Improvements in Coin-freed Strength Testing Apparatus.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Strength Testing Apparatus.
A communication from OSWALD SCHLEGEL, of Dresden-Altstadt, in the Empire
of Germany, Locksmith.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In every coin-freed strength tester there are two distinct mechanisms, one which
receives or absorbs the power exercised by the person wishing to test his muscular
strength, and the other which indicates the amount of strength or power expended
by means of a hand and dial or other similar arrangement.
In the improved strength-testing apparatus forming the subject of this invention
the power absorbing mechanism may be operated even before the coin is introduced,
but no indication of the amount of such power will follow on the dial unless the
indicating device proper is set in operation by the previous insertion of a coin into
the same.
This result is obtained by means of a switch-device interposed between the
power-receiving and power-indicating mechanisms. Before a coin is placed in the
slot to set the apparatus in full operation, this switch turns idly on the point where
the levers or links of the indicating device should normally he operated which
point for the time being is its centre of rotation. When, however, a coin is inserted
the centre of rotation of the switch is thereby changed and therefore the part which
is to act upon the indicating device is swung from the position of rest into the
operative position, whereby the indicating device is caused to participate in the
movement of the power-storing device.
One form of strength-testing apparatus constructed in accordance with this
invention is illustrated by Figs. 1 to 14 of the accompanying drawings.
In Figures 16 and 17 is represented a slight modification of the switch, while
Figure 15 shows a form of power-receiving device in which a number of springs are
brought into successive operation.
In the form shown in Figures 1 to 14 the power-absorbing or storing mechanism
is enclosed in a casing having the outward shape of an elephant. In pressing the
trunk of the elephant towards the stump of a tree placed behind it, the user of the
strength testing apparatus, whose hand grips both the trunk and stump, exercises
such muscular strength as he is possessed of. On the elephant's back is arranged a
turret containing the indicator-device
Figures 1 to 4 represent the mechanism as a whole, Figs. 1 and 2 showing it in
the position of rest and Figs. 3 and 4 in operation. The parts shown in Figs. 1
and 3 are as seen in the drawing, situated in front of the supporting plate or
frame a standing the plane of the longitudinal axis of the elephant, and Figs. 2
and 4 represent the parts situated behind such plate or frame.
Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional elevations of the upper part of the angular plate b c
arranged in front of the plate a for the reception of the parts which are to convey
the coin into the interior of the mechanism.
Figure 8 is a front view, Fig. 9 a section and Fig. 10 a side elevation of this
plate.
The remaining figures refer to details which shall be mentioned in their proper
places.
The power-receiving or storing mechanism consists of a lever 2 pivotted at 1 one
arm of which constitutes the elephant's trunk, while the other arm is arranged to

page_text: act npon the spring 3 forming the resistance to be overcome by the person testing
his strength. The lever 5 turning on the pivot 4 transmits the motion of the lever 2
through the bolt 6 and the slide 7 to the switch 8.
The switch 8 is engaged at 9 by the rod 10 adapted to set in operation the
indicator device. For this purpose the rod 10 in the first place acts upon the
toothed segment 11 which is in gear with the pinion 12 on the shaft 13. On this
shaft are also mounted two dials 14 and a ratchet wheel 15. The dials or discs 14.
are suitably graduated and a stationary hand or pointer 16 (being in this case a
pointed rod held in hand by a human figure seated in the turret) records the
muscular strength expended.
The switch 8 is adapted to move on the pin 6 of the slide 7 by means of a slot.
One of its ends (the one on the right in Figure 1) engages with a connecting or
push rod 17, whereby it is linked to the coin-carriage 18. This carriage or slide is
guided in a vertical slot of the plate bc (see also Figs. 8 and 9). It is also provided
with a vertical slot 19 limited below by an incline (Figs. 11 to 13).
The course of the coin through the apparatus is as follows:-Upon the horizontal
portion of the plate c is situated the slot 20 for the insertion of the coin, which
slot is normally closed by plate 22 hinged on pivot 21. This plate which may be
best seen in Figs. 5 and 6 and is also shown detached in Fig. 7 is provided with a
perforation 23, which, when the plate takes up a certain position, opens the passage
through the slot 20. The plate is moved by depressing the pin 24 and lever 24
turning on the pivot 25. On the same pivot 25 is also arranged to turn a second
lever 26 which engages with the arm 27 of the plate 22 as shown in Figs. 5
and 6. A spring 28 moves the plate back to the position of rest as shown in
Fig. 5.
With the mechanism above described is connected, moreover a coupling device
for the indicating-mechanism. When this mechanism completes a movement it is
stopped by the pawl 29 engaging with the ratchet wheel 15. The arm 30, of the
pawl, is by the depression of the pin 24 through the medium of the arm 27 pushed
on one side against the resistance of the spring 31 so that the spring 32 engaging
with the segment 11 comes into operation and carries back the indicator to the zero
position. With the lever 26 is further connected a pin 33, which, when the pin 24
is depressed, passes over the projection 34 of the lever 5, which prevents the power-
storing mechanism from being actuated while the pin 24 is depressed and the
indicator device disconnected." Unless such an arrangement was provided it might
happen that, after the insertion of a coin, the pin 24 remained in the depressed
position after being once submitted to the strain, so that the apparatus might be
used over and over again without further payment.
