IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND RECORDING THE PASSAGE OR STOPPAGE OF AN ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH A CONDUCTOR, APPLICABLE FOR TELEPHONES AND OTHER ELECTRIC APPARATUS, AND FOR PURPOSES FOR WHICHI ORDINARY TELL-TALE CLOCKS ARE NOW APPLIED
Year: 1881

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, of the Firm of Wm. P.
Thompson and Co., Patent Agents, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, and of 323, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR DETECTING AND RECORDING THE PASSAGE OR STOPPAGE OF AN ELECTRIC
CURRENT THROUGH A CONDUCTOR, APPLICABLE FOR TELEPHONES AND OTHER
ELECTRIC APPARATUS, AND FOR PURPOSES FOR WHICHI ORDINARY TELL-TALE
CLOCKS ARE NOW APPLIED." A communication from abroad from Jacques
Adrien Pel, of Liége, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th August 1881.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Firm of Wm. P. Thompson and Co., Patent
Agents of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and of
323, High Holborn, in the County of. Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND RECORDING THE PASSAGE OR STOPPAGE OF AN
ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH A CONDUCTOR APPLICABLE FOR TELEPHONES AND
OTHER ELECTRIC APPARATUS, AND FOR PURPOSES FOR WHICH ORDINARY TELL-TALE
CLOCKS ARE NOW APPLIED." A communication from abroad from Jaques Adrien
Pel, of Liége, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
This Invention consists,-
1st. A dial, preferably divided into twelve or twenty four divisions, and each of
these divisions into twelve sub-divisions, it is also marked with concentric bands;
preferably seven in number, corresponding to the days of the week.
2nd. In combining clockwork with the same to cause the said dial to revolve
once in twelve hours or twenty four hours, as the case may be.
3rd. In connecting with the clockwork a lever or other piece which (or a point
connected with it) traverses across the bands of the circle radially or in a large arc
[Price 61

page_text: of a circle moving over or under the bands at approximately at right angles thereto,
and in a direction parallel to the hourly and other time divisions of the dial.
4th. In so arranging this lever or traversing piece and the clockwork that it
shall pass the distance from the centre of one band to the next once in twelve or
twenty four hours according to the scale engraved on the dial, but return at a
bound from the Saturday or other band at the outside to the Sunday or inner
band on the inside; this can be done by a scroll cam.
5th. In fixing to the said traversing piece or lever a spring vibrating piece or
its equivalent armed with a point or marker to punctuate or mark the dial when
forcibly brought against it.
6th. In an electro magnet on the telephone circuit or other electro circuit
employed, the movement of the armature of which causes the point marker to
prick or mark the paper dial.
7th. A glass plate over the dial with a pointer painted, engraved, or fixed
thereon so as to indicate the time. This plate can be cut away in a line over the
path of the point, so as to prevent it dulling the point when pricking, and of its
allowing the point to pierce through and a little beyond the paper.
8th. A piece of cloth or other stiffening below the dial to keep it steady during
punctuation. The mode of action is as follows:-The clock being set in motion,
set it to the correct time, that is, with the pointer on the glass plate pointing to the
correct time on the dial.
As long as the telephone be not used the dial remains unmarked, but the
moment the circuit is made or broken the armature vibrates and causes the point
or marker to punctuate or mark the paper dial, thus showing the hour it was done,
and the day also; the dial revolving bringing each hour line in succession over the
point, and the point traversing coming in succession over each day in the week.
Thus an exact tell-tale is kept, showing the exact moment in the week when the
telephone or electric bell was used.
This apparatus can be varied, thus instead of concentric circles a single spiral
going seven or fourteen times round the centre can be used. The paper dials can
be printed or stamped and changed each week, and thus a permanent record kept
of the use of the circuit.
It will be useful, not merely for telephones but also for all cases where an
electric circuit is made and broken, thus substitute a pencil marker instead of a
point, and it could be used as a meter for an electric lamp, recording the exact
times and durations of each turning on of the circuit and if the current be constant,
of the amount of electricity used. This apparatus can also be used as a tell-tale
clock, a watchman or other person being directed to break or make contact every
half hour.
The apparatus would at once record an omission in the duty.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th February 1882.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Firm of Wm. P. Thompson and Co., Patent
Agents, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and of
323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND RECORDING THE PASSAGE OR STOPPAGE OF AN
ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH A CONDUCTOR APPLICABLE FOR TELEPHONES AND
OTHER ELECTRIC APPARATUS, AND FOR PURPOSES FOR WHICH ORDINARY TELL-TALE
CLOCKS ARE NOW APPLIED." A communication from abroad from Jacques Adrien
Pel, of Liége, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
The following is a description of the Invention communicated to me:-
This Invention consists of a registering clock, applicable to telephones and other
electric apparatus, and is destined to record the day, hour, and minute, in which
any electrical communication has been made.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents the paper or registering dial,
and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the clockwork, and electrical contact maker, the dial
being removed.
A, B, and C are motion wheels, the saine as in ordinary clocks. The hour
wheel C 'moves by means of gearing the star wheel D one tooth every twelve
hours. This latter wheel has fourteen teeth, there being fourteen periods of
twelve hours each in a week. To the star wheel D is fixed a scroll cam E, which
raises the detent F one fourteenth of its course for every tooth of the star wheel.
When arrived at the extreme end of its course, as shewn in Fig. 2, on the
displacement of the next tooth the detent falls back, and commences its course
afresh; G is the armature of the electro-magnet K, which is fixed inside the clock.
Directly the strong current that rings the bell that gives warning of a telephonic
communication passes round the electro-magnet, this armature by means of a
small piece of apparatus placed in the telephonic circuit near the hammer, and.
similar to that in an electric bell opens and closes the current alternately with a
vibratory movement. The armature G when vibrated by the electro-magnet
actuates a steel spring blade H working in a slot in the arm F, and fastened to the
latter at the end. This blade I will call the marker; it is armed with a pricker or
point, which normally is out of contact with the paper dial, but presses against
the armature. The paper dial, Fig. 1, is fixed to the hour wheel C, and turns with
it, always keeping the time of day opposite the marker, whilst by the movement
of the scroll cam the marker occupies the position for the particular day of the
week. When a communication is made the small paper dial is pressed by the
marker against a hinged strip I provided with an inked pad, and thus receives a
mark. This strip I which is attached to the exterior case is cut out to the same
curve that the marker describes in its movement. Any other of the well known
mechanisms for causing the armature to vibrate with a passing current can be
used instead of the particular form used in the Drawings; the sole point required
to be observed being that the current shall set the armature, and thus the marker
resting against it, vibrating vertically towards the dial card, and thus the marker
point coming in contact with it shall mark it.
The mode of action is as follows:-The clock being set in motion it is set to the
correct time, that is with the marker opposite the correct time on the dial. As
long as the telephone is not in use the dial remains unmarked, but the moment
the circuit is made or broken, the armature vibrates and causes the point or

