IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY RECORDING OR REGISTERING THE TIMES OF SIGNALS GIVEN OR RECEIVED, APPLICABLE FOR USE ON RAILWAYS AND FOR OTHER REGISTERING PURPOSES."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Robert Harper, of Finsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, Telegraph Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY RECORDING OR REGISTERING
THE TIMES OF SIGNALS GIVEN OR RECEIVED, APPLICABLE FOR USE ON
RAILWAYS AND FOR OTHER REGISTERING PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Robert Harper
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th March 1881.
"
RICHARD ROBERT HARPER, of Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Telegraph
Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY
RECORDING OR REGISTERING THE TIMES OF SIGNALS GIVEN OR RECEIVED,
APPLICABLE FOR USE ON RAILWAYS AND FOR OTHER REGISTERING PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to improvements in electrical apparatus for automatically
recording or registering the times of signals given or received, applicable for uso
on railways and for other registering purposes. According to my Invention I use
a dial or drum of paper or other material in connection with and driven by an
ordinary clock or time piece, and, according as the clock is an eight day or daily
clock so is this dial or drum marked off on its surface into days, hours, or minutes,
or only into hours and minutes. At a particular point of the said dial, face, or
drum I fix an electric-magnet (or electro-magnets), and at this point the time
marked on the said dial or drum is always the same as that indicated by the clock.
This electro-magnet is actuated by an electric current caused to pass through it
by reason of a contact tung in or on the instrument used in signalling being
brought into electrical contact, and so completing an electrical circuit. The effect
of the passage of this current is to cause the said electro-magnet, by the sudden
attraction of an armature or other action, to puncture (or mark with a pencil or
pen, or with the current of electricity, as in Bains' chemical telegraphy) the dial
or drum at the the said point, and so mark the exact time at which the signal was
given

page_text: or
This Invention can be readily applied to register the time of the passage of
signals on railways, the instrument operated to give the signal "clear"
otherwise being made to complete said circuit, and so register the time. It is
equally applicable to the open as the block systems of signalling, and to either
of what is known as the one, two, and three wire systems. It may also be applied
as a watchman's detector, shewing the exact time he has been at given points of
his round to give the required signals. The clock with the index may be kept
under lock and key, and inspected daily or weekly, as desired. The apparatus for
giving the signal would be a simple contact key for completing the circuit placed
at those points selected to check his rounds. The dials or drums can be made to
be easily removed and replaced daily or weekly, as desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard Robert Harper in the Great Seal Patent Office on.
the 19th September 1881.
RICHARD ROBERT HARPER, of Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Telegraph
Engineer. " IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY
RECORDING OR REGISTERING THE TIMES OF SIGNALS GIVEN OR RECEIVED,
APPLICABLE FOR USE ON RAILWAYS AND FOR OTHER REGISTERING PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to improvements in electrical apparatus for automatically
recording or registering the times of signals given or received, applicable for use on
railways and for other registering purposes.
According to my Invention I use a dial or drum of paper or other material in
connection with and driven by an ordinary clock or time piece, and, according to
whether this clock is an eight day or a daily clock, so is this dial or drum marked
off on its surface into days, hours, and minutes, or only into hours and minutes.
At a particular point of the said dial or drum face I fix an electro-magnet (or
electro-magnets), and at this point the time marked on the said dial or drum by
a suitable pointer is always the same as that indicated by the clock. This electro-
magnet is actuated by an electric current caused to pass through it by reason of a
contact tongue in or on the instrument used in signalling being brought into
electrical contact, and so completing an electrical circuit. The effect of the passage
of this current is to cause the said electro-magnet, by the sudden attraction of an
armature or other action, to puncture (or mark with a pencil or pen, or with the
current of electricity, as in Bains' chemical telegraph) the dial or drum at the said
point, and so mark the exact time at which the signal was given.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents in front elevation apparatus
constructed according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, and Fig. 3
a sectional plan at a, b, Fig. 2; Figs. 4, 5, & 6 are views of detail.
In the Drawings the apparatus is shown adapted to a dial. It will be obvious
that a drum may be equally well and easily applied. A is the dial having the
hours and minutes of a day of 24 hours marked radially on its face, whilst eight
separate days are marked off by the concentric circles also appearing on the
face. This dial is driven in unison with an eight day clock so as to make one
revolution in the 24 hours. The stationary point B of plate B marks always the
same time of day as the clock; C, D, & E are the toothed gear communicating the
motion from the clock (not shown). Immediately over pointer B and in plate B
is a vertical slot F, and it is through this slot the puncture to mark the time of
the signal given is made, so that the puncture is always given at a point of the
dial on which is marked the exact time (according to the clock) at which the signal
was given. The puncture is made by a spring push point G, the spring holding the
point off the dial until pressed through. This puncture point passes through a
casing containing the spring, and projects out of the back of the casing for a short
distance. Just behind the projecting part of push point G is one end of a centred
lever H, the other end of which forms the armature of an electro-magnet I. The
action of giving the signal causes an ordinary contact tongue to complete an electric
circuit, by which means the electro-magnet I is caused to act on its armature, thus
drawing its end of lever H towards it, and pressing the other end against push
point G and forcing it through the dial, and leaving the necessary puncture. When
the current has ceased the said spring withdraws pusher point & to its normal
position. The casing of pusher point G is attached to a vertical guide rod J, the
lower end of which gears into the vertical worm K, the pitch of which is such that
it will gradually raise push point G vertically through the space covered by the

page_text: circles representing the number of days the dial has to run; and thus as the dial
revolves once in twentyfour hours, the punctures belonging to each day will appear
all in the annular space assigned to that day. When a new dial is to be placed in
position plate B is turned on its hinges L, thus withdrawing the pusher point G
and its vertical guide rod J out of gear with the vertical worm K, when pusher
point and guide rod descend by gravity to their lowest position as at the com-
mencement of working. Plate B is then closed and secured by catch M, and is
thus brought into gear with vertical worm K, to be again raised as before. Plate B,
pusher point G, and guide rod J are shown in detail at Figs. 4, 5, & 6, Fig. 4 being
a side elevation, Fig. 5 a back elevation, and Fig. 6 a sectional plan at c, d. Plate B
and the attached parts are supported by a suitable bracket (not shown.)
"
The
One object of this Invention is to register the times of the passage of signals on
railways, for which purpose the instrument operated to give the signal "clear or
"block is made to automatically complete an electric circuit in the process of
moving the signal. By my above described Invention the exact time at which
this signal was given is automatically registered and beyond dispute.
apparatus is equally applicable to the open as to the closed systems of signalling,
and to either of what are known as the "one," "two," and "three wire" systems.
By driving another disc combined with similar parts from the opposite side of
toothed wheel C, the up and down lines may be served by the one instrument.
Another very useful application of my Invention is as a watchman's detector,
registering the exact times he has been at given points of his rounds and given the
required signals. The signal is given by simply pressing down an ordinary contact
key, and so completing a circuit. These keys are placed at the different points
of the watchman's rounds selected to check him. As under this arrangement there
would be several points from which the signals would be given, and as the records
of each point should necessarily be kept separate, the mechanism for raising and
lowering the push point would be dispensed with, and instead there would be
provided for each signal key a separate ring on the dial with separate push point
and electro-magnet, and the dial could be arranged to make one revolution only in
eight days. The clock with the register may be kept under lock and key, and
inspected and reset daily or weekly, as desired.
I claim as my Invention to be secured by the herein before in part recited Letters
Patent, the combination with a'clock or other timepiece and an electric current
of registering apparatus, substantially as set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Robert Harper, have hereunto set my
•
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
D D HARRED