US951077A - Taximeter. - Google Patents

Description

J. W. JONES.

TAXIMETER.

APPLIOAlI'IOH FILED DEC. 16, 19 07.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

' 6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

a T ZQHQ INVENTOH".

6 @(ELIXM m g s MIKE Q POF NN\ wmwozm m m/E A 7TOHNE Y J. W. JONES.

TAXIMETEB.

APPLIUATIOH mun mm. 16, 1901.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910. e sums-sum 2.

MM v

6 7 i 2% A W J oWH wL M 4 QHE. 2 him m m m 0 G: E 5 iii; 4 m

WI TNESSES Q A TTOHNE) J. w. JONES.

TAXIMETBR.

APPLICATION FILED no. 16, 1907.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

luvs/wan? W/TNESStg; 8 m \OOMWM J. W. JONES.

mxmnwnn.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 16, 1907. 951,077, Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

6 MEETS-SHEET VACANT WITNESSES l/VVENTOHI H/VEY J. W. JONES.

TAXIMETER.

APPLICATION IILID DEG.16, 1907.

Patented Mar. 1, 1919.

6 SHEETSSEEET 5.

Ill I WW llll i1 uuunn L r IHTIFTF WITNESSES gum) [)QMAWmiQ W14 (134- J. W. JONES.-

TAXIMETER. APPLICATION 11mm DH 18, 190'? Emmett mar. 1, 1910.

N VE N 7'05: 6

ATTORNEY FFICE.

JOSEPE W IQNES, (3F NEW YOEK, 1%. Y.

TAXIMETEE.

as ore.

Specification or Letters iretent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1%10.

Application filed December 16, 1907. Serial Etc. MQLGQS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josirrii W. Jones, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Taximeters or Fareliecording Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Under the conditions which prevail at present with regard to the transportation of passengers for short distances, especiallyin large cities, it is desirable that cabs and other public vehicles engaged in the business of transporting passengers for hire, shall -be provided with devices which shall register the fare or charge corresponding not only to the distance over which the passenger has been transported but also'the time' during which the vehicle remainin r stationary,

- waiting for the passenger or otherwise, and

also recording extra charges of any kind. It is necessary also that such an apparatus should be capable of being easily adjusted "so as to register at difierent rates according to the number of passengers being carried;

that the dials or other registering devices should be capable of being easily and quickiy re-set to the zero point, and various other points of operation provided for.

It is the object of my invention. to provide a simple and eflicient means for accomplishing all of the objects above indicated.

The invention consists in the novel con struction, arrangement and combination of devices, elements and parts, all as hereinafter more particularly set forth and shown in the accompanying drawings.

in the said drawings Figure 1 is a front view of the'exterior of a recording device constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a side view and Fig. 3 is a rear view of the same; Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view; Fig. 5 is a front view of the device showing the face plateremoved;v

Fig. .(3 is. a diagrammatic view of themechanisin from the front of the apparatus; Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the train pf gears operating the principal dials, and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 9 is a side view of a portion of the same as hereafter described; Fig. 10 is a sectional view on the line 1010 of 9; Fig. 11 is a similar bearing the Word sectional view on the line 11 --11 of Fig. Fig. 11 isa detail view hereinafter deq scribed.

In carrying my invention into efiect, I provide a suitable casing 20. lhis may be of any appropriate construction, but is preferably a cylindrical box, and is adapted to be placed. at any point which may convenient -iy be reached by the operator of the vehicle and which may be also convenient-l3 inspected by intending passengers who desire to know whether the vehicle is disengaged and ready for use and by the passengel-s who may wish toascertain what charges are being recorded against them.

When the vehicle is not in use but is awaiting hire, a lever 21, provided at its upper end with a handle 22 for its 0 eration, stands in an upright position. en in this position the lever displays a-sign 23,

suitable indicating notice. When the lever 21 is turned either to the right or to the left, however, the sign 23 disappears behind the casing 20. When the vehicle is hired and it is desired to begin the registration of charges against a passenger this lever 21 is moved either to the right or to the left, depending u" on the number of passengers to be carrie and the registering devices thereupon begin to operate, but when the lever is in the upright position and the sign 23 displayed, no registration-of charges or other operation oi the recording devices takes place notwithstanding that the vehicle may be moving and time passing.

The construction and operation of the ap paratus controlled by the lever 21 is as follows: The lever is provided with a hub 2%. (see Fig. i) having a detent 25 which is being coupled at 28 with a shaft 29 and the vacant or some other adapted to be forced into a socket for the two being caused to rock in'unison by thelever 21 when the same is turned either to the right or the left.

