AN IMPROVED DETECTING APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING THE TIME OF WATCHMEN, MECHANICS, AND OTHER EMPLOYES,
Year: 1866

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Jacob Edward Buerk at
the Office of the" Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 12th October 1866; pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JACOBS
EDWARD BUERK, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, now of
'No. 97, Cheapside, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
DETECTING APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING THE TIME OF WATCHMEN, MECHANICS,
AND OTHER EMPLOYES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the
same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am the true and first
Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jacob Edward Buerk, do hereby
declare that the following 'Complete Specification, under my hand and seal
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings forming part of
this Specification:
This Invention relates to novel means for insuring the proper care and
attendance of watchmen during the night and at other times when personal

page_text: supervision would be inconvenient or impossible, and also to means for more.
correctly and economically keeping account of the time and attendance of
mechanics and other operators in factories and other places where the present
system of time keeping necessitates the employment of numerous clerks for
that purpose.
The said Invention consists chiefly in the combination with the ordinary
parts of a watch or clock of certain registery devices which are operated by
suitable keys to form impressions or perforations upon dials or indexes of card,
paper, or other similar material, the exact time at which each impression is
formed being shewn by figures or other characters upon the said dial repre-
senting the hours and other usual divisions of time.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front or face view of a time-keeping apparatus; Figure 2 is
a section through the said. apparatus on the line x, x, Figure 1 ; Figure s
represents the apparatus with the outer case removed; Figure 4 represents 1
one of the recording dials or indexes used with the apparatus; Figure 5
represents a series of keys used in connection with the said apparatus; and
Figure 6 represents a second series of the same. Like letters refer to corre-
sponding parts in each of the Figures.
inter-
A is an outer case or box having an adjustable lid or cover B which can f
'be readily removed when required to allow access to the interior of the
apparatus. The said case or box is made of brass or other, suitable material,
and is provided with a lock whereby the cover B is securely fastened thereon,
the time-keeping and registering devices being thus protected against
ference from those over whom it is desired to exercise supervision. B' is the f
keyhole of the lock of the cover B, and B' is a pin or stud which assists in
holding the said cover. The works or ordinary parts of the time-keeping
mechanism are supported in the usual manner between the plates C, but
instead of being arranged to operate movable hands, as in watches and, clocks
of ordinary construction, these, works operate a disc or face D which revolves s
upon its axis or arbor D' in the direction of the arrow, Figure 1, once in
twelve or any other desired number of hours. Upon the face of the disc D
the recording dials E are placed, which turn with the disc D; the time is
shewn upon, the, said dials by the fixed pointer F, the hours being indicated
by the large figures, and the minor divisions of time by the small figures; the 9
said pointer is by preference provided with a recess or groove to receive the
points of the springs. The annular spaces or rings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, on the
dials E correspond with the number of rooms, buildings, or other stations to

page_text: be visited by the watchman or other person carrying the apparatus. To
ensure the required exactitude in the registering or recording devices it is
essential that the dials E should be firmly supported upon the disc D, and
should move in strict unison therewith without the slightest independent
movement in either direction, otherwise the dials E will revolve in a greater
or less time than the disc D, and the hours and other periods of time will not
be correctly indicated. This secure connection between the said 'dials and
disc is effected by means of the collar G having the holes or perforations b
and the corresponding pins or points c in the disc D, which are so arranged
that when the recording dia! E is placed properly over the disc D, and the
collar placed in the correct position over the said dial and pressed down
thereon, the points c will pass up through the dial E into these perforations,
and thus secure the disc and dial firmly together. The proper adjustment of
the collar G is facilitated by the spring catch d formed thereon, which fits
into the slot or groove e formed in the boss f. The series of springs a¹, a², a³,
a, a, a, correspond with the annular spaces 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, on the recording
dials E. The points b¹, 6, 63, 6, 65, 66, are bent at right angles, or nearly so,
and project through the top plate C immediately, under the fixed hand or
pointer F, and in contact with the under surface of the recording dial E. By
raising any one of these springs slightly its point will be forced through this
dial, and will form a hole or impression therein, the exact time at which this
impression is produced being shewn by the figures on the said dial. This
operation of the springs is effected by means of the keys H, shewn separately.
in Figures 5 and 6, which are inserted through the keyhole H' in the case A,
the said keyhole being protected by the sliding guard H. "These keys (whose
barrels fit over the stud I) are marked with numbers corresponding with the
numbers on the annular spaces on the recording dials E and the springs a,
the wards g of the said keys being so formed that each key will operate that
spring only which is numbered to correspond therewith. The possibility of
any one of these keys being made to operate the wrong spring is prevented by
the stop and shoulder i, the distance between which corresponds' exactly with
the distance between the points j and k of the keys H. The cover B being
removed from the case A the clock is wound up by a key placed upon thé
axis or arbor D'; a hole is formed by means of a suitable punch in the centré
of one of the dials or indexes E'; the collar G being also removed the said
dial or index E is placed over the arbor D, and turned' round till 'the correct
time is indicated thereon by the fixed pointer F. The collar G being care!
fully adjusted till the perforations therein come exactly opposite the points o
the said collar is pressed firmly down upon the face of the disc D; the cover B

