Year: 1898

page_text: JAMES JOHN STOCKALL, Junior, 6 and 8, Clerkenwell Road, London, Watch-
maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An improved system of accurately checking the periodical arrival & departure
of workmen or watchmen by the insertion of metal or other checks into a drawer
or locker.
In carrying out my improvement, I employ by preference, an ordinary eight
days' clock & from the cannon pinion direct I transmit motion to an independent
train in clock.
To get direct action from the cannon pinion, on which depends the accuracy
of the time for shifting arrangement, I fix on same a circular disc or snail on
to which drops a lifting-piece which is in connection with the independent train
of clock. The lifting-piece is so constructed that it drops into slots cut in disc
or snail on cannon pinion, which, on falling, allows independent train to revolve.
The disc on cannon pinion is slotted according to times the machine is required
to act. To prevent this action taking place every hour, I run into the cannon
pinion, or hour-wheel, a wheel mounted on a stud which revolves once in twenty
four hours and on same I attach a disc or snail on which rests the other end of
my lifting-piece.
The disc or snail on twenty four hour wheel is constructed to raise or lower
lifting-piece when required for use. When lifting-piece is raised it is thrown
out of action of disc or snail on cannon pinion & when lowered, it is dropped
on to cannon pinion disc or snail, which then has control of same.
The effect of this arrangement is that the time is checked to the utmost accuracy
obtainable.
I am also able by this arrangement to control any number of boxes for receiving
checks by means of an electric contact taken from *master clock."
TJ 1941. day of tumust 1808
I, JAMES JOIN STOCKALL, Junior, 6 and 8, Clerkenwell Road, London, Watch-
maker, 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 an improved construction of that kind of apparatus
for automatically checking the time at which workmen, watchmen, and the like,

page_text: arrive or depart, in which there is combined with an ordinary time piece an
auxiliary clockwork mechanism that rotates a spout over a tray divided into
compartments, the time piece being made, at definite intervals of time, to set
the auxiliary clockwork in motion so as to bring the shoot over a different com-
partment of the tray so that on a workman dropping a check into the shoot, this
will be delivered into the said compartment, which is marked with the corre-
sponding time.
In such apparatus as heretofore constructed the setting in motion of the
auxiliary clockwork has always been effected by means of a cam dise or "snail"
revolved once in 12 or 24 hours by the time piece, and having a series of notches
in its periphery which are successively made to act upon a detent lever so as to
cause this to liberate the auxiliary clockwork at the required times for effecting
the shifting of the spout.
With this arrangement inaccuracies of action are liable to occur when the
times at which the workmen, or watchmen have to insert their checks are required
to be exact to a minute, because the slightest looseness in the gearing which
rotates the cam disc that revolves once in 24 hours may cause inaccuracies in
the position of this which may amount to several minutes.
My present invention has for its object to effectually prevent such inaccuracies,
and it consists in providing in combination with the cam disc that revolves once
in 24 hours, or other long interval of time, a second cam disc that is made to
revolve once every hour, the said detent lever that controls the auxiliary clock-
work being acted upon by both the cam discs in such manner, that while the
slowly revolving cam disc controls the lever so as to prevent the liberation of the
auxiliary clockwork during the longer intervals of time that may elapse between
the periods when the workmen are required to deposit their checks, the hour cam
disc determines the fractional intervals of an hour at which the auxiliary clock-
work is to be set in motion.
I will describe my said invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1 shews a front view and Fig. 2 shews a back elevation of a time
checking machine with my invention applied thereto, Fig. 3 shews an enlarged
front elevation of the clockwork mechanism with the dial and hands removed,
Fig. 4 shews part of the same view with the wheels of the minute and hour
motion &c. removed so as to shew the cam discs. Fig. 5 shews a sectional side
view of the mechanism and Fig. 6 shews a modified arrangement of the driving
grar.
The machine is mainly of known construction; the clockwork consists namely
of an ordinary clock train, preferably that of an eight day clock of which the
spring barrel is shewn at X and an auxiliary clockwork mechanism of which
the spring barrel is shewn at Y by means of which at determined intervals of
time, a cylindrical spout a Fig. 2 is rotated through a certain angle into which
spout the workmen or watchmen deliver their checks through a slot in the casing
at b, and which terminates below in an angular tube c which by the said rotation,
is brought successively over the different compartments of a fixed tray d, these
compartments being marked with the different times at which workmen are
required to deliver their checks. As before stated the motion of the spout a, c,
has heretofore been controlled by a single cam disc actuated by the ordinary
clock train so as to revolve once in 24 hours.
According to my invention I effect such motion by the combined action of two
cam discs, arranged as shewn by way of example at Figs. 3 and 4.
Here e is the cannon pinion of the minute hand and f is the arbor of the hour
hand and g is a wheel fixed thereto that consequently revolves once in 12 hours.
With this wheel gears a wheel h of double the diameter of g, and consequently
revolving once in 24 hours. On the arbor of this wheel is fixed the cam disc i,
Fig. 4, on the periphery of which are formed notches in positions correspond-
ing to the different times during the 24 hours when workmen &c. are required to
deposit their checks.

