Improvements in Workmen's Time Recorders.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Workmen's Time Recorders.
We JOHN CLIFFORD ENGLISH of No. 1501 Broadway in the City and County
of New York, in the State of New York, United States of America, Inventor,
and ROBERT LYON BURNETT of No. 75 Hillside Avenue, Plainfield in the State
of New Jersey, Gentleman, 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 :-
Our invention relates to an improvement in workmen's time recorders in which
provision is made for obtaining a record of the number by which each workman
is designated, and the time, in hours and minutes, at which such workmen entered
upon or left his duties.
The invention broadly contemplates one or more movable type carriers, subject
to the operation of a number of varying keys, to adjust them into varying positions
corresponding to the number or character by which the party holding the key is
designated, and a time printing mechanism subject to a time-keeping mechanism,
the time printing mechanism being arranged to conform to the printing portion of
the movable type carriers, and mechanism for receiving the impression, the latter
being set in motion at the time of the inserting of the key.
A practical embodiment of our invention is represented in the accompanying
drawings, in which―
Fig. 1 is a view of the recorder in side elevation, a portion of the casing being
removed to show the operative parts in assembled adjustment.
Fig. 2 is a partial view, in side elevation, showing the parts in the act of making
a record.
Fig. 3 is a partial plan view, showing the position of the key, and certain of the
parts immediately operated thereby.
Fig. 4 is a view of a portion of the strip upon which the record is made, and the
impression roller showing one of the records.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in detail of the mechanism for advancing the hour
printing wheel at intervals of each hour.
Fig. 6 is a view of the same showing the parts in another position.
Fig. 7 is a view in front elevation of the swinging stop shewn in side elevation
in Figs. 5 and 6, together with the parts which operate it; and
Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the keys, a diagram being shown in connection
therewith for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the number of different keys
that may be formed, within convenient limits, to record different numbers in the
recorder.
A represents a casing of any suitable size and shape conveniently provided with
a cross partition or bar a for supporting certain parts of the recorder. Within
the casing, one or more movable type carriers B are supported. In the present
instance, we have shown three type carriers B, mounted upon or suspended from a
cross shaft or stud b, and having their lower faces b' arc shaped, and provided with
a series of type projecting therefrom at regular intervals. The type with
which we have here provided the carriers, is intended to represent on each carrier
the series of numerals from 0 to 9 inclusive. The carriers are arranged side by
side upon the shaft b, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and their upper ends project a
short distance above the shaft, as shown at 6, and serve as operating handles or
bars for swinging the carriers on the shaft.
Several horizontally sliding push rods or bars C, one for each carrier, are
supported by a bracket or other suitable support c, fixed to the casing, in such
position, that their inner ends will engage the upwardly projecting ends, b³ of the

page_text: carriers, and when the said rods are pushed inwardly, will serve to rock the carriers.
The outer ends of said push rods project into an opening c¹ through to the outside
of the casing for the reception of the key D. The latter is preferably formed of a
thin plate of metal, and is provided on its inner end with a shoulder d, which is
adapted to abut against a shoulder within the opening e', and limit the thrust of
the key within the casing. The inner end of the key is provided with tongues d,,
and d³, of the same or varying lengths, here shown as of varying lengths, which,
when the key is thrust in to its full extent, will rock the type carriers B more or
less, so as to bring certain type carried thereby into alignment transversely to a
certain point in their paths of movement, in the present instance the lowerinost
point.
Various
If, therefore, a key have a tongue sufficiently long to rock one of the type
carriers B a full stroke, that is sufficient to carry it from the position with its
type O lowermost to a position with its type 9 lowermost, such tongue, when the
key is inserted, will bring the type carrier into position to print 9.
differences in the length of the tongue will of course swing the type carrier
sufficient to bring various other figures between 0 and 9 to the lowermost point, or
in a position to print. It will therefore be readily seen that a key provided with
three tongues used in connection with the three swinging type carriers B, may,
by varying the lengths of the tongues, operate the swinging type carriers, so as
to bring into alignment the requisite figures to print the numbers from 0 to 999
inclusive. It will further be seen that there will need be but slight variation in
the lengths of the tongues upon the key, in order to swing the type carriers, the
distance between one type and the next succeeding, because of their acting upon
the short end 3 of the swinging type carrier. We have denoted in a diagram in
connection with Fig. 8, the different lengths of the tongues on the key which
correspond to the distances between the two types, and have indicated in heavy
lines thereon the lengths of three tongues corresponding respectively to the
types 7, 2, and 5, and a key constructed with the tongues corresponding to those
numbers, is shown in position with its tongues engaged with the push rods in
Fig. 3. It is intended that when the parts are in their normal positions, the outer
ends of the push rods will lie flush with the shoulder against which the key
abuts, and the line upon the key drawn as a continuation of the shoulder d, will
denote the O line, that is, when the tongue does not project beyond the shoulder d,
the type 0 upon the carrier B will be in position to print.
