An Improved Workman's Time-checker.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 22nd July, 1892-Accepted, 17th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Workman's Time-checker.
We GEORGE HOWARD of 314 Stamford Street Watchmaker and OSWALD
SMETHURST of 60 Dean Street Overlooker both of Ashton-under-Lyne in the
County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct an apparatus to be attached to and
worked by an ordinary clock for the purpose of checking the time at which work-
men or workwomen arrive at a factory or other works.
For this purpose we utilize the striking portion of the clock works to drive the
checking cylinder or cylinders as follows:
The minute wheel (which revolves once in the hour) drives a pin wheel with the
same number of teeth and on the face of this pin-wheel are fixed pins in such
positions as may be required to act upon the lifters, rack, and gathering pallet so as
to release the main wheel attached to the fusee at the particular portions of the hour
required say for example at or about the hour and half hour.
The main fusee wheel drives (by a series of wheels having equal numbers of
teeth) a vertical cylinder which revolves on pivots and has exactly the same motion
as the main fusee wheel. The fusee is actuated as usual by a chain connecting it to
a spring barrel. This cylinder is hollow and has made in its circumference a certain
number of slots or openings (say twelve) each of about such a size as to receive a
workmen's check (about the size of a penny) the slots are arranged spirally round
the cylinder from top to bottom and each slot is provided with a separate duct
leading to a separate division in a general receptacle for the checks.
The cylinder revolves in a cylindrical casing in which are made a corresponding
number of slots, one beneath the other in a vertical line, and it will be evident that
as the cylinder makes a portion of a revolution at each hour it will bring one or
other of the slots in the cylinder opposite to the slot in the casing and the workmen
present at that time will drop their checks into this slot such checks falling into
the division of the general receptacle representing the time at which the particular
slot was open.
The slot will remain open so long as the pin is acting on the lifter, and the outer
slot in the casing being wider than the one in the cylinder the workmen have a
certain time (say ten minutes, more or less) during which they can drop in their
checks, the slot then closes and the pin escaping from the lifter the movement
ceases, and all the slots will remain closed until just before the next hour, when the
next slot below will commence to open, and so on during the ten or or twelve hours
for which the checking apparatus is calculated to work and as each check has its
own distinctive number, by separately examining the checks in each division it can
be correctly ascertained at what time each workman entered the factory or works.
It will be readily understood that by arranging the pins accordingly the apparatus
can be made to work for a certain time at (say) six o'clock, then for a certain time
at the breakfast and dinner hours, or at any other time as may be required instead
of working at each hour or half hour as may be preferred.
If it be desired to keep a separate check for overtime we then arrange a second
checking cylinder for this purpose and drive it from the first one by a connecting
or carrier wheel.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Workman's Time-checker.
We GEORGE HOWARD of 314 Stamford Street Watchmaker, and OSWALD
SMETHURST of 60 Dean Street Overlooker, both of Ashton-under-Lyne in the
County of Lancaster, 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 this invention is to construct an apparatus to be attached to and
worked by a clock movement specially arrauged for the purpose of checking the
_time at which workmen and work women arrive at a factory or other works.
The nature of our said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to
the annexed sheet of drawings and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawings is a side elevation of our invention shown as applied to
and worked by an ordinary eight days clock, the casing and check drawers being
shown in section. The "going" part of the clock is the same as an ordinary
English spring eight day's movement only much larger and stronger.
Fig. 2 is a partial front view of the same with the clockface removed and Fig. 3
is a back view thereof; and we may here remark that to avoid confusion the
ordinary "going" parts of the clock are omitted from the drawing, and only the
driving wheels and checking apparatus portion is represented.
For the purposes of our invention we utilize only this specially constructed set of
wheels and pinions instead of the ordinary "striking" portion of the clock to drive
our improved checking apparatus as follows:-
:-
""
The ordinary wheel a of the clock (see Fig. 2) which revolves once in the hour,
drives a pin wheel 6 with the same number of teeth and on the face of this pin
wheel bare fixed four pins c in such positions as may be required to act upon the
lifter & so that when the lifter releases the "warning pin e at the particular part
of the hour required, the train of wheels i as herein set forth travel so far as to
allow the cylinders k and k¹ to move one quarter of an inch at each motion.
