US799208A - Railway and other ticket. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

P. B. WAITE. RAILWAY AND OTHER TICKET.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1904.

Rttomegs.

Witnesses:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAILWAY AND OTHER TICKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application filed November 23, 1904. Serial No- 234,046.

To all whom it ntay concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK BROWN l/VAITE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at lVorcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Railway and other Ticket, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway and other tickets.

In many parts of the United States it is unlawful for any other than the purchaser of a ticket to use it, and with this end in View many schemes have been tried, such as the requirement of the signature of the purchaser of the ticket, a personal description of the holder, and other data that would operate under ordinary circumstances to prevent Wrongful use of a ticket. These means have, however, proved abortive, for the reason that it is an easy matter for a so-called scalper by chemicals to remove the written descriptive matter and insert another that will apply to the person holding the ticket. The signature of the purchaser has also not proved effective for the purposes designed, for the reason that it is almost impossible upon a rapidly-moving train for a person to sign his or her signature with anything like a degree of perfection, and this very fact enables a spurious owner of a ticket to simulate the signature with sufficient accuracy to secure its aoceptance by the conductor. Photographs have also been used as an identifying means; but owing to the manner in which they were attached to the ticket they could easily be detached and others substituted therefor.

The object of the present invention is in a ready, simple, thoroughly feasible, practical, and positive manner so to combine an identifying means with a ticket as to preclude the possibility of its being altered or changed without detection. Furthermore, to enable a conductor or other official merely by the sense of touch to determine Whether or not an attempt has been made to molest or tamper with the identifying means. By employing the sense of touch and sight in determining whether or not the holder of a ticket is entitled to use it double protection for railways and steamboat companies against the illegal use of tickets is secured, and, further, mistakes that sometimes occur even with the proper owner of the ticket to establish his or her identity are obviated.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a railway-ticket, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate correspond ing parts, there are illustrated five forms of embodiment of the invention each capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the simplest form of embodiment of the invention, exhibiting a portion of a railway-ticket having combined with it one of the identifying means of the invention. Fig. 2 is a View in elevation of a portion of a railway-ticket wit-h the flap turned back to exhibit the manner in which the parts are assembled. Fig. 3 is a view in diagonal cross-section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are views in elevation of different modified forms of the invention.

Referring to the drawings and to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, 1 designates the body of the ticket, which, as usual, bears printed matter such as the names of different stations, directions for using the ticket, Sac. One end of the ticket is furnished with a flap 2, that is coextensive in length and breadth with the folded end portion of the body and is provided with an opening 3, which maybe circular, as shown in Fig. 1, quadrangular, as shown in Fig. 4, substantially oval, as shown in Fig. 5, or of any other contour. Secured to the body of the ticket, back of the opening, is a portrait 4 of the owner of the ticket, which will be taken at the time the ticket is purchased and applied to the body of the ticket at the station. The back of the flap is shown as provided with a coating of mucilage 5, and this may be a dry adhesive, or be applied at the time the ticket is purchased in moist form. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, the opening 3 is of less extent than the area of the picture, so that the adhesive surrounding the opening will firmly adhere to the portrait, which itself may also be pasted to the body 4, thereby securing a double attachment. After the flap has been turned to the position shown.

in Fig. 1 and pasted eyelets 6 (in this instance four) are clenched through the body" of the ticket and through the flap. By clenching the margins or edges of the burred portions of the eyelets into the body of the ticket and into the flap it will be seen that it will be impossible to remove these eyelets without marring the ticket to such extent as to attract attention, and thus notify the conductor that the ticket has been tampered with. As an additional means of security an eyelet 7 may be clenched through the portrait and body portion, as in Fig. 4. When the portrait is in the position shown, if the conductor rubs his thumb over the face of the portrait and it contacts with the wall of the opening this will show that the ticket is intact,and thus serve as tactile means of de- .'*tection, for should an attempt be made to insert a portrait within the opening without removing the original this will immediately be detected, as the wall'of the opening will then not present an obstruction to the sense of touch. Owing to the fact that the adhesive is applied to the portrait entirely around' the opening 3, it will be impossible for a knife to be inserted under the flap for the purpose of lifting it to insert a photograph without detection, and, further, as the eyelets are disposed quite close to the opening 3 even if the flap should be detached from the photograph it could not be lifted a sufficient distance to permit the insertion of another photograph.

In order still further to prevent the unlawful use of the ticket, scroll or fret Work 8, as shown in Fig. 6, may be employed, which Would be imprinted upon or impressed into the flap and photograph. By varying the designs of this marking it will be impossible for a scalper to remove the photograph and substitute another having thereon markings that will register with those on the flap. As shown in Fig. 6, the markings are. applied immediately around the opening and upon the portrait adjacent to its edges; but, as shown in Fig. 5, the scroll or net work 9 may be printed upon or impressed into the entire surface of the photograph and also upon the ticket surrounding it.

As an additional means of security there may be combined with the photograph, as shown in Fig. 7, a body of coloring'material 10, such as analin dye, which if an attempt be made to soak the ticket for the purpose of loosening the adhesive for removing the portrait will instantly run and stain both the photograph and the ticket, and thereby give further and positive visual indication of the fact that an attempt has been made unlaw fully to change the ticket.

If desired, the station using the ticket may have a stamp bearing its name, as shown at 1 1 in Fig. 7, which may be stamped partly upon the portrait and partly upon the ticket, or each station-master or each conductor mayhava distinctive mark, as at 1 2 and 13, which may be imprinted upon the ticket and portrait.

A still further means of preventing illegal use of the ticket may be provided by cutting an opening 14 in the body of the ticket back.

turesexhibited in the other figures with the exception of the coloring-matter, (shown in Fig, 7.)

It will be seen-from the foregoing description that although the means employed for preventing unlawful use of the ticket as herein defined, are simple that they willbe thoroughly effective for use for the purposes defined, and will in a ready and practical manner preclude the possibility of a ticket being used by any other than the proper person.

It is to be understood that all of the identifyingmarks and means for preventing improper uses may be combined with any form of' ticket other than that shown in Fig; 6,

and as this will be obvious detailed illustraings displayed partly upon the ticket and partly upon the portrait, the body of the ticket having an opening to permit inspection of the back of the portrait.

3. A railway or other ticket having at oneend a flap provided with an opening, and a body portion to which the flap is secured and having also an opening, a portrait secured between the flap and the body portion and having the face showing through the opening in the flap and its'baok through the opening in the body portion, and eyelets clenched through the flap and body of the ticket and through the portrait.

4. A railway or other ticket provided with a portrait of the owner permanently associated therewith, and with distinctive markings displayed partly upon the ticket and 1 opening, aportrait secured between the body partly upon the portrait, the body of the portion and the flap and having the face 15 ticket having an opening to permit inspec thereof showing through one opening and tion of the back of the portrait, and eyelets the back through the other opening, and an clenched through the ticket and the portrait. eyelet clenched through the body and flap A railway or other ticket provided with of the ticket and through the portrait.

a portrait of the owner permanently asso- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 20 ciated therewith, the body of the ticket havmy own I have hereto affixed my signature ing an opening to permit inspection of the in the presence of two witnesses.

10 back of the portrait. l FRAN K BROWN WAITIG.

6. A railway or other ticket comprising a v body portion having an opening, a flap secured to the body portion and having an Witnesses: I

HARRY H. TIIAYER, CARL M. BLAIR.

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