A Method of and Apparatus for Checking the Fares of Passengers by an Omnibus or other Public Conveyance
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th June, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 11th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 7th June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Checking the Fares of Passengers
by an Omnibus or other Public Conveyance.
I, ARTHUR CARRARA of Governor Lane, Gibraltar, Merchant and Landowner, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to means of checking the fares collected from passengers in an
omnibus or other public conveyance, by effecting an automatic record of the entrances
and exits of passengers at various parts of each journey. For this purpose, from one
of the running wheels of the vehicle I communicate motion by suitable gearing to a
strip of paper which is thus caused to travel at a rate proportional to that of the
vehicle. I connect the steps of the vehicle to a pair of markers in such a manner
that whenever a passenger enters, one of these markers makes a dot or like mark on
one part of the travelling paper and whenever a passenger leaves the vehicle, the
other marker makes a dot on another part of the travelling paper. In order to avoid
confusion of marks when a number of passengers enter or leave the vehicle at the
same time, the markers are made to have a little transverse movement relatively to
the paper, so that each mark is a little to the one side of the preceding mark. The
paper being graduated by lines representing the distance corresponding to the
particular courses into which the journey is divided, there is thus obtained a record
of all the passengers that enter and leave the vehicle, and of the particular parts of
the journey where those entrances and exits take place. Assuming that the journey
is divided into a number of courses, not necessarily equal in length, but each course
subject to the same fare such as one penny, then the paper being graduated at
intervals proportional to these courses, it is easy to compute, from the numbers and
positions of the marks on the paper, the total number of penny fares that should have
been collected during the journey, by adding together all the fares of those that enter
reckoned from the place of entrance to the end of the journey, and subtracting from
that sum all the fares of those that leave also reckoned from the place of leaving to
the end.
Dated this 12th day of June 1889
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Checking the Fares of Passengers
by an Omnibus or other Public Conveyance.
I, ARTHUR CARRARA, of Governor Lane, Gibraltar, Merchant and Landowner, 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:
My invention relates to means of checking the fares collected from passengers in
an omnibus or other public conveyance, by effecting an automatic record of the
entrances and exits of passengers at various parts of each journey. For this purpose,
from one of the running wheels of the vehicle I communicate motion by suitable
gearing to a strip of paper which is thus caused to travel at a rate proportional to that
of the vehicle. I connect the steps of the vehicle to a pair of markers in such a
manner that, whenever a passenger enters, one of these markers makes a dot or like
mark on one part of the travelling paper and, whenever a passenger leaves the
vehicle, the other marker makes a dot on another part of the travelling paper.
In order to avoid confusion of marks, when a number of passengers enter or leave

page_text: the vehicle at the same time, the markers are made to have a little transverse move-
ment relatively to the paper, so that each mark is a little to the one side of the
preceding mark. The paper being graduated by lines representing the distance
corresponding to the particular courses into which the journey is divided, there is thus
obtained a record of all the passengers that enter and leave the vehicle, and of the
particular parts of the journey where these entrances and exits take place. Assuming
that the journey is divided into a number of courses not necessarily equal in length,
but each course subject to a predetermined fare, then, the paper being graduated at
intervals proportional to these courses, or being examined by a scale so graduated, it
is easy to compute from the numbers and positions of the marks on the paper
the
total fares that should have been collected during the journey. This may be done by
adding together all the fares of those that enter reckoned from the place of entrance
to the end of the journey and subtracting from that sum all the fares of those that
leave also reckoned from the place of leaving to the end. Or the total may be
computed by ascertaining from the marks the number of passengers carried over
each course, multiplying that number by the fare for each course, and adding the
products.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a plan of the rear end of an omnibus
or car with a turnstile for the entrance and exit of passengers.
Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan shewing two turnstiles, the one for entrance and the
other for exit.
Fig. 3 is a part transverse section and Fig. 4 is a part longitudinal section shewing
means whereby the entrances and exits of passengers serve to mark a card, the
position of the card being set by hand.
