Patent GB-191400830-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to Systems for Automatically Registering Time, Wages and other Costs in Industrial Works and the like.
Inventor: DICKER STANLEY GORDON SINCLAIR
Filed: 1914-01-12
Granted: 1915-02-12
Abstract: 830. Dicker, S. G. S., [Heath, W. R.]. Jan. 12. Time and cost, computing.-Relates to electric systems for registering wages and costs upon counters according to passage of time, provision being made for varying the rate of actuation according to the workman or the time of day, and for separating out and segregating various charges, such as those for a job, those, for management, and other fixed charges. Time-impulses; varying rate of wages. The circuit of a main driving-motor 100, Fig. 1, is closed each minute by a clock 101, the contacts of which are in the circuit of a pilot magnet 106, closing contacts 113 for a motor - switch magnet 114 and thereby starting the motor. Through Geneva gearing, a reduced movement is given to a selector commutator shaft 118, a cam 119 upon which maintains the motor-switch magnet contacts 113 closed until a single rotation has been completed. This action is repeated each minute. To each man is assigned a time register Ta receiving uniform time actuations, and a wage register Wa actuated by timederived impulses according to a selected rate. A main impulse commutator 120 upon the motor shaft sends ten impulses per minute to a rotating shaft 122 having commutators adapted to send 60, 40, 20, and 10 impulses per hour respectively to wage - rate bus - bars W60, W40, W20, W10 respectively, the wiring between these bars and the workmen's double switches 131, controlling each one time and one wage register and closed while the man is at work, being arranged to apply the proper rate to each man. These impulses are stored also upon the total-time register Tt and the total wage register Wt. Included in the wage circuits are the segments of the wage selector 201, whereby each workman's wage circuit is completed in turn and in proper relation to the wage-rate commutators so that the total wages will be registered without loss. Overtime work. A commutator 230 upon the clock maintains an electro-magnet 233 energized during normal working hours, and an overtime electro-magnet 235 at other times, whereby overtime wage-rate bus-bars W40<1>, W20<1>, W10' are connected in series to the next higher normal bars and give increased actuation accordingly. By suitable commutators, switches, and connexions, any desired proportional increase for overtime may be registered. Provision is also made for the registration of fractional rates, such as 10¢ units per hour. The clock may be arranged to send the controlling - impulses at every 30 or 40 seconds by putting a switch 108 on to other contacts. Labour cost. The cost of production of each job is registered as a total J<1>T and also in terms of cost of labour in each department J<1>W1, J<1>W2, cost due to machinery expenses J<1>Wm, material J<1>M, and burden expenses J'B such as light, heat, superintendence, insurance, &c. Each job has a bank of registers 260, 261 thus assigned. There are connexions from the separate registers to sets of spring-jacks 262. 263, as on a telephone switchboard, so that any workman's wage impulses can be passed in part through a particular job, proper timing relation being maintained by a wage-plug selector 270, and each of the job registers being placed in a branch circuit. The energization at proper times and sequence of the departmental registers is determined by a selector 290, whereby the totals for the various departments of cost can be registered, and banks 320, 320<1> with spring- jacks are provided to account for work done in one department by a man normally employed in another. Machine costs. The total costs are estimated and a fictitious wage deduced which is reckoned on registers MWg, MWh, MWk for three machines and a machine-wage total register MWt. Four single switches at the top of panel 131 are assigned to complete the connexion between the wage-rate bus-bars and these registers when the particular machines are working, and are operated automatically or manually, and one or more switches may be coupled to a single register in providing for high costs. By means of the spring-jacks, these machine impulses also may be split for passing through the job registers. Material costs. Registers J<1>M, J<2>M, J<3>M are provided for the value of material issued from the storeroom and entering into the several jobs. A material-controller register MC, of the kind shown in Fig. 6, is first set manually, by means of a setting-device SM, to the value of the material required, and is then replaced and gradually zeroized by impulses derived from a general impulse commutator and passed through the job-material and job-total registers, the impulses ceasing when the controller register passes zero. Material delivered to the storeroom is by a similar process entered upon registers MT, MS, of which the latter register is mechanically differential and indicates the balance of material remaining in the room. Fixed and waste charges. A series of " burden " registers accounts for rent, heat, interest, and similar charges, and suitable connexions to the wage-rate bus-bars determine the rate of actuation, a general burden selector determining the proper sequence of actuation, and the impulses affecting the job-burden registers, the united-burden register UB, totalcost register, &c. The burden is divided into a waste-wages portion and a remainder portion, the condition for registering the former portion being that a workman's switch is closed, but that he is not connected to any job bank. Differential gearing or opposing windings add these charges to the fixed burden and neutralize them during employment, a burden selector 270<1>, Fig. 8, being employed for timing the burden impulses, which are derived from impulses directed by various cut-out commutators to pass alternately to the wage-plug and burden-plug selectors respectively, and also wholly to the wage-plug selector during one minute and then alternately as above. Fig. 8 shows the connexions of these selectors, similar segments of which communicate by a two-conductor cord with the same plug, the wage-plug selector to the sleeve, and the burden-plug selector to the tips. Various arrangements may be made for distributing the burden in proportion to the job-wage costs, or to the number of men and machines employed upon the several jobs; the fixed burden may also be apportioned between the several departments and the variable burden charges to the jobs in progress only, for which purpose duplicate burden-reservoir mechanism is provided for each department. Resetting. A bank of job-erasing actuators 430 is supplied with rapid impulses for resetting any bank of job-registers that may be put in position thereon. Totalizers. Various totals are displayed by registers, some of which have electric or mechanical means for giving sum or difference of actuations, such as TC, total expenses of the production of the production plant, WT1, wages earned in Department 1, Ww1, total of waste wages in Department 1, &c.