US336410A - headley - Google Patents

Description

Sheet 1.

2 Sheets (No Model.)

E. HEADLBY.

FARB RECEIVER.

N0. 336.410. Patented P eb.' 16. 1886.

(No Model.) I v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. B. HBADLEY.

FARB REUEIVER. y No. 336,410. Patented Feb'. 16, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

ELWooD HEADLEY, oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FARE-RECEIVER'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettera Patent No. 336,@10, dated February 16, 1886.

Application tiled June 23. 1885. Serial No. 169.529. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, ELWooD HEADLEY, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fare-Receivers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus complete. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the receiving-box and a portion of the tube. Fig. 43 is a vertical section of the receivingbox. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the of discharging-box. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the receiving apparatus and a portion of the tube through which the balls are conveyed to the delivering-point. Fig. 8 is anI enlarged sectional view of the tube M and valve N.

This invention has relation to a novel system and apparatus for receiving fares and detecting any irregularities in the receipt and disposition of the same.

As a feature of my fare-receiving and detecting system, I employ, instead of the usual ticket, slip, or coupon, which is usually no more than a representation of the fare paid, a device, preferably a small ball or globe lof rubber, gutta-percha, or other suitable material, of about the intrinsic value of a fare. Such a device is a preventive of counterfeiting or stealing, for the reason that the cost of manufacture is so great that nothing can be gained by obtaining'them from any but the proper source, and for the further reason that their bulk precludes the possibility of carrying suicient on the person to repay the surreptitious act of stealing or otherwise unlawfully procuring the fare-balls. For use on elevated railways, ferries, and other places where the rate of fare varies, I propose employing balls of different sizes and different values,thus adapting the balls to the same use s for which fare tickets or coupons are now employed.

The apparatus embodying my improve- -ments is designed with special reference to the employment of the balls; and it consistsin the novel construction, combination, and arrangewhereby provision is made for, first, allotting to each purchaser or payer of a fare a single ball for each fare paid; second, registering on a dial or other indicator the sale of such fare; third, insuring the proper disposition or depositing of the balls in their receptacle; fourth, restoring the balls to their original position, so that the ticket-agent may use the stock over and over again, and, fifth, in the provision of means supplementary to those already referred to, whereby any cheating, stealing, tampering with, or collusion in regard to kfares is prevented or detected. same. Fig. risavertical longitudinal section I Essentially, my invention comprises a farereceptacle corresponding in purpose with the K fare-box ordinarily employed on elevated railways, or the like, a tube or tubes leading from the receptacle to the desk or oliice of the cashier and terminating in a discharging apparatus, by means of which the balls are discharged in succession at the will of the cashier by operating a suitable valve,the discharge of each such ball being accurately registered by means of a suitable device connected to the discharging-valve. r

-The tube or tubes above referred to are designed to contain the balls', and to provide for their security from appropriation by the employs in charge.

In connection with the aforesaid tubes I' propose to employ, and will presently de scribe in detail, devices for causing the accumulated balls to be transferred from the receptacle in which they are deposited by the passenger to the discharging apparatus at the will of the gatekeeper.

Referring now to the special construction of the apparatus, A A designate the tubes designed, respectively, for the accommodation of two sizes of balls, representing different value-s or fares. These tubes are identical in their construction and have the same appliances;

hence a description of one tube Will be sufcient.

Selecting the tube A for the purpose of description, said tube is of an inverted- U shape, with legs a a of different lengths. The leg a, which is the shorter, rises from and is in direct communication with the discharging apparatus, while leg a' rises alongside of the receiving-box. The section or length A uniting the two legs is slightly inclined downwardly from its point of curvature and 'connection with the leg a to its similar point of connection with the leg a, in order that the balls, when liited from the leg a into the part A, will roll down toward and enter the leg a. The contents of the tube may at all times be observed through a longitudinal slit, b, cut in any convenient portion ofy the tube, and formed in the leg a and the inclined portion A". A series of indicating-points, b b. suitably numbered, serve to indicate at a glance the contents of the slotted portion of the tube, thereby avoiding the necessity of counting the balls. i i Y The discharging-box, designated by letter C, consists of a suitable casing having in its front portion an aperture, c, through which the balls are allowed to escape, one at a time, within reach of the passengers. Between this aperture and the end of the tube-leg a, which latter communicates with the interior of the box, is located a valve, d, consisting of a pivotal block 'having in its periphery a recess, d', adapted receive a single ball. When this recess is turned upward, it coincides with the leg a of the tube, and admits therefrom a single ball only. When the valve is turnedforward, the ball is discharged through the aper-v ture o, while the lower end of the leg a is closed, preventingr the escape of other balls; hence it willrbe seen that but one ball can be discharged at a time, and only by a direct movement of the valve. The valve is connected by means of a crank or eccentric, e, on its shaft, and a connecting-rod, e, with a permutating, registering, or indicating apparatus, E, having its dial exposed through an opening in the side of the leg, by means of which registering or indicating apparatus a tally is made of eachfare received and ball discharged, and a check therefore had upon the cashiers operations. The valve is actuated by the cashier through the medium of a valve-rod, f, within convenient reach of his hand, or connected to a treadle, f', which may for convenience be operated by his foot, so as to leave his hands free in making change or counting. The discharging-box and registering apparatus are so placed as to be inaccessible to the cashier, while the discharge aperture is toward the front of his desk, within access of the passenger, but out of reach of the cashier.

