US577622A - Divisible passenger-receipt and auditor-coupon railroad-ticket - Google Patents

Description

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DIVISIBLE PASSENGER RECEIPT AND AUDITOR GOUPON'RAILROAD TICKET. No. 577,622. Patented Peb. 23, 1897.

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HARRY PHILIP MSSEN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

DIVISIBLE PASSENGER-RECEIPT AND AUDiTGR-COUPON RAILROAD-TICKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,622, dated. February 23, 1897. Application filed April |15, 1896. Serial Nol 587,675. (No specimens.)

.To a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY PHILIP MUssEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids,in the countyof Kent and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Divisible Passenger-Receipt and Auditor- Coupon Railroad-Ticket, of which the following is a specification. s

This invention has relation to that class of railroad-tickets which aim to secure both the passenger and the company against fraudulent practices on the part of dishonest conductors and `employees who collcct fares in cash between way and other stations, and who not infrequently overcharge the passenger' and convert a partof the cash collections to their own use, and which provide a means for the adjusting and settling of accounts by the auditor.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a ready and convenient means for attaining the aforesaid ends and which will be a sure check to dishonest practices and enable the conductor to separate the ticket on proper lines by a forward and continuous pull without appreciably increasing the time ordinarily required to make collections.

For a full understanding of the merits and advantages of the invention reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings and the following description.

Figure l is a face view of the improved ticket. Fig. 2 is a vie wsimilar to Fig. l, showing the ticket divided as in practice.

The ticket is rectangular in form and is constructed of a sin gle sheet of paper, cardboard, or other suitable material and is subdivided into a series of spaces. The space A at the left-hand end of the ticket is designed to receive any matter to be printed or written thereon and forms an essential part of the auditing-coupon and 4contains the names of the stations between which the ticket is issued and used, and also bears the desighating number or character for identifying the parts of the ticket after the latter has been separated.

The space B to the right of the space A is subdivided by horizontal and vertical breaklines a and b to facilitate the separation of the ticket when required. The numerals l to 5 are placed in a horizontal line at the head of the space B, and each numeral occupies the space formed between adjacent break-lines b. These numerals range consecutively from right to left and represent dollars. The ticket shown is for five dollars; but it will be understood that the amount may be increased by supplying additional numerals at the head of the space B, the remaini n g portions of the ticket being preserved intact.

To facilitate the reckoning of the auditingcoupon, subordinate numerals extend in line with and immediately below the first-mentioned numerals and range consecutively from right to left, the numeral l being placed beneath the numeral 2, as shown.

The space at the right-hand side of the ticket is subdivided into parts C and D, the part C bearing the name of the road issuing the ticket, the contract, receipt, or other matter, the name of the official, and the designatin g number or character corresponding to that imprinted upon the space A. Thepart D is divided into squares by extending the f break-lines a and l),` the squares being ten horizontally across the ticket and ten high, whereby in all one hundred squares are provided. These squares represent fractional parts of a dollar and bear numerals from l to 99. Beginning at the upper right-hand corner the squares are numbered consecutively to the left from the top to the bottom horizontal line of squares, as shown. Each vertical and horizontal column of numerals contains just ten figures, which range consecutively from right to left and decimally from top to bottom.

Then the conductor collects a fare, the ticket is divided so that the receipt portion shows exactly the amount paid by the passenger, and the remaining part is the auditingcoupon and indicates the amount collected and one cent more in the event of the fare containing a fractional part of a dollar. Vhen the fare is greater than a dollar, the lowest subordinate numeral at the top of the space B indicates the amount in dollars, the fractional part of a dollar being indicated by the lowest numeral on the part D, it being remembered that a deduction of one cent must be made in each case where the fare contains a fractional part of a dollar to cor- IOO rectly indicate the true amount collected. The receipt part indicated in Fig. 2 represents a collection of two dollars and thirtyfour cents, whereas the auditing-coupon represents two dollars and thirty-five cents, from which one'cent is to be deducted to obtain the correct amount.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A new article of manufacture, a divisible passenger-receipt and auditor-coupon railroad-ticket comprising a middle and end spaces, one end space bearing the names of the stations, a designating-eharacter and desired matter,the other end space havin g an upper part upon which are placed a designatingcharacter, the receipt and other matter, and a lower part which is subdivided by vertical break-lines extending from the said upper part to the lower edge of the ticket and horizontal break-lines7 forming squares or spaces ten to a side and numbered consecutively in horizontal groups of ten from right to left from the upper right-hand corner to the lower left-hand corner, and ranging decimally in vertical lines from top to bottom, and the middle space having the said horizontal breaklines extending across to the lirst-mentioned space, and having vertical break-lines extending from the top to the bottom of the ticket, the heads of the vertical spaces having dollar-indicating numerals consecutively arranged in horizontal alinement, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY PHILIP MSSEN.

Witnesses:

I-I. J. BRODERICK, C. E. LINzEE.

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