Improvements in Fare Collecting Boxes or Apparatus applicable for Tramcars and other Public Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, on Mar., 1830
Complete Specification Left, 5th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1899
Date of Application, on Mar., 1830
Complete Specification Left, 5th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 11th Feb.,
1899
Improvements in Fare Collecting Boxes or Apparatus applicable
for Tramcars and other Public Vehicles.
We, RICHARD MARSTON, of 106, Price Street, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Brazier, and FREDERICK TIDSWELL, of 4, Devonshire Road, Birkenhead,
aforesaid, Tramway Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
-
This invention has for its object to provide a box or receptacle in which money
is collected on tramcars, omnibuses and the like, and its abstraction prevented
by fraudulent means.
To this end we construct the box as follows:-
We provide a coin slot in or near the top of the box conveying coins to the
interior of the box through a chute or trap so arranged as to prevent the possi-
bility of coins being abstracted even though the box be upturned. This chute
or trap is made in a peculiar manner being provided with a chamber into
which the coin drops when passed through the slot. The chamber has a domed
bottom with a ridge or comb piece in the middle or it may be in the form of
a span or pent roof. At each of the corners of the chamber, between the sides
and ends a small opening is left, wide enough for a coin to pass through, and
therefore a coin if dropped in this chamber will fall on the domed bottom or.
rather on to the ridge piece, and then will roll towards one or other of the
corners, and be discharged into the box through the discharge openings. The
sides and ends of this chamber are preferably formed so as to converge, that
is to say, each side and each end is bent at an angle, so that the apex or con-
verging point of one side is opposite the apex or converging point of the opposite
side, and the same with the ends, leaving however a channel between each side
and each end, which lead to the delivery spaces at the corners. These discharge
openings at the corners are therefore out of the direct line of the coin slot, which
make it impossible for a thief to insert an instrument through the slot and
manipulate it in such a manner as to extract the coins. The construction ensures
that the coins cannot escape from or be abstracted through the coin slot in the
top of the box through which they were inserted even though the box be up-
turned, the construction of the chute however forming no obstruction to the coins
falling freely into the box when dropped through the slot. Below the chamber
aforesaid there is a chamber with a hinged flap bottom, and with windows in
the side. On to this hinged flap the coins fall, and the windows enable the
money that lies on the flap being inspected, and thus the conductor can see
whether the correct fare has been passed into the box by the passenger. The
flap is furnished with a handle on the outside so that when inspection äs
taking place, the flap can be opened and coins fall down by gravity into the bottom
of the box. In this bottom we provide a door provided with a special lock for
the proper abstraction of the coins.

page_text: The mode of action is as follows:
The coins inserted through the coin slot pass down through the chute or cham-
ber provided below, and so on to the hinged flap in front of the window where
the conductor can detect any false or otherwise wrong coins that may have been
passed in by the passenger. Should however a fraudulent person endeavour
to abstract money unlawfully from the box, the peculiar construction of the chute
or chamber below the coin slot, effectually debars him from carrying out his
designs.
In thus describing our invention we wish it to be understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the exact arrangements set forth, as having once given the
general idea, alterations may be made without departing from the nature of
the invention.
Improvements in Fare Collecting Boxes or Apparatus applicable
for Tramcars and other Public Vehicles.
We, RICHARD MARSTON, of 106, Price Street, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Brazier, and FREDERICK TIDSWELL, of 4, Devonshire Road, Birkenhead,
aforesaid, Tramway Manager, 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 to provide a box or receptacle in which money
is collected on tramcars, omnibuses and the like, and its abstraction prevented
by fraudulent means.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a general view of a fare collecting box constructed in accordance
with our invention;
Figure 2 the top removed from the box and upturned;
Figure 3 a horizontal section on the line X X;
Figure 4 a detail view of the chute or trap separated from the coin slot;
Figure 5 is a vertical section.
Referring to these figures:
:-
A is the box, B the removable top, C a hook or claw at one edge of the top
which engages an abutment on the box, D a strip hinged to the said top at
the opposite edge, and provided with a claw at the extremity engaging on an
abutment inside the box and kept in engagement with the said abutment by
the door E. By this means the top is locked in position and can only be removed
by opening the door and releasing the claw from engagement with the abut-
ment. Fis a coin slot in or near the top of the box conveying coins to the
interior of the box through a chute or trap Ġ so arranged as to prevent the possi-
bility of coins being abstracted even if the box be upturned. This chute or
trap G is made in a peculiar manner, being provided with a chamber H into
which the coins drop, when passed through the slot. The chamber has a dome
bottom I with a ridge or cone piece in the middle, or it may be in the form of
a span cr pent roof. At each of the corners of the chamber between the sides