The swinging type carriers B are held normally swung back in the position
shown in Fig. 1, in the present instance by means of springs 4, and because of their
engagement at their upper ends with the ends of the push rods, the said push
rods are, by the same means, held normally in forward adjustment, flush with the
shoulder in the key opening, and are prevented from an outward movement
beyond such position by means of shoulders, clearly shown in Fig. 2.
The mechanism, as thus far described, is that by which each one of a number of
workman, provided with the key corresponding to the number by which he is
identified, inay, by the insertion of the key, bring a series of type into position for
printing his number. In connection with such mechanism, we have provided
means for presenting the number of the hour and minute of time in position to be
printed simultaneously with the number which identifies each workman. The
particular mechanism which we have adopted in the present instance, is a wheel E,
loosely mounted upon the shaft 6°, and provided upon its periphery with a series of
type e at regular intervals apart, and indicating the minutes from 0 to 59 inclusive.
Loosely mounted upon the same shaft 6, and in proximity to the minute printing
wheel E, I provide an hour printing wheel F, provided on its periphery with
type, located at regular intervals, and indicating the hours from 1 to 12 inclusive.
The hour and minute printing wheels F and E are actuated by means of a time
mechanism, esentially a clock, so that the hour and minute denoting the time of
day will be at all times indicated by the type on the hour printing wheel, and the
type on the minute printing" wheel which occupies the lowermost point of their

page_text: path, or in alignment with the lowermost type upon the swinging type carriers B
This is accomplished in the present instance as follows:-
The minute printing wheel E has fixed to rotate therewith a toothed wheel e¹³,
preferably a sixty toothed wheel, caused to rotate in unison with the minute hand
wheel G of the clockwork by the intermediate dummy gear wheel g. The distance
between any two successive types upon the minute printing wheel is so small, that
the said minute printing wheel may be caused to rotate continuously without
interfering with the successful operation of printing. The hour printing wheel F is
however given a step by step motion each hour to change the type printing the
previous hour to the one for printing the present or next successive hour. To
accomplish this, a twelve toothed ratchet wheel H is secured to rotate with the hour
printing wheel F. A pawl h, preferably a gravity pawl as here shown, is pivotally
secured to the arm i of a rocking lever in such position that its free end will engage
the teeth of the wheel H, and will be automatically held in engagement with the
periphery of the wheel, because of its weighted end. The rocking lever which
carries the pawl is pivoted upon a suitable support, as, for example, a stul 1, and
its upper arm i', or that opposite the arm i, extends over the arbor g¹ carrying the
minute wheel and hand of the clock (see Figs. 1, 5, and 6). The arm of said
rocking lever is weighted so as to hold the said arm depressed, and the arm i thereby
rocked forward, tending to force the pawl normally toward the most advanced limit
of its stroke. We have here shown the arm provided with an adjustable weight i³.
A snail cam g' is fixed to rotate with the minute wheel G upon the arborg, and
forms a bearing for the end of the arm i¹ of the rocking lever. From this it follows,
that as the canı g² rotates each hour in the direction denoted by the arrows in
Figs. 5 and 6, the end of the arm of the rocking lever will drop from the extremity
of the cam, as shown in Fig. 5, onto the innermost portion, as shown in Fig. 6.
The cam is so located with respect to the time mechanism, that the end of the
armill reach the extremity of the cam at the end of each hour, and therefore
the lever will be rocked at the end of each hour, and by the engagement of the
pawl with the ratchet wheel H, will force said ratchet wheel, and the hour
printing wheel fixed thereto, forward one step, bringing the next hour type in
position to print.
For the purpose of locking the hour printing wheel in position during the hour,
and while the pawl h is being gradually carried by its locking lever support into
position to again advance the wheel, I provide a depending stop K, provided upon
its shank with a pair of short laterally extending arms or lugs k, adapted to engage
the opposite sides of two successive pins &, projecting laterally from the side of the
hour printing wheel F, and corresponding to the number or hour printing
types, and hence to the number of teeth upon the wheel H.