page_text: marker to make a mark on the dial, thus shewing the hour it was done and the
day also, the dial revolving bringing each hour line in succession over the point,
and the point moving forward for every day in the week. For example, in the
Drawing the marker occupies the position on the extreme edge of the dial,
corresponding to the last twelve hours of Saturday; in the other extreme position,
shown in dots on the Drawing, the marker has fallen back, and the point is on the
innermost circle of the dial, indicating the first twelve hours of Sunday. Thus an
exact tell tale is kept showing the exact moment in the week when the telephone
or electric bell was used.
+
This apparatus can be varied thus, instead of concentric circles a single spiral
going seven or fourteen times round the centre can be used. The paper dials can
be printed or stamped and changed each week, and thus a permanent record kept
of the use of the circuit. In the Drawing the dial is only arranged to last for one
week, but it could be modified on the same principles to serve for a longer or
shorter time.
The method of marking the dial may also be varied, as by a slight change the
point can be made to give an ink or pencil mark on the back of the paper dial
which should then be made transparent. In this case the strip I covering the
dial would be replaced by a piece of glass of the same form but flat, which would
give resistance to the dial when the marker is working.
The Drawing shows a clock with only one dial, but in order to make the
divisions.both of the time and of the telephonic register plainer, each can have a
separate dial, the minute wheel work being actuated through a shaft with two
conical toothed wheels from the motive wheel work of the clock.
This apparatus will be useful not merely for telephones, but also for all cases
where an electric current is made and broken, thus with a pencil marker instead
of a point, it could be used as a meter for an electric lamp, recording the exact
times and durations of each turning on of the circuit, and if the current be constant
of the amount of electricity used. The apparatus can also be used as a tell tale
clock, a watchman or other person being directed to break or make contact every
half hour; any omission in the duty would be at once recorded.
In the case of an electric current for illuminating purposes, instead of a vibrating
there could be a constant marker, that is, a marker kept pressed constantly against
the dial when the current is on, and constantly off it when no current passes; this of
course would occur when using a simple electro-magnet without current breaking
apparatus.
I claim as the Invention protected under the Letters Patent,-
1st. The manufacture of electric current recorders in which the dial is caused to
rotate by clockwork, so as to go round once in a day or other recognised given interval
of time, while at the same time the marker is caused slowly or intermittently to
traverse from the centre to the circumference, so as to pass over a fresh track at
each revolution of the dial, until the available space on the dial has been traversed,
when it automatically returns to its original starting point, substantially as set
forth.
2nd. In the manufacture of electric current recorders the combination of a
slowly travelling piece of mechanism carrying the marker, and traversing the dial
in a direction approximately at right angles to the travel of the dial or its
equivalent, with an armature of an electro-magnet carrying a plate or its equivalent
covering the entire travel of the marker, so that when an electric current vibrates
the armature, it may bring the marker against the dial no matter in what part of
its travel the marker may be.
3rd. The electric current recorder, registering the particular time at which a
telephonic or other electrical communication has been made, consisting of an
ordinary train of clockwork in combination with a toothed star-wheel (D); a scroll
cam or its equivalent (E); a detent or its mechanical equivalent (F), carrying a
pricker (H), and actuated by the scroll cam; a strip (I) furnished with an inked
pad (or a pencil and flat plate to mark direct may be used instead of the

page_text: pricker H and inked pad), an electro-magnet (K) with an armature (G) actuating
the pricker or pencil, and a dial serving to register the electrical communications
divided between circles into spaces signifying a given time (say, five minutes each)
for a given period (say twelve hours), and capable of holding a separate record of
several such periods (of, say, twelve hours).
4th. The general arrangement and combination of parts of electric recording
apparatus, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Phillips Thompson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
W. P. THOMPSON. (L.S.)