Route-Indicator. Page: 5 of 6
3 sheets, 3 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this patent.
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1,246,240
if required or for changing one tape 3 for
another according to the road to be traveled.
The tape 3 is formed of a preferably
translucent material, non-conductive of elec-
5 tricity, such as stout paper, fabric or the like
and one end is wound up on a reel and ar-
ranged to slip over the spindle 6 of a spool
7. The other end of the tape 3 is adapted
to be wound up on a reel and arranged to slip
10 over the spindle or axis 8. The reel 7 which
is driven and the reel 9 which is preferably
idle, turn loosely upon pins 10 and axis 8,
supported by and projecting from the plate
4. The driven spool 7 is provided with a
15 take up mechanism comprising a pinion 12
and ratchet 13 rigidly connected together
by a sleeve 14 and the ratchet wheel 13 is
loose on the axis 6. A pawl 15 with its
spring 15 engages ratchet wheel 13 to per-
20 mit the wheel and spool 7 to turn slightly
while being positively driven to compensate
for varying diameters of the spool as the
tape is wound up.
The pinion 12 gears or meshes with a gear.
25 16 which is in mesh normally with the worm
gear 16 of a shaft 17. The shaft 17 has,
however, an axial movement in its bearings
18 and in the gear 16a and its front end
projects through the cover 5 in the form of
30 a knob 19. A spring 20 coperating with a
flange or collar 21 of the shaft 17 serves to
lock the shaft temporarily in its in and out
longitudinal -or axial movement, without,
however, preventing the rotation of said
35 shaft. When the shaft 17 is pressed inward,
a gear or pinion 22 at or near its inner end
is brought into mesh with a worm gear 23
formed on a power transmitting shaft or
shaft coupling 24. Where the shaft 17 is to
4o be driven from a speedometer for instance
the part 24 is a shaft coupling in that it con-
nects through suitable means the speedome-
ter (not shown) with the shaft 17. If the
shaft 17 is to be driven directly from mov-
45 ing parts of the engine or vehicle then the
part 24 is a power transmitting device con-
necting the shaft 17 with the moving part or
parts. When the shaft 17 is drawn out-
ward the pinion 22 is disconnected from the
5o part 24 and movement of shaft 17 is con-
trolled by the knob 19 in the setting or re-
setting of the drum or spool 7 and tape 3
carried thereon. The gear 16 with which
pinion 12 and worm gear 16a are in mesh is
55 also in mesh with one of a chain of gears
25, 26 and 27 designed to control the revolu-
tion of the two upright driven rollers 28
and 29 and an idle or tensioning roller 30.
Thus gear 25 transmits motion from gear
'rc 16 to a pinion 26 locked to the upright roller
28 and pinion 26 meshes with pinion 27
locked to upright roller 29. The upright
roller 28 is arranged between rollers 29 and
30 (see Fig. 9) and has its surface prefer-
65 ably covered with' rubber 28a or other suit-able friction material. The tape 3 when
wound upon spool 7 passes between rollers
28 and 29 and from thence over a contact
post 31, and over the two guides 32 and
33 arranged adjacent to an opening 34 in 76
face plate or cover 5. The tape 3 then passes
around a second contact post 35 and between
rollers 28 and 30 and thence to spool 9. The
contact posts 31 and 35 are of metal and
project upward from a plate 36 properly in- 75
sulated from surrounding parts and plate
36 is connected by wire 37 (see Fig. 7) with
one binding post 38 of an electric circuit
39 (see Fig. 4).
The contact post 31 cooperates with a 80
contact spring 40 during travel in one direc-
tion along the road and contact post 35 co-
operates with a second contact spring 41
during travel in the reverse direction along
the said road. The two contact. springs 40 85
and 41 both project upward from a common
plate 42 arranged to be shifted back and
forth by appropriate mechanism (a specific
form of which will be hereinafter described)
so that in one movement of the plate 42 the 90
contact spring 40 is brought into operative
position with contact post 31 while contact
spring 41 is brought out of operative posi-
tion with the post 35 and in an opposite
movement of plate 42 a reverse condition of 95
operative and inoperative contacts is ob-
tained. The plate 42 is included in that part
of the circuit leading from binding post 43
through a buzzer 43 preferably located
within the box 1 or through an audible ioo
alarm inside or outside the box, and the
plate 36 completes the circuit when a con-
tact spring 40 or 41 makes contact with
a contact post 31 or 35. The tape 3 which
travels over the posts 31 and 35, being of in- io
sulating material, would ordinarily prevent
contact between contact spring 40 and post
31 during the movement of the tape. To
permit of contact at predetermined points
in the tape and thus operate the audible sig- 110
nal at times required by the exigencies of the
road, the tape is provided with apertures or
openings 44 (see Figs. 10 and 6) through
which the contact spring may project into
contact with the post. 115
'A preferred means for shifting the plate
42 carrying the springs 40 and 41 is shown
in the drawings. It consists essentially in
supporting the plate 42 on a slide 46 work-
ing in a guide or guides 47 on plate 4. To 120
the slide 46 is secured a slotted plate 48, in
the slot of which a crank pin 49 works.
The crank pin 49 projects from the crank
50-of a crank shaft 51. The crank shaft 51
traverses the front or cover 5 and is pro- 125
vided with a lever or handle 52. Ordi-
narily the movement of slide 46 causes one
of the contact springs 40 or 41 to move into
and out of operative engagement with the
corresponding contact post 31 or 35. To 1302
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Reference the current page of this Patent.
Cranmer, Howard. Route-Indicator., patent, November 13, 1917; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth854045/m1/5/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.