IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RECORDING, LETTERS NUMBERS AND THE LIKE
Year: 1884

page_text: JOHN HARPER 111 Euston Road, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RECORDING, LETTERS NUMBERS AND THE LIKE, to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of an improved portable apparatus for
recording letters numbers or other symbols for the purposes of memoranda,
marking of games or any similar object.
This invention in its simplest form consists of two pieces. One piece will be a
circular cylinder, having a projecting flange at one extremity. At or near the
shoulder formed by this flange a shallow groove will be cut round the surface of
the cylinder and round the plain portion of such surface adjoing this groove a
series of figures or other symbols as may be required will be cut or marked. The
other piece will be a hollow cylinder in the form of an ellipse but so constructed as
to slide over the surface of the cylinder as hereinafter described. This outer hollow
cylinder or tube will have a flange similar to that before descibed in the inner
cylinder but at the opposite extremity. The object of these flanges is that the
parts may be readily turned round one within the other.
On the inner surface of the outer cylinder a projection will be formed running all
round and so placed as to fit into the groove to be cut on the inner cylinder as
before described.
An aperture will be formed on the outer tube through which the marks on the
inner cylinder may be read one at a time.
In placing the pieces together the outer tube will be pressed between the finger
and thumb in the direction of the longer axis, causing it to assume a more circular
form so as to slide more readily over the inner circular cylinder. The pressure
being then removed the natural elasticity of the material will cause it to resume as
far as possible its original elliptical form thus causing the projections to fit more
closely into the grooves before mentioned, and completely locking the parts
together.
When thre pieces are used there will be two inner cylinders exactly similar to
the one before described but so constructed as to have their projecting flanges
opposite the one to the other the outer tube will in this case have the flange in the
centre with portions of the cylinder on either side; each having letters or symbols
and a groove as before described, the inner cylinder will be slipped in one at each
end of this outer tube. This arrangement may be extended for more than three
pieces by extending one or both of the inner cylinders on the outside and
contining the arrangement in a similar manner.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Recording Letters, Numbers,
and the like.
I JOHN HARPER, 111 Euston Road in the County of Middlesex, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for RECORDING LETTERS NUMBERS AND
THE LIKE and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is the construction of an improved portable apparatus
for recording letters, numbers or other symbols for the purposes of memoranda
marking of games or other similar objects.
In carrying out my invention the simplest form of which consists of two pieces
one piece being of circular or cylindrical form preferably cylindrical having a
projecting flange at one extremety at or near the shoulder formed by this flange a
shallow groove is cut round the surface of the cylinder, and round the plain portion
of such surface adjoining this groove a series of figures or other symbols as may be
required are cut or marked thereon. The other piece is a hollow cylinder or tube
in the form of an ellipse but so constructed as to slide over the surface of the said
first mentioned cylinder as hereinafter described. This outer hollow cylinder or
tube has also a flange similar to that before described in the inner cylinder but at
the opposite extremity. The object of these flanges is that the parts may be readily
turned round one within the other.
On the inner surface of the outer cylinder a small projecting flange is formed
running all round and so arranged as to fit into the shallow groove of the inner
cylinder as before described.
An apperture is formed in the said outer cylinder or tube through which the
marks on the inner cylinder may be read one at a time.
In placing the pieces together the.outer cylinder should be pressed. between the
finger and thumb in the direction of the longer axis causing it to assume a more
circular form so as to slide more readily over the inner cylinder, the pressure being
then removed the natural elasticity of the material will cause it to resume as far as
possible its original elliptical form thus causing the small projecting flange to fit
more closely into the groove of the inner cylinder before mentioned and thereby
completely locking the parts together.
In another form consisting of three pieces I construct two inner cylinders exactly
similar to the one before described but having their projecting flanges one the
opposite side to the other, the outer cylinder in this case will have a raised flange
portion in the centre leaving a plain portion on each side having two small
apertures made opposite each other or one large one for the purpose of reading
combinedly figures or symbols marked on the two inner cylinders which is slipped
in at each end of the outer cylinder and locked together by the grooves in the
inner cylinders in the same manner as before described.
It will be readily understood that any number of inner and outer cylinders may
be connected together by making the inner cylinders with a like surface on either
Bide of the projecting flange. The outer cylinders to be constructed exactly in
the same manner as those described for the form of the three pieces. An outer

page_text: cylinder sliding over the surface, on one side of the flange of an inner cylinder
at one end and the other end slides over the surface of another inner cylinder
and then another outer cylinder is made to slide over the other surface of the inner
cylinder at one end and over the surface of another inner cylinder at the other end
and so on until the desired number is obtained.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 represents a
plan of the simplest form of two pieces locked together constructed according to
my invention, figure 2 is another plan of the same form as figure 1. showing the
two parts unlocked, figure 3 is a plan of the two inner cylinders or the form of the
three pieces figure 4 is a cross section of figure 3. figure 5 is a section through the
line A B of figure 3 and figure 6 is a cross section showing the system of a series
of inner and outer cylinders constructed according to my invention,
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts in figure. 1. and figure 2.
a. is the outer cylinder with the projecting flange, d. and the aperture f. e. is the
inner cylinder with the figures or symbols marked thereon having the projecting
flange b, and the shallow groove c. in figures 3. 4 & 5 a, is the outer cylinder with
two apertures f,f¹ e, e. are the two inner cylinders with their projecting flanges b. b¹
and the shallow grooves c. c. with the small projecting flanges G, G₁ of the outer
cylinder fitting therein. The ellipse form of the outer cylinder. a. is seen in the
section figure 5, figure 6. is a cross section of the system in series in which
e, el, el, e, are the inner cylinders with their projecting flanges b, b¹, 61, 61,
and a, a¹, a¹¹, are the outer cylinders.
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.) In apparatus for recording, Figures Letters, or other Symbols the use of
Cylinders or Circular pieces fitting into each other substantially as and for the
purposes hereinafter described and represented in figure 1. and 2 of the accom-
panying drawing.
(2.) In apparatus for Recording, Figures Letters or other Symbols, the use of
Cylinders or Circular pieces having flanges for the purpose of revolving them one
within the other substantially as and for the purposes hereinafter described and
represented in the accompanying drawing.
(3.) In apparatus for Recording, Figures Letters, or other symbols the use of an
ellipse Cylinder casing with projecting flange or flanges for the purpose of fitting
into the groove or grooves of the inner cylinder or cylinders for the object of locking
the parts together substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and
represented in figures 2, 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying drawing.
(4.) In apparatus for recording, Figures Letters or other symbols as herein before
described and represented in the various figures of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of August 1885
JOHN HARPER,
Applicant.