Fig. 2. is the rack lifter, e the gathering pallet, and ³ the rack being parts of
the ordinary striking motion of the clock.
At Fig. 2 the pins c are shown in groups of two nearly close together at opposite
sides, the object being to close the check receiving slots for the first ten minutes
after each hour and half hour and to leave them open during the intervening
times.
The fusee wheel 7 drives by a train of spur and mitre wheels i having equal
numbers of teeth a vertical cylinder k which revolves on pivots and has exactly the
same motion as the spur and mitre wheels vizt.: one revolution in twelve hours.
This cylinder drives (in the opposite direction) another similar cylinder k¹ by
means of a pair of spur wheels l. This is for checking overtime.
The fusee his actuated as usual by a strong steel chain m connecting it to the
spring barrel n.
The cylinder and are preferably hollow and have made in their circumference
a certain number of slots or openings o (say for example twelve in k and four in k¹)
each of about such a size as to receive a workman's check (about the size of a
penny) and arranged spirally round the cylinders k and k¹ from top to bottom, and
each slot is provided with a separate sloping duct o¹ leading to a separate division
or drawer p see Fig. 2 for receiving the checks.
The cylinders and ¹ revolve in a casing or (as shown on the drawing) behind
a flat screen q in which (see Fig. 2) are made a corresponding number of slots o",
one beneath the other in a vertical line, and it will be evident that as each cylinder
makes a portion of a revolution at each ten and twenty minutes it will bring one or
other of the slots o in the cylinder opposite to the slot o" in the casing or screen q
1.

page_text: and the workmen present so long as that particular slot is open can drop their
checks into this slot such checks falling through the sloping duct o' into the division
or drawer p corresponding with the time at which that particular slot was open.
This slot will remain open for twenty minutes when the first pin c on the pin
wheel (corresponding with the exact given times) will come against the lifter d
setting free the train of wheels thus closing the slot at once. This slot will then
remain closed, but in ten minutes the next slot lower down will be opened by the
second pin c raising the lifter d which then falls from the second pin o and stops the
mechanism, leaving this slot last above named open in its turn for the next twenty
minutes and so on.
Thus it will be evident that the first check slot will close (say) at six precisely
and all checks dropped in before that time will fall into the six o'clock division or
drawer. No more checks can then be dropped in for ten minutes after which the
next slot below opens and all checks then dropped in will fall into the 6.30 division
and so on day and night, the clock and checking apparatus being wound up once a
week and as each check has its own distinctive number by separately examining the
checks in each division or drawer the time of each workman can be correctly
checked.
It will be readily understood that by a very simple arrangement the apparatus
may be adapted to allow a certain amount of "grace "after the exact time at six
o'clock or at any other time if desired, and that by arranging the pins accordingly
the apparatus can be made to work for a certain time at (say) six o'clock, then for
a certain time at the breakfast and dinner hours only, or at any other time as may
be required, instead of working at each ten and twenty minutes as may be
preferred.
The check for overtime is as previously described taken by the second cylinder k¹
to which separate divisions in the drawers p are appropriated.
To prevent the spur wheels and from revolving when the spring is wound up
the spur and mitre wheels are worked by both first and second motion wheels.
Behind the spur wheel g is fixed a double ratchet-work on the fusee arbor, and a
pinion attached to the second motion arbor s which runs in the spur wheel g.
For "repeating" purposes in case the apparatus, owing to neglect in winding up,
or otherwise should get out of synchronism with the "going" part of the clock we
provide the lifter d with an arm d¹ to which we attach a wire the end of which
can easily be reached on opening the casing in order to give motion to the cylinders
and bring the slots round to the required time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The improved workman's time checker connected to and worked by a specially
constructed spring clock movement provided with a cylinder or cylinders having
sloping ducts and drawers to the same and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawing annexed.
Dated this 21st day of July 1892
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.