Time-detectors.
Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by GEORGE BRUCE FESSENDEN, of 105, Summer Street,
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.]
Time-detectors.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 Watchmen's time detectors of the kind or class in which
the watchman visits the different stations and by means of an electric circuit connecting
each station with a clock or recording apparatus causes a record to be made of the
time at which he visits the said stations.
In apparatus of this class as heretofore generally made, the clock or recording
apparatus is connected with the different stations by a series of normally open branch
circuits having a common return wire containing a battery so that when the proper
branch is closed by a suitable key or button at any station a current will be caused
to flow, which through suitable magnetic devices at the clock, causes a record to be
made on a travelling recording surface having a uniform time movement. The
record mark on the travelling surface has usually been made by the direct action of
an electromagnet armature or its retractor, thus requiring a sufficiently strong
current to do the work of making the record which is usually made by pricking or
punching a hole through the travelling surface, which is usually a sheet or strip of
paper.
The object of this invention is to remove certain objections existing in the class
of apparatus just described and the invention consists partly in having the source
of the electric current placed in the branch circuits that lead to the stations instead of
in the common return wire, and thus removing the possibility of producing a record
by connecting a branch wire with the return wire at any other point except at the
station to be visited.
The invention also consists in employing mechanical electric generators instead

page_text: of batteries in the branch circuits thus ensuring several important advantages and
especially increasing the difficulty of tampering with the apparatus or producing a
record in any other manner than that intended.
The invention also consists in details of construction of the apparatus and
employment of the circuits to be hereinafter pointed out reference being had to
the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a plan view of the recording apparatus of a watchman's detector
embodying this invention.
Figure 2 an end elevation of a portion thereof.
Figure 3 a detail in section on line x Figure 1 and
Figure 4 a diagram representing the circuits.
b
The recording apparatus shown in Figure 1 comprises a clock work or time
movement a of usual construction for actuating the recording surface which consists
of a dial of paper indicated in dotted lines at a¹ Figure 1 which is rotated with a
uniform time movement by the arbor a² of the said clock work, and has its periphery
supporied at the point where the record is to be made by guides a³, a* in the usual
manner. The record is made by a series of pins & working in guides a see Figure 3
at the underside of the paper guide a³ said pins being operated to pierce the paper by
lovers or hammers e corresponding to the different stations. The said hammer levers c
are acted upon by springs d see Figures 3 and 4 tending to throw their ends against
the recording pins and the said levers are all insulated from one another working in
guides c¹ of insulating material connected with the paper guide a³ and being provided
with striking faces of insulated material to prevent them from being electrically
connected through the pins 6 and guide a³.
The said lovers c which with the pins & constitute the recording devices are operated
by a drum e provided with a series of pins or projections e¹ see Figures 1 and 3
arranged spirally around the said drum so that the latter in rotating through an
angle equal to that between two consecutive pins as shown in Figure 3 will depress
the striking end of one of the hammers e straining the spring d and then releasing
the said hammer so that it will be acted upon by the spring d and caused to strike a
blow against the corresponding pin 6 sufficient to force the latter through the paper
and make the record, and at the end of the angular movement the drum will come
to rest with the next pin e¹ in engagement with the next lever to the one which was
thus operated to make a record, and will always have one pin in contact with one lover,
making an electrical connection between the said lever and the drum e while all the
other levers are electrically insulated from the said drum.
The drum e is actuated and controlled in its angular movements by a mechanical
motor or clockwork driven by a weight or spring and provided with a detent
lever which normally engages a projection f2 on a detent wheel f³ and when dis-
engaged therefrom permits the said wheel to make one rotation which is sufficient to
turn the drum e through the space between two consecutive pins.
The detent lever is connected with a rock shaft f provided with an armature
lever carrying the armature for an electro-magnet g which in this instance is so
proportioned as to be operated by the comparatively weak currents produced by a
small magneto generator, as the mechanical work of disengaging the detent is very
small.
The drum e besides serving to operate the hammer levers c also controls the branch
circuits leading from the recording apparatus to the various stations to be visited so
that a circuit will be afforded only from the station corresponding to that one of the
levers c which happens at any time to be engaged by one cf the pins e as shown in
Figure 3.
The arrangement of circuits is best shown in Figure 4 the different branches 2, 3
etc. leading to the different stations h³, h³ etc. being connected with the different levers c
through their springs d or otherwise so that the said branches are in open circuit at
all the said levers c except the one which happens to be at any time in contact with
one of the pins e¹.
