A NEW APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING THE FARES PAYABLE BY PASSENGERS IN CABS, OMNIBUSES, AND OTHER PUBLIC CONVEYANCES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Templar, of Birkdale, in the County of
Lancaster, Schoolmaster, for the Invention of A NEW APPARATUS FOR
INDICATING AND RECORDING THE FARES PAYABLE BY PASSENGERS IN CABS,
OMNIBUSES, AND OTHER PUBLIC CONVEYANCES."
Sealed the 29th December 1877, and dated the 5th July 1877.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Templar at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th July 1877.
BENJAMIN TEMPLAR, of Birkdale, in the County of Lancaster, Schoolmaster.
A NEW APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING THE FARES PAYABLE BY
PASSENGERS IN CABS, OMNIBUSES, AND OTHER PUBLIC CONVEYANCES."
» ..
My Invention consists of a simple mechanical contrivance, which when attached
to any vehicle and set in motion by one of its wheels in the manner herein described,
indicates to the passenger in plain figures the fare he has to pay, and at the same
time secretly registers for the security of the proprietor the amount of the fares
received by the conductor or driver of the vehicle.
The mechanical arrangement by which this is effected is enclosed in a case, and
may contain a single indicating apparatus, as for a cab, or any number of them, as
for omnibuses or other similar vehicles. In the front of this case there is an
opening at which the figures-indicating-the-fares-are-in-succession presented for the
information of the passenger. These figures, which begin at 0 or zero, are attached
to an upright scale which by a series of sudden drops brings the various fares
successively into view, only one fare appearing at a time. Through this scale there
runs a metal pin called the "drop pin," which moves in a slit in the front of the
case, and projects both behind the scale and beyond the front of the case.
Behind the scale there is an upright cylinder, which is made to revolve by means
of a toothed wheel affixed to the lower end of its axle. The surface of this cylinder
(which may be made hollow) is divided into a series of steps by means of vertical
and horizontal lines cut into it.
The concealed or inside end of the "drop pin" rests on one of these horizontal
lines or edges, and thus the scale is supported for the time at any particular fare,

page_text: As the cylinder revolves the horizontal edge slips under the "drop pin" till it
comes to a vertical line or edge, when the pin suddenly drops about an inch, carrying
the scale with it, and thus changing the figures to indicate the next higher fare, and
in this way the successive fares are brought into view.
When a journey is completed the scale is brought back to zero in the following
manner: The guard or driver takes hold of the outer end of the "drop pin," raises
it, and thus brings the inner end of the pin into contact with a smooth spiral edge
cut into the cylinder, and by raising the pin causes the cylinder to revolve the
reverse way till the scale is again at zero. To allow the cylinder to be reversed in
this way a small thumb lift or lever is used to raise the motor wheel of the
cylinder out of gear, and it is kept up out of gear till required by another
passenger in the following manner:-A large metal ticket or check is provided
for every passenger, and this check has a large figure on it corresponding with a
number fixed above the opening at which the fare is shown. At opposite points
near the edge of this ticket are two holes, one of which slips over the drop pin and
helps raise it, and the other slips over a fixed pin above this opening; and when
the conductor or driver restores this ticket to its place it keeps the indicating
apparatus up out of gear. On being taken down for another passenger it reveals
the 0 on the scale and allows the cylinder to drop down into gear; and then directly
the vehicle sets off again the indicating apparatus begins to work, and the scale falls
from 0 to the first fare, whatever that may be.
Every cylinder is set in motion by means of an ordinary arrangement of toothed
wheels and pinions, receiving their impulse from one of the wheels of the vehicle in-
the following manner:-Attached to the centre of the wheel, or to the axle (if
moveable) is a projection or cam which at every revolution of the wheel presses
against an upright surface at one extremity of a horizontal bar fixed underneath the
vehicle, and thus pushes it aside. At the other extremity of this horizontal bar
there is a loose catch, which fitting into a ratchet wheel advances that wheel one'
tooth at every revolution of the coach wheel, and this first wheel by its revolutions
gives motion to the train of wheels, and so to the cylinder, already described. This
horizontal bar is restored to its place after being pushed in by the cam by means of
any suitable spring.
To register the fares received a toothed wheel is fixed inside the case, and this
wheel is advanced a tooth at a time, either by a pin projecting from the axle of the
cylinder, or by a projection at the back of the scale, as may be found most convenient,
the figures attached to this wheel, which is not reversed, will show what fares have
been received.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Benjamin Templar in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th January
1878.
BENJAMIN TEMPLAR, of Birkdale, in the County of Lancaster, Schoolmaster.
"A NEW APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING THE FARES PAYABLE. BY
PASSENGERS IN CABS, OMNIBUSES, AND OTHER PUBLIC CONVEYANCES."
My Invention consists of a simple mechanical contrivance, which when attached
to any vehicle and set in motion by one of its wheels in the manner herein-after
described, indicates to the passenger in plain figures the fare he has to pay, and at
the same time secretly registers for the security of the proprietor the amount of
fares received by the conductor or driver of the vehicle.
The mechanical arrangement by which this is effected is enclosed in a case, and
may contain a single or double indicating apparatus, as for a cab, or any number of
them, as for omnibuses or other similar vehicles.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a side view of part of an omnibus, and Fig. 2 an end view
of the same.
A is the axle of the hind wheel of the omnibus, and B a case con-
taining the indicating and recording apparatus. In the front of this case there are
openings at which the figures indicating the fares are in succession presented for
the information of the passenger. These figures, which begin at 0 or zero, are
attached to an upright scale a, which may be in the form of an endless band, as
shewn in Fig. 3 on Sheet 2, and which by a series of sudden drops brings the
various fares successively into view, only one fare appearing at a time. Attached
to the scale a is a small brass frame b which carries two metal pins c, d, one of
which, called the push pin c, moves in a slit in the front of the case B, and projects
beyond the front of the case. The drop pin d rests upon the upright cylinder c,
which is made to revolve by means of a toothed wheel affixed to the lower end of
its axle, as will be described hereafter. The surface of this cylinder (which may be
made hollow) is divided into a series of steps by means of vertical and horizontal
lines cut into it. The drop pin & rests on one of these horizontal lines or edges, and
thus the scale is supported for the time at any particular fare. As the cylinder
revolves, the horizontal edge slips under the "drop pin" till it comes to a vertical
line or edge, when the pin suddenly drops about an inch, carrying the scale with it,
and thus changing the figures to indicate the next higher fare; and in this way the
successive fares are brought into view.
When a journey is completed the scale is brought back to zero in the following
manner The guard or driver takes hold of the outer end of the push pin c and
raises it, and thus brings the drop pin d into contact with a smooth spiral edge cut
into the cylinder, and by raising the pin causes the cylinder to revolve the reverse
way till the scale is again at zero. To allow the cylinder to be reversed in this way
a small thumb lift or lever may be used to raise the motor wheel of the cylinder out
of gear, and it is kept up out of gear till required by another passenger in the
following manner-A large metal ticket or check, .marked fin Figs. 4 and 5, is
provided for for every passenger, and this check has a large figure on it corresponding
with a number fixed above the opening at which the fare is shewn. At opposite
points near the edge of this ticket are two holes, one of which slips over the push
pinc and helps to raise it, while the other slips over a fixed pin y above this
opening; and when the conductor or driver returns this ticket to its place it keeps
the indicating apparatus out of gear, as shewn in Fig. 5. On being taken down for
another passenger it reveals the 0 on the scale, and allows the cylinder to drop
down into gear, and then directly the vehicle sets off again the indicating apparatus
begins to work, and the scale falls from 0 to the first fare, whatever that may be.
Instead of the thumb lift or lever above referred to, I prefer to use the apparatus,

