Taximeter
First Claim
1. In a taximeter for use in a taxia. occupancy-sensing means to detect a passenger,b. speed-sensing means to measure speed of a taxi and including clock means and distance-sensing means sensing distances traveled by the taxi,c. logic means responsive to the occupancy-sensing means and to at least one of the speed-sensing means and distance-sensing means for starting the meter whena passenger is detected by the occupancy-sensing means, andsaid at least one means concurrently senses that the taxi has reached a predetermined speed or has traveled a predetermined distance, respectively.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A taximeter with logic circuitry that provides passenger detection, distance measuring, clock timing, speed referencing, tamper and fault detectors, manual pushbutton controls, settable constants for distance, time and money, and an emergency power supply. Further logic circuitry is provided to count passengers, calculate and add extras, control calibration externally, condition distance pulses, scan tamper and fault detectors, synchronize and debounce manual pushbutton controls, store and input constants, disable the taximeter, enter an external reset code, and internally compare the reset code. Additional logic circuitry may be provided to control the fare charging clock, perform program arithmetic, perform accumulator functions and control logic operations. Also, additional logic circuitry provides an extras charged display, a fare display, rate of charge display panels, recording counters and control of the taxi toplight. All of the logic circuitry is interconnected to provide a taximeter that accurately computes and displays taxi fares, adds extras charges manually or automatically, displays extras charged on the meter face, detects tampering and circuit faults automatically, displays a tamper number on the meter fare display that indicates the specific tamper or fault, displays meter operation on the taxi toplight, including tampering, disables the taximeter from operation in the event of a tamper or fault, can be reset to normal operation only by an external coded reset device, counts and displays taxi driveshaft rotations on the fare display under the command of an external calibration device, uses two or more selectable charge rates, has rate of charge display panels on the meter face that indicate the rates available to a customer before a meter start and the rate in use when the meter is on, disallows switching from one rate to another on any given trip, synchronizes manual control operations to prevent errors, disables the manual controls at a predetermined minimum speed to prevent mischievous or accidental meter operation, automatically restarts clock charging at minimum speed, disables manual extras the first time the taxi reaches minimum speed, provides a method of accurately calibrating the distance charging sector of the taximeter without any parts or special skills, totals all fare charges on one fare display, performs retroactive charging for any distance traveled by a customer before the meter is started, prevents highflagging by starting itself automatically and accurately whenever a customer is in the taxi and provides positive notice to the taxi owner in the event of any tampering to the taximeter system.
27 Citations
39 Claims
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1. In a taximeter for use in a taxi
a. occupancy-sensing means to detect a passenger, b. speed-sensing means to measure speed of a taxi and including clock means and distance-sensing means sensing distances traveled by the taxi, c. logic means responsive to the occupancy-sensing means and to at least one of the speed-sensing means and distance-sensing means for starting the meter whena passenger is detected by the occupancy-sensing means, and said at least one means concurrently senses that the taxi has reached a predetermined speed or has traveled a predetermined distance, respectively.
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18. In a taximeter for use in a taxi:
- occupancy-sensing means sensing passenger occupancy, speed-sensing means for measuring speed of a taxi, distance-sensing means for sensing distances traveled by the taxi, and logic means responsive to the occupancy-sensing, speed-sensing and distance-sensing means for starting the meter in response to;
a. detection of passenger occupancy, and b. concurrent sensing by the speed or distance-sensing means that the taxi has reached a predetermined speed or had traveled a predetermined distance, respectively.
- occupancy-sensing means sensing passenger occupancy, speed-sensing means for measuring speed of a taxi, distance-sensing means for sensing distances traveled by the taxi, and logic means responsive to the occupancy-sensing, speed-sensing and distance-sensing means for starting the meter in response to;
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19. In a taximeter for use in a taxi:
- including a meter housing and a plurality of external sensing means for sensing different fare-computing parameters to which the meter is responsive, the meter including tamper-detecting means including means detecting tampering with either of at least two of said external sensing means and for providing signals particularly indicating which tamper was detected, and means for displaying indicia of the particular tamper detected.
