Improved Apparatus for Recording and Displaying Messages.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Loft 19th June 1889-Accepted. 5th Oct. 1839
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Recording and Displaying Messages.
I, FREDERICK HOWCROFT of 11 Hart Street Covent Garden London Seedsman do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A Mechanical Message Recorder working automatically either by the application
of a coin or coins or other suitable means, and presenting a continuous surface of
prepared or other paper, or any other suitable material in a convenient position,
upon which messages or notices may be written consecutively, such messages or
notices may remain visible for any desired time, or I may introduce mechanism
whereby the said messages or notices can only be inspected by the further application
of a coin or coins or other suitable means as may be desired and I may also provide
mechanical or other means whereby the messages or notices shall not become visible
until after a certain space of time, and I may also provide mechanical or other means
whereby after a certain time has elapsed, the messages or notices shall disappear,
temporarilly or permanently as may be desired; and 1 may also provide means for
giving natural or artificial light in order that the said messages or notices may be
more easily read.
According to my invention, I arrange one or more desks, or writing slabs in a
frame which can be drawn to the front by any suitable means, on a knob, or handle,
or its equivalent being actuated. Each desk or slab has a slit in it, through which,
paper, or any suitable material can be passed, said paper being kept in position by
guides. The material on which the message is written, after leaving the upper
guides, of which there are a series, is carried up to and over a bar, or suitable roller,
and to it is attached weights, or any suitable means of obtaining tension.
Behind the desks or slabs, if more than one be fitted, a threaded rod is arranged
and this is engaged by a nut, or an appliance, so that as one of the lengths of paper
is filled up with writings, it escapes from one desk to the next for the second length
of paper to be similarly treated and so on, the previous one being thrown out of action.
The paper, or other material is of such a width that the side edges are kept within
the frame, in order that continuity is not destroyed should a piece be cut from the
exposed part.
The threaded rod is actuated by a paul, or ratchet, when the knob, or handle is
moved, the amount of travel of the paper is about equivalent to the portion of paper
allowed to be exposed for a single message.
The slab is released after the insertion of a coin and can be pulled forward to form
a desk, which action causes the paper in tension to be drawn back a small distance,
the remainder being taken from, say, a reel, this portion drawn from the reel serves
for being written on.
The inner end of the rod or bar having the knob attached, is provided with a
catch, or other means for being locked by a balanced lever, except when a coin, say,
a penny, is on the opposite end of the lever, such a coin having been inserted into a
slot for that purpose.
The paper with the messages as written on it, moves upwards behind a glass set in
the frame in which all the appliances are fitted but between the glass and the paper,
I prefer to set a screen, so that none of the messages can be seen except when an
additional coin, say, a penny, is placed into a separate slot, such a coin then falling
on to a lever to unlock the paul to enable the screen to be moved for exposing the
messages.
The screen is, when released, returnable by a spring, or weight.
The screen may be caused to rise or cross the front of the paper or papers, or it
may be drawn into a central space between the two papers by suitable cords and

page_text: The coin or coins continue to lie on the balanced levers until the knobs, or handles
are returned, some appliance being fitted for knocking, pushing, or shaking them off
and thereby leaving the apparatus in a locked condition ready for re-action on the
placing in of a fresh coin.
The knob or other appliance can move a tell tale for registering the number of times
the apparatus is operated, this serving as a check against the coins received.
The coin mechanism may be dispensed with if desired, in which case the apparatus
could be used for entries of goods passing from one person to another, or for other
purposes.
Dated this 21st day of November 1888
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said F. Howcroft.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Recording and Displaying Messages.
I, FREDERICK HOWCROFT, of 11 Hart Street, Covent Garden, London, Seedsman,
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:
According to my invention 1 provide a Cabinet to hold a quantity of paper in such
a manner that by the insertion of a coin, or coins, or token, a message may be
written upon said paper through openings provided in the lower part of the Cabinet,
which for convenience is of desk shape and in which the strips of paper upon which the
messages are written are of greater width than the opening in the desk so that the
continuity of the web is not broken should a piece be cut therefrom through such
opening. And by the insertion of another coin or coins, such written message may
be viewed and read through glazed or other openings in the front of upper part of
Cabinet, which when not operated, are covered by sliding or other shutters, all but
a narrow strip each side, through which can be read the initials of the person for
whom the message is intended.
