1,258,132. Coin freed apparatus; ticket printing and issuing apparatus. BELL PUNCH CO. Ltd. 9 Feb., 1970 [7 Feb., 1969], No. 6693/69. Headings G4T and G4V. A ticket issuing machine comprises a mechanism to receive coins into the machine, means for sorting coins received in the machine into shoots corresponding to the values of the coins, means to sense the passage of a coin through the respective shoot, means to count the value of coins sensed in the machine, and a ticket printing and issuing mechanism to print on tickets the value of the coins counted and to issue the ticket from the machine. Insertion of a threepenny or sixpenny piece closes switch 1 thereby energizing relay 3 which blocks the coin entry slot and closes switch 3<SP>1</SP>, thereby closing a circuit parallel to switch 1 so that the entry slot is blocked until the value of the inserted coin has been recorded. Rejected coins operate switch 2 to open the entry slot. Valid threepenny coins close switch 5 and energize relay 7, which closes switches 7<SP>2</SP>, 7<SP>3</SP> momentarily, thereby causing solenoid 15 to move the price printing wheel by one threepenny increment and also operate the totalizer solenoid 16. A valid sixpenny piece closes switch 6, thereby energizing relay 7 with current passed by diode 9, as well as relay 8. The timeconstants of circuits 10, 12 are such that relay 8 becomes de-energized after relay 7; so that the movement of switch 8<SP>1</SP> causes circuit 13 to reenergize relay 7, which thus sends two pulses to solenoids 15, 16 for each sixpenny piece inserted. When the purchaser has inserted the amount desired he operates push-button switch 18, which energizes relay 19, thus closing switches 19<SP>1</SP>, 19<SP>2</SP> in series with a ticket-issuing solenoid 20 to cause a ticket to be printed with the amount inserted. The ticket is preferably printed from a roll of a partially pre-printed ticket web. Details such as the stage boarded, the fare, and a running serial number may also be printed on to the ticket. Relay 19 also operates switch 19<SP>3</SP> to energize relay 21 which operates solenoid 23 to enable the ticket-issuing and amount-printing wheels to return to zero under spring action. When the ticket-issuing mechanism is mounted in a " one-man bus " a remote control unit, Fig. 2, is included to control the stage wheel printing mechanism. The number of the stage is recorded by the upper arms of multi-position wafer switches 30, 31 which record the units and tens respectively. When the upper arm of a switch is rotated by the bus driven on passing a fare stage, the switch no longer conducts, thereby de-energizing relay 38 or 47 so that warning light 32 lights up. The driver then closes switch 33 to energize relay 39 and thus cause flip-flop circuit 40, 41 to emit pulses which operate solenoid 25, Fig. 1, to generate increments in the fare stage indicators and printing wheels, and solenoid 34, to drive wiper contact 34<SP>1</SP> of switch 30 until it is aligned with the upper contact. When alignment has been achieved for the switch 30/31, relay 38/47 is reenergized and switch 38<SP>2</SP>/47<SP>2</SP> opened to deenergize relay 39 and thereby turn off flip-flop circuit 40, 41. Whilst flip-flop 40, 41 is driving the lower arm of one switch, say 30, to re-align its contacts, switches 39<SP>2</SP>, 39<SP>3</SP> are closed to latch the relay 47 of the non-affected switch 31, to prevent it being de-energized on movement of one of its arms, until the first switch 30 has been realigned. This prevents the closure of switch 47<SP>3</SP> part way through a pulse, which might result in solenoid 35 being actuated without actuation of solenoid 24. Switch 33 may be provided with a shortcircuit or replaced by a permanent connection.