As will best be seen in Figs. 4:, 6 and 7 and 8. the shaft- 29 carries two cams, 30 and 31, the inoperative positions of which are shown in those views, which are adapted to operate the levers and respectively, when the lever 21 is thrown over to the right or to the left the case may be. These levers 32 and 33 are pivotally attached to the shaft 3%, and their tree QIlLS bear upon the cams and 31., being held in contact therewith by the spring 30, which is of approximately semi-circular shape, and the ends of which bear upon studs 37 and 38 located upon the levers 32 and 33. These studs 37 and 38 also carry the gear wheels 39 and 40, both of which gear with a pinion 41 secured to the shaft 3 1- and on this shaft is keyed the worm wheel 22 driven by the worm 43 on a vertical shaft 44 passing out of the casing at'its lower side and being connected by means of flexible shafting with some appropriate moving part of the vehicle or its engine. It will be seen therefore that the lever 2i controls the connection between the motive parts of the vehicle and the recording or registering devices. The construct-ion of these devices is as foilow: The shaft 29 bears the pinions 45 o and 46, they being in position to be operated by the wheels and 39 respectively. This operation is brought about for one or the other by the throw of the lever 21 to the right or the left, If the lever as shown in Ii ig, 1 is thrown to the right, the cam 30 allows the levcr32 to swin inward, permit-- ting the pinion 10 to Inesi with the wheel 4:5, and a record price for one or two passengers set u When the lever 21 is thrown to the left, iowever, the lever 33 is permitted to swing downward and the gear wheel '39 enga es the pinion 46. It will be seen that the irec ion of the swing of the lever 21 governs he rate at which the registering devices shall operate, the more rapid operation being employed when three or more passengers are taken aboard and a registrationof a greater sum is needed. The pinion l6 and the gear wheel are secured together and the pinion meshes with and drives a gearwheeldf and this wheel is obviously driven with greater or less speed according to whether the pinion 4:6 is driven directly .by 'the wheel 39, or indirectly by the Wheel 38 through the wheel 40. i

The mechanism just described is adapted to drive, through the medium of the gear wheel 48 and pinion 49, a train of wheels on the shafts 50, 51, 52, 53 and 54, the shaft being provided with a gear wheel 55 which is driven by the wheel 48. The wheel 55 is loose on the shaft 50, but it is rovided with a pawl 32 (see Fig. 7)- whic acts upon a ratchet wheel (32'; which is fast on the shaft 50, so that wheiithe wheel 55 is revolved in the proper direction for registering, it turns the shait, but when it is revolved in the contrary direction, (as when the vehicle is moved backward,) the wheel can move With- I out moving the shaft, and this arrangement also permits the shaft 50 and the registering;- devices connected therewith to be moved forward by time-recording clockwork as hereinafter,described when the vehicle and consequently the wheel 55 are stationary.

As shown more particularly on Fig, ('3, 59 represents a time-measuring clock-work oi any 'ap 'n'oved construction, the details of I which are not shown. This clockwork is operatively connected in any appropriate manner with a ear Wheel 58. On the lower end of a lever o7, which is pivotally suppm'ted upon the shaft 50, is a gear wheel 5 When the lower end of the lever 57 is swung to the right (in Fig. 6) the wheel 56 gears with the wheel and thereby communicz'ites motion to the gear-wheel 60 on the shalt 50. This wheel (30 is also loose on the shaft, but it is provided with a pawl 61 which acts upon the ratchet wheel 63 above described which is fast on the shaft 50, so that when the wheel (30 is revolved by the clockwork in the proper direction it communicates motion to the shaft 50, but if the shaft is turned by the wheel 55, independently of and faster than the wheel (30, it does not interfere with the clockwork The means by which the clockwork is thrown into operative connection with the wheel (50 are as follows: When the lever 21 is thrown over in either direction, as hereinafter described, and the shaft 2!) rocked, the cam 150 which is fast on said shaft 2.) is moved so to allow the link 151, one end of 29 and the other end of which is pivotally attached to the upper end of the lever 57, to move to the left, this motion being produced [it the lever 57.

