step, the other sliding rod pushes the pencil forward to
mark the paper. The vibrating pencil holder and the pencils or punches
are provided with springs to return them to their normal position after
each operation. Moreover each step returns after its depression, and by
reason of the peculiar combination and operation of the various parts of
the apparatus if the depression of one step is not followed by the
depression of the other it will return to its normal position without
making any record.
To prevent any possibility of the steps or other parts of the apparatus
being wedged or propped by the conductor we cover the under side of
the steps and such other parts as may require to be guarded with glass
or other similar fragile material. So long as the apparatus is
unobstructed there will be no pressure upon this material, but in the
event of an attempt to stop the apparatus by wedges or the like the
glass or other material will be fractured and the fraud will be discovered.
The indicating apparatus is enclosed in a case or box which cannot be
opened except by proper inspectors, or others authorized by the
proprietors of the vehicles.
The above-described apparatus will indicate accurately the number of
passengers entering and leaving the vehicle during any journey or
number of journeys, but does not show at what stage or division of the
route the entrances or departures take place. Therefore to adapt our
Invention to the requirements of omnibus traffic it must have some
appliance for marking the paper with such divisions. For this purpose
we may use a third pencil or marker connected by suitable gearing with
one of the wheels of the vehicle, or we may arrange the said third pencil
or marker in connection with a key or other device actuated by the
conductor, or the said third pencil may be made inaccessible to the
conductor, and under the control of inspectors stationed at the required
positions along the route.