By means of the mechanism hereinafter fully described I am enabled to draw back
so much of the paper, say 1 inches, that has not been written upon by the previous
message and writing upon this and then letting same go back, say 3 inches, so that
the 1 inches written upon appears behind that part of the Cabinet between the writing
opening, said 1 inches, heing in turn written upon at the next operation.
In order that my invention may be more fully understood, I have appended the
accompanying 6 sheets of drawings, in which Figures 1, 2 and 3 also Figures 1ª
and 1 are views of the operating mechanism.
Figures 4 and 5 side sectional elevation and front respectively.
Figures 6 and 7 views showing how shutters are operated as also does Figure 8.
Figures 9 and 10 are modifications of Figure 1.
Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also modifications of Figure 1.
The modus operandi is as follows:-
A person wishing to write a message, and have same displayed, inserts a coin at A,
which rolls down the shoot B on to the coin receiver pivotted at D, the coin
depressing C, raises the locking bolt E from toothed serrations of a draw bar F,
which can now be drawn out by the handle G, carrying with it the cross head H,
which is of rectangular formation and hollow, and having a sliding toothed rack I
therein engaging, as shown in Figure 1, with one arm J of the writing slab K moving
it opposite an opening. The handle G is loosely fitted to draw bar F and when fully
out is turned round to lock the slab in a forward position by means of the
feather F¹. After the part K' in the draw bar F in which the coin falls
forward sufficiently the coin having no support falls sideways into any convenient
receptacle.
drawn
Through the slot L, is passed the paper M fed from a roll similar to N, resting
and rotating in the standard P, but not shown in the drawing to avoid confusion.

page_text: Above the slot L when the quadrant K is in a vertical position, is a small roller Q,
Figure 4, behind which the paper written upon passes; from thence it is carried up
behind the glazed front R to the top roller S and over same and is attached to a
weight T, which slides down the inclined racks U, of which there are two behind
each opening, the pitch of the teeth in the rack U being equal to the distance between
the writing opening V and the glazed opening R.
Referring more particularly to Figure 4, in which all the parts are in normal
position, the pulling out of the draw bar F moves the slab K opposite the opening V,
a distance of, say, 3 inches, and at the same time pulls the paper and weight T until
it engages with the tooth U¹ of the rack U, or, say, 14 inches, the remaining 1 inches
required being drawn from the roll N, the tension brake W retarding any undue
rotation of the roll N. I may dispense with the wide toothed racks for limiting the
pull down of paper and substitute a fluted brake placed immediately behind the
writing slab.
The slab K is held in position until the operator has turned the handle G and
feather Fopposite a featherway, it is then pulled back by springs attached to the
cross head at X, the coin previously used discharging itself into any convenient
receptacle.
The number of messages that may be written through each of the openings in the
Cabinet, of which there are two, as shown in the drawings, are 18 but they may be
more or less, if desired. When one opening of the Cabinet is full, the other is brought
into operation automatically in the following manner.
The cross head rack 1 has in it 19 teeth and the rack U 18 teeth corresponding
to the number of messages designed to be written upon one strip, and at every
operation the rack I is moved one tooth in the required direction by a lever Y fixed
to a spindle on which is wound a spiral spring Z under the bracket H' the tension
of which spring tends to turn the lever Y in the direction indicated by the arrow.
In the top of the cross head H a slot is cut with a slanting side a of the same
pitch as the teeth of the rack I and slanting side a is for the purpose of moving the
lever Y in the opposite direction to that of the spiral spring Z, consequently when
the draw bar F is pulled the lever Y escapes from one tooth of the rack I by the
tension of the spring Z to the next, and when the draw bar F and cross head H
returns, see Figure 1ª the slanting ŝide a moves the lever Y to its former position
and takes with it the rack I a distance of a tooth, this is repeated every operation
and when at the end of the eighteenth message, the rack is clear of the
quadrant K and engaged with the quadrant on the opposite side, at the same time
the locking lever falls through the slot c and engages with the stop d (Figure 2)
locking same, the opposite locking lever e (Figure 3) falling with it and free from
the stop f, allows same a free movement. When 18 messages are recorded upon the last
strip in the Cabinet, a corresponding weight T falls upon the platform g and depresses
same raising the opposite end of the lever h and closing the money shoot B by the hinged
shutter i.
