NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN RINKS FOR INDICATING THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE SKATERS HAVE TO TRAVEL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bezer, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey,
for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN RINKS
FOR INDICATING THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE SKATERS HAVE TO TRAVEL."
Sealed the 23rd March 1877, and dated the 30th September 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bezer at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th September 1876.
HENRY BEZER, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey. "NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN RINKS FOR INDICATING THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE
SKATERS HAVE TO TRAVEL."
In skating rinks it has been found desirable that the skaters should all travel
in the same direction at the same time, except perhaps those who are figure
skating in the centre of the rink; and in order that the skates may not become
more worn on one side than on the other it is usual to alter the direction at
intervals of a quarter of an hour, more or less, that is to say, the skaters all
travel round to, say, the right for a quarter of an hour, and then to the left for the
next quarter of an hour, and so on alternately. In order to intimate a change of
direction it has been usual for one of the attendants to ring a bell or sound a gong,
but apart from the necessity of giving the attendant this duty to perform it is
found that the changes are made very irregularly. Now the object of my Invention
is to provide automatic means of giving the intimation at stated and regular
intervals, and at the same time to indicate the direction by one or more hands or
indexes. For this purpose I employ any ordinary arrangement of clockwork, and
I connect therewith a galvanic battery, and have pins or projections on one of the
wheels of the clockwork, which at, say, every quarter of an hour come in contact
with metallic springs, so as to complete the required circuits. One of these circuits
leads to an electric bell, which is thereby caused to ring, so as to attract the
attention of the skaters and intimate the change of direction. Two other circuits
lead respectively to two pairs of electro-magnets, between which is a pivoted
armature. The lower end of this armature carries a pin, which engages in a fork
or other suitable device on a shaft which carries two hands or indexes set at or
Price 671

page_text: about right angles to each other. These arms are counterpoised, so that they may
be easily moved and remain in whatever position they are placed. At the end of
the first quarter of an hour the circuit leading to one of these pairs of electro-
magnets being completed the armature is attracted thereto, and by this movement
of the armature its pin acts upon the fork before named, and thereby causes the
corresponding hand to stand out, so as to indicate the direction for the skaters to
take. At the end of the next quarter of an hour the circuit leading to the other
pair of magnets being complete the position of the armature is reversed, and con-
sequently the other hand is thrown out, the first being simultaneously withdrawn.
The circuit connected with the bell is completed each time, consequently the bell
rings to intimate each change of direction. In large rinks several bells and several
pairs of hands or pointers, all worked as described, may be employed at different
points.
Sometimes instead of ringing the bell and moving the hands by elertricity, as
before explained, I carry out my Invention mechanically by means of more power-
ful clockwork made to act upon the bell and hands through the intermediation of
cams or other suitable mechanism. An ordinary clock face or dial may be com-
bined with the clockwork so as to shew the time.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Bezer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th March 1877.
HENRY BEZER, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey. "NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN RINKS FOR INDICATING THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE
SKATERS HAVE TO TRAVEL."
In skating rinks it has been found desirable that the skaters should all travel in
the same direction at the same time, except perhaps those who are figure skating
in the centre of the rink, and in order that the skates may not become more worn
on one side than on the other, it is usual to alter the direction at intervals of half
an hour more or less, that is to say, the skaters all travel round to, say the right
for half an hour, and then to the left for the next half hour, and so on alternately.
In order to intimate a change of direction it has been usual for one of the attendants
to ring a bell or sound a gong, but apart from the necessity of giving the attendant
this duty to perform, it is found that the changes are made very irregularly. Now
the object of my Invention is to provide automatic means of giving the intimation
at stated and regular intervals, and at the same time to indicate the direction by
one or more hands or indexes. For this purpose I employ any ordinary arrange-
ment of clockwork, and I connect therewith a galvanic battery, and have pins or
projections on one of the wheels of the clockwork, which at, say every half hour,
come in contact with metallic springs so as to complete the required circuits.
