Improvements in Time Stamps.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892
Improvements in Time Stamps.
We, FREDERICK HUBBARD SYMONDS of No. 1972 Seventh Avenue in the
City, County and State of New York, Solicitor, and ABRAM BEITLER GARNER
of the corner of Chestnut and McWhorter Streets in the City of Newark, County
of Essex and State of New Jersey United States of America Business Manager,
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 :-
Our invention consists in a spring power device for periodically shifting the
type disks, a time clock for determining the periods of action, and a trip and stop
device of novel contrivance controlled by the clock in such a way as not to sensibly
affect the time keeping functions of it, and being a very simple and effective con-
trolling device for the disk shifting power, all as hereinafter fully described
reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of our improved time stamp with the plate of the
case removed and part of the rim of the case enclosing the hands and the dial
broken out.
Fig. 2, is an elevation of the reverse side also with the plate of the case removed,
also with a part broken out same as in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, is a transverse section on line y y, Fig. 1.
Fig. 4, is a top view with the impression arm and part of the top plate removed.
Fig. 5, is an elevation of the stamp power releasing and stopping device as seen
in the direction of arrow a, Fig. 1, the case and impression arm being sectioned on
line, Fig. 1.
Fig. 6, is an elevation of the clock attachment for controlling the releasing and
stopping device, as seen in the direction of arrow b, Fig. 1, the case being sectioned
same as in Fig. 3.
Fig. 7, is a section of the type disks in the plane of the shaft.
9,
In the front upper portion of the short case a, only long enough for the arm , of
shortest practicable length for carrying the impression plate c, we arrange the
system of type disks as the minute disk d, hour disk e, meridian disk, day disk
month disk h, and the year disk i, with a spring power device directly under these
disks for driving them; a clock in the back part of the case for controlling the
periods of disk movements, and the trip stop devices for the disk power in the space
between the disks and the spring power driver and the clock.
For the power device for operating the disks we employ an ordinary clock
motion or similar motor apparatus whereof j, indicates the spring barrel from
which the power is transmitted by the toothed rim k, to the usual train of
multiplying gears in which train we apply the cam disk l, on the shaft m,
which corresponds to the minute hand carrying shaft of the clock. This cam disk
actuates the type disks through the pawl lever », and pawl o, and has thirty cam
projections p, for shifting said disks every two minutes, said disk making one revo-
lution per hour; these projections raise the lever and pawl to engage one notch
of the ratchet q, on the minute disk d, and the springs thrusts them down and
shifts the disk when the cam projections escape froin the tappet t on the lever.
The disk d, turns loosely on the shaft u, and has a cam e, which at each revolution
shifts the
of said disk sets and releases pawl lever w, which by its pawls .r and Y,
hour disk e, and the meridian disk, which have ratchets, on which said pawls
take effect to shift them both alike, it being preferred to have the characters of the
meridian disk repeated and to shift it each hour in unison with the hour disk, so

page_text: that it may be shifted by the same pawl lever w, that shifts the hour disk, rather
than provide the extra cam and pawl lever that would otherwise have to be
provided for shifting it twice each day.
In this
The hour disk e, has a similar cam v¹, which at one revolution of said disk sets
and releases pawl lever 2, which by its pawl, shifts the day disk g, through a
similar ratchet z¹, said pawl lever, and pawl lever w, also are thrown by their
respective springs 3, when released by the cams by which they are set.
case we have preferred to omit the cams, levers, pawls and springs for actuating the
month and year disks and i, leaving them to be set by hand, but they may be
provided with these requisites for automatic action if desired; all the disks will
have spring or equivalent stops as 28, or some equivalent thereof to hold them at
rest, but releasing them by the force of shifting pawls.
In another position in the multiplying train of the spring power, we provide the
shaft 4, timed to make half a revolution to the movement of wheel 1, the length of
one cam projection p, and carrying a disc and a crank pin 5, which is connected by
the rod 6, with the tilting tube 7, pivoted at 8 which is the middle of its length,
the arrangement being such that the throw of the crank will vibrate the tube from
one to the other of the inclined positions of it represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5.
Each end of this tube when in the lowest position comes in contact with a spring
catch 9, which catches and holds the tube in that position, and thereby stops and
holds the spring power train against further movement until the tube is released
from the spring catch.
For so releasing it the nose 10 of the catch extends across the bore of the
tube so as to be exposed to the impact of a ball 11, which is carried in the
tube and which being released at the proper time from the position where it is
retained at the middle of the tube until allowed to fall, strikes the nose of the
catch and forces it back so as to release the end of the tube and then permit
the power train to move another stage and bring down the other end of the tube
which is then caught and held by the other catch. The tube has lips 12, projecting
inwardly at the ends to prevent the escape of the ball without interfering with
the action of the catches on the tube or of the ball on them.
When the tube is so released the ball is carried upward with the rising end of
said tube, and when reaching an altitude above the level of the pivot of the tube
the ball rolls downward along said tube until arrested at the middle by the
finger 13 reaching into the tube through the slot 14, in its upper side. This finger
swings from the pivot 15, at a suitable position over the centre of the tube and
bas an arm 16 which with the duplex crown wheel 17 which we apply to the clock
is the means of controlling the periodicity of the ball's action.
This crown wheel is geared by the spur wheels 18 and 19, with the axis 20
usually carrying the minute hand of the clock and preferably for the same rate of
speed but it may vary in certain proportions either faster or slower, as for instance
half the speed; it is made with two side flanges 21 and 22, placed a suitable
distance apart for a channel way in which the end of the arm 16 may rest whilst
the flanges rotate past the said arm one on each side.
These flanges are notched radially and intermediately respectively as at 23,
suitably for the arm 16 to swing through the notches and at such distance apart
that said arm will escape through them alternately at intervals of two minutes
when it is desired that the type disks shall be shifted at such intervals of time.
When in the course of the rotation of the crown wheel a notch 23 comes into the
relation with arm 16 permitting it to swing through the notch, the ball resting
against the stop finger in the upper side of the tube escapes by swinging the stop
finger away by its gravitating power, and runs down to detach the catch holding
the tube and thus permit another shift of the stamp disk driving power; immediately
after the ball escapes from the stop finger, said finger gravitates back to its normal
position, the arm 16 swinging back through the same notch out of which it escaped
for the release of the ball, and coming to rest against the opposite flange for holding
the stop finger to catch the ball on its return and hold it another period of time

