US1571263A - Taximeter fare-counter control - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 2 1926.

F. O. GRAY TAXIMETER FARE COUNTER CONTROL iled May 12, 19215 Patented Feb. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK O. GRAY, O}? DAYTON, 01-10, ASSIGNGR TO GHMEE FARE REGISTER COM- PANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A. CORPORATION GTE NEW YORK.

TAXIMETER FARE-COUITTEE Application filed May 12, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnounron O. Gui-iv, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Dayton, county of liiontgomcry, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Taxinictcr Fare-Counter Controls, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a fare counter actuating device especially adapted for use in a taximeter. More specifically, the invention is an improvement on the fare counter actuator controlling devices described in my co-pending application Serial No. 638,45 filed May 12, 1923. In said application a cam is provided which is adapted to be driven either from the ground wheel of a vehicle or from a clock. This 1am has a plurality of lobes or active surfaces which are engaged by a follower arm which acts to intermittently actuate a fare counter. it is customary in a taxicab business to make a minimum charge for hiring a vehicle, for

r this minimum charge to render a certain number of units of service, and when the minimum charge has'been consumed, to actuate the fare counter at the beginning of subsequent units of service. Tn my co-pending application above referred to, the cam follower, which is in the form of an arm adapted to rock the shaft on which it is mounted, is, during the period of service corresponding to the initial charge, retained out of operative relation with the cam which actua-tes it by means of a latch which is spring pressed toward effective position. This latch is rendered ineffective when the service rendered has consumed the initia charge by means of a pin suitably mounted on the actuating cam. It will be seen that the use of the device thus described is limited by the condition that the service to be rendered for the initial fare shall not eaceed the service represented by one complete rotation of the actuating cam. Suppose for example, that the actuating cam comprises four lobes and that it is desired to actuate the fare counter every quarter mile of distance traveled after the initial charge has been consumed. The shaft which carries theactuating cam will be geared to the shaft operated by the ground wheel in such a way that the cam shaft will turn one full revolution while the vehicle travels one mile, dur- CONTROL.

Serial No. 638,455.

ing which each of the four active surfaces of the cam will have actuated the fare counter once. With this arrangement the distance to be traveled before the fare counter becomes operative cannot exceed one mile by reason of the fact that the actuating cam makes one complete rotation per mile of travel, and the pin mounted on this cam must inevitably release the operating arm latch on the first rotation of the cam.

he object of the present invention is to provide a latch device which is not subject to the limitation above discussed, that is, a device which permits of more than one complete rotation of the actuating cam shaft before the fare counter operating arm is released and becomes effective.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. latch device which shall have two effective positions, and means associated with the cam effective on the first rotation thereof to move the latch from its first effective position to its intermediate position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch and control devices for the same, associated with the cam, which shall permit of more than one revolution of the cam before the latch is released.

My invention is herein described as applied to a taximeter of the type disclosed in the Patent 1,136,16d of April 20, 1915, to Ohmer and Bridenbaugh.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the parts constituting my invention together with sucn elements of the Ohmer taximeter as are necessary to show its application thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the latching device in the intermediate position which it occupies after having been affected by the first of two operating studs carried by the cam.

The actuating shaft is adapted to be rotated at a rate proportional either to the distance traveled or to the time consumed in waiting by mechanism fully described in the patent to Ohnier et al. above referred to or in my co-pending application. Said shaft 10 carries the four lobed actuating cam 11, the surface of which is followed by the operating arm 12 rigidly attached to shaft 13. The shaft 18 actuates the fare counter in the manner described in the patent above referred to.

The flag or control shaft 1 1 carries a cam 15 which by its engagement with a stud 16 on the operating arm 12, holds the operating arm out of contact with the actuating cam until the flag shaft 1 1 is moved to the position it occupies when the vehicle is in hire. Loosely mounted on the shaft l l is a latch 17 which engages a lug 18 mounted in the operating arm 12 when the operating arm is released "from the cam 15 by the rotation of the flag shaft. The operating arm 12 is pressed toward the actuating cam 11 by spring 19. The latch 17 is termed at its upper end with two shoulders, either of which may engage the lug 18 and hold the operating arm 12 inefieetive. When the operating arm is raised to inetl'eetive position by the return of the flag shaft 1 1 to For hire position the latch 17 assumes the position shown in Fig. 2. The latch is provided at its lower end with a horizontally extending portion 20, and the actuating cam 11 carries two stud 21 and 22, the stud 21 being located nearer the center of the cam than stud 22, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. when the latch 17 occupies the positioit shown in Fig. 2, this stud will pass by the latch idly. The stud 21, however, is of such a length as to engage the side of the upwardly extending portion of the latch and to move the latch from the Fig. 2 position to the Fig. 3 position. This movement does not render the latch inei'iective on the operating arm 12 as Fig. 3 clearly shows, but in this position the horizontally extending portion 20 of the latch is in the path oi the stud 22; accordingly when in the rotation of the cam 11 the stud 22 again comes to a position adjacent the latch, the horizontal portion 20 will be engaged by the stud 22 and the latch will be swung to an extent sufiicient to release the operating arm 12. With this arrangement it is possible for the actuating cam 11 to make 1% revolutions before the operating arm is placed in effective relation thereto; thus the number of units of service which can be rendered for an initial fare is greatly increased.

