Means and Apparatus for Testing and Indicating that a Necessary Amount of Labour is Expended in Labour Test Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Means and Apparatus for Testing and Indicating that a Necessary
Amount of Labour is Expended in Labour Test Machines.
I, HARRY WILKINSON, of The Crescent, Stamford Hill, Middlesex, Engineer,
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:-
This invention relates to mechanism by which inattention to perform the
qualified amount of labour in turning a crank can be ascertained.
The invention is chiefly intended for use with machines employed in prisons,
casual wards, and other places where a given quantity of crank labour has to be
performed in return for lodging, food ete. or as punishment for offences, such as
breaking rules of an establishment.
In order to carry my invention into practice, I arrange a combined ratchet
wheel, a chain or toothed wheel, also a segmental lug with an inwardly projecting
lip, loosely upon a crank shaft. On same shaft, I fix by a key, a second segmental
lug also having an inwardly projecting lip, the lips being secured to a bow or other
spring on which a tension must be put by the person turning the crank to make the
two lips touch.
The chain wheel is in gear with the main shaft of the machine to be turned,
and can run loosely by the action of the main shaft, by the turning of the other
crank handles of which there can be any number, each turnable by a person, and
provided with my invention, so that the action of each can be checked.
The lip portion of the fixed lug has a link, the other end of which is jointed to
a connecting rod pivotted on a fixed point, so that when the link is shifted by the
motion of the lug, it causes the rod to rise. This rod has one end of a balanced
lever affixed, and as this end rises with the rod, the other end is depressed to
come within range of a draw wheel connected with a dial or counting mechanism,
which indicates the rotations of the crank shaft only when the required tension is
put upon the spring, one of the lugs being provided with a pawl to engage the
teeth of the ratchet wheel from which the chain imparts motion to the main shaft.
As an instance of the utility of my invention as a labour test ;-An able bodied
tramp seeks relief and shelter at a casual ward, he is admitted on condition that
he performs, say, five hundred turns of the crank in return for his night's board
and lodging to grind corn for flour, to bruise oats, or to cut chaff for forage which
requires the united efforts of five men, then each man must put out sufficient
strength to turn the machinery, which strength is readily ascertained by the
worker when the lips of the lugs touch, otherwise the pawl chatters on the ratchet
wheel.
My invention will be readily understood by reference to the annexed drawings.
Figure is a front elevation.
Figure 2 side elevation.
Figure 3, plan.
A is the crank shaft. B, C, the combined ratchet and chain wheel loosely
mounted on the shaft A. D loose lug on shaft A. E lip thereon. F fixed lug
on shaft A. G lip thereon. H spring connected to lips E, G. I link. J con-
necting rod on short end of lever. K lever. L side stud to engage in wheel
of counting mechanism. M wheel of counting mechanism.
N fixed point.
Figure 4 is a diagram showing how I purpose mounting a series of cranks A'
in a building, which might be termed a labour test shed" and from which the
main shaft of the mill can be rotated from the chains R, R, of my "testers."
P pawl.

page_text: In Figure 4, I have shown the partitions for isolating each man, and leaving an
alley for the labour master to enable him to superintend the men, and who could
readily detect any inattention in addition to that automatically given from the
apparatus.
Figure 5 shows a diagram of a series of my apparatus in which the chains and
wheels are dispensed with and bevil gear substituted between each apparatus to the
main shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
1. As a labour testing apparatus. The combination of mechanical parts arranged
on and actuating a shaft all as and for the operations described and substantially
as shown on the annexed drawings.
2. In a labour testing machine, the two lugs with spring attached by or from
which the labour test is produced, as set forth.
UITTO
xon day of february 1992.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Harry Wilkinson.