Improvements in Station Indicators.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1891-Accepted, 4th July, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Station Indicators.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of
Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has
been communicated to me from abroad by John Wesley Allison of the City of
Montreal in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec Dominion of Canada
Agent and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the class of station indicators, for use in railway trains,
which have a series of cards or plates arranged in consecutive order loosely bound
together at one edge and having notches in the opposite edge such plates being held
in position to display the name of a station at one time and upon being released
successively, fall and present an advertisement on their opposite sides.
The invention has for its object to avoid complicity of mechanism, to improve the
construction of certain parts, to render the operation of the device more certain and
provide means whereby the cards may be readily secured in place in the frame or
removed therefrom.
The principal improvement is in the means for retaining and releasing the cards
or plates successively and this consists of a sliding bar with lugs or projections
adapted to bear upon the faces of the cards, to hold them up and to register with
the notches, at other times to release and allow them to fall.
To avoid the possibility of the bottom edge of one plate becoming engaged with
the edge of the one behind it in turning over I have bent such bottom edges
outward.
And in order to render it possible to readily lock the cards or plates in position
in and remove them from the casing pins are secured rigidly in the back of the
casing and on these is fitted a hollow staple on which the cards or plates are slipped,
and each staple is secured in place by means of a button or like device which can be
turned to engage with a projection from the casing.
In order that the invention may be well understood I will describe the manner in
which the same may be practically carried out with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts
in both figures.
Fig. 1 is a face view and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the indicator (on the
line XX Fig. 1).
A is the frame or casing which may be similar to those now in use B a horizontal
metal shelf situated about midway of its length and faced with a round rod B¹ and
serving to support the cards or plates C when they are turned up or in their station
indicating position.
DD are two face plates secured to the interior side of the back A' of the casing
and having bosses d d on their rear sides adapted to fit apertures in such back and
serving to furnish extra metal to provide seats into which pins D' D' can be
screwed and project from such plates to within a short distance of the face of the
casing.
E E are hollow staples the legs of which can be fitted over the pins D¹ D¹ and
one of such legs of each staple be provided with a collar E' to hold in place a
button Ehung loosely on such leg and which can be turned to engage with right
angled ledges or projections D' on the plates DD so as to hold the staples in
place.
The cards or plates C are threaded upon the staples E E the same as formerly
except that the eyes are changed to slots c to give freer movement, and have their
edges which rest on the shelf B bent outward as shown in Figure 2 so that any

page_text: chance of the one that is falling down catching in the edge of the one behind it is
avoided. The opposite or free edges of these cards or plates are notched in non-
registering or alternate order as usual so that while the retaining device in one
position will hold one card it must be moved to another position to hold the next one
and free the first; CC being the notches in the front card and the dotted lines C² C²
indicate those in the one behind it.
The device for retaining and releasing these cards consists of a bar G adapted to
slide in the bearings G secured on the faces of the side boards of the casing and
having lugs GG projecting from its underside at such a distance apart that they
will coincide with the notches C and C when the bar is moved to the left or right
as the case may be, this being preferably done by the lever H pivotted at / in a
bearing projecting from the side of the casing and connected at
I with one end
of the bar suitably flanged as at g' to regulate the movement of the bar in cne
direction; a cap on the other end determining the opposite movement of
same.
Rollers JJ are preferably mounted in the lugs G G to facilitate travel along
the faces of the cards or plates C.
An arm G³ projects up from the top side of the bar G. at a point about centrally
of its length and carries the rollers K. K respectively at its upper end and on its
inner side, the former serving to engage with a curved foot L' on the operating rod
of a signal bell L, which may be of the Russell & Erwin type so that in passing
beneath the same it will elevate such rod and cause the bell to sound and the
latter running on a metal strip M secured on the underside of the top of the casing
and serving to support the weight of the bar G. in the centre.
N. is a guide plate secured. to the face of the top of the casing and serving
to steady the bar G. the arm G³ of which works between the plate and the
casing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is
First. In a station indicator, the combination with a series of cards arranged
in consecutive order, loosely bound together at one edge and non-registering in
parts, of a locking bar for retaining and releasing the cards successively and
means for operating said bar.
Second. In a station indicator, the combination with a series of cards arranged
in consecutive order, and loosely bound together at one edge and having non-
registering notches in another edge, of a sliding bar having lugs projecting in
front of said cards for retaining and releasing the cards successively and means
for operating said bar as herein before set forth.
Third. In a station indicator of the kind described, the series of cards arranged
in consecutive order loosely bound together at one edge non-registering in parts
and having their bottom edges bent outwards as shewn and for the purpose
bereinbefore set forth.
Fourth. In a station indicator of the kind described, the combination with the
back board of the casing, of pins rigidly secured to such back, board; staples
hollowed to fit over such pins and a locking device for securing such staples in
place.
Fifth. In a station indicator of the kind described, the combination with the
sliding bar G. having the arm G³ of a signal bell having an operating rod the
movement of which by the said arm will cause the bell to sound as hereinbefore
set forth.
D
1 1
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.