therefore, as it will be readily seen, throws into operative connection with the shaft 51), not only the means by which the same is revolved according to the distance traveled by the vehicle, but also the means by which same is revolved according to the time which passes while the vehicle is standing still and which is measured by the clockwork f). It will be obvious, however, that when the vehicle is awaiting a passenger, and the lever 21 is in the upright position and the sign 23 displayed indicating that the vehicle is vacant the shaft 50 does not operate, whether the vehicle is moving or is standing still The means by which the shaft 50 causes the fare to be registered, are as follows: Fast on the shaft 50 a disk (35, provided with a tooth 6-1. This single tooth (34 meshes with the teeth of a ten-toothed wheel (it; on the shaft 51, so that for each complete revolution of the shaft 50 the wheel (36 moved one-tenth ot a revolution; The wheel (i6 also oper v-;-; a single tooth 71, which in like which is forked so as to straddle the shaft i by the spring 152 attachedto the lower end I The motion of the lever 21,

which is fast on the shaft. oi. The wheel 8'? bears a shouldered disk 88 (see Fig. 11") which is adapted to enga e with the pin 89 on the disk 90, as lXQI'Qliltt'tQl describe-d. At each end of the shaft 51 is a registering dial, as hereinafter described.

It will be seen from What has been above said that while the dials, and the index or stop wheel 69, are fast upon the shaft 5-1, all of the other devices thereon, being the operative or registering devices, loose with the exception of the ratchet 95, which is fast 'upon the said shaft 51. Consequently, all motion which is imparted to the shaft 51 and the dials is by means, ulti niatcly, of this ratchet Wheel 98. The operation of the shaft '5't by the extra recording device is through the shaft,- 93, gear Wheel 94, gear wheel 95, gear wheel 96, pawl 9? and ratchet 98; the operation of the minimum charge recordingdevice is by means of the shaft 2!), segmental disk 77, racks 7s and 7! gear wheel 80, shaft 76, ratchet til, pawl till, gear wheel 82, gear wl'ieel 87, pawl 95) iuil ratchet 98; the operation of the time recording device is by means of the clot. work 59, gear wheel 58, gear Wheel gear wheel pawl 61, ratchet 625, shaft 50, seg-* inentali isk 65, tooth ti t, ten toothed wheel (36, pawl, 92, ratchet 9t, disk 90, stud tit), shouldered disk 88, gear wheel 87, pawl and ratchet 98; the operation of the dis tance recording devices is by means of the main shaft 44, worm et-fi, worm wheel 4-2, pinion 4-71, intermediate gears 2-39 and t6 or 4:0 and 45 as the case may be, acting upon the gear wheel 47, pinion 4S), gear wheel 48, gear wheel 55, pawl (32, ratchehti j, shaft 50, segmental disk (35, tooth (Jag ten toothed wheel (56, pawl 92, ratchet 91, disk 90, stud 89, shouldered disk 88, gear wheel 87, pawl 99 and ratchet. 98. It will be seen that the last element in each of the. above chains is the ratchet 98, which, as has already been explained, is fast upon the shaft 51, it will also be readily seen that this shaft 51, while it may be driven by either of. the four chains of registering devices above specified, is only driven, at any one time, by whichever of these four chains is operating at the greatest speed, the other chains of devices, while still themselves operating, being for the time inoperative upon the shatt 51. i

The dials at the rear oi the device, shown in Fi 5). are borne on the rear ends of the shafts at, 52, and 54, and are shown in the said figure as registering respectively, 5, T, 4, and 1. The registering device indicated at ll? is, as has been above explained, a dummy dial, representing units or cents, and remains stationary always indicating this number. The dials at the front of the device are shown in Fig. l, The upper line, near the Jnidd to of the apparatus, corresponds is desi sole for the permanent record rear of the apparatus.

The dials at the front of are not attained directly at t, shafts, but are attached to e" of, which will now he do fhet of each shaft is the pinio or stud engages with a slotieji s end of whic so as to ex H rather extens latter further e as sho n at (51' at the I. v I et thevelncle and. has paid lllH e a necessary that he recording dials in th irout oi. ihe apparatus turned to zero, and the devices by which this result is tl(ZC )lt],)llSll0tl are as follows: i-lit the lower part; of the an iratns is a rod 10-3 having; at the rear end a knob 80 for convenient operat ion. 'l 'hi. rod is provided with a coiled spring tilt which tends to keep it pressed. outward. and the front; end of the rod is pivotally attached to one end of a. crank lever l\ J. the other end ofavhich slotted as shown at 107' ant. cngagesa stud 108 at the lower end of a plate (shown in front View in Fig. 5). This plate 109 is provided with lateraloti'sets 110, one For each of the slotted sleeves with which the various recording shafts engage (best shown in l ig. 4). When the rod 105 is pushed forward the operation of the bell cran: lever 106 drawsthe plate 109 downward and muses the of sets 110 to push back, he various slotted'slecves, against the pressure of the coiled springs 133, so that their serrated front ends 1 o no longer engage with the pins on the shaft extensions which bear the recording dials. As soon as the pins H5 are freed from their engagement with the serrated front ends of theslottcd leeves, a spring which is coiled inside of the sprinr" case 170, fast on the shai't extension, can" the said case and the shaft extension and the dial there on, to revolve backward until the n'iotion is arrested by the stud lit striking the Paul 1?), at which point the dial will again re The inner end of this spring 00rd zero. which is ins de or" the ass 170'. is 112385; on the x height? es" shaft extensiom'undits outer end engeges with e circular reck'loceted on the plots ed" jseent to the spring case, which circulm rack projects laterally from ssid plots into theinterior of the case, the said case, being" open toward staid plate. This sliding; or

