New or Improved Apparatus for Preventing Crushing at the Entrances of Theatres and other Buildings, Places, and Vehicles, and for Ensuring the Entry of Persons in the Order of their Arrival.
Year: 1886

page_text: New or Improved Apparatus for Preventing Crushing at the
Entrances of Theatres and other Buildings, Places, and
Vehicles, and for Ensuring the Entry of Persons in the
Order of their Arrival.
I JOHN HENRY TAYLOR of Edmund Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Commercial Clerk do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING CRUSHING AT THE ENTRANCES
OF THEATRES AND OTHER BUILDINGS PLACES AND VEHICLES AND FOR ENSURING THE
ENTRY OF PERSONS IN THE ORDER OF THEIR ARRIVAL " to be as follows:-
My invention consists of the new or improved apparatus berein after described
by the use of which crushing at the entrances of theatres and other buildings and
places is prevented and the entry of persons in the order of their arrival is secured.
I take a chain or cord or rope one end of which is connected to a drum by the
turning of which in one or other direction by means of a winch the said chain cord
or rope may be wound upon or unwound from off the drum. The frame carrying
the said drum and in which it works is supported by a trolley by which the drum
can be readily moved about. To the said chain cord or rope handles are affixed
at regular intervals preferably of about fifteen inches. These handles may consist
of blocks or gripping pieces of a shape conveniently grasped by the hand the said
bandles being fixed to the chain cord or rope by riveting or otherwise. Or the
handles may consist of rings or loops closely attached to the chain by links or short
chains or otherwise. The person in charge of the trolley carrying the drum with
the chain cord or rope wound upon it secures the free end of the chain cord or rope
to the door post of the entrance or other fixed body at or near the entrance and
moves back the trolley a short distance thereby unwinding a short length of the
chain cord or rope and exposing one or more of the handles. This preparation .is
made before the arrival of the crowd. As persons arrive they take hold of and
retain in succession the several handles the attendant pushing back the trolley as
quickly as is necessary to unwind the chain and expose handles with sufficient
rapidity to permit each person on his arrival to take hold of one. The attendant
may move back the trolley in a straight line in which case the persons arriving
will be arranged in a straight line or he may move the trolley in a zig-zag direction
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in which case the persons arriving will be arranged in a zig-zag form Or other
methods of arranging the persons by the motion of the trolley may be adopted.
On the opening of the door or gate the attendant receives from each person
entering the handle he was in possession of no person being permitted to pass who
has not a handle in his grasp. The chain and handles as they are given up by the
persons entering are deposited in a basket or other receptacle.
By the consecutive numbering of the handles or by counting the number of
handles deposited in the basket or receptacle the number of persons who have
passed the entrance may be readily ascertained.
The various details I have described may be varied without departing from the
nature of my invention. For example instead of fixing the handles to the chain
they may be loose thereon the chain passing through them so as to allow them to
slide thereon and permit the persons holding them to be more or less closely
packed together. Or the handles may be in part fixed and in part loose. And
although where the space at disposal permits of it I prefer to arrange the chain and
persons holding onto it either in a straight line or a plain zig-zag yet where the
space at disposal renders such arrangements inconvenient the chain and persons may
be differently arranged. For example a plain zig-zag arrangement may first be
formed and about three sides of this a nearly semi-circular zig-zag may be made
But it is of little consequence so far as the efficiency of the apparatus is concerned
how the handles are connected to the chain or what is the shape of the zig-zag in
which the chain and persons are arranged as the chain on being unfolded permits the
the entrance of persons at the door or gate only in the order in which they arrived.
The person having charge of the trolley may be the money taker and may take
the admission fee from each person to whom he surrenders a handle.

page_text: Entrances of Theatres and other Buildings, Places, and
Vehicles, and for Ensuring the Entry of Persons in the
Order of their Arrival.
