IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING DISTANCE TRAVELLED AND TIME OCCUPIED BY " VEHIC
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray of No 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING DISTANCE TRAVELLED AND TIME OCCUPIED BY
"
VEHICLES communicated to him from abroad by Fernand Bisson of Paris
in the republic of France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th April 1883.
FOR
APPARATUS
JOHN IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the county
REGISTERING DISTANCE
of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TRAVELLED AND TIME OCCUPIED BY VEHICLES" [communicated to him from
abroad by Fernand Bisson of Paris in the republic of France]
According to this invention, a set of dials marking miles, or multiples or fractions
thereof, have their indices moved either by connection from a wheel of the vehicle
or from clockwork, so as to register, either the actual distance travelled, or a
distance representing, according to some predetermined ratio, the value of the time
during which the vehicle waits. The movement is transmitted from the wheel
through a cord, which, when the vehicle is unoccupied, is slack, so that the vehicle
travels without registering distance, but when the vehicle is occupied by a
passenger, his weight depressing a spring seat and floor, causes the tightening of
the cord, and so brings the register into action. The movement of the indices
being effected by ratchet and pawl actions, they can always be set to zero at the
When the vehicle has to wait, the driver, by
commencement of a journey.
moving a clutch, disengages the travelling movement and engages the time move-
ment. One set of the registering indices is made inaccessible to the driver
or traveller so as to register the total work of the day, for the use of the
proprietor.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Imray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st October
1883.
FOR
JOHN IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the county
of Middlesex-" IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
REGISTERING DISTANCE
TRAVELLED AND TIME OCCUPIED BY VEHICLES " A communication to me from
abroad by Fernand Bisson of Paris in the Republic of France
According to this invention, a set of dials, marking miles or multiples or
fractions thereof, have their indices moved either by connection from a wheel of
the vehicle or from clockwork, so as to register either the actual distance travelled,
or a distance representing, according to some predetermined ratio, the value of the
time during which the vehicle waits. The movement is transmitted from the
wheel through a cord, which, when the vehicle is unoccupied, is slack, so that the
vehicle travels without registering distance, but when the vehicle is occupied by a
passenger, his weight, depressing a spring seat and floor, causes the tightening of
the cord, and so brings the register into action. The movement of the indices being
effected by ratchet and pawl actions, they can always be set at zero at the
commencement of a journey. When the vehicle has to wait, the driver, by moving
a clutch, disengages the travelling movement and engages the time movement.
One set of the registering indicos is made inaccessible to the driver or traveller, so
as to register the total work of the day, for the use of the proprietor.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front view, with parts of the face
removed to shew the interior, and fig. 2 is a vertical section of counting and
registering apparatus according to this invention; Figs. 3 and 4 are part sections
on M N and OP of Fig 1 respectively; Fig. 5 is a front view of the divisional dial,
and fig. 6 is a vertical section on ZZ fig. 1.
The distance dials are shown divided, as for metric measurement; for miles and
fractions of miles the divisions would be different, whilst the action would remain
the same.
This action, as will be explained more particularly with reference to the
drawings, fulfils the following conditions:-
1. Connecting tho distance counter to the clockwork when the vehiclo is
stopped
2. Moving the distance counter to zero when a passenger leaves the vehicle
3. Automatic unclutching, so that the distance counter cannot be worked both
by the clockwork and the wheel of the vehicle at the same time
4, Unclutching the counter and clock when the former is moved to zero.
5, Working a special counter, X fig 1, which shews the distance run without a
passenger, this counter (which is similar to the regular distance counter) operating
as a check against the driver going over ground uselessly instead of proceeding
direct to a station
6. Working a dial which, being moved one direction every time the counter is
put to zero, indicates the number of passengers.
Each of the counters is arranged with three plates on which is mounted the
mechanism that moves its indices, of which there may be, as shewn, three, pointing
respectively to three graduated circles, the outer divided for tens of metres, the
middle for kilometres and the inner for tens of kilometres. The three indices, have
on their axes, as shewn in fig. 2, the wheels a of 80 teeth for the short index, b of
36 teeth for the middle and c of 80 teeth for the long index. These are worked
by the oscillating lever A which is pulled down by a reciprocating cord connected
to mechanism moved by a wheel of the vehicle, and is pulled up by a spring f
against a stop g when the cord is slackened. A spring pawl B on the lever A

page_text: engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel C which is prevented from moving back by a
pawl D. The wheel C carries a pawl F which works the ratchet wheel E by which,
with the required intermediate gear, the indices are moved. The revolution of the
wheel E is communicated by mitre gear G H and J K and spindle I to the spindle
on which are the indices of the divisional dial 'above which are similar to those
described for the totalising dial below, but which are moved or not according as
the ratchet clutches g and h are engaged or not. The sliding clutch g is kept
disengaged from h by a plate N pressed by a spring n, but when a spindle Lis
partly turned so as to move by a pin a lever M, a slope at the end of this
lever, coming under the plate N, raises it and so pushes g into gear with h. On
turning L back, g however becomes disengaged, and then the indices are caused to
turn to zero by means of a springs in a barrel o turning the spindle t, tho
wheels op and the pinions q r. In order to stop the indices at zero, there is on
the axis of ga pawl i (see fig. 5) which turns a wheel u till a stud on it stops
against the end of a spring a
.