page_text: shewn in Figs. 4 and 5. This apparatus consists of the two pinions / loose on the
cross axle ; these pinions gear into the lower crown wheel k fixed on the axle of
the bevel wheel m. The pinions h also gear into the crown wheel / fixed on the
axle of the cylinder e. When the cylinder is being reversed, the crown wheel / will
carry the pinions h, h, along with it without interfering with the motion of the
driving wheel k.
Every cylinder is set in motion by means of an ordinary arrangement of toothed
wheels in the following manner-Attached to the centre of the wheel, or to the
axle (if movable), is a projection or cam n, as shewn in Fig. 1, which at every
revolution of the wheel presses against an upright surface o fixed to one extremity
of the horizontal bar p, supported in bearings fixed underneath the vehicle, and thus
imparts to it a slight horizontal motion. At the other extremity of this bar there is
a loose catch q which takes into the ratchet wheel and advances the wheel one
tooth at every revolution of the carriage wheel, and this first wheel by its revolution
gives motion to the train of wheels shewn, and so to the upright shaft s, which
transmits motion to the horizontal shaft t, on which is a bevel wheel u gearing into
the wheel m above referred to. This horizontal bar p is restored to its place after
having been acted upon by the cam n by means of a suitable spring, as shewn. The
upper end of the shaft s passes through the tube v, which is caused to revolve by a
pin and slot, as shewn in Fig. 4. To the tube v are attached two crown wheels v
and 2; the smaller one v¹ gears into a pinion w fixed to the shaft t, and in revolving
imparts motion to it and to the bevel wheel u; the larger one v² can be brought
into gear with the pinion wl by withdrawing the pin a, raising the tube v, and
re-inserting the pin x. The object of this is to change the fares for a less distance
when required.
To register the fares received I attach a ratchet wheel y to the frame b, as shewn
in Fig. 6, and this wheel is advanced a tooth at a time during the reversal of the
cylinder e by means of catches 2, the number of which depends upon the number of
drops in the cylinder c, the teeth of the wheel y striking successively against the
said catches; the wheel y has ten teeth, and by means of a pin projecting from its
face moves a second ratchet wheel y' one tooth for every revolution of the first. By
this means a record is kept, in the case of omnibuses, of the number of pence
received at any apparatus, and in the case of cabs, of the fractions of a shilling
charged for the distance travelled.
When necessary a pair of wheels similar to y and y¹ can be added, to indicate
the first distance, in case that should be a higher charge than the succeeding
distances.
In cabs where there are two scales of fares, say a lower scale for one or two
passengers, and a higher scale for more than two, there would be two cylinders
placed side by side, each worked as required by the same main spindle but having
a different scale of fares, and either of them being capable of being dropped into
gear as required by the removal of the passenger's ticket, as before described.
In the case of hiring by time, the indicator could be worked by clockwork instead
of by the wheel of the vehicle.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention and described the manner of
performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First. The general combination and arrangement of the parts for indicating and
recording the fares payable by passengers in cabs, omnibuses, and other public con-
veyances, as shewn and described.
Secondly. The cylinder e divided into steps and provided with a spiral edge, in
the manner and for the purposes described.
Thirdly. The scale a and frame b, with two pins c, d, for the purpose described.
Fourthly. The ticket or check f, which is retained by the passenger when in the
conveyance, and which holds the indicating and recording apparatus out of gear
when in its place, as shewn and described.
Fifthly. The recording apparatus, consisting of the ratchet wheels y, y', and
catches, as shewn and described.
1
E

page_text: And, Sixthly. The cam n, and the parts actuated thereby, for driving the indi-
cating and recording apparatus.}
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Templar, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of January, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight.
BENJAMIN TEMPLAR. (L.S.)