Improvements in Recording Apparatus for Watchmen and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Improvements in Recording Apparatus for Watchmen and the like.!
A communication from EMIL AUGUST MEYER, of Wülfel, near Hanover, in the
Empire of Germany, Watchmaker.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:―
The object of the present invention is to verify within certain periods and one
after another the presence or absence of any number of people, or watchmen
designed to work or to attend at their respective places.
In carrying the invention into practice a horizontal shaft connected with the
clockwork is provided with pins or tappets which by means of levers act
periodically upon contact-pieces so that an electric current passes to the indicators
located at different places. As soon as the indicator is heard, the workman or
other person there occupied causes another current to pass back to the apparatus
by aid of a contact piece which current excites an electro-magnet causing it to
attract a lever the end of which is lifted out of a groove in a shaft so that a spring
is now at liberty to push the shaft in the direction to disengage the beforementioned
pins from the levers.
After a period determined by the construction of a cam or driver wheel of the
clockwork a lever arm pushes down a bar sliding in guides so that by the action of
the bar the shaft is pushed back and the pins will act upon the levers as before.
If the person whose presence or absence is to be recorded is not at his place, the
magnet cannot act, and after some time fixed by the arrangement of pins or
tappets, other contacts will cause a current to be transmitted to an alarm-bell
which is thereby sounded at once; besidés, a lever presses on a contact which is
connected with an electro-magnet which attracts a lover the outer end of which is
armed with a pin which perforates a revolving paper-dial operated by the clock-
work. The perforated dial, therefore, shows what time the watchman or other
person has not answered his bell.
The herein first mentioned shaft carries pins which, by means of levers pull
down numbered shields or discs so that the controller sees at once which man has
not signalized his presence.
Suitable means are provided for pressing the dial against the disc connected with
the clockwork.
The levers are acted upon by springs. The time during which the levers make
electric contact is determined by screws. The pins are arranged in such a manner
that alternately at every quarter of an hour one of the two places of service is
called by the electric bell; 2 or 3 minutes afterwards certain of the pins act upon
their corresponding levers during which time the workman can with ease give the
signal wanted.
As soon as these pins or tappets act other pins pull down the numbered shields,
and whilst one of the pins turns a lever on to the necessary contact-piece the next
following pin turos a further lever and the dial will be punched.

page_text: IDIS arrangement can be altered according to requirements by varying the
mutual position of the pegs or varying their number; likewise,, the number. of
stations may. be increased if desired.
The numbered shields are put up again by hand, as usually.
A communication from EMIL AUGUST MEYER, of Wülfel, near Hanover, in the
Empire of Germany, Watchmaker.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-..
The object of the present invention is to verify within certain periods and 'one
after another the presence or absence of any number of people or watchmen
designed to work or to attend at their respective places.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 is a front view,
Figure 2 a cross section,
Figure 3 a sectional view showing a detached portion of the apparatus,
Figure 4 a side view of part of the apparatus,
Figure 5 a section showing a portion of Figure 4, and
Figure 6 a diagram showing the complete installation.
These drawings illustrate the invention as applied to the control of indicators for
two workmen but it will be obvious from what follows that it may as readily be
applied to the control of any other number of such devices.
In carrying the invention into practice a horizontal shaft w connected with the
clockwork U is provided with pins or tappets S' S2 which by means of levers h¹³
act periodically upon contact-pieces c¹² so that an electric current passes to the
indicators AA² (Figure 6) located at different places. The levers 2 and
contact pieces c² ² are not represented in Fig. 2, but are respectively of the
same form and arrangement as 'the lever and contact piece c³ shown in that
figure. The path of the current during the operation of indicator A' is the
following, viz.
Starting at battery B it traverses the leads 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 indicator A¹, lead 6,
contact c', lever ', leads 7, 8, and 9 and thus back to battery.
The path of current through. the lever and contact c¹ when established by the
tappet S is similar to that which is indicated by chain lines with reference to the
similar lever 3 and contact c³ of Fig. 2.