dragging contact 035 the outside end of the spring prevents overwinding of the springs belonging to the dialect the lower denomi notions, sinceit is obvious that when the extension shaft bearing em dials is rotated, and the spring becomes wound up to c cer tain tension, the outer end of the spring will commence to slide around on the circular rack, elwayshowevcr msinteining sufieient tension tov restore its dial to zero when the slotted sleeve is withdrawn from the-pin, 115. The pawl 172 is pivotally attached to its plate, so as to permit any number oi revolutrons of the spring case 170 and the extension shaft, which carries it, in one direction, but does not permit more than one l'fiVQlll! tion of the extension shaft in the opposite direction when the die-ls are beingreset, being edspted to stop said sheiit sud sac-id dial at the zero point. This mechanism more particularly shown in Fig. 4.

The resetting spring and over-winder oreventer is not shown, this being a device of well-known form, an over-winder meilenter spring of this general character being shown for instance in Letters Patent No. 893,055, issued to me on September 22, 1998.

- The die-ls at the rear of the machine, shown in Fig. 3, cannot be reset as these are intended to go on registering indefinitely until the number 10,000 (corresponding to $100 when taken in connection with the dummy 'dia.l-155) has been reeched, where upon the dials will commence to register over again in a manner which will be Well understood. It will be obvious that these dials at the rear of the machine are to be read backward, that is to soy units or'cen'ts will be on the left, but as these fignres ere only intended for the .mbScBIatiOn of the owner -or superintendent of the machines and as a check upon his employee or as a perrnanent record, this circumstanceis of no importance. It will also be observed that there are no dials at the rear of the apparatus corresponding to the cfl'tre rccording dials shown in the lower part of Fig. 1; it is unnecessary that these figures be shown at the rear of the machine since the amounts which they represent are infcluded in the registration shown 011 the re ulcr dials, both at the front and stthe back of the apparatus; the object oi hzwing the extra dials at the front of the apparatus in addition to the regular dials is so that the passenger may observe the amount 01 extra charge which has been registered agalnst him.

l t will be observed that after a minimum charge operation of the recording dials has been efiected, the recording dials regisier no "further charge until a greater sum their. the minimum ohe rgeha-s been earned either by distance or time. The minimum chergo devices shown and described in this epjoltcetion contem ate as has been said, :1 minimum chm e o fifty cents, correspondi-ng to oneshsi of a revolution of the shaft 51-; it will be.ohrious.,'however, that the device. my be adapted to register any other minimum charge by modifications of the segmental disk 77 and the rocks 7 8 and 7 9-,

and the shouldered disk 88, in a manner tcted, so that notwithstanding thattime is sssingor the-t the vehicle may be traveling new piece to place, coooerntimi of the re cordingdisls occurs.

It will be obvious that many changes in detail in the cpparetus gbove described they be required in order to meet syeoiel circumstences.end which can be readily efiected by anyone skilled in the art to which this inmention reletes, without departing from the spirit end scone of my invention.

Que/of the principal advent es of my insection. is the simplicity of tie operative pests in an apparatus constructed as hereinebove set forth, command with the monner in Whiclr's @emtuses for the like purpose have been etoforc constructed. Partly because oi this comparative simplicity, and

partly on cement of venous novel features which are comprised in my invention, a tee;- iineter constructed according thereto is more reliable and efficient than those which have hitherto been in use. v

Many ,points of advantage will be obvious to those skilled in the art u on reading the foregoing description, but 1F desire to particularly cell attention to the arrangement and combination of the various elements on the shaft 51. By reason of that construction, errengement and combination, which I believe to be new in the art, itbccomes possi blefor the various chsins oil charge registering; devices-thst is to say the devices-for charging for the distance traveled, the time which passes while weitin the extras a number of different series of dials each 'representing some particular component of the total charge.

