A Paper Roll Holder, Register, or Indicating Apparatus for Receiving Written Messages, Orders, or the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1893-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Paper Roll Holder, Register, or Indicating Apparatus for Receiving
Written Messages, Orders, or the like.
We CHARLES ROGERS of New Plymouth, New Zealand, at present residing at
"Ambleside" Trewsbury Road, Sydenham in the County of Kent, Chief Agent of
the New Zealand Government Insurance and FREDERICK WILLIAM SCHAFER of
the Shannon File Co. Ltd., Shannon Works Ropemaker Street, Finsbury Pavement
in the City of London, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(which has been partly communicated to us from abroad by Walter Swinburne of
Hawera, New Zealand, Commission Agent) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a novel apparatus or means for automatically receiving
written messages, orders, communications, or other written matter so that after such
messages have been written down the writer can operate the apparatus so as to
move round the paper (upon which he has just written) out of sight so that same
cannot be read by any unauthorised person other than the person holding the key
or means of access to the room box or receptacle in which said message is received
and in which this novel registering apparatus or
message receiver" is enclosed
and the object of this invention is that such recording apparatus or message
receiver " may be affixed in or near the door or other convenient place in offices
shops or other suitable places (for instance railway stations) so that messages may
be written and left (with perfect secrecy) in a ready and expeditious manner
without the necessity of any attendant to receive such messages.
This said invention is as follows:-
A box or other suitable receptacle is provided on the inside wall of which is
mounted a paper roll holder device and actuating mechanism (or the device may be
mounted on the inside of a door wall or partition of an office or other enclosed
space without the necessity of the aforesaid enclosing box in some cases) in the
following manner :-
In a suitable framework secured to the aforesaid wall partition etc. a suitable
roller is mounted carrying a long length of paper (or the like suitable material)
wound upon it (or it may be a loose roll of paper suitably held) and this paper is
led through a slot in said wall partition etc. to the outside thereof and then again
enters the wall of the box etc. or enclosing space through a second slot and is then
wound over or round a second roller or "receiving roll."
Thus a certain section of the length of paper (i.e. for the distance between the
two said slots) lies exposed outside the box or office wall door etc. so that anyone
calling and requiring to leave a message (and there being no one to attend to such
caller) the said caller can then write upon the exposed paper and by actuating a
handle or lever (herein before described) the "receiving roll" is caused to rotate
and thus move the paper written on out of sight while bringing into view fresh
paper to receive further writing or other matter.
The said "receiving roll may be caused to revolve in any suitable manner and
by various mechanical means but the following is found to be an advantageous way
of revolving said roller
A spring is fastened at one end to the inside of the enclosing box wall etc. and
at its other end has connected to it a strap band cord or the like which passes
round or partly around the said receiving roll (or a pulley fixed to said roll or
to the axis thereof) while the other end of said strap cord etc. passes to the
exterior of the enclosing box or enclosed space and there terminates in a knob
017

page_text: projection or handle to be grasped by the operator and means may be provided
to prevent moving the knob etc. too far. Thus on actuating the said knob etc.
the said strap revolves the said receiving roll the aforesaid spring being at same
time extended and then this spring draws back the said strap-upon the latter
being released-the receiving roll being prevented from turning backwards by
any suitable means such as a pawl and ratchet wheel.
Thus the paper is wound off from the supply roll either onto or over the
"receiving roll" as the case may be.
Where it is desired that the wound-off paper (i.e. the paper bearing the written
messages) should not be wound on the receiving roll but left hanging loosely
(after the manner of the automatic telegraph tape printing instruments) the
following is an advantageous method of obtaining such results :-
The receiving roll is covered with sand-paper or otherwise roughened covered
or prepared so as to afford a frictional surface against the paper to be wound
off and in order to ensure contact of such length of paper with said receiving
roll a metal or other suitable roller either roughened corrugated or otherwise
prepared so as to present a frictional surface to said length of paper and press
same against said receiving roll to ensure frictional contact and also prevent said
paper being drawn back, should anyone attempt to draw the paper back from
the outside and thus read the messages already written and passed inside.
This said friction roller may be weighted or weighty so as to give sufficient
friction from such weight, or same may be pressed towards the receiving roll
by means of springs or in any other suitable manner so as to give the desired
friction on the paper passing between said friction roll and receiving roll.
