IMPROVEMENTS IN " BAGGAGE CHECKS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, CLARENCE CARSON SMITH, of Camptown, in the County of Bradford and
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declar
the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN " BAGGAGE CHECKS," and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention has relation to so-called changeable baggage checks, which consist
of a check adapted to be changed so as to be used for a large number of different
stations, thus doing away with the use of a large number of individual checks
and my Invention consists in the improved construction and combination of
parts of a check of that class as will be hereinafter more fully described and
claimed.
Figure 1 is a side view of my improved baggage check;
Figure 2 is a similar view of the rotary disk with its center and eccentric pin;
Figure 3 is a cross-section through line x-x in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through line y-y in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a side view illustrating a somewhat modified construction of the
check; and
Figure 6 is a sectional view through line z-z in Figure 5.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
In the accompanying Drawing, A denotes a circular disk, of brass or other
suitable metal, having a toothed or notched periphery, a, and a circular central
aperture. This disk is placed between parallel side-plates, B, which have curved
slots, C, and a transverse slot or opening, D, at the top, for the insertion of the
leather strap by which the device is attached to the piece of baggage to be checked
or marked.
Inserted into the center of disk, A, is a small circular plate or disk, E, through
which is inserted the pin or eccentric, F, the projecting ends of which are also
inserted through bearings, G, in the side-plates, B, and have turn-buttons, H,
fastened to their outer ends. It follows that when these buttons, H, are turned,
by the thumb and fore-finger, to one side, as indicated by the arrow, the disk, A,
will be moved in a downward' direction between the side-plates, B B, owing to the
eccentric center-disk, E, on
which disk, A, rotates; while by turning the
buttons, H H, in the opposite direction, disk, A, will be raised between its side-
plates, or moved in the direction of the transverse slot, D. In the upper part, and

page_text: ctions, 1, adapted
between, the side-plates, B, are one or more fixed teeth or projections,
to engage and interlock with the toothed or notched periphery of disk A; and i
disk will be disengaged from the fixed teeth, I, so that it may be revolved freely
follows that when the buttons, H H, are turned in the direction of the arrow, the
on its center, while when the buttons are turned in the opposite direction, the
toothed or notched periphery, a, will engage or interlock with the said fixed teeth,
and thus hold disk, A, tixedly in position between the side-plates.
Arranged upon both sides of disk, A, in curved radial lines or sections extending
from the center to the periphery, are arranged the names of the stations, as shown
at J; and the name-sections on one side of the plate are so arranged as to alternate
with, or break joints with, the name-sections on the other side of the disk. Thus
both sides of the disk may be used to exhibit one of the names marked thereon
through the corresponding aperture, C, in the side-plates; and as twenty names
can easily be inscribed or marked upon one side of the disk without making it of
larger size than the individual checks in common use, it will be seen that, by
baving names on both sides of the disk in the manner described, my check will be
made to answer the purposes of forty individual checks; in other words, one of
my cheeks may be used, by simply adjusting the position of the rotary notched
disk, for forty different stations. As the name-sections on one side of the disk
break joints with those on the other side, only one name will, at a time, appear
through one of the name-slots in plates, B, so that no confusion can arise by the
simultaneous exhibition of two names.
Instead of using the eccentric center, F, the check may be constructed as shown
in Figures 5 and 6 of the Drawing, in which I dispense with the eccentric, but
pivot the center pin, K, in oblong slots, L, in the side-plates, B, which, in that case,
are continued clear across the disk, and provided with a strap slot, D D, at opposite
ends, each end being also provided with a set of fixed teeth, I, adapted to engage
and interlock with the notched periphery of the disk.
After the proper name upon the disk has been found, and the disk has been
turned to cause said name to be exhibited through one of the curved name-slots,
the disk is locked in its adjusted position by inserting the doubled ends of the
strap, S, through one of the slots, D, so as to cause it, (the strap), by bearing
against the rim of the disk, to become interlocked with the fixed teeth at the
opposite ends. Whenever it is desired to change the check to another name, this
may readily be accomplished by withdrawing the strap, which permits the disk to
be moved in its slotted bearings, L, so as to disengage it from the fixed teeth; and
after it has been turned to present or exhibit the name selected through the
appropriate name-slot, it is again fixed in its position by reinserting the strap
through its appropriate slot, D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A changeable baggage check consisting of a name-disk having a toothed or
notched periphery, inserted movably between two side-plates having apertures
through which one of the names on the disk may be exhibited at a time; and
means for locking the notched name-disk in its adjusted position between the
plates; substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.
eccentric between two side-plates having apertures through which one of the
2. A changeable baggage check consisting of a name-disk journaled upon an
Dames on the disk may be exbibited at a time; and fixed teeth adapted to engage
or interlock with the notched periphery of the name-disk by turning the eccentric
in one direction, but disengage or unlock the same when the eccentric is turned
in the opposite direction; substantially as and for the purpose shown and
pin journaled in oblong alots or bearings between side-plates having apertures
3. A changeable baggage check consisting of a name-disk having a fixed center- 5
through which one of the names on the disk may be exhibited at a time, and
set forth

page_text: having a notched or toothed periphery adapted to engage fixed teeth between the
side-plates by inserting the check-strap through an aperture in the side-plates so
as to cause it to bear against the notched periphery of the disk and cause the
diametrically opposite teeth of the same to engage or interlock with the fixed
teeth; substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.
Dated this 14th day of March One thousand eight hundred and eighty four.