page_text: and ends a small opening J is left wide enough for a coin to pass through, and
therefore a coin being dropped into this box will fall on to the dome bottom I
or Father on to the ridge piece and then will roll towards one or other of the
corners and be discharged into the box through the discharge openings J. The
sides and ends of this chamber are preferably formed so as to converge, that
is to say, each side and each end is bent at an angle, so that the apex or converging
point of one side is opposite the apex or converging point of the opposite side
and the same with the ends, leaving however a channel between each side and
each end, which lead to the delivery spaces J at the corners. These discharge
openings at the corners are therefore out of the direct line of the coin slot F
which make it impossible for a thief to insert an instrument through the slot F
and manipulate it in such a manner as to extract the coins. The construction
insures that coins cannot escape through or be abstracted from the coin slot F
at the top of the box through which they were inserted even if the box be upturned,
the construction of the chute G however forming no obstruction to the coins
falling freely into the box when dropped through the slot F. Below the chute G
aforesaid there is a chamber K with hinged flap bottom L and with windows M
in the side. On this hinged flap the coins fall and the windows enable the money
that lies on the flap to be inspected, and thus the conductor can see whether
the correct fare has been passed into the box by the passenger. The flap is
furnished with a push button N on the outside, so that when the inspection has
taken place this button can be depressed, thus depressing the spring O which
at once enables the flap to descend and the coins to fall down by gravity into the
bottom P of the box. In this bottom we provide the door E provided with a
special lock for the proper abstraction of the coins. Intermediate in the path
of the coins however, we may provide the span or pent roof Q which also has the
effect of preventing the coins being returned if the box is turned upside down.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The coins inserted through the coin slot F pass down through the chute pro-
vided below, and so on to the hinged flap L in front of the window M where the
conductor can detect any false or otherwise wrong coins that may have been
passed in by the passenger. Should however a fraudulent person endeavour to
extract money unlawfully from the box, the peculiar construction of the chute
below the coin slot effectually debars him from carrying out his designs. The
upturning of the box by a fraudulent person will cause the coin to be arrested
by the part Q, or should he manage to cause any coins to escape past this, and
past the flap L, they will lodge in the recess R round the chute aforesaid. Thus
there is no direct passage to the coin slot nor is it possible to extract coins by
passing an instrument through this slot.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. The improvement in fare-collecting boxes or apparatus, which consists in
locating in the interior of the apparatus immediately under the coin slot, a
device for preventing the possibility of a coin being abstracted even if the box
be upturned, said device consisting of a chute whose bottom is made sloping or
of dome shape and whose sides and ends converge, leaving a coin channel between
each side and each end leading to delivery openings at the corners, whereby a
coin dropped through the slot will fall on to the bottom, and roll towards one
or other of the discharge openings at the corners, and be discharged into the
box, said delivery openings being out of the direct line of the coin slot, which
makes it impossible for a thief to manipulate an instrument inserted through
said slot in such a manner as to abstract a coin, substantially as described.
2. A coin chute for fare-collecting boxes so arranged that the coin on being
passed through the slot will be deflected and discharged laterally into the box,

page_text: all access in a direct line to the box being cut off by the chute bottom, substan-
tially as and for the purpose described.
3. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming our
improved fare-collecting box, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 4th day of January 1899.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.