The
The lower
end of the stop K is provided with a bevelled face ³, for the purpose of allowing
the end of the stop-operating dog L to pass it upon its return movement.
stop-operating dog L is pivotally secured in the free end of the arm i of the rocking
lever, and is provided with a weighted end 1, which tends to hold it normally in
engagement with the stop on the end of the lever. The operating end /* of the
dog is provided with a laterally projecting stud or pin 13, which, when the arm i of
the rocking lever advances, will engage the lower end of the stop K, and release it
from the pins on the hour printing wheel, and thereby leave the said wheel free
to be rotated under the impulse of the pawl h. The stop K is provided a short
distance above its lower end with an opening, which, when the stop has been
swung forward out of engagement with the pins k', will be brought into alignment
with the stud 13 on the dog L, and will allow the said stud to pass through, and the
stop K will thereby be left free to return into position to engage the next succeeding
pin k. The gradual change of the stud P, from its position upon the stop shown in
Fig. 5, to a position in alignment with the opening during the swinging of the
rocking lever, is caused by the distances between the centres of the arcs in
which the free end of the arm of the rocking lever, and the free end of
the stop K swing. As it is essential that the stop K shall be thrown

page_text: out of engagement with the pins ¹ in advance of the engagement of the
pawl with the tooth on the ratchet wheel F, the lever which supports the pawl h
is given a rocking movement sufficient to carry the operating end of the pawl
beyond the tooth which it is to engage, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. As the lever
carrying the pawl h and the dog L is gradually returned by the action of the cam g³,
the stud on the dog L will take under the inclined face 4 of the stop, and the
dog L being free to swing in one direction, the said stud will travel along down
the inclined face, and past the stop, into the position shown in Fig. 5, ready for
again operating the stop, when the change of hour shall again be required.
A notch on the arm i of the rocking lever engages one of the pins k', and holds
the wheel temporarily against displacement, until the stop K swings back into
engagement with the pins.
The parts of the time mechanism not hereinabove particularly referred to may
consist of an hour wheel G' provided with a suitable hand, and geared with the
minute wheel so as to make a one twelfth revolution while the minute wheel makes
a complete revolution, as is usual in clockwork, the said wheels being actuated by
one or more spring actuated wheels G, as is common.
An impression roller M is journalled in the end of a vibrating lever fulcrummed
upon a suitable support O, and in position to be swung into and out of contact with
the lowermost line of type upon the type carriers B and the hour and minute type
wheels. Over the roller M'a strip of paper or other suitable material P passes
from a supply roll p to a receiving roller p', the latter preferably under spring
tension, tending to roll the paper thereon as fast as it is fed off from the impression
roller M, but sufficiently yielding to admit of the movement of the impression roller
toward the type. The impression roller has fixed, to rotate therewith, a ratchet
wheel m, with which a spring-pressed pawl m' engages, the latter being pivoted to
a fixed support m³, so that as the impression roller is swung toward the type, the
operating end of the pawl m' will travel past one or more teeth upon the ratchet
wheel m, and when the said impression roller moves away from the type, the said
pawl will force the ratchet wheel m around, and hence the strip P thereon, into
position to receive the next impression.
An inking roller Q is journalled in the arms 7 of a vibrating bell crank lever, the
opposite arm or arms of the lever being connected with the impression roller-
supporting lever, by links. The said bell crank lever which supports the inking
roller, is pivotally secured to a suitable support upon the casing at such a distance
that it may swing into engagement with the faces of the lowermost type upon the
several type carriers B, and the hour and minute printing wheels, and the roller
itself is mounted in elongated bearings, and supported yieldingly therein by means
of springs. The connection of the said bell-crank lever with the impression roller
lever, is such, that when the impression roller is swung toward the type, the
inking roller will be swung away from the type, out of the way, as clearly shown
in Fig. 2.
The said bell crank lever which forms a support for the inking roller, is further
provided with a toe g³, adapted, during the movement of the bell crank lever, to
engage a toe upon a rocking shaft or support q', carrying the bell hammer q³, so
that when the impression roller is swung toward the type, and the inking roller
thereby swung away, the latter will cause the hammer to be lifted away from the
bell R, and allow it to fall back and sound an alarm.