page_text: nd release it for the reverse movement of the ball by escaping the
arough said opposite flange when its notch coines to the arm.
Thus it will be seen that we provide a stop and trip device for the disk power
ontrolled by the clock without subjecting the clock to such amount of friction as
ill have any appreciable effect of interference with the time keeping qualities of
, the only friction being what is due to the pressure of the arm 16 against the
ide of a flange of the crown wheel by the pressure of the ball against the stop
inger, said crown wheel being turned by the minute hand shaft of the clock.
The radius of the crown wheel may be reduced if the notches be placed closer
ogether, or its speed may be reduced say one half if the notches be doubled
both of which modifications would still further diminish the friction. If it is
preferred to have the stamp shift at intervals of one minute the notches in the
crown wheel will be doubled.
As it is not practicable in this arrangement of the clock in the back of the case
to utilize the dial 24 and the hands 25 and 26, in their usual relation to the clock
as at the axis 20, because they would be at the back of the case where they would
not be available to the user of the machine at the front, we arrange them with
m, thereof
the power device instead of the clock and in the corresponding axis
where they have substantially the same functions except that the hands shift
synchronously with the periodical movements of the stamp disks instead of moving
continuously with the clock.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a time stamp the combination with the rotating type disks, of the spring
power driver connected therewith for moving the said disks, stop and releasing
mechanism connected with said spring power driver and controlling the movements
of the same periodically, and a clock connected with and controlling the movements of
the stop and releasing mechanism, said spring power driver and clock being
independent power mechanisms substantially as described.
2. The combination in a time stamp, of the spring power stamp disk driver, the
periodically releasing and stopping device for said driver consisting of the vibratory
tube and stop catches, and the clock and gravity ball device controlling said
releasing and stopping device substantially as described.
3. The combination in a time stamp, of the spring power stamp disk driver, and
the periodically releasing and stopping device consisting of the vibratory tube
connected with the said driving power so as to be vibrated thereby, the spring
catches for engaging the ends of said tube alternately, the gravitating ball
for detaching said catches, the retaining and tripping device for the ball, and
the clock controlling said retaining and tripping device substantially as described.
4. The combination in a time stamp of the spring power stamp disk driver, the
periodically releasing and stopping device consisting of the vibratory tube
connected with the said driving power so as to be vibrated thereby, the spring
catches for engaging the ends of said tube alternately, the gravitating ball for
detaching said catches, the retaining and tripping device for the ball consisting of
the clock, the duplex crown-wheel escapement of the clock train, and the stop
finger entering the slot of the tube and having an arm subject to the control of the
crown wheel substantially as described.
5. The combination in a time stamp, of the spring power stamp disk driver,
the vibratory tube connected with the spring power so as to be vibrated thereby,
the crown wheel escapement connected with the clock, the gravitating ball in the
tube, and the retaining finger and releasing arm thereof in the arrangement
of the vibrating tube on the side of the spring power frame, and the escapement
on the side of the clock frame and intermediate of the two frames substantially
5 as described.
6. In a time stamp the combination of the intermittingly operating clock power

page_text: stamp disk driver having the usual time hand shafts, the stop and releasing
mechanism controlling the movements of said driver, the clock controlling said
stop and releasing mechanism the time indicating hands connected with the said
hand carrying shafts of the stamp disk driving power, and the dial, said spring
power driver and clock being independent power mechanisms suitably arranged
therewith substantially as described.
7. The combination with the primary type disk in a time stamp and the actuating
pawl therefor, of the intermittingly moving spring power driver, the cam disk in
said driver having a cam projection effecting one throw of the pawl lever to each
movement of the spring power, and the vibratory stopping and releasing tube and
spring catches, said tube connected with said spring power and having intermittent
motion synchronously with the cam disk substantially as described.
8. In a time stamp having the minute, hour and meridian disks all independently
mounted on one shaft side by side, with the minute disk in the middle position, the
combination with said hour and meridian disks of a pawl lever having a separate
pawl for each of said disks, said meridian disk having its type characters
repeated correspondingly with the characters of the hour disk substantially as
described.
Dated this 19th day of August 1891.
FREDERICK HUBBARD SYMONDS.
ABRAM BEITLER GARNER.