The clock P is worked by a spring in the barrel R, the movement being
communicated by the wheel Q through an intermediate wheel S. The wheel
also, through a pinion y, turns a wheel z, from which the motion is communicated
by mitre gear a' b¹ to a ratchet clutch TV and thence, when these are: in gear,
to K. The mechanism for.automatically unclutching the clock and counter consists
of a lever f', having a slot working on a pivot near which is a projecting
stud on the lever, on which there is another stud g'. To the lever f' is connected
by a pin in a slotted hole another lever pivotted at k² and engaging with a
crank pin ', which can be turned by turning the spindle m³, to connect the counter
with the clock. On the spindle L are two studs n³ n³, one of which, n³, moves the
bell crank o'. On A is a stud p¹ which raises the lever f¹, when it has been let
down in connecting the counter to the clock. For this purpose, the spindle m² is
turned, so as, by means of the slide U, to cause the engagement of the clutches TV,
and to lower f, so that the stud g¹ escapes p', and the stop pawl q' lodges in the
notch, the lever f¹ butting against the stop 8. Should the driver neglect
to disconnect the counter from the clock when a passenger enters the vehicle, the
counter would be moved by both, marking more than the distance run. To
avoid this, the disconnection is automatically effected by the admission of the
passenger, for the cord which works the lever A, then becoming strained, so as to
move the counter, the stud p¹ escapes g', and f' ascending, moves the lever j³, so as
to unclucth the clockwork from the counter. This disconnection may also be
effected by turning the indices to zero, when, for example, the passenger has for
a time left the vehicle and the driver has connected the clockwork to mark the
time occupied in waiting. Should the passenger return to dismiss the vehicle,
the driver, in setting the indices to zero for a new passenger, by turning the
spindle L and stud n³, causes the bell crank o' to move f¹, and so disconnect the
clockwork.
The dial at R which indicates the number of passengers is attached to a ratchet
wheel y', Fig 7, which is advanced by a pawl on a lever moved by an arm c¹
on L, every time L is turned to set the indices to zero. The pawl g³ prevents
backward motion of the ratchet wheel and dial. Fig. 8 shews one arrangement
for communicating motion to the counter from a wheel of the vehicle, preferably a
hind wheel A'. On this wheel is a pulley d', working by a band or chain d³
another pulley d², mounted on any suitable frame or bracket h³ On the axis f
of d is a worm e' gearing with a worm wheel e³, a pin e³, on which when the
wheel turns in the direction of the arrow f³, but not backwards, moves in one
direction the arm h³ of of bell crank g which is pressed back by a spring 7.
From the bell crank, a cork is connected to the lever A of the counter which
is situated at z The seat and floor of the vehicle rest on springs, and a
pulley projects down from the floor engaging a bight of the cord 2, which
thus becomes sufficiently tightened to work the counter, only when the seat and
floor are pressed down by the weight of a passenger,

page_text: In order to communicate to the counter the movement of the wheel of the
vehicle in the one direction, but not in the other, a slipping clutch may be used, as
shewn by figs 9 and 10, where v³, the pulley worked from the wheel by a band or
chain, has on it two silent feed clamps to turn in one direction a wheel which
is prevented from turning in the opposite direction by clamp *^.
Besides the dials marking time and distance, the counter may have a dial
indicating fares, the index being worked by pawl and ratchet or other suitable
gear from those which indicate distance. There may also be a dial shewing the
distance run without a passenger.
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
claim in respect of apparatus for registering distance travelled and time
occupied by vehicles--
First: The combination of the distance counter with the clock so as to count
also for time of waiting.
Second-The mechanism for disconnecting the clock from the counter,
actuated by the entrance of a passenger or by the movement of the indices
to zero.
Third: The use in the counter of separate dials, for indicating the length
of each course, and the total for the day or other period.
Fourth: The mechanism for moving the indices to zero.
Fifth The mechanism whereby the counter is worked only when the vehicle
is occupied by a passenger.
Sixth: In combination with the mechanism for moving the indices to zero,
the dial for recording the numbers of times this mechanism is used, and consequently
the number of different passengers.
All substantially as herein described
In Witness whereof I the said John Imray have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Twenty Ninth day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand
eight hundred and eighty-three.
· JOHN TMDAV