The insertion of the key to set the type carriers and the hour and minute
printing wheels, is made to set in motion the mechanism which actuates the
impression roller lever as follows:-
A spring actuated spur wheel S is held against rotation when the key is not
inserted, by means of an arms, fixed to rotate with a pinion s', which intermeshes
with the spring actuated spur wheel S, the said anns resting with its free end
against the end of a rocking trip levers. A light spring & holds the end of the
trip lever in position to engage the end of the arm s, while the opposite end of
the trip lever extends slightly within the opening for the reception of the key, so

page_text: that it will be rocked when the key is pushed home sufficiently to release its other
end from the arm s. In the present instance, we have shown the end of said lever
projecting slightly above the bottom of the opening for the key (sec Fig. 2),
in position to engage the bevelled end of a rib d on the under side of the key, just
before the key reaches the limit of its inward movement.
In Fig. 2 the key is represented as inserted to the full extent, and the lovers is
there represented as having been depressed at one end by the rib on the key
sufficient to release its opposite end from the arm s, and the pinion s¹ being now free
to rotate, the spur wheel S is also free. There is also in connection with the spur
wheel S, a pinions, preferably having the same number of teeth as the pinion s',
and having fixed to rotate therewith a crank so, the wrist pin of which is connected
with the end of the lever N by a pitman When the spur wheel S is set at
liberty, it will cause the rotation of the pinion st, and with it the crank so, and this,
through the pitman &, will cause the depression of the outer end of the lever N,
and hence the raising of the opposite end of such lever carrying the impression
roller M, bringing the latter with the strip P thereon into contact with the type,
and, by its further movement, swinging the lever N to return the impression
roller M to its depressed adjustment. In order to give the impression roller a
yielding contact with the type, we form the arm n of the lever N to which the
pitman is attached, of some suitable resilient material, spring steel, for example.
If the key D be withdrawn after it has been thrust home, or if it be not held for
a considerable time pressed home to the limit of the stroke, the lever s² will be
permitted to resume its position in the path of the arms, and after the pinion s'
has completed one revolution, the spring-actuated wheel S will be again arrested.
As the pinion s corresponds in size with the pinion s', it will follow that there will
be but one up and down stroke of the lever N, and hence but a single impression
during the single revolution of the pinion s¹. As the bell is sounded within a
moment after the key is thrust to the end of its stroke, and as the impression
roller contacts with the type at about the same moment that the bell rings, there
will be no occasion for pressing the key a further length of time, and it will be
automatically pushed partially out of the socket by the push rods C under the
impulse of the springs 6 attached to the type carriers B, so that it will no longer
prevent the trip levers from assuming its position to stop the pinion s¹, and hence
the spring actuated wheel S, after said pinion s¹ has made one revolution.
As the operation of the several sets of mechanisms have been so fully described
in connection with the description of their construction and arrangement, it will be
unnecessary to repeat the operation in detail.
It may be stated in short as follows:-
The workman upon entering upon or leaving his duties, inserts the key which
corresponds to the number by which he is identified into the opening c', and presses
it to its full extent. This will, through the push rods C, swing one or more of the
type carriers B into position to bring the types which indicate his number in
alignment in their lowermost positions, and the type upon the hour and minute
printing wheels which denote the hour and minute of the day being, at all times in
their lowermost position in alignment with those upon the type carriers B which
have been brought into position by the insertion of the key, the type denoting the
hour, minute, and number of the workman will be in position to print. Just before
the key reaches the limit of its stroke, the mechanism for operating the impression
roller is set in motion, and it is brought into contact with the type, and the hour,
minute, and number recorded. The swinging of the impression roller into position
to receive the impression, operates, as hereinbefore described, to ring the bell, and
the workman is thereby warned that the record is made, and he is at liberty to take
his key and pass on.
In Fig. 4 I have designated a single impression which, when read from the
record, would indicate that the workman identified by the number 725, recorded his
presence at 10 o'clock and 51 minutes.
It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the formation and

page_text: arrangement of the several parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of
our invention; hence we do not wish to limit ourselves strictly to the construction
herein set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination with one or more movable type carriers, varying keys
independent of the type carriers, and having a movement toward the type carriers,
to bring different type into position to print, and time printing devices under the
control of time mechanism, and arranged to print simultaneously with the key
controlled type carriers, of an impression device having a movement toward and
away from the type controlled by the keys and by the time mechanism, of an
impression device actuating mechanism under the control of the keys which operate
the type carriers, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a series of swinging type carriers, each provided with
a curved line of type, and a series of operating bars each having an independent
engagement with one of the swinging type carriers, and being under the control of
varying keys, to swing the type carrier into position to print, of an impression
device, and means for operating it, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with a series of spring actuated swinging type carriers
located side by side, and each provided with a curved line of type, of a series
of sliding operating bars each having an independent engagement with one of the
swinging type carriers, the operating bars being under the common control of
varying keys, to swing the type carriers into position to print, and means for
receiving an impression from the type, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with the swinging type carriers, and the sliding operating
bars adapted to engage the type carriers, to rock them into position to print, said
bars projecting within the key hole or seat of an impression device, mechanism for
actuating the impression device, and a trip device adapted to set in motion the
impression actuating mechanism, the said type device projecting within the key
hole or seat, and adapted to be operated together with the bars for operating the
type carriers, when the key is thrust home, substantially as set forth.