After the coin has thus passed through the slot 20 it gets into the guide or
channel 35, provided with slots or perforations 36 and with a wedge-shaped piece 37
which is to reject coins of smaller than standard size. The coin then passes through
this channel and takes up its position in the recess 19 of the coin-carriage or slide 18,
while it is supported by the pin 38 of the plate b c.
The operation is as follows,-
So long as no coin is inserted the power-storing device can alone, but uselessly
be operated. Along with the backward arm of the lever 2, the lever 5 also rises
and through the medium of the pivot 6 and slide 7 engages the switch 8. The
coin-carriage 18 meets with no resistance. The point of engagement 9 of the
bar 10 becomes the centre of rotation of the switch and remains inoperative, while
it is the part 18 which swings outwards, so that the indicator-device receives no
notion whatever.
But when a coin æ is inserted and has reached the slot 19 in the carriage or
slide 18 it retains this slide 18 by bearing against the stud 38 or the flange 39 of
the plate, with the result that the switch 8, when the power-receiving mechanism
is actuated, turns about the push-rod 17, the point 9 being displaced and the dial
being turned against the index-hand or pointer a distance equivalent to the lever's
stroke.

page_text: When the lever 2 is relieved from pressure (ratchet wheel 15 being arrested by
pawl 29) the pivot 9 is also held stationary through the link 10 and the then-
locked segment. The pivot 9 therefore becomes again the centre of rotation of
the switch 8 which is drawn downwards through its connection with the pin 6
so that the slide 18 descends and the coin passes the stud 38 and leaves the
recess 19.
When it is desired again to use the apparatus and for this purpose to insert
another coin into the slot 20, the pin or stud 24 must be first depressed so as to
open the passage in the slot in the mauner set forth above whereby at the same
time the pawl 29 is disengaged and the indicator returned to the zero position.
The point (9) also descends and therefore the slide 18 rises to its uppermost
position as indicated in Figure 3, so that it will stop the coin next inserted. This
combination of the closing and releasing devices thus prevents inexperienced persons
from putting in coins before the machine is ready to work.
In using the apparatus after the coin has been inserted and held between the
slide 18 and pin 38 the registration will be effected by raising the point 9 as before
described which point is retained in its raised position so that after releasing the
lever 2 the point 6 is allowed to descend and lower the slide 18 so that the coin
drops from between it and the pin 38. The slide 18 remains now in its lowered
position until the pin 24 is pressed down by which operation the point 9 is allowed
to descend and the slide 18 to rise these taking the relative position shown in
Figure 3.
From Figures 16 and 17 it will be seen that the coin carrying slide need not be
situated at the extreme end of the switch but may be arranged in some intermediate
point, provided that the point of operation of the indicator levers and the point of
action of the coin do not coincide. Figure 16 illustrates the idle motion and
Fig. 17 the operative motion of this arrangement. In the former case the lever 2
(which here engages with the switch direct) causes the switch to turn on the
point 9, leaving the coin carriage 18 free to swing. In operation the switch becomes
a double armed lever whose then centre of rotation is the coin-carriage which at that
time is kept stationary.
It now remains to mention the form of apparatus illustrated by Fig. 15. It has
been found by experiment that apparatus of the kind described are scarcely, if
ever, made use of by children or even grown persons of weak constitutions as their
maximum effort generally does not displace the hand on the dial to any appreciable
extent so that the strength-tester affords them no pleasure. Powerfully built
persons on the contrary have little difficulty in moving the mechanism to its fullest
extent, and, bent as they are on exhibiting their superior strength, they are apt to
overstrain and spoil the machine. One of the objects the inventor has in view
therefore is to provide for all degrees of muscular strength, and this is accomplished
by making the initial displacement of the strength-tester comparatively easy and at
the same time provide for a resistance increasing by rapid degrees and the maximum
of which is such that even the strongest individuals will hardly be able to overcome
it. For this purpose there are provided a number of resistance springs which come
into operation successively, the resistance of the second being added on to that of
the first, the resistance of the third to that of the two first and so forth. As shown
in Fig. 15 the spring 40 which is quite weak comes into operation first. Then the
spring 41 is compressed as soon as the bolt 42 of the lever 2 has been sufficiently
raised. The more powerful spring 43 is carried by a stationary pin or stud 44 until
it is engaged by the hook 45 and slightly raised. And finally the same operation
is repeated by the fourth spring 46 which bears on the pin or stud 47 until the
bridge 48 reaches it. It is of course a well-known fact that even in employing one
spring only the resistance would gradually increase as the spring is more power-
fully strained or compressed, but in employing simultaneously a number of springs
in the way here suggested, the gradually increasing resistance or power, as the case
may be, is better distributed.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,-
1. A coin-freed strength-testing apparatus in which the motion of the strength-
receiving or storing device is by the insertion of a coin into the mechanism trans-
mitted to the indicator-device through the medium of a switch such as 8 interposed
between the said power-storing and indicating devices and which before the coin is
introduced turns on the point of engagement of the bar 10 of the indicator device
but when the coin is inserted is so shifted to a different point that the latter becomes
its centre of rotation and the indicator can move therewith substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a coin-freed strength-testing apparatus such as described in the preceding
claim the arrangement of a series of springs such as 40 41 43 and 46 which for
the purpose of increasing the resistance are arranged to come into operation
successively substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of October 1892.
ALFRED J. BOULT,
Chartered Patent Agent.