Or the paper may be pressed against the "receiving roll" by means of springs
or spring arms pressing a serrated or other rod or bar against the said roll.
By the use of a heavy roller (for instance a roller of lead with its outer
surface roughened) working loosely in the space between the receiving roll and
the wall or partition etc. upon which the said roll is mounted-such loose friction
roller will serve the double purpose of ensuring the paper being drawn off by
the receiving roller when rotated in the direction for that purpose while the
revolving of the receiving roll in the opposite direction will be effectually
prevented by reason of said loose metal roller jamming between said receiving
roll and the partition wall et cetera so as thus to prevent such receiving roll
being revolved in the opposite direction and also prevent the length of paper
being pulled back from the outside.
An attractive brass or other mount may if desired be arranged on the outside
around the exposed part of the paper and any suitable directions for the operation
of the apparatus may be provided.
Thus with this novel apparatus mounted on an office door or partition etc. (where no
one is remaining in attendance) in the event of a caller or callers arriving and
finding no one in attendance such caller (or callers) can write any messages on
the exposed paper operate the handle and move the paper written on out of
sight, and on return of the owner or other attendant to the office they can
open the said receptacle and read or tear off the length containing the various
written messages which have been left behind by such caller or callers.
The box or receptacle containing the paper roll holder aforesaid may be
locked up or otherwise secured so as to obtain perfect privacy for any messages
left and recorded in the aforesaid manner.
The various parts may be made of any suitable material and in any suitable
size and proportions and the paper may be of any suitable width and length
according to the purposes and place for which it is required.
This invention can also be used for checking the time of arrival and departure
of workmen or other employees or persons; and a lid or cover may be added
to cover in the aforesaid exposed length of paper so that the apparatus can be
mounted in any public place-while a number of persons may each hold a key
to open such cover and thus write messages which messages are passed into the

page_text: interior of the apparatus and remain secret until read by the authorised
person.
Dated this 15th day of September 1892.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Paper Roll Holder, Register, or Indicating Apparatus for Receiving
Written Messages, Orders, or the like.
Partly communicated from abroad by WALTER SWINBURNE, of Hawera, New
Zealand, Commission Agent.
We, CHARLES ROGERS of New Plymouth, New Zealand, at present residing at
"Ambleside," Trewsbury Road, Sydenham, in the County of Kent, Chief Agent of
the New Zealand Government Insurance, and FREDERICK WILLIAM SCHAFER
of 15 and 16 Ropemaker Street, in the City of London, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
perforined to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to message-receiving apparatus designed to enable a
message to be left without the necessity of verbally communicating it to any person,
the said message being turned out of the way, when written, so as to prevent
unauthorized access to it.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is an elevation of an apparatus constructed according to this invention,
ready for use, and
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the same.
Like letters represent similar parts in these figures.
A is any suitable case, box, or receptacle made of any convenient material such
as wood or iron, or it may be a recess or projection in or upon a door, counter, wall
or the like. As shown in the drawings this is an independent case intended to be
fastened to a door, wall, counter or the like by the back or base B which may be
screwed or otherwise secured to the door etc. as required. The case or box A may
be connected to the back B by hinges C Figure 1, so that it may be turned away
from the back so as to expose the interior mechanism. The case may be
secured to the back by a lock and key D, by a secret spring or by any. other
suitable means, and instead of being hinged, it may be connected by inaccessible
clips or fastenings.
The message is intended to be written upon the paper or other strip or band E
which is carried in a roll F inside the case and passes out through a slit G and back
again by another slit H passing over a roller I which may have one or more india-
rubber or equivalent bands J so as to take a good hold upon the paper.