5. The combination with the swinging type carriers and the means for operating
them, of the impression device, a vibrating lever upon which the impression device
is mounted, an actuating wheel held under tension by a tripping device, and inter-
mediate mechanism engaged with the actuating wheel and vibrating lever, for
imparting motion to the vibrating lever, when the actuating wheel is tripped,
substantially as set forth.
6. The combination with the type carriers and the means for operating them, of
a vibrating lever, an impression device carried by the lever, a lever actunting
wheel, a pinion in gear with the actuating wheel, a trip lever in position to lock and
release the pinion, a second pinion in gear with the actuating wheel, and a pitman
connected at one end excentrically to the axis of the second pinion, and at the
other end to the vibrating lever, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination with the type carriers and means for operating them, of a
vibrating lever, one arm of the lever being formed of resilient material, a lever-
actuating device connected with the resilient arm of the lever, and an impression
device carried by the other arm of the lever, substantially as set forth.
8. The combination with the type carriers and means for operating them, of an
inking roller located in position to engage the type, a swinging support for the
inking roller, an impression device under the control of the type carrier operating
means, a reciprocating support for the impression device, and a connection between
the support for the impression device and the support for the inking roller, whereby
the reciprocating movement of the impression device support rocks the inking
roller support, substantially as set forth.
9. In combination with the type carriers, means for operating them, the

page_text: impression device under the control of the type carrier operating means, means
for moving it toward and away from the type, an inking roller support having a
swinging movement under the control of the means for moving the impression
device, and a signal under the control of the swinging inking roller support sub-
stantially as set forth.
10. The combination with one or more swinging type carriers, each provided
with a curved line of type and varying keys having a sliding movement toward and
away from the type carriers for bringing them into position to print, of a minute
printing wheel under the control of a time mechanism, an hour printing wheel under
the control of a time mechanism, the said minute and hour printing wheels being
arranged with their type indicating the hour and minute of time to correspond with
the printing position of the type on the said swinging carriers, and means for
receiving the impression, substantially as set forth.
11. The combination with the swinging type carriers and the varying keys
having a sliding movement toward and away from the type carriers for operating
them, of a minute printing wheel having a continuous movement under the control
of a time mechanism, and an hour printing wheel having a step by step movement
under the control of the time mechanism, and means for receiving the impression,
substantially as set forth.
12. The combination with the hour printing wheel and the time mechanism, of a
series of abutments corresponding to the hours, and secured to rotate with the hour
printing wheel, a rocking weighted lever, a device carried by the lever for engaging
the abutments to rotate the hour printing wheel, and a snail cam carried by the
time mechanism for rocking the lever, substantially as set forth.
13. The combination with the hour printing wheel and the time mechanism, of a
series of teeth corresponding to the hours, and secured to rotate with the hour
printing wheel, a weighted rocking lever, a pawl carried by the lever, and adapted
to engage the teeth, to rotate the hour printing wheel, and a snail cam actuated by
the time mechanism, and having an engagement with the rocking lever to operate
it, substantially as set forth.
14. The combination with the hour printing wheel, provided with a series of
stops, a series of teeth corresponding to the hours, and secured to rotate with the
hour printing wheel and the time mechanism, of the rocking lever, a pawl carried
by the lever and adapted to engage the teeth when swung in one direction, a
swinging stop adapted to engage the stops on the hour printing wheel, a device
carried by the rocking lever in position to release the swinging stop, and a device
upon the time mechanism adapted to operate the rocking lever, substantially as set
forth.
15. In combination, the hour printing wheel provided with a series of stops, a
toothed wheel secured to rotate with the hour printing wheel, a rocking lever, a
swinging pawl carried by the rocking lever and adapted to engage the toothed
wheel, a swinging stop adapted to engage the stops in the hour printing wheel, a
swinging dog carried by the rocking lever and adapted to release the swinging
stop, time mechanism, and a cam carried thereby for operating the rocking lever,
substantially as set forth.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.