A common return wire 4 leads from all the stations to the recording apparatus

page_text: where it is connected with the drum e, as shown, after passing through the magnet g
and the commutator i carried by the shaft of the drum e, the purpose of which will be
hereinafter explained.
The magnet g is thus included in circuit with any branch 2, 3, which happens to be
closed, but instead of also placing the generator or source of electricity, usually a
battery, in the said return wire 4, as usually practised, the electric current is in
the present invention applied in each of the branches which are shown as provided
with magneto electric generators of usual construction at each of the stations h³, h*,
etc. By this means it is impossible for a watchman, who wishes to shirk his duty,
to produce a record by connecting one of the branches 2, 3 with the return wire 4
at any point, as can usually be, and frequently is done, but it is necessary for him
to go to the station in order to cause a current to pass through the magnet g so as to
produce a record.
It is obvious that instead of the magneto generators at the stations, local batteries
might be used, but the generators are preferable, as they cause the branch circuits
to be connected with the return wire through their armature which may be of low
resistance relative to that of the magnet g so that even if a watchman had a battery
or other generator at command he could not produce a record by placing it in circuit
between one of the branches and the return wire as the generator would shunt the
said magnet or withdraw so much of the current from it as to prevent it from
operating.
As shown in this instance there are double the number of stations that there are of
hammers cand the pins e¹ are arranged in two reversed spirals around the drum e so that
in visiting the different stations the watchman would be obliged to go successively to
those connected with the levers c in one order, that is from one to the other end of the
series of levers and will have to visit the next series of stations in the reverse order
with relation to the levers c. The branch wires 2, 3, from each lever c are subdivided,
having other branches 20, 3" leading to stations 0, 0, the said stations forming two
series, as it were, each corresponding to one set of spiral pins el on the drum e, and
in order to prevent a record from being transmitted from a station of one series that
should be transmitted from the station of the other series connected with the same
lever, there is an independent return wire 40 for the second series which also passes to
the commutator or circuit changer i on the drum e.
The said commutator is shown as composed of a disc insulated from the drum and
having one half its periphery cut away while the other half projects so as to make
contact during the different halves of the rotation of the shaft and drum, with
springs,, respectively connected with the return wires 4, 40. The said disc is
continuously connected by spring with the magnet wire 5, leading to one terminal
of the magnet g the other terminal of which is connected by wire 6 with the spring k
in electrical contact with the drum e. Thus during one half rotation of the drum the
return wire 4 is connected through the spring, disc i, spring, wires 5 and 6,
including the magnet 9, and spring k, with the drum e and pins e', thereof so that
when one of the said pins comes in contact with one of the levers, the corresponding
branch as 2, for instance, Figure 4, is closed, and by operating the generator h³, a
current will pass through the magnet g releasing the motor and causing the shaft
to turn sufficiently to operate that lever and bring the next pin in contact with the
next lever.
The generator 20 will at this time produce no effect because its return wire 40 is
open at the spring, the station h² will then be the only one in circuit, and when a
current is generated there it will cause the second lever of the series to make a record,
and so on until all the stations of the first series have been visited, making a series of
records which follow one another in one direction on the recording surface, each
succeeding one being for instance nearer the centre of the said recording surface than
the preceding one.
Then after all this series of stations have been visited the drum e will have made a
half revolution by which the uncut portion of the disc i comes in contact with the
spring, leaving the spring i¹, so that the return wire 4 and first series of stations

page_text: will be in open circuit while the return wire 40 is connected through the spring *,
dise, and spring, with the wires 5, 6, including the magnet g and with the drum e, so
that the different branches 20, 30, and so on, are brought into circuit in the rotation
of the drum e but in the reverse order to that followed for the first series of stations
so that the records for the second series of stations, are successively more remote from
the centre of the paper disc and there is thus no difficulty in distinguishing the
different stations on the recording disc which shows the time that the watchmen
visited each station in each series.
When desired the apparatus may be provided with means for operating a local
alarm in case the watchman fails to visit the different stations for any reason.
This part of the apparatus is shown in Figure 1 and consists essentially of a circuit
closer m, m2, the movable member m of which is frictionally connected with an
arbor m² rotated by a gear m³ meshing with one of the slow moving wheels of the
clock a which may be the same that actuates the recording surface and which moves
the member m slowly towards the member m³, so that unless this movement is arrested
the members will come together and close the local circuit of the alarm S at the end
of a definite period of time depending on the distance the members m, m³, are
separated at the beginning of such movement.