of these circuits leads to an electric bell which is thereby caused to ring so as to
attract the attention of the skaters and intimate the change of direction. Two
other circuits lead respectively to two electro-magnets, between which is a pivoted
armature; this armature carries a pin which engages in a fork or other suitable
device connected with two hands or indexes set at or about right angles to each
other. These arms are counterpoised so that they can be easily moved and remain
in whatever position they are placed. At the end of the first half hour the circuit
leading to one of these electro-magnets being completed the armature is attracted
thereto, and by this movement of the armature its pin acts upon the fork or other
device before named, and thereby causes the corresponding hand to stand out so as
to indicate the direction for the skaters to take. At the end of the next half hour
the circuit leading to the other magnet being cemplete the position of the armature
One

page_text: is reversed, and consequently the other hand is thrown out, the first being simul-
taneously withdrawn. The circuit connected with the bell is completed each timo,
and consequently the bell rings to intimate each change of direction.
The manner in which my Invention may be advantageously carried into effect is
represented in Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings; a is the minute wheel of any
ordinary clockwork; and b is a minute pinion wheel gearing with the wheel a; c is
a wheel or pinion gearing with the wheel b, and having just half the number of
teeth of such wheel; d is a metal piece fixed to the metal frame of the clock and
carrying two contacts e, f, g, h, are two metallic springs, each of which when not
pressed upon by a pin i touches the corresponding contact e or f. This pin i is
fixed to the wheel b; k is another spring carrying a silver spring 1; m is a metal
piece fixed to the metal frame of the clock and carrying an adjustable contact n.
The spring does not touch the contact n except when pressed up by a pin o on
the wheel c. The wheels a, b, mako a revolution every hour, and the wheel o every
half hour.
It will be seen that the spring his connected by a wire ¹ to a terminal h², from
which a wire h³ leads to an electro-magnet p; also that the spring g is connected
by a wire g to a terminal g, from which a wire leads to an electro-magnet q.
The two electro-magnets p, q, are connected together by a wire r, which is in
connection with the zinc of the battery as shewn. From the carbon of this battery
a wire s runs to a terminal 81, from which another wire & runs to the coils of a
relay t, and from this relay a wire u runs to a terminal u¹, and from this terminal a
wire u leads to a terminal u³, and thence a wire u to the spring k.
In the wire u I interpose what I call a switch v, by which the wire can bo
disconnected at night or at other times when the apparatus is not in use. There is
always one or other of the springs g, h, in contact with the contacts e or f, and
therefore in electric. communication through the frame of the clock with the
contact n, so that when the spring is also in contact with this same contact (as is
seen in the Figure) the electric circuit is completed. The spring is seen in contact
with f, so that then the circuit is completed through the magnet p; w is an
armature pivoted at w¹ and common to the two magnets p, q. This armature has
a pin which takes into a slot y¹ in a lever y, which is centred at y², and has at its
lower end a fork y³ to take hold of a crank pin z. This pin is on a disc or shaft z¹,
to which are attached two hands or indexes A, B, which are at right angles to each
other and are counterpoised. The hand A is shewn as projecting horizontally so as
to indicate the direction for the skaters to travel, the hand B being vertical; and it
will be readily understood that the hands will remain in this position so long as the
armature w remains in contact with the magnet p, but at the end of half an hour
the electric circuit is completed as herein-after explained through the other
magnet q, so that the armature being attracted by this magnet turns on its
pivot w, and thereby drawing the forked lever y with it, acts upon the crank pin z
and brings up the hand B to the horizontal position so as to point in the reverse
direction to that which the hand A did before, this hand A being simultaneously
lowered to the vertical position. This change of position takes place every half
hour by the current being completed through the magnets p and q alternately.
This alternation is effected as follows:-Looking at the figure it will be noticed
that the spring g is kept from its contact e by the pin i on the wheel b, and that
the spring is pushed into contact with n by the pin o on the wheel c. As the
wheel c revolves the pin o passes the projection seen on the lower side of the
spring 1, so that contact with n is broken, and it is not renewed until after an
interval of half an hour; the pin o again comes round to the position shewn. In
the meantime the pin i has made half a revolution with its wheel b, and has lifted
the spring h from its contact f while it has freed the spring g and allows it to reach
its contact e, so that upon the spring being again lifted by the pin o the electric
circuit is completed through the spring g and magnet q; the armature wis thus
turned on its pivot and the position of the hands A, B, changed.

