IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY OR OTHER SEASON TICKETS, AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Adam Dixon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
March 1870.
I, ADAM DIXON, of 4, Railway Place, Fenchurch Strect, in the
City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY OR OTHER SEASON TICKETS, AND
IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
This Invention is intended-
First. To protect railway and other public companies issuing season
tickets from the frauds practised upon them through over due tickets, as
the new form of season ticket enables the ticket collectors or examiners
to distinguish at a glance not only how many months each ticket may
have still to run, but also to detect when it is over due.
And secondly. The new form of season ticket gives to the said com-
panies a check over their ticket collectors in the proper discharge of
their duties, by affording to the head officials a ready means of ascertain-
ing what tickets have been duly and periodically examined.
And having these objects in view this Invention consists in forming

page_text: the new season ticket with an extra flap or piece, divided into a scrics
of small tickets or coupons indicating and specifying the number and
names of the months or other periods for which the ticket is first issued,
these coupons or small tickets are to be distinctly diced or colored
alternately, so as to render them easily discernible at a distance, say,
equal to the width of a railway carriage, and it is intended at the begin-
ning of each month or other convenient time to snip off or detach onc
of these coupons corresponding to the month or period just elapsed; it
will thus be readily understood that the remaining coupons will at once
indicate to the collector how many months or other periods the season
ticket may have still to run, and also when all the coupons or small tickets
are detached that the season ticket has consequently matured. Besides
thus giving a positive index I also afford a negative one, by forming that
portion in the body of the new ticket behind the flap or coupons already
explained into a series of strongly marked dice which may be denomi-
nated blanks, consequently as cach coupon is detached a blank becomes
visible, showing one month or period run off.
My new season ticket may be used either with the negative and posi-
tive indexes together, or with either separately.
To facilitate the snipping off of the coupons by the ticket collectors or
examiners I have designed a pair of small pliers or nippers something
after the fashion of those at present in use, but larger in their snipping
jaws, so as to correspond in size to the coupon to be detached, and these
new pliers or nippers are provided under their cutting jaws with a ready
means of affixing and releasing a small bag into which the coupons will
fall as snipped off, which detached coupons enclosed in their bag on
being forwarded to head quarters afford to the officials there the means
of verifying and registering what season tickets have been duly examined
by the collectors.
'