The end E'
of the paper may fall loose inside the case or may be rolled up or may pass out at
the back of the case into another receptacle or to the inside of the door etc., in
which latter case the messages can be read from the inside of the room without the
necessity for opening the case. K is a plate preferably curved at the end K' and
advantageously as broad as the band of paper and intended to press the paper on to
the roller I or rubber covering J so as to ensure that the roller shall have a firm
grip upon the paper. The plate K may be pivotted or hinged at K2 to the case
and may be pressed against the roller by the spring L secured to the back or
support or in the casing; or the spring L may be dispensed with and the plate K
may be bent at a suitable angle and be forced back to some extent by the roller so
as to exert the necessary pressure. Or the spindle M which carries the roller and
works in bearings in the side of the case A may be allowed some accommodation

page_text: The
movement therein and may be pressed by a spring against the plate K.
spindle M conveniently carries a milled head N on the outside of the case by which
the roller I can be turned. A ratchet wheel O is carried by the spindle M or the
roller I or may be a portion of either and is engaged by a spring or gravity pawl P
to prevent its being turned backwards, so that when the portion of paper upon
which the message is written has been turned into the case out of sight it cannot be
turned back again. Q is a spring bearing against the underside of the roller I
preferably between the bands J thereon, to prevent the paper from being wound upon
said roller. R is a brass or other plate placed upon the outside of the case A so as
to cover in the edges of the paper E when outside the case and also the slits G
and H. As shown in Figure 1 the opening in this plate R is less than the width of
the paper E so as to afford protection for the edges of the paper and make it less
likely to be caught up.
Should this apparatus be placed inside a door, partition or the like it may be so
arranged that the slits G and H are formed in the door etc. itself, the portion of
paper to be written upon being then at the outside of the door, and the apparatus
for operating the paper in any suitable casing at the inside, and connected by any
suitable means such as bevel gearing with the operating head or equivalent N,
which in this arrangement would be at the outside of the door.
The above means for operating the roller I consisting merely in the milled head
or knob N have been described as being found in practice to be the simplest, but a
spring controlled strap, band, cord, or the like passing round or partly round the
roller or a pulley connected therewith and having one end passing out of the casing
may be employed.
Instead of the indiarubber band or covering J other material such as sand-paper
may be used, or the surface may be simply roughened, and instead of the springs
and plates above described a pressure roller may be used for ensuring efficient
contact between the paper and the roller. In this case also however as in that of
the means for turning the roller we have described what we find in practice to be
efficient and cheap.
With this apparatus mounted on an office door or wall when no one is in
attendance, a caller can write his message on the exposed paper, turn the roller and
move the paper written on out of sight, and on the return of the owner or attendant
to the office he can open the receptacle and read, or tear off the paper containing
the various messages which have been left during his absence.
This invention can also be used for checking the time of arrival and departure of
workmen or other employees or persons; and a lid or cover may be added to cover
in the aforesaid exposed length of paper so that the apparatus can be mounted in
any public place-while a number of persons may each hold a key to open such
cover and thus write messages which messages are passed into the interior of the
apparatus and remain secret until read by the authorized person.
The portion A¹ of the casing A. over which the band of paper E passes forms a
table to support the paper while being written upon and although as described and
illustrated this table A³ forms a part of the casing A, we wish it understood that
the table A' may if desired form a portion of the interior mechanism to be removed
therewith, or it may be fastened to the back or support B or in any other
convenient manner so that when the casing A. is opened the table A¹ does not move
with it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion as communicated to us by our foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we are aware of
photographic roll holder apparatus and check till apparatus, in the former of which
rolls of sensitive film have been carried past the point of exposure and in the latter
have been carried past an opening in the case to have the figures representing the
amount of the purchase written upon them, and have then been moved on by means of
rollers. We are also aware of Brunthaver & O'Connell's Specification No. 10773⁹0

page_text: which describes an apparatus applicable as a copy-holder for typewriting machines
and arranged to be fed forward by a single stroke of the operator's finger for a
specified distance at each stroke. We make no broad claim to such apparatus but
what we claim is :-
1. A message receiving apparatus such as described.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete message
receiving apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. The combination with a permanent fitting such as an office door, partition
shop-counter or the like of a message receiving apparatus such as described.
4. The combination with an office door partition shop-counter or the like of a
band of paper or equivalent material adapted to receive a message and passing
through the said door partition or equivalent substantially as and for the purpose
described.
5. The combination with an office door partition shop-counter or the like of a
band of paper or equivalent material adapted to receive a message and passing
through the said door partition or equivalent and means such as a roller and bevel
gearing for operating the paper band from the side of the door or equivalent at
which the message is written substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of May 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.