US824852A - Indicating mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

No. 824; 85 2. PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

R. D. PASSETT.

INDICATING MECHANISM, AYPPLIOATION FILED mom. 1904.

i: BREIWHT WH WITNESSES.

ATTORNEYS.

TH! NORRIS PETERS cm, WASHINGTDN, n. :4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RILEY D. FASSETT, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO WILLIAM H. N EFF, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. July 3, 1906.

Application filed December 31, 1904. Serial No. 239.153-

To ztZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RILEY D. FASSETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicating Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in indicating mechanism, and especially such as is adapted for use in street-cars, railwaycars, vehicles of any kind, or in any place where a succession of indications are required for any purpose.

7 The invention consists in certain novel constructions, combinations, and arran ements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully escribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of an indicator mechanism mechanism. Fig. 5 is a similar view looking at the other end of the mechanism, the actuating-shaft for operating the device being shown in section. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view showing the mounting of the actuating knob or wheel for the device.

While the indicating mechanism which forms the subject of the present invention is well adapted for use wherever the presentation of a number of indications is needed, it is especially well adapted for use upon streetcars, railway-cars, or other vehicles which travel from place to place making stated stops. The illustrations in the accompanying drawings show the mechanism adapted for use as a street or railway car indicator formed with an inclosing casing 1, which is provided with a removable end or door 2 for gaining access to the interior thereof. The indicating mechanism may be secured in the casing in any desired manner; but I prefer to have the same removably mounted in the casing, the said mechanism being carried by a back plate or slide 3. The said back or slide engages guideways or grooved cleats 4, which are arranged inside the casing 1. The guides 4 are arranged longitudinally of the case, so that the plate 3, carrying mechanism of the indicator, may be withdrawn from the casing longitudinally after removing the end or door 2. The front of the casing 1 is provided with an elongated opening of any desired shape, as 5, which is usually covered with a transparent plate or glass 6. The glass 6 may be also removable longitudinally of the casing, it being preferably mounted in 'uides or cleats 7, secured to the inner surface of the casing-front. The plate or glass 6 may be withdrawn or replaced through the open end of the casing by sliding it longitudinally in the cleats 7.

The plate 3 is provided with end standards 8, which project laterally therefrom at right angles thereto. Each standard 8 is formed with projecting arms which form supports for the indicator-operating mechanism. The central arm or projection 9 of each standard projects to a greater distance from the plate 3 than the end standards or arms 10 on each side thereof. J ournaled in the arms 10 of the standard 8 are shafts 11 and 12, which carry spools 13 and 14. The spools are fixed to the shafts so as to turn therewith and are designed for receiving in a rolled form acontinuous web, cloth, or other flexible strip 15, which is provided with names of the stops Which are to be made by the vehicle, the said names being so spaced that they may be brought separately in front of the opening 5 in the front of the casing. In order to be able to quickly and easily secure the web or strip 15 upon the spools 13 and 14, the said spools are split longitudinally with a slot which is Wedge-shaped or tapering in crosssection, as clearly indicated at 16 in Fig. 2. By passing the end of the web through one of the slots and then placing a rod or wire 17 in a loop formed by folding the end thereof and drawing the wire into the wedge-shaped slot the web can be made fast and will be tightly held in place. The web can be easily de tached from either of the rolls by removing the wire or rod 17. In this simple manner the ends of the web are secured to the spools 13 and 14 in such a manner that the said web can be wound upon said spools as shown in Fi 2.

In order to properly present the marked web or strip 15 to the opening 5 in the front of the casing, I employ a manysided roller or revolving bar 18, arranged just to the rear of the said opening and mounted upon a longitudinal shaft 19, which is journaled in the ends of the central arms 9. The said roller or platen 18 is preferably made square in cross-section and is provided at its corner edges and near each end thereof with projecting points or pins 20. These pins or points 20 engage apertures 21, formed in the web or strip 15, so'that by turning the platen 18 the web may be moved. in either direction. The apertures 21 are preferably arranged along the edges of the web or strip 15, so that they will not appear at the opening 5 of the casing.

The spools are provided with a spring or tension mechanism, so that the strip or web 15 will always be maintained in a taut condition about the platen 18. The tension mechanism is made up of springs 22 and 23,

which are coiled and secured at their inner I ends to the shafts 11 and 12, respectively. The outer ends of the coils are secured to gearwheels 24 and 25, which are loosely mounted upon the shaft 1]. and 12. Interposed between the gears 24 and 25 is an idler-gear 26, which is carried by a shaft or trunnion 27, which projects from one of the arms 9. The idler 26 equalizes the movement of one gear with respect to the other, and the springs, which are wound. in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 4, tend to yield sufficiently to permit the web or strip 15 to accommodate itself to the different positions assumed by the platen 18.

A sounding device may also be used in con nection with the indicating mechanism, and I have illustrated such a sounding device in the drawings, and particularly in Figs. 3 and 5. The sounding device is made up of a bell 28, which may be located outside the casing, as shown in Fig. 3, and a clapper 29 is located in proper relation thereto, the clapper being carried by a spring-arm 30, which extends within the casing and is secured to one of the standards 8. A spring plate or bar 31 is also secured to said standard 8 and at its free end extends over a tripping device 32. The tripping device is preferably made in the form of a spider having arms 33, projecting therefrom to points opposite the corners of the platen 18. The ends of these arms are provided with antifriction-rollers 34, which bear upon the under side of the spring 31.

