IMPROVE- MENTS IN MECHANISM FOR OBTAINING STEP-BY-STEP ROTARY MOTION, APPLICABLE TO COUNTERS OR REGISTERING MECHANISM AND TO OTHER PURPOSES Communicated to him
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel of No: 28 Southampton Buildings
Chancery Lane, in the county of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MECHANISM FOR OBTAINING STEP-BY-STEP ROTARY MOTION,
APPLICABLE TO COUNTERS OR REGISTERING MECHANISM AND TO OTHER
PURPOSES Communicated to him from abroad by Alexander Kaiser of
Berlin in the German Empire
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th January 1883.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR OBTAINING STEP-
BY-STEP ROTARY MOTION, APPLICABLE TO COUNTERS OR REGISTERING MECHANISM
AND TO OTHER PURPOSES [Communicated to him from abroad by Alexander
Kaiser of Berlin in the German Empire]
"
According to the present invention, a toothed wheel, whose teeth project at right
angles from the face of the wheel is made to gear with a wheel having either only
a single tooth or two or more teeth whose pitch is a multiple of that of the first
named wheel, so that by its rotation its tooth or teeth impart a step by step
motion to the first named wheel. During the time that the said single or double &c
toothed driving wheel does not gear with the driven wheel, a projecting rim on its
periphery provided with a gap or gaps corresponding with the position of its tooth
or teeth, passes between the teeth of the driven wheel and thus locks it in the
position into which it has been moved by the tooth or teeth, until the said tooth
again arrives in position for imparting motion thereto.
By this construction the advantage over other step by step motions is gained, that
a very easy motion is afforded, while ratchet and pawl mechanisms are dispensed
with, and the accurate relative motion of the two wheels insures the proper gearing
of the single tooth with the successive teeth of the driven wheel at each revolution
of the former, so that no catching of the teeth is possible. Furthermore, any
getting out of order of the mechanism by the deposit of dust upon or oxidation, or

page_text: wearing away of the contact surfaces is prevented, as the driven wheel, although
correctly locked by the rim of the driver, is held with sufficient looseness to
prevent its action being affected by such causes.
According to another modification, applicable where the driving wheel has a
reciprocating or pendulum motion, this wheel has no teeth at all, but the before
mentioned rim has inclined faces formed on it at the the gap, which act as teeth
against corresponding inclined faces on the teeth of the driven wheel, so that at
each reciprocation of the rim it first moves the driven wheel one step and then,
entering between the teeth as before, it locks the wheel until the reverse incline on
the other side of the gap imparts movement to another tooth of the wheel, on the
return motion of the driving wheel.
The invention is particularly applicable to counters or registering mechanism, in
which case the several wheels of the train receiving step by step motion are
provided with external rings marked with numerals, as in ordinary counters, and
according to the present invention, when such rings are made of porcelain, the
wheel has a circular groove formed in it, into which is fitted a caoutchouc ring, and
upon the projecting outer surface of this is fitted the porcelain ring, so that this is
held with sufficient elasticity to prevent its fracture.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th July 1883.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR OBTAINING STEP-
BY-STEP ROTARY MOTION, APPLICABLE TO COUNTERS OR REGISTERING MECHANISM
AND TO OTHER PURPOSES" A communication to me from abroad by Alexander
Kaiser of Berlin in the German Empire
According to the present invention a toothed wheel, whose teeth project at right
angles from the face of the wheel is made to gear with a wheel having either a
single tooth, or two or more teeth whose pitch is a multiple of that of the first
named wheel, so that by its rotation its tooth or teeth impart a stop-by-step motion
to the first named wheel. During the time that the said single or double &c
toothed driving wheel does not gear with the driven wheel, a projecting rim on its
periphery provided with a gap or gaps corresponding with the position of its tooth
or teeth, passes between the teeth of the driven wheel and thus locks it in the
position into which it has been moved by the tooth or teeth, until the said tooth
again arrives in position for imparting motion thereto.