When it is desired that messages previously written should be inspected, a coin is
inserted into the slot w and falls down the shoot operating the coin receiver w¹, lifting
the locking end a clear of the slot in the spindle attached to the double action
cranked levers y (Figure 6). On the handle operating the cranked levers being turned
the cam 3 still further tilts the coin receiver w₁ freeing the coin from the shoot and
allowing it to drop into a convenient receptacle, and the shutters a¹, a¹¹, under the
action of the double acting cranks y working in the slots 61, 6, cause the shutters
to assume a position, one immediately behind the other (see Figure 7), and clear of the
glazed openings R through which the messages can be read at leisure.
The handle must be held during inspection, for upon releasing the hold upon same,
the shutters are automatically closed under the action of a coiled spring (Figures 6
and 7) enclosed in a barrel 2¹ fixed to the bar 22. I further affix a registering device
operated at every turn of the handle, a small fulcrum lever being lifted by the
cam z, or in any other suitable manner for the purpose of checking the takings of
said Cabinet.

page_text: An alternative method of arranging the shutters is shown at Figure 8 in which M
is the paper on which are recorded the messages, a coin releases the bar F in any
ordinary manner and on being pulled out, the cross heady and pins working in the
slotted ends of the levers y² to which are affixed the quadrant shutters a¹, a², causes
them to rotate on their centres moving away from the paper M allowing the messages
to be read.
Figures 9 and 10 show an alternative method of operating the different writing
slabs, in which I dispense with the toothed rack I and use a shooting bolt j in the
following manner; I retain the use of the cross head H as before, but it is of
round formation and serves for the barrel of the shooting bolt j, said bolt having in
it a pin k projecting through a bayonet joint slot in the barrel, is held in the
position shown in Figure 9, the bolt is then in position for operating the left
hand quadrant as you face the Cabinet.
Passing through a bearing m on the barrel is a small rod n with a head abutting
against same, said rod passing through other bearings p attached to the standard.
The draw bar F being pulled out carries with it the barrel H, bolt j and rod n by
means of the head ; after the message is written the draw bar is released in the
manner before described, and brought back to former position by spring » and the
small rod similarly by spring s, however when seventeen messages have been written
the paper weight T descends upon the platform and releases the sliding block u
which falls and rests upon the small rod n." When the draw bar is pulled for the
cighteenth message, the sliding block u is allowed to fall still further until it assumes
a position immediately behind and in the way of the rod n which on its return,
strikes against u and is retarded in any further movement, the cross head H having
a further distance to travel pushes the pin k of the bolt j against the head of the
rod n until is opposite the slot. I and being released from the shoulder is suddenly
pulled by the spring v assuming the necessary positions for operating the slab on
the right hand side, the other being locked in the manner before described by the
levers b and e.
In some cases it may be found convenient to arrange a series of 3, 4, or more
writing slabs in one Cabinet and when this is required I use the arrangement shown
in Figures 11 and 12 in which it will be understood that the draw bar Fattached
to the moving frame A¹ may be released in the manner described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2, or in any other suitable way. The ends of the moving frame A¹
are provided with slots D₁ working upon studs E¹ screwed into the standards a
each end; and behind the writing slabs K working in bearings L is a screw 1
with a long nut I¹ and at one end of the screw is the ratchet wheel P', operated
by a paul Q, in the manner hereinafter described.
The paper M passes from the roll N through the slot L behind the roller Q pivotted
between the standards F1, F2, F3³, F, F,F, F', Fs, respectively, each of the stan-
dards being firmly secured to the base plate.
It is understood that all the parts described with reference to the top of Cabinet
in Figures 2 and 3 remain the same, the mechanism at the lower part only being
modified.