As soon as the indicator A' is heard the workman or other person there occupied
completes, by the contact piece or push k¹, the circuit B, 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, k¹, 11, 12,
M, 13, 9, and B which causes a current to momentarily excite an electro-magnet M
causing it to attract an armature lever a the end of which is lifted out of a groove
in the shaft w, so that a spring f is now at liberty to push the shaft in the direction
(towards the right of Figures 1 and 6) to disengage the before-mentioned pin S¹
from the lever ', and thereby interrupt the first-described circuit in which A' was
included. The energization of M ceases as soon as the push ¹ is released thereby

page_text: allowing the armature lever a to return to a position of readiness to re-engage the
shaft when the latter is restored to its original position in the manner next
explained.
After a period determined by the construction of a cam or driver wheel n
Figure 4, a lever arm pushes down a bar g Figures 4 and 5 sliding in guides e su
that by the action of the bar g the shaft wo is pushed back and the pin S will be in
position to act upon the lever h¹ as before (see Figs. 4 and 5), the lever end r will
then re-engage with the before mentioned shaft groove. If the person whose
presence or absence is to be recorded is not at his place, the magnet M cannot act,
and after some time dependent upon the particular arrangement of pins or
tappets S³ another contact operated like the contact c' aforesaid but by these
tappets S will cause a current to be transmitted through the circuit B, 1, 14,
G, 15, 38, 9, B through an alarm-bell G which is thereby sounded at once;
a lever will be pressed by one or other of these tappets S³ on to a contact c
(see Figure 2) electrically connected through the circuit B 1, 2, 16, N, 17, 18,
8, 9, B (Figure 6), with an electro-magnet N, which attracts a lever ³ the outer
end of which is arined with a pin n which perforates a revolving paper-dial
operated by the clockwork U-by means of driving-gear 1, and u. The perforated
dial, therefore, shows what time the watchman or other person has not answered
his bell.
Besides the pins S1 S2 S³ the shaft w carries pins St (see Figure 1) which, by
means of levers he, pull down or allow of the falling of numbered shields or
discs 1 or 2, so that the controller sees at once which man has not signalled his
presence.
Suitable means such as a bowed spring fl and socket i are provided for pressing
the dialz against a disc ' (seen edgewise in Figure 2) connected with the
clockwork.
Figure 2 shows the arrangement of the lever h³ (of the series h³ ³ ³ each of
which levers is operated on at one end by a spring p) so that normally its opposite
end may not touch the contact-piece e³ which is mounted on a standard q. The
time during which each of the levers h² ³ makes electric contact is determined
by a screw, such as is shown at a Figure 2. The pins S1 and S2 are arranged in
such manner that alternately at every quarter of an hour one of the two places of
service is called by the electric bell; at an interval of 2 or 3 minutes afterwards
the pins S³ act upon their corresponding levers, during which interval the workman
can with ease give the signal wanted.
Hereinbefore I have described the operation of the indicator A' only; the mode
of operation of the indicator A* will be sufficiently obvious without special
description.
As soon as these pins or tappets S³ act, the pins S₁ pull down or release the
numbered shields and whilst one of the pins S³ turns a lever 3 on to the necessary
contact-piece the next following pin of the series of pins S³ turns the lever h* and
consequently as before described the dial z will be punched.
This arrangement can be altered according to requirements by varying the
mutual position of the pegs or varying their number; likewise the number of
stations may be increased if desired, as aforesaid.
The numbered shields are put up again by hand as usually.
In Figure 6 the battery is indicated by the letter B; the direction of the electric
currents depends upon the general arrangement of the installation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In an electric controlling apparatus a clock-work operated shaft w bearing a
number of pegs such as S1 S2 S3 acting through levers ¹³ ³ upon contact-
pieces cc whereby indicators such as A¹ A2 and an alarm bell G are operated
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. In an electric controlling apparatus the combination with shaft w of pegs
such as S for pulling down or releasing the numbered shields 1 or 2 substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In an electric controlling apparatus an electro-magnet M for disengaging by
attraction of an armature lever such as a the shaft w so that pegs such as S1 S2 S3 S
will pass levers h¹² h³ without touching them substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In an electric controlling apparatus an electro-magnet N for acting upon a
needle-armed lever such as substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
5. In an electric controlling apparatus a paper dial pressed by means of a bow
or bar d spring fl and socket i upon the revolving disc z¹ substantially as and for
the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete
recording apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
.drawings.
Dated this 25th day of February 1895.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.