The spring 31 is connected with the springarm 30, which carries the clapper 29 by means of a link 35. As the tripper is turned with the platen 1.8 in altering the indicator, the spring 31 will tend to force the arm 33 which is passing it at that time quickly to its new position after it passes the center, and the said spring will thus draw the clapper 29 down quickly against the bell. The bell will thus be rung at every change of the indicating mechanism. den movement of the parts under the action of the spring 31, the shaft of the platen is provided with an actuating handle or knob 36, which permits the shaft which carries it, the said shaft being the platen-shaft, to move quickly under the impetus of the spring 31 and without retarding it. The

knob 36, as shown in Fig. 6, is loosely mounted upon the end of the shaft 19, being held between the washers 37 and 38. The washer 37 is rigidly secured to the shaft 19 and is provided with a projection or arm 39, which extends into the path of a pin or lug 40, carried by the said knob 36.

In operating the device the handle or knob 36 is grasped and turned until the pin or proj ection engages the arm 39. A continued rotation of the knob 36 will then operate to turn the shaft 19, so as to force one of the tripper-arms 33 under the spring 31. As soon as the tripper-arm is raised to its highest position near the outer end of said spring the shaft 19 is free to be thrown quickly forward under the return action of said spring 31, the arm 39 leaving the detent or pin 40 of the knob as the platen jumps to its new place.

The indicator is located at a convenient point in the car or vehicle, so that it can be seen by all the passengers. The names of the stops to be made are then brought opposite the opening 5 as the vehicle progresses, so as to show through the transparent plate or glass 6. The casing is preferably marked above the opening with such words as Next stop, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The bell or sounding device rings at every operation of the indicator, calling the attention of the passengers to the place where the next stop is to be made.

If the indications or arrangements of the names upon the web or strip are to be changed or altered in any manner, the apparatus can be readily taken from the casing by removing the door or end 2 and withdrawing the mechamsm.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An indicating mechanism, comprising a frame having end plates formed with rollercarrying standards and longer standards for carrying a platen, rollers mounted upon the said roller-carrying standards, a schedulestrip extending from one roller to the other and a schedule-engaging platen ournaled in the longer standards, and carrying the schedrile-strip out of the plane which is tangential to the rollers, for properly presenting the schedule to view.

2. An indicating device, comprising a In order to permit the sud IIS schedule-strip, rolls for carrying the same, a platen for moving the schedule-strip provided with a shaft, a handle or knob mounted upon the said shaft and provided with a projection, and an arm or projection carried by the shaft for engaging the projection of the knob, the construction permitting of the movement of the platen ahead of the movement of the handle or knob for a short distance.

3. An indicating mechanism, comprising a plate, end standards formed inte ral upon said plate and proj ecting laterally t erefrom, projecting arms formed upon each of said end standards, one of said arms on each standard of greater length than the others, indicatin means carried by some of said arms, an means for moving said indicating means.

4. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support, of a plate carried by said support, said plate provided with end standards, each standard provided witharms of diflerent lengths, the arms upon each of the end standards extending parallel, a schedule-strip carried by some of said arms, and means for moving said schedulestrip.

5. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination of a plate, said plate provided with a central and end arms secured on opposite portions thereof, said central arms of greater length than the end arms, indicating means carried by said end arms, a platen carried by said central arms and engaging said indicating means, and manually-actuated means coacting with said platen and being capable of causing movement of said indicating means.

6. A mechanism of the class described, comprising a back member, parallel end arms formed upon said member, parallel central arms projecting from said member and of greater length than said end arms, a platen carried by said central arms, traveling, indicating means sup orted upon said end arms and engaging sai platen, and driving means coacting with said platen and capable of causing movement of said indicating means.

7. A mechanism of the class described, com rising a plate, parallel end arms extending f iom said plate, parallel, central arms extending from said plate of a different length than said end arms, a platen supported by some of said arms, indicating means carried by the other arms, and a sounding device coacting with s'aid platen.

8. A mechanism of the class described, comprising a vertical plate or member, parallel, horizontal arms extending from said plate, said arms of difierent lengths, revoluble members and gears carried by some of said arms, flexible means connecting said gears and revoluble members, a platen carried by some of said arms, indicating means engaging said platen and secured to said revoluble members, and manually-operated means coactin with said gears, revoluble members, an platen for causing movement of said indicating means.

9. A mechanism of the class described, comprising a vertical plate or member, hori zontal arms formed upon each end of said plate, the arms upon each end extending parallel, a central arm upon each end of length than the other arms, rolls carried by some of said arms, a schedule-strip secured to said rolls, a platen carried by said central arms and engaging the strip for moving it, a sounding device provided with a clapper, and means coacting with said platen for actuating said clapper.

10. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination of a base member, arms exgreater tending from each end of said member, a central arm at each end of greater length than the other arms, movable indicating means carried by some of said arms, and means carried by the central arms for imparting movement to said indicating means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

RILEY D. FASSETT.

Witnesses:

C. E. SMEDLEY, OARLE WHITEHEAD.

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