Figs. 5 and 6 are corresponding sections shewing the movement of the paper
effected by that of the vehicle itself.
Referring to Fig. 1, A is a turnstile having its arms extending over two steps,
B for entrance and C for exit of passengers.
The turnstile A being provided as usual with a ratchet and pawl so that it
can turn in only one direction, entering passengers must tread on the step B
and leaving passengers on the step C. Both these steps are provided with springs so
that they can yield a little to the tread, their movements operating the marking
apparatus as will hereafter be described.
As shewn in Fig. 2 there are two turnstiles A A' having their arms at different
levels so that they can revolve clear of each other. These can revolve only in the
one direction so that passengers must tread on the steps B and C according as they
are entering or are leaving the vehicle.
When the vehicle is a public conveyance such as an omnibus, having its journey
divided into a number of courses, for each of which a fare is charged, the arrange-
ment for marking entrances and exits of passengers may be such as is shewn in
Figs. 3 and 4. B represents one of the two steps fixed on a shaft b enclosed in a
tubular shaft c to which the other step C is fixed, so that, according as the one step or
the other is trod upon, the central shaft b or the tubular shaft c is partly turned on
its axis. The shaft 6 is connected by levers 61 to an oscillating frame b³, and the
tubular shaft c is in like manner linked to a similar frame . Both these frames are
alike in construction and operation, as I shall describe with reference to b³. In it is
mounted a screw D having at its end a ratchet wheel d engaged by a pawl d¹. The
nut which fits on the screw D is guided by the lower limb of the frame b along
which it can slide, and this nut carries a pricker or punch. In front of this is a card
or sheet E for receiving the marks of the pricker or punch. The card or sheet E is
fitted in a vertically sliding frame which carries a ratchet rack engaged by a pawl on
a levere that can be moved by an external handle el, this lever e having also a marker
at its lower end. The conductor or other official, when the vehicle reaches the end of
one course and is beginning the next, by means of the handle e' moves the lever e
thus causing the sheet E to move vertically a distance equal to one tooth of its rack,
the marker on e at the same time making a mark on the middle of the sheet E.
If now a passenger enters the vehicle, by treading on the step B (Figures 1 and 2)

page_text: he moves the frame 6 towards the sheet E and the punch or pricker on ď makes a
mark on E. When the step B is relieved from the tread it is raised by a spring and
the frame 6 makes its back stroke. In making this back stroke its ratchet wheel d
is partly turned by the pawl d' and the screw D being thus partly turned in its nut d
causes the nut to move a little horizontally. If now a second passenger enters, the
punch or pricker on d makes a second mark on E but a little to the side of the former
mark. Thus, as passenger after passenger enters the vehicle; mark after mark is
made in a horizontal row in line with the mark made by the marker on the lever e.
Similarly the frame is moved by passengers leaving the vehicle and thus the sheet E
receives two sets of marks shewing the passengers entering and leaving during each
course.
Instead of moving the sheet E by hand as above described, it may be moved by
the vehicle itself as I shall describe referring to Figures 5 and 6. In this case a cam F
on the nave of one of the wheels of the vehicle, once in every revolution, moves a
lever F which by means of a pawl and ratchet gives motion through a train of
gearing G to a paper roller 9 which draws paper from an upper roller in front of a
pad g. The marking apparatus is similar to that shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 and its
parts are marked by similar letters of reference. In this case there may be a lever e
moved by hand to mark the courses if desired, but as the paper is caused to travel by
the travel of the vehicle, the marks on it representing the numbers of entering and
leaving passengers serve also by their position on the paper to show the parts of the
journey where the entrances and exits occur.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The herein described method of checking fares in a public conveyance by the
positions and numbers of marks made at different parts of paper or other surface by
the movements of steps or treadles caused by the entrances and exits of passengers.
2. Apparatus for producing marks such as are above referred to, constructed and
arranged substantially as described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.
3. The modified apparatus wherein the paper or other surface receptive of the
marks is caused to travel by the movement of the vehicle, substantially as described
with reference to Figs. 5 and 6.
Dated this 11th day of March 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.