By this construction the advantage over other step-by-step motions is gained
that a very easy motion is afforded, while ratchet and pawl mechanisms are dis-
pensed with and the accurate relative motion of the two wheels insures the proper
gearing of the single tooth with the successive teeth of the driven wheel at each
revolution of the former, so that no catching of the teeth is possible. Furthermore,
any getting out of order of the mechanism by the deposit of dust upon or
oxidation or wearing away of the contact surfaces is prevented, as the driven wheel,
although correctly locked by the rim of the driver, is held with sufficient looseness
to provent its action being affected by such causes.
Figs 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings shew respectively an elevation,
a plan and a section of ono arrangement of the above described mechanism. A is a
disc, revolving on the spindle a a' and having a single tooth b and a circular
rim c c² c³, gearing with a second toothed wheel B revolving on an axis à d³, and
having teeth e e projecting from its face. Figs 4 to 12 shew diagrams of the
various relative positions of the two wheels, indicating the manner in which each
rotation of A effects the turning of B through the distance of one tooth, and locks
it in that position until the next revolution of A commences. Thus at Figs 1, 4, 5
and 6, the wheel B is being held stationary by the rim c c¹ c² of the wheel A
passing through the spaces of its teeth; at Figs 7, 8. and 9, the wheel B is being
turned on tenth of a revolution by the tooth of A, while at Figs 10, 11 and 12,
B is being again held in position by the rim of A, while this is completing its
revolution. It will be evident that other forms of teeth may be employed for both
wheels in place of those shewn.
Fig 13 shews an arrangement in which one revolution of A turns B one twelfth
of a revolution, and locks it during the time the tooth b is not in gear. In the
arrangement at Fig 14 the wheel A has two teeth so that B receives two movements
by each rotation of A. Figs 15, 16 and 17 show the application of the invention
to the effecting of a step-by-step rotary motion of B by means of a reciprocating
rotary motion of A. In this case the tooth b is dispensed with, the motion of B
being effected by the inclined face of the ring c¹ at c and c² acting against the
inclined faces of the teeth e of B. Figs 18 and 19 shew the extreme positions
of A, while Fig 15 shews the middle position. From these it will be seen that the

page_text: ring c c¹ c³ is never entirely out of gear with B, so that there is no possibility of
the derangement of the motion.
Figs 20 and 21 shew the application of the mechanism to a counter or registering
apparatus, the motion being first imparted from a wheel A to a wheel B, and then
from the latter to a second wheel A by gearing f, while the second wheel A imparts
its motion to a second wheel B, and so on. The wheels B are provided with rings
marked with numerals as in ordinary counters, and when. these are made of
porcelain they are secured by caoutchouc rings as shown at Figs 22 and 23, the
caoutchouc ring D being inserted into a groove g in the wheel B while the porcelain
ring Z is fitted over the ring D, and being thus held in an elastic and yielding
manner, is protected from fracture. Figs 24 and 25 shew the mode of fixing a
metal ring Z, on the wheel.
Having thus described the nature of the said invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim :-
First. The use for obtaining a step-by-step rotary motion, of a disc having one
or more segments of a ring on its periphery, and one or more teeth, so arranged in
combination with a wheel having teeth or pallets projecting from its face that the
segment or segments of the ring in passing between the teeth of the wheel lock or
hold this stationary when it is not actuated by the tooth or teeth of the disc,
substantially as herein described.
Second. The use for obtaining step-by-step rotary motion from a reciprocating
rotary motion, of a disc having a projecting segment of a ring with inclined faces
operating in combination with a wheel having teeth or pallets with inclined faces,
substantially as herein described with reference to Figs 15 to 19 of the drawings.
Third. The use of the mechanism for obtaining step-by-step rotary motion
referred to in the preceding claims for counters or registering mechanism, sub-
stantially as described, with reference to Figs 20 and 21 of the drawings.
Fourth. The use for the wheels of counters, of rings of porcelain marked with
numerals and secured to the wheels by means of caoutchouc rings, substantially as
herein described with reference to Figs 22 and 23 of the drawings.
In Witness whereof I the said Charles Denton Abel have hereunto set my
band and seal this sixth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty-three.
CHAS D AREL