The operation is as follows:-The draw bar F being released by a coin, is pulled
forward moving with it the whole of the frame A', the screw 1, nut I¹, ratchet
wheel P, and the writing slab K, the lip V₁ of which happens at the time to be
opposite or in front of the projecting part W₁ of the long nut l' until the part K is
immediately under the writing opening V in the desk and when the paper there
exposed is written upon, the draw bar is released, the frame and slab K under the
action of the springs X' are returned to their normal position, and the ratchet wheel P¹
is turned by contact with the paul Q₁ turning the screw I and moving the nut I a
distance equal to an eighteenth part of the width of the lip V1, that is to say, when
18 messages have been written upon the slab K, the part W' of the nut I will have
moved clear of the lip V₁ and the part W2 will be immediately in contact with the
lip V2 of the slab K. All the lips V1, V2, project below the slabs K but allow any
part of the nut passing freely under same.

page_text: On the completion of the writing that is to say 18 messages on the first slab K
the nut has travelled a sufficient distance to bring the part W2 of the nut I' into
contact with the lip V2 of the third slab K and on the completion of the writing on
the third slab the part W₁ of the nut I' comes in contact with the lip V³ on the
second slab K, and on the completion of the writing on that slab, the part W2 of the
nut I' comes in contact with the lip V on the fourth slab, and when the part W² of
the nut reaches the end of the lip V on the fourth slab K, the weight T on the end
of the paper M connected with the fourth slab closes the money shoot in the manner
described with reference to Figure 1.
Figures 13 and 14 are side sectional elevation and plan respectively of another
method of operating the writing slabs. In the middle of the frame A working on
studs E in standard is fixed the draw bar F and immediately behind the quadrant
writing slabs K, placed lengthwise in the frame A¹ is a spindle H2 pivotted at each
end with a ratchet wheel G of say 72 teeth, corresponding to the number of messages
the Cabinet will contain; at intervals immediately behind the quadrant writing
slabs K are keyed to the spindle H2 the quadrants E³, E, E³, E in the respective
positions shown at Figure 13.
Passing through a slot in the arms of each quadrant writing slab K is a spindle I³
working in grooves cut in the standards on each side. Below the ratchet wheel G¹
is pivotted a paul K² held in position by a spring L³. M is the paper which passes
through the slots L in quadrant writing slabs K and is carried up and pulled down in
the manner described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3.
A coin being inserted the frame A' can be drawn forward together with the
spindle H² and quadrants E³, E4, E3, E6, but E³ being in contact with the spindle I³
pushes forward the quadrant slab K exposing the paper on same beneath the opening
in the desk.
When 18 messages have been recorded on the length of paper, belonging to that
slab E and the next writing slab K, comes into operation and so on throughout the
whole series, by reason of the ratchet wheel G' being turned one tooth at the back-
ward motion of the frame A' in each operation, the guard P³ preventing more than
one tooth being turned.
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. In an apparatus from which paper can be withdrawn and exposed for messages
to be written and recorded after the reception of a coin, the appliances described with
reference to Figures 1, 1ª, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the annexed drawings.
2. In an apparatus, in which messages may be recorded as above set forth, the
withdrawal of a fixed quantity of paper from the supply reel, and another fixed
quantity from the paper already written upon, as described.
3. In an apparatus, in which messages can be recorded in the manner set forth,
the particular means by which shutters can be removed after the passage of another
coin into the apparatus and messages exposed, as described with reference to Figures 6,
7 and 8 of the annexed drawings.
4. Arranging within a single Cabinet, a series of reels of paper and movable writing
desks, only one of which can be operated a given number of times and then an
automatic change by travelling nut be made to bring another desk of the series into
operation, and so on, as described with reference to Figures 11 and 12 of the annexed
drawings.
5. The modified arrangement of appliances by which reels of paper and movable
desks can be operated in succession by segmental plates, as described with reference
to Figures 13 and 14 of the annexed drawings.
6. In an apparatus, in which reel or web paper can be drawn out to be written
upon after the reception of a coin, said paper being of greater width than that of the
opening in the desk or desks, so that the whole width of the paper is not exposed to

page_text: the operator in order that the continuity of the web should not be destroyed should a
piece be cut therefrom, as described.
7. In an apparatus, in which messages can be written and recorded on web paper,
leaving a fixed width of the paper exposed behind a glass front to enable initials to
be always exposed corresponding to those of the person for whom the message is
intended without the message itself being seen, as described.
TL 10:1 L
T
1000
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said Frederick Howcroft.