page_text: J...
is then replaced upon the box A, and is locked thereon, the key used for this'
purpose being removed. The interior of the apparatus is thus rendered in-
accessible to the watchman except by means of the keys H; these latter are'
fastened by chains or other suitable means of attachment in the different rooms
or stations to be visited. The watchman in visiting each of the said stations
inserts the key belonging thereto through the keyhole H', and turns it, thereby'
operating the corresponding spring.
In Figure 2 the key of station No. 1 is shewn in the apparatus, spring
being raised thereby, and its point forced through the index E; the said
spring rising makes a dot or perforation in the recording index E in the'
annular space having a number corresponding to the number of the station,>
the exact time at which the key was used being indicated by the relative
position of the dot or perforation with the figures denoting the hours and other
divisions of time upon the dial E. The time the watchman remains in each
station at each visit may be ascertained by his being made to turn the key H
on entering and leaving the said station.
"
To render this description more clear a recording index which has been'
used is shown at Figure 4. On this index the dots shew that station No. 1
was visited at balf-past eight; station No. 2 at a quarter past ten; station
No. 3 at twelve o'clock; station No. 4 at half-past one; station No. 5 at ten
minutes past three; and station No. 6 at five o'clock, the watchman remaining
half an hour in the latter. If there are more than six stations to be visited
they will be represented upon the dials E by double dots or perforations. A
series of keys for the same is represented in Figure 6, the wards of each of
the said keys being formed to operate two of the springs a.
2
The apparatus represented in the Drawings is constructed more especially
for the use of watchmen. It can be carried in a pouch attached to a belt ór
strap, and will be delivered up to his employer or other authorized person
every morning or other time when the watchman comes off duty. The index E
being removed and examined any negligence on the part of the said watchman
will be immediately detected. An accurate and effectual means of super
vision being thus established the required attention and diligence on the part
of the watchman or other person in charge will be ensured.
When employed as a timekeeper to record the attendance of mechanics
and other workmen at their duties the apparatus may be made larger, and the
recording dials or indexes may have any desired number of annular spaces.
Each workman will have a key numbered to correspond with one of the said
annular spaces, and by inserting the said key as he enters or leaves the place
where he is employed the time of his coming to work, and the number of

page_text: hours he has been employed, will be correctly shown. The clerk or other
person in charge on removing the dial or index will thus have an accurate
report of each man's attendance during any given number of hours and the
expense of a number of clerks for this purpose is avoided. The registering
and recording devices may be readily applied to watches and clocks already
in use.
Having thus fully described my improvements, and shewn how the same
may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim,-
First, the recording indexes or dials E (having the figures and divisions
marked thereon) employed for the purpose and substantially in the manner
set forth.
Second, the combination with the ordinary working parts of a watch or
clock of the disc D, the dials E, pointer F, collar G, springs a, stud I,.
stop i, and shoulder h, for the purposes and substantially in the manner set
forth.
Third, the collar G (provided with the spring catch d, and having the per-
forations 6 arranged to correspond with the points c) constructed and employed
for the purpose and substantially in the manner set forth.
Fourth, the spindle I, stop h, and shoulder i, for insuring the correct
operation of each of the keys H upon the springs a, arranged substantially in
the manner set forth.
Fifth, the employment of the keys H in connection with the above described
detecting apparatus, the wards of the said keys being formed and the keys
employed substantially in the manner set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacob Edward Buerk, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JOHANNES BÜRK.
JACOB EDWARD BUERK. (L.S.)