page_text: It is to be remarked that as the pin i is always or nearly always pressing upon one
or other of the springs g, h, the pressure upon or resistance to the clock movement
is always practically the same. As regards the electric bell shewn at D, D, which is
rung at every change of position of the arms A, B, it will be seen that it is con-
nected on the one side by a wire 1 leading to a terminal 2, from which a wire 3
leads to a spring 4 attached to the armature 5 of the relay t, while on the other
side the bell is connected by a wire 6 to the carbon of two cells of the battery, and
from the zinc of these cells a wire 7 leads to a contact 8, by which the circuit is
completed every time the armature 5 is attracted by the coils of the relay t, that is
to say, every half hour when the main circuit is completed by the spring 7 reaching
the contact n; and when the main circuit is broken the spring 4 draws the
armature from the contact 8 so that the circuit with the bell is broken.
In large rinks several bells and several pairs of hands or pointers, all worked as
described, may be employed at different points.
Sometimes instead of ringing the bell and moving the hands by electricity, as
before explained, I carry out my Invention mechanically by means of clockwork
made to act upon the bell and hands through the intermediation of suitable
mechanism.
The manner in which I prefer to carry out my Invention mechanically is repre-
sented in Figure 2. a is the minute wheel of a clock; and b, the minute pinion
wheel, as before, carrying in this case two pins c, c, so as to lift gradually during
every half hour a weighted lever d (which is centred at e), and then by the pin c
passing it to let the lever suddenly fall. f is a spring to receive the lever when it
falls; g is a pin on the lever taking into a slot h on the end of a rod i connected to
the tail of a lever k. The length of the slot his such that the pin g would not pull
down the rod i if the lever & descended only to the spring f, but the momentum or
sudden fall of this lever causes the spring f to yield a little so that the rod i is
caused to pull the lever k, and by so doing the catches and m are withdrawn from
the notches herein-after described, and the head of the lever k becomes clear of the
fly or fan n. o is a spring barrel wound up by a key in the ordinary way, and
having on its periphery say 96 teeth; these gear below with a pinion p of 8 teeth,
and above with a similar pinion q. The pinion p is on the shaft of a hand or
index, which is weighted with lead or otherwise at the end r¹.
It will be seen that when the barrel o moves the distance of 4 teeth, as herein-
after described, the pinion p makes half a revolution, and therefore the position of
the hand r is reversed. The pinion q is on the same shaft as a toothed wheel s
and a disc t, and this disc t has notches u, u, to receive the catch 7. The wheel s
gears with a pinion von the shaft of a wheel w which has a series of pins or pro-
jections on its face, as shewn, and gears with a pinion on the shaft of a wheel z.
On the same shaft is a disc a¹ with notches to receive the catch m. The wheel z
gears with a pinion 61 on the spindle of the fan n. c¹ is an arm attached to the
hammer of the bell d'; e¹ is a spring for returning the lever k to the position seen
in the Figure. It is easy to see that immediately the catches l, m, are removed from
their respective notches at the expiration of every half hour by the fall of the
lever d, as before explained, the lever le being at the same time moved clear of the
fan the spring barrel o is free to rotate, while it rotates a distance equal to four
teeth of its wheel it effects through the pinion p the alteration of the position of the
hand r, and through the wheels and pinions q, 8, v, w, it produces a series of blows
by the pins or projections of the wheel w upon the arm of the bell hammer so as
to sound the bell, and this sounding of the bell continues until the wheel 8 and
disc t have completed half a revolution (which they do while the barrel o is
travelling the distance of four teeth), when the catches l, m, under the influence of
the spring e¹ enter the next notch in the corresponding discs t and a¹, the head of
the lever at the same time taking under the fan n.
Instead of acting upon the lever k by the rod i and weighted lever d as above
described, the lever
may be made the armature of an electro-magnet, which is

page_text: operated by the clockwork every half hour in any suitable way, such for instance
as has already been described with reference to Figure 1.
In either of the arrangements described an ordinary clock face and hands may be
combined with the clockwork so as to shew the time.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bezer, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-seven.
HENRY BEZER. (LS.)