A New or Improved Apparatus for Checking Workmen's Times.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Checking Workmen's Times.
I, FRIEDRICH WILHELM MAËS, of 13, Westerthor, Iserlohn, Westphalia,
Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
-
The various devices for checking workmen's times that have hitherto been
employed are all of such a complicated construction that the high selling price of
the same consequent thereon has no doubt been the chief cause why these
apparatus have heretofore only come into comparatively very restricted use.
Now the present invention has for its object to provide a checking apparatus
the main mechanism of which is of such simplicity in its general arrangement
as in its details that its manufacture can be effected at extremely low cost. In
order to effect this object the following principle is to be employed:-Upon a
rod, ruler or the like which is moved along with a uniform velocity, there is
slipped loosely a sleeve or the like in such a manner that this sleeve will move
along with exactly the same velocity as that which is imparted to the rod. If
now a double lever which is pivoted on an axle, be brought into immediate
proximity to the moving rod or to the sleeve mounted thereon, in such a manner
that when a pressure is exerted upon one end of this double lever, the other end will
bear against the sleeve situated on the rod, then the forward movement of the
sleeve will cease, whilst the rod itself will continue its movement with its original
velocity. If further the velocity of the rod be made such that when the rod has
moved along through a unit of length, this length will correspond to a definite
period of time, then by the stoppage of the sleeve relatively to the moving rod
a means is provided which allows of ascertaining at once when said stoppage
took place so that a check is thereby provided without further trouble.
or
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings illustrate a construction of one
arrangement of an apparatus for checking workmen's time which operates on
the above described principle and which is arranged as follows:-In the front
wall A of a casing or box A or the like, there is arranged a number of small
double levers a which are pivotted on a spindle a¹ and the front ends a² of which
form hooks; whilst the other ends a³ that are situated in the casing terminate
upwardly in knife edges. In immediate proximity above the latter there moves
a prism-shaped or cylindrical rod b which is driven by clockwork or other means
in a suitable manner, and, being set in motion at a determined time moves with
a uniform onward velocity. On the periphery of this rod 6 there are slipped
mounted sheet metal sleeves c or the like devices provided with a guide and
having their lower surfaces provided with notches or incisions c, whilst on
their front surfaces that are turned towards the wall A of the casing, there is
provided a divided scale or series of divisions d, the graduations of which corre-
spond to determined units of time, for example each graduation representing a
period of ten minutes. The number of the divisions of the scale depends on
the number of the notches provided in the lower surface of the sleeve, the arrange-
ment being such that each notch corresponds to one division of the scale. The
position of the lever a in its rest position, that is to say, when the hook-
shaped part a2 is not weighted by a token placed thereon, is balanced, say by
means of a counterweight or of a spring f in such a manner that the knife edge a³
cannot influence the onward movement of the rod nor that of the sleeve c by
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page_text: engaging in the notches 3, but if by the weight of a token m which is hung upon
the hook a² the lever a-a-a is moved at a² in a downward direction, then
that part 3 of the lever a which is provided with the knife edge, will describe
a movement of rotation in an upward direction whereby in consequence of the
engagement of the knife edge into a notch in the corresponding sleeve c, a
further movement of the latter with the rod will be stopped. The position of
the sleeve c relatively to the rod b and the onward movement of the latter are so
chosen that if the workman hangs up the token m that belongs to him punctually
at the proper time, or even before the said time, on the similarly numbered
hook a³, and thereby moves the knife-edge upwards the latter will engage
with the sleeve c in front of the first notch in the latter and will prevent the
sleeve from moving any further. But if however the workman comes ten minutes
too late, then the sleeve c will in the meantime have been moved further along
with the rod b and the knife edge a³ can only engage (when the token m is hung
up) in the first notch of the sleeve so as to stop the latter. If the workman
comes, say 30 minutes too late, the knife edge will enter the third notch, and so
oll. The drawing shows by way of example that in the case of the two lower
hooks, the workman No. 25 has arrived 40 minutes late, whilst No. 26 has arrived
20 minutes late. The divisions of time on the front side of the sleeve c must
of course be rendered visible through apertures o which are provided in the
wall A of the casing and are covered over by panes of glass n. The mechanism
which effects the onward movement of the rods 6 and also the mechanism which
returns the rods into their initial position, are of course immaterial as regards
the nature of this invention and may consist of any simple clockwork. Also the
checking apparatus may be varied as regards construction, such as by arranging
the several tokens (instead of being hung on a hook 2) to be inserted into an
aperture after the manner of a coin slot provided in the wall of the casing
whence the coins will fall upon the front part of the double lever a² so that the latter
is likewise caused to rotate on its pivot and to produce the same action as above
described. Further the apparatus can be very easily provided with an auto-
matically operating time registering device.
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) An apparatus for checking workmen's times, characterised by the fact that
a sleeve c which is mounted loosely on a bar 6 that moves onward uniformly at
constant velocity, but which is moved along with the rod by reason of the action
of its weight, and is provided on one hand with a number of notches c² and on
the other hand with a divided scale or series of time divisions, said sleeve c
being prevented from moving along with the rod by reason of the engagement
of the knife edge a-a³, of a lever that is rotated on its axis each time when the
workman on arriving at his work and by suspending or inserting his token moves
the lever out of the rest position, and so that the time of his arrival which is
situated within a certain period of time, is rendered at once visible from the
outside in accordance with the engagement with a corresponding notch in the
sleeve by means of an index on a scale on the sleeve.
(2) A new or improved apparatus for checking workmen's time, constructed
arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein before described and
shown.
Dated this 13th day of December 1898.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS. Assoc. M.Inst.C.E., M.I.Mech. E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Associate Agent.