G designates the receptacle into which the balls are dropped by the passengers as they pass through the gate. This receptacle corresponds in its general appearance to the ticket-box ordinarily employed on elevated railways, and is formed with an opening, g, on top and with glass windows g g', through which the interior of the Ybox may be observed by the gate-keeper. IVithin the box G are placed two inclined racks, H H', which slant from end to end downwardly toward the point Where the balls leave the receptacle and' laterally toward two similarly-slauting shelves,`I I. The racks H H are formed with ribs h h2, between which are slots h h. The slots in the upper rack are suiiiciently large to permit the smaller-sized balls to fall therethrough onto the lower rack, H', while the larger balls roll down upon the shelf I, and thence into their proper tube, the smaller balls similarly passing to their proper tube along the shelf I.

To prevent the small balls from rolling on the ribs of the upper raek,I provide a device, Q, which consists of a transverse bar from which depend the ingers q q', of different lengths.v The fingers q terminate above the spaces between the ribs ha sucient distance to allow the larger balls to pass thereunder, while the shorter lingers, q,terminate close to the ribs, and hence act as guards or fenders, which willarrest the passage of the smaller balls and compel them to drop down onto the lower racks.

J designates a drawer, which is arranged below the racks H H, its purpose being to receive any article other than the balls before referred to,which may be thrown into the receptacle, and which may be drawn out at any time for the removal of' its contents without interfering with or delaying the depositing ofV the balls in their respective tubes.

k k designate rods placed across the receptacle and along the edges of the shelves I 1', their purpose being to prevent the balls from rolling oii1 sidewise from the shelves. Upon the shelves,and forming a part ot' thevsame,are placedl strips k2 k". connected at one end to handles k k which project out through the sides of the receptacle G, alongside ot' the tubes A A and within easy reach of the gate-keeper. By means of the handles klt these strips maybe reciprocated and the balls caused to fall into line and pass along the shelves to their respective tubes, thereby avoiding any jamming` of the balls or obstructive accumulation of the same upon the shelves I I.

The leg a of the tube is provided with a piston, L, having a lateral stem, Z, which projects-through a slot, l', in said leg, and has connected to it a handle, ZZ, by meansof which the piston is raised and lowered for the purpose hereinafter described.

At M is a sleeve or joint encircling the tube-leg c', and formed with an aperture, m, which constitutes the inlet for the balls from the receptacle G. Within the sleeve M is a tubular valve, N, having au opening, m2, which, when the valve is in one position, co-

incides with the inlet m and allows the balls to enter the tribe, while when the valve is turned to another position the wall of the latter closes said opening. Through a slot in the sleeve M a stem, o', which is connected to the valve, projects outward, and has a thumbpiece by which the valve may be manipulated. Above the valve M, and within the leg a', is arranged a gravity-valve, p, which normally lies crosswise of the tube, preventing the balls IOO above it from falling down, while allowing those below to pass by freely.

In carrying my invention into practical usesay, for instance, on elevated railway-stationseach cashier is allotted a given number of balls-say two hundred-which must be duly accounted for every evening to ythe proper officer or collector. These balls are placed in the tube by first dropping them in the receptacle. Between the valve M and the bottom ofthe tube-leg a there is space for, say, fifty balls, and when thisleg is lled the piston L is lifted, causing the fifty balls to rise into the upper section of the leg a. When the piston is again raised, with a supply or load of balls, those in the upper part ol' the leg are displaced, and caused to be rolled over through the tube A into the short leg a, when they are at the disposal of the cashier. Accordingly, it will be seen, a given number of balls answer for all purposes of daily sale and operation, as they may be transferred from one leg of the tube to the other, according as required,thus keeping the cashier at all times supplied with sufficient balls for the use of the passengers.

The register indicates every fare received; hence the cashier cannot steal fares, but must account for every one indicated by the register. Should a passenger fail to deposit his fareball, an inspection of the tube will at any time indicate the loss and enable the company to take proper precautions against the imlpropr use of the ball which the act may suggest.

If it should happen that a counterfeit ball is deposited, the fact can be detected the same day by the surplus contents of the tube, and

means immediately employed to detect any further or wholesale use of counterfeit balls. What I cla-im is` l Y1. In a fare-receiving device, the combination,with a delivering apparatus and tubes leading thereto, of a receptacle connected to said tubes and provided with slotted racks adapted and arranged so that balls of different sizes will bey automatically separated and delivered to different tubes, substantially as described.

2. In a fare-receiving apparatus.the combination,with a tube for the reception of a series of balls, of a delivering and recording apparatusconsisting of a pocket or valve adapted to discharge but one ball at a time, means, substantially as described,for operating the same, and aregistering device operated by the movement of said pocket.substantially as set forth.

3. In a fare-receiving apparatus comprising arch-shaped tube or tubes for the reception of balls, the combination,with a deliverybox connected therewith, and a receptacle for ,the deposition of the balls, connected with said tubes, of a piston by the movement of which said balls are transferred from one section or leg of the tube to the other, substantially as described.

4. In a fare-receiving apparatus compris- Signed at NewYork, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 19th day of June, A. D. 1885.

ELWOOD `HEADLEY- lVtnesses: A'IHos. A. CoNNoLLY,

GEORGE F. EsoHBAoH.

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