page_text: k is a detent lever pivotted at s which serves to control the action of the auxiliary
clockwork Y that actuates the shoot a, which lever has a finger that bears
upon the periphery of the cam disc except when the notches i pass under it;
when the lever is held in the raised position by the full periphery as indicated
in Fig. 3, it prevents the action of the auxiliary clockwork as will be presently
described.
To the cannon pinion e is fixed the second cam disc j which consequently
revolves once every hour, and which has notches in positions corresponding
to the fractions of an hour at which it is required that the spout ac shall be
shifted to another compartment of d.
By way of example the notches are shewn close together at j' so as to effect
the shifting of the spout say, every 5 minutes while at they are shewn at longer
intervals. Their spacing will of course depend upon the different intervals during
an hour when the workmen &c. are required to deliver their checks. With these
notches can engage a second finger on the lever k.
From the above described arrangement it will be seen that at such times
during the 24 hours when no time checking is required the finger of lever k
rests upon the full periphery of cam i; as indicated at Figure 3, and the detent
lever is then held in such a position that it prevents the auxiliary clockwork Y
from running.
At the same time the finger 2 is held out of the notches of the cam j.
When the time of day arrives when time-checking has to be effected, the cam i
will have arrived in such a position that one of its notches faces the finger k,
and the lever is consequently free to drop, provided the cam j is at the same
time in, such a position that one of the notches or faces the finger
that this can drop into it as shewn at Figure 4.
so
is
If on the other hand the cam j at that time presents its full periphery to the
finger, the lever will still be prevented from dropping, notwithstanding that
the cam i may allow it to do so, and the auxiliary clockwork will consequently
still be arrested until by the farther rotation of the cannon pinion, the exact
minute has arrived when the spout c requires to be shifted and a notch
presented to the finger, so that lever can drop. The auxiliary clockwork Y
having been thus put in motion so as to shift the spout cone division, the cam j
in continuing to revolve causes finger to rise out of the notch, and conse-
quently the lever in rising stops the further motion of the clockwork Y until
by the rotation of j another notch has been brought opposite finger 2. In
most cases in particular where the shifts of the spout e have to be effected at short
intervals, it is necessary that the duration of the motion of the clockwork Y shall
be more accurately limited than can be done by the action of the notches in
raising the lever k. In order to provide for such accurate action. the escapement
wheel of the auxiliary clockwork (which is controlled by the fly ) is provided
with two pins m m³, which are adapted to engage with a pallet on the detent
lever as follows.
The pallet o is so formed, as shewn at Figs. 3, 4 and 5, that when lever k is in
the raised position Fig. 3 the pin m¹ is in contact with the back surface of the
pallet, and consequently the wheel 7, which is urged in the direction of the arrow
Fig. 3 by the spring barrel Y, is prevented from turning. The pin m is at that
time slightly beyond and below the lower edge of the pallet.
When at the appointed time the lever drops for setting the clockwork Y in
motion, the upper edge of pallet o releases the pin m¹ so that wheel 7 can revolve.
In dropping however, the lower edge of pallet o is brought into such a position
that when, by the rotation of wheel 7 pin m arrives behind the pallet. it is stopped
by the lower edge hereof, as shewn at Fig. 4. and consequently the motion of
the clockwork Y and spout c is accurately limited to that corresponding to a single
revolution of wheel 7, although the lever may not he raised by notch until
some time after the completion of that rotation. When the lever krises, the

page_text: pallet o rises in front of pin m¹ and sets pin m free again ready for the next
rotation.
The motion of the clockwork Y is transmitted to the spout a c by suitable gear
acting on the spindle 2 of the latter.
Instead of transmitting the motion to the 24 hour wheel by means of a
special wheely on the hour arbor as described, this may be dispensed with and the
motion of h be obtained directly from the pinion g that transmits the motion
of the cannon pinion to the hour wheel r, as shewn at Fig. 6.
It will be evident that by arranging on the detent lever an insulated contact
piece for closing an electric circuit in any well known manner when it drops
into the notches of the cam disc i, any number of electrically controlled apparatus
for receiving time checks included in the said electric circuit may be made to
work synchronously with the above described apparatus.
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 automatic time checking machine, the combination of a detent lever
that controls the motion of an auxiliary clockwork, with a disc can revolving
with the cannon pinion of an ordinary timepiece and adapted to actuate the
detent-lever at intervals of fractions of an hour, and a second disc-cam revolving
once in 24 hours or other long period of time and adapted to prevent the detent
lever from being acted upon by the first named cam except during those hours
of the day when time checking is required, substantially as described.
2. In an automatic time checking machine, the combination of a disc-cam j
with notches j adapted to revolve once an hour, a second cam disc with
notches adapted to revolve once in 24 hours, or other long period of time a
detent lever controlling auxiliary clockwork Y and having a finger Al adapted
to engage with the notches of cami and a finger adapted to engage with the
notches of cam j, substantially as described.
Dated this 11th day of May 1900
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.