In order to prevent the members m, m¹ from coming together as long as the watch-
man is attending to his duty, the member m is acted upon by a mechanical actuator
tending to move it in the opposite direction to the movement produced by the clock,
and shown in this instance as consisting of a pin or cam projection n connected with
the drum e and arranged to strike a roller n' at the end of the lever m in the rotation
of the drum e and thereby move the lever m a definite distance from the cooperating
member m¹ so that a definite period of time will have to elapse after the projection n
passes the roller n' before the circuit can be closed, which period is made by adjusting
the member m³, a few minutes greater than the time allowed for the watchman to
make his round of visits.
If desired there might be a series of the projections n corresponding to each
station and the time shortened so that the alarm would be sounded if the watchman
delayed too long between the visits to any two stations, or the lever i may be arranged
to be actuated by the downward movement of each or any one of the levers c in the
act of producing a record, such a change being readily suggested to any one familiar
with apparatus of this kind, and the invention not being limited to the precise
mechanical construction shown, the essential feature of this part of the invention
being that the circuit closer controlling the local alarm has its movable member
moved in one direction by a clock, and in the other direction by a mechanical device
operated or controlled in its operation from the different stations visited by the
watchman.
It is obvious that the arrangement of the current generators at the stations, instead
of in the common return wire, applicable to an apparatus in which the record is
made by the direct action of the magnet instead of by a mechanical motor, and this
feature of the invention is not limited to any specific form of the recording
apparatus.
Instead of having the lever c make the record and thus providing a distinct record
for each station visited, the circuit changing drum e might control the recording
device as shown in Figure 4 which would make one or any desired number of records
at cach rotation of said drum, thus showing the time of making a complete round
of visits, but not showing the time at which each individual station was visited.
In such arrangement the drum e is connected with one terminal 50 of a local
circuit including a battery 51 and electro magnet 52.
The other terminal 53 of said circuit is a spring that cooperates with one or more
projections 54 carried by the drum e so that once or oftener in the rotation of the
said drum the said local circuit is closed at 53, 54 and causes the magnet 52 to be
energized and attract its armature which carries a marking point 60 that makes a
record on a strip of paper a¹0 wrapped around and moved by a drum a that has a
uniform time movement derived from a clock or similar train of wheel work.

page_text: Instead of having the electric generators permanently connected in circuit one at
each station, a single portable generator might be used as indicated at 2, Figure 4,
having its current collecting brushes or contacts connected by flexible wires 12, 13
with a double plug or similar connector t cooperating with suitable contact devices t¹, t³,
at the station, which devices normally connect the branch wire 2 with the return
wire 4 as shown, but which when the plug t is inserted are separated and make
contact with the two parts of said plug t thereby connecting them with the wires 12, 13,
so that the generator h² becomes interposed in the circuit between the branch wire 2
and return wire 4, and may then be operated to transmit the current to the recording
station, the same as if permanently connected in circuit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. In a watchman's time detector or recorder the use of a magneto electric
generator to transmit the currents by which the recording apparatus is controlled,
substantially as described.
Second. The combination with a time motor or clock, and recording surface moved
thereby of a series of recording devices and a number of branch circuits leading from
said recording devices respectively to the different stations to be visited and a return
wire common to said stations and a magneto electric generator included in the branch
wire at each of the stations, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Third. In a watchman's time detector the combination of a recording apparatus
and electro magnetic device controlling the operation thereof, with a series of branch
circuits leading to the different stations from which a record is to be made, and a
common return wire for said branches and a generator of electricity adapted to be
used in each of the said branch circuits, substantially as described.
Fourth. In a watchman's time detector apparatus a series of branch circuits leading
from a receiving station to different stations to be visited, and a return wire common
to several of said stations, combined with a generator of electricity connected in
circuit with the branch wire at the station to be visited, and a receiving instrument
having a switch or circuit changer by which the said branch circuits are connected,
one at a time successively with the said receiving instrument, substantially as described.
Fifth. A watchman's detector apparatus comprising a magneto generator consisting
of a movable armature and field magnet at each station, a circuit, connecting said
station with a receiving station and receiving apparatus comprising recording
mechanism, the operation of which is controlled by the currents generated at the
stations, and a circuit changer that connects the said branch circuits one at a time
successively with the receiving apparatus substantially as described.
Sixth. The combination with a moving recording surface of a series of recording
devices and an electro magnet controlling the operation thereof, and a series of branch
circuits corresponding with the said recording devices, and each being subdivided, and
leading to two separate stations, a return wire common to one series of stations
connected with one set of subdivided circuits, and another return wire for the other
series of stations, and a commutator controlling the said return wires, whereby the
controlling electro magnet is connected with one return wire while records are being
made from one series of stations, and with the other return wire while records are
being made from the other series, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dotad this 20th
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.