I JOHN HENRY TAYLOR of Edmund Street Birmingham in the county of
Warwick, Commercial Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING CRUSHING AT THE ENTRANCES
OF THEATRES AND OTHER BUILDINGS PLACES AND VEHICLES AND FOR ENSURING
THE ENTRY OF PERSONS IN THE ORDER OF THEIR ARRIVAL and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention consists of the new or improved apparatus herein described by the
use of which crushing at the entrances of theatres and other buildings and places
is prevented and the entry of persons in the order of their arrival is secured.
I take a chain or cord or rope one end of which is connected to a drum by the
turning of which in one or other direction by means of a winch the said chain
cord or rope may be wound upon, or unwound from off the drum The frame
carrying the said drum and in which it works is supported by a trolley by which
the drum can be readily moved about, or the aforesaid drum and trolley may be
dispensed with and the cord or chain disposed in any other convenient way as in
a basket or tub. To the said chain cord or rope handles are affixed at regular
intervals preferably of about fifteen inches. These handles may consist of blocks
or gripping pieces of a shape conveniently grasped by the hand the said handles
being fixed to the chain cord or rope by rivetting or otherwise or the handles may
consist of rings or loops closely attached to the chain by links or short chains
or otherwise, or the rope or chain may be used without any handles or similar
indications of position whatever.
The person in charge of the trolley carrying the drum with the chain cord or
rope wound upon it secures the free end of the chain cord or rope to the door post
of the entrance, or other fixed body at or near the entrance, and moves back the
trolley a short distance thereby unwinding a short length of the chain cord or rope
and exposing one or more of the handles. This preparation is made before the
arrival of the crowd. As persons arrive they take hold of and retain in succession
the several handles the attendant pushing back the trolley as quickly as it is
necessary to unwind the chain and expose handles with sufficient rapidity to
permit each person on his arrival to take hold of one. The attendant may move
back the trolley in a straight line in which case the persons arriving will be
arranged in a straight line or he may move the trolley in a zig-zag direction in
which case the persons arriving will be arranged in a zig-zag form. Or other
methods of arranging the persons by the motion of the trolley may be adopted.
On the opening of the door or gate the attendant receives from each person
entering, the handle he was in possession of, no person being permitted to pass who
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has not a bathe in his grasp.
persons entering are deposited
By the consecutive numbering of the handles or by counting the number of
handles deposited in the basket or receptacle the number of persons who have
passed the entrance may be readily ascertained.
The chain and handles as they are given up by the
a basket or other receptacle.
The various details I have described may be varied without departing from the
nature of my invention. For example instead of fixing the handles to the chain
they may be loose thereon the chain passing through them so as to allow them to
slide thereon and thereby permit the persons holding them to be more or less closely
packed together Or the handles may be in part fixed and in part loose And
although where the space at disposal permits of it I prefer to arrange the chain
and persons holding on to it either in a straight line or a plain zig-zag yet where
the space at disposal renders such arrangements inconvenient the chain and persons
may be differently arranged.
For example a small plain zig-zag arrangement may first be formed and about
three sides of this a nearly semi-circular zig-zag may be made. But it is of littlo
consequence so far as the efficiency of the apparatus is concerned how the handles
are connected to the chain or what is the shape of the zig-zag in which the chain
and persons are arranged as the chain on being unfolded permits the entrance of
persons at the door or gate only in the order in which they arrived Or if con-
venient, the attendant before the arrival of the crowd, may arrange the chain or
_cord on the ground in a zig-zag or other suitable conformation, so that persons as
they arrive may take their stations without the further intervention of the
attendant or to effect the same result the chain may be suspended in a zig-zag or
other suitable conformation from walls pillars etc.
The person having charge of the trolley may be the money taker and may take
the admission fee from each person to whom he surrenders a handle.
Having now particularly described an ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A flexible and movable barrier, as a cord rope or chain, as herein before
described and ascertained.
2. Handles, knots, or other means of indicating positions thereon, as herein
before described and ascertained.
3. A number to each of the positions, as herein before described and ascertained.
4. A drum, tub, basket, or other like appliance for disposing the said chain or
cord, as herein before described and ascertained.
Dated this 29th day of October 1886.