- View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. In a taximeter having a meter housing and fare-collecting means, fare display means and means responsive to the fare collecting means for displaying the fare on the fare display means:
- tamper detection means detecting tampering with the meter, and means responsive to detection of a tamper for suppressing display of a fare on the fare display means, and a plurality of sensing means external of the housing to which the meter is responsive, wherein the tamper detection means includes means detecting tampering with the external sensing means and providing signals indicative of the individual tamper detected, and means for displaying on the fare-display means indicia of the particular tamper detected.
- View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A taximeter including a meter housing, external occupancy-sensing means to detect a passenger, external movement-sensing means to sense movement of a taxi, external power means to provide electric power to the meter, and tamper detection means for particularly detecting tampering with the individual movement-sensing means, occupancy-sensing means, power means and meter housing and for producing particular and distinctive signals respectively indicating such detected tampering, and means for displaying indicia of the particular tamper detected.
- 25. In a taximeter having means sensing the speed of the taxi, fare-calculating means, manual input switches to which the fare-calculating means is responsive, and clock means to which the fare-calculating means is responsive and wherein said manual input switches include a switch stopping said clock means, and means for restarting the clock means in response to sensing of a speed equaling or exceeding a predetermined minimum speed during fare calculation.
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28. In a taximeter including a meter housing, means sensing distance traveled and time elapsed and farecalculating means responsive to said sensing means to compute a fare:
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constants furnishing means within the housing for providing constants fixing independent variables for the fare-calculating means, manually settable control means within the housing enabling the constants furnished to be manually changed, tamper detecting means including means for detecting tampering with said housing and said sensing means and for providing signals particularly indicative thereof, and display means for displaying indicia of the particular tamper detected. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. In a taximeter having distance-sensing means and clock means and a meter housing including farecalculating means for calculating a fare based upon pre-determined constants and upon distance sensed by the distance-sensing means and time measured by the clock means or both:
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constants furnishing means within the housing for furnishing said predetermined constants; manually operated constants setting means within the housing for changing said constants; tamper detecting means for detecting tampering with the housing and said distance-sensing means and for producing signals particularly indicative thereof, and display means for displaying indicia of the particular tamper detected. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. In an electronic taximeter having a meter housing and fare calculating means within the meter housing;
- a connector accessible from outside the housing, a cover plate preventing free access to the connector, tamper detecting means including means for detecting tampering with the cover plate and for producing a signal particularly indicating same, disablement means responsive to said signal for at least partially disabling the taximeter upon detection of a tamper with the cover plate, an external reset module operably connectable to said connector for allowing re-enablement of the taximeter, and reset means within the meter housing and operably connected to said connector for re-enabling the meter when said external reset module is operably connected to said connector.
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34. The taximeter of claim 41 including display means and means responsive to the tamper detection signal for displaying indicia of the particular tamper on the display means.
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35. In a taximeter:
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a. distance-sensing means measuring distance traveled by a taxi, b. means for starting the meter, c. fare-calculating means responsive to the distance-sensing means for computing a fare, and d. means retroactively incorporating any distance traveled prior to starting of the meter into fare calculations based on distance traveled. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. An easily calibrated taximeter comprising:
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external means for sensing drive shaft revolutions and for producing signal pulses in response thereto; internal means for counting said signal pulses; display means operably connected to said internal means for displaying the count of said signal pulses; manually settable constants furnishing means for providing a constant relating counted signal pulses to distance traveled; fare-calculating means responsive to said constant for computing a fare based upon distance traveled; an external unit that is operably connectable to said display means through an interface for selectively displaying the count of said signal pulses; and tamper detecting means for detecting tampering with said external means, said internal means and said interface and for producing a particular signal indicating same, said display means being responsive to said tamper detecting means so as to display particular indicia of said particular tampering.
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38. In a taximeter having a housing and also having tamper detecting means for detecting tampering with the taximeter and disablement means for at least partially disabling the taximeter upon detection of a tamper:
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external reset module means external said housing for providing an external reset code; reset code comparison means operatively cooperable with said external reset module means for reading said external reset code and for comparing said external reset code with a predetermined reset code; and means responsive to said reset code comparison means for re-enabling the taximeter when said external reset code matches said rest code. - View Dependent Claims (39)
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Specification