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

1. In a taximeter or similar device, the combination with a main shaft adapted to be operated by a vehicle or other object as to Which a registration is to be made, oit'nidicatin or registering devices; devices adapte to o erativcly connect said main shaft and sai indicating or registering de vices; devices adapted to disconnect indicating or registering devices, comprising a plate 109 provided with lateral offsets 110 adapted to pi'ish back the slotted sleeves l1 2 and disengage the same from the said ind1- eating or registering devices; and means for resetting or restoring to Zero the said indicating or registering devices after an 111(llcation or registrationtmade by the same has been ascertained.

2. In a taximeter or similar device, the combination with a main shaft adapted to be operated by a vehicle or other obgect as to which a registration is to be. made; of indicating or registering devices; devices adapted to 0 eratively connect said main shaft and'saig indicating or registering devices; devices adapted to disconnect said indicating or registering devices, comprising a plate 109 provided with lateral oti'sets 110 adapted to push baclt the, slotted sleeves 112 and disengage the sameplfrom the said indicating or registeringdevices; means adapted to so reset or restore said indicating or registering means to zero, comprising slottedsleeves 112; and other indicating or registering devices adaptedto show a continuous or per nianent registration, being" not aii'ected or controlled by the said resetting devices.

3. In a taItimet-er or similar device, the combination Wit a main shaft adapted to be operated by a vehicle or other object as to which a registration is to be made; of indicating or registering devices; devices ada ted; to operatively connect said main sha t anti said indicating or registering devices; devices adapted to disconnect said indicating or registering devices, comprising a plate 510%? provided with lateral 'ofi'sets 110 adapted to push back the slotted sleeves U2 and dis ngage the samefrom the said indieating 1" registering devices; means adapted to so reset or restore said indicating or registering means tozero, comprising slotted sleeves 112; and other indicating or registering devices adapted to show a continuous or permanent registration, being not affected or controlled by the said resetting devices; said re-se'tting devices comprising means adapted to operatively disconnect the first mentioned series of indicating or registering means from the said main shaft, and nitrous adapted to thereupon move said indicating or registering devices in the reverse direction until they register zero.

' 4. In a taximeter or sinnlar device, the

combination with a main gShiLfl; adapted to be 0 erated by a vehicle or other object as to W ich a registration is to be made, of indicating or registering devices; devices operativel y connecting said main shaft and said indicating or registering devices; means adapted to cause said indicating or registering devices to indicate or register to; a predetermined extent in advance of the tent corresponding to the previous advance movement of the former.

5. In a taximeter or similar device, the combination with indicating or registering devices; of devices adapted to operate same according to the distance traveled by the vehicle or other object as to which a registration is desired; devices adapted to operate said indicating or registering devices ac cording to the time which passes when said vehicle is not in motion; and devices controlled by the operator or attendant adapted to operate said'indicating or registering (levices in advance of said first named. opera- 'tions and then permit same to remain stationary until either the vehicle has traveled. a distance, or until time has passed, corresponding to said advance movement; said devices comprising'a segmental disk 7'? hearing a rack, a gear wheel 80, a shaft 76, a 0nd gear Wheel 82 bearing a'pavvl 83, a ratchet 8a, a gear wheel 87 and 51;

6. In a taximeter or similar device, the combination with indicating or registering devices operatively connected with each other in a series; oi ashaft 51 operativcly connected with the first of said series; and the following devices operatively connected with the said shaft 51, to wit: a wheel 36, provided with a -pawi92; a ratchet 91; a disk integral with said. ratchet )1 and bearing a stud 89; a gear Wheel 87, integral with a shouldered disk 88 and bearing a pawl 92); a gear Wheel 96 hearing a pawl 97; and a ratchet 98 fast on said shalt? all of the same being loose on said shaft except the ratchet 98.

7. In a taximeter or similar device, the combination with indicatin or registering devices; of devices adapted to operate the same according to the distance traveled by the vehicle or other object as to which a registration is desired; and devices controlled by the operator or attendant adapted to adjust or regulate the rate of operation of the indicating or registering devices at a greater or less speed for the same distance traveled. according to the number of passengers carried by the Vehicle,'. comprising a segmental 1O disk 77, bearing racks 78 and-.79; a gear wheel 80; a shaft 7 6; a second gear ,ivheel 82, bearing a. pawl 83; at ratchet 84; a' gear Wheel'87 and 21; shaft 51.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 12th day of December, 1907, in the preseiice of two subscribing witnesses.

' JOSEPH \V'. JONES. lNitnesse's EDMOND CONGAR BROWN, A. O, QUAGKENBUSH.

Images