Variations in the structure herein specifically described and illustrated in the drawings will be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a taximeter, a register operating arm, a device adapted to actuate said arm, a latch retaining said arm inoperative, means for setting said, latch in a secondary latching position, and devices for moving said latch from said secondary position to inel'lective position.

In a taximeter a register operating arm, a cam adapted to actuate said arm, a latch for retaining said arm out of opera- St-ud 22 is short and.

tive relation with said cam, and means associated with said cam for rendering said latch ineffective, said means comprising two lugs engaging said latch in sequence.

In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, a cam adapted to actuate said arm, means retaining said arm out of operative relation with said cam, means mounted on said cam for positioning said retaining means during the first rotation 01 said cam, and other means mounted 011 said cam for disabling said retaining means on the second rotation of said cam.

1-. In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, a cam adapted to actuate said arm, means retaining said arm out of operative relation with said cam, normally inesiective disabling devices for said retaining means, and means mounted on said cam for rendering said disabling devices eii ective.

5. In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, a cam adapted to actuate said arm, means retaining said arm out of operative relation with said cam, said means having a first efiective position, an intermediate el'l ective position, and an ineffective position, a device associated with said cam for moving said retaining means from its first etl'ective position to its intermediate position, and a second device associated with said cam for moving said retaining device. to 111(3ll".0lL-l\0 position.

6. In a taximeter, in con'ibination, a fare counter operatin arm, a cam adapted to actuate said arm, a pivoted latch adapted to engage and retain said arm out of engagement with said cam, said latch having two etlective positions, means for moving said latch from its first efifeetive position to its second efi'ective position, and a latch releasing stud on said cam effective only when said latch is in said second ellective position.

7. In av taxin'ieter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, a cam adapted to actuate said arm, a pivoted latch adapted to engage and retain said arm out of engage ment with said cam, said lat-ch having a first effective position and an intermediate effective position, disabling means for said latch associated with said cam and efl'eetive only when said latch is in intermediate position, and other means associated with said cam for moving said latch from its first to its intermediate position.

8. In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, an actuating cam comprising a plurality of arm engaging surfaces, a pivoted latch adapted to engage and retain. said arm out of engagement with said cam, said latch having a first etfective position and an intermediate effective position, a latch engaging stud on said cam adapted to pass said latch idly when the latch is in its first effective position, and a second stud on said cam adapted to move said latch from its first effective position to its intern'iediate position.

9. In a taximeter, a l arc counter operating arm, a rotating cam adapted to actuate said arm, means for retaining said arm in inoperative position, and means associated with said cam for disabling said re.- taining means, said disabling means comprising a. releasing device which is inetlective on the first full rotation of said cam, but effective during its second rotation.

10. In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, a rotating cam adapted to actuate said arm, a lug on said arm, a pivoted latch comprising two shoulders at its upper end, either of which is adapted to engage said lug, a laterally extending flange at the lower end of said latch adjacent said cam, a stud on said cam adapted to engage said flange when one shoulder of said latch is engaged by said lug and to pass said flange when the sec ond shoulder is engaged by said lug, a second stud on said cam adapted. to engage a part of said latch adjacent said flange and move said latch from a position in which the second shoulder engages the lug to a position in which the first shoulder engages the lug, and a spring tending to draw said latch toward said lug.

11. In a taximeter a fare counter operating device, an actuator having an initial position and adapted to be driven at a rate proportional to either time consumed or dis tance traversed and to actuate said operating device, a retaining device having two effective positions for retaining said operating device out of effective relation with said actuator, means associated with said actnator for moving said retaining device from its first effective position to its second effective position, and later from its second ellcctive position to inefi ective position, and a setting device for restoring said operating device to inoperative position and said latch to its first etl'ective position.

12. In a taximeter, in combination, a tare counter operating device, an actuator, a first stud associated with said actuator, a second stud associated with said actuator, a retaining device for said operating device initially retaining the same inoperative and adapted to be moved to release the same by the successive action of said first and second studs, and a setting device adapted to restore said operating device, and said retaining device to initial position.

13. In a taximeter, in combination, an actuator, a fare counter operating device, a setting device, a cam associated with said setting device adapted in one posit-ion of such device to retain said operating device ineit ective, a spring pressed retaining device adapted to retain said operating device ine'tlective when it is released by movement of said setting device, a plurality of devices associated with said actuator adapted by their successive action on said retaining device to release said operating means for co operation with said actuator, said setting device being adapted on return thereof to initial position to restore said operating device to position to be engaged by said retaining device.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signaturew FREDERICK O. GRAY.

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