Improvements in Apparatus for Recording and Displaying Messages.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 19th June, 1889-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Recording and Displaying
Messages.
I, FREDERICK HOWCROFT, of 11 Hart Street, Covent Garden, London, Seedsman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to my improvements, I arrange one or, more sets of desks, slabs, or
slopes, side by side, over which desks, or slopes, paper or other material can be
passed by suitable means, either with or without the insertion of a coin, as may
be desired, said desks or slabs may be of segmental, or other form and be
rotated, so that each flat or segmental surface when the roller is rotated, presents
a fresh surface of paper or material upon which the message can be written.
When a given length of material, has been used off the first roller or desk,
appliances such as friction or toothed wheels or cogs will move to cause the next
segmental, or other slab or desk to be operated, the first one being simultaneously
thrown out of action or remains stationary and so on until the whole of the rollers,
desks, or flaps will have been brought into use.
I also arrange a pivotted slide or screen working in connection with a lever
between the casing and the material, upon which the message is to be written
and preventing access to the same until such time as may be desired.
In order that the messages may not be visible, I provide a suitable screen,
which may take the form of doors releasable for being opened either with or
without the insertion of a coin as may be required.
The material as written can be gathered behind the screen and held in tension
by suitable means and passed over a roller or bar at the upper part of the casing,
said message or messages remaining out of sight until the screen has been removed
by any desired means.
I purpose arranging mechanism within the casing, which can be operated only
after the receipt of a coin, the screen being also preferably operated for exposing
the messages after the receipt of another coin in a different part of the apparatus.
In some cases the strips or bands of material may have slates, or other bodies,
or surfaces affixed and these can be presented as desired for being written on, or
otherwise having a message recorded.
The strips may be carried by rollers operated by toothed wheels, or by endless
gear.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Recording and Displaying
.Messages.
I FREDERICK HOWOROFT of 11 Hart Street, Covent Garden, London, Seedsman,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to a novel arrangement of appliances constituting a machine
in which paper (reel or sheet) can be fitted and be moved after the insertion of
a coin or token to enable said paper to be exposed through openings for messages
to be written thereon, the paper when the apparatus is closed hiding the message
behind a screen which can only be moved to uncover the message after. another
DQ27

page_text: Figure 1, of the annexed drawings, is a side sectional elevation of the apparatus
constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan.
Figure 3 is a back view of the mechanism.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are modifications.
Referring more particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 3 which représent a cabinet
provided with two reels of paper A, A, with appliances for shifting the coin shoot
from the first reel of paper to the second when the first has been filled with
messages.
The paper
A from the rolls held in the brackets B passes between the friction
rollers U, D, E over the small roller I beneath the opening Gover slab covered by
quadrant shaped flap H and behind the roller I to the top roller J ferminating in a
weight K. Between 1 and J any messages written upon the paper can be inspected
through the glazed front of the cabinet in the manner hereinafter described.
To record a message a coin is inserted in the slot I and falls down the shoot 1,1
into the end piece M of the bar N, hereinafter termed the operating bar, the coin
lodging upon a ratchet stop P. Upon pulling the handle Q of the draw bar F the
cranked arm T at the end of the draw bar comes into contact with the top or boitoin
of the coin, as the case may be, see Figure 3, pressing against it and moving it forward
--with the operating bar in which the coin has lodged itself, in so doing, the coin by
acting on the incline S raises the paul Rof which it is a part, clear of the stop RT,
allowing the draw and operating bar to move the full extent. This movement of the
bar N by means of the pin U working in one of the arms of the closing flap H
uncovers the opening G and at the same time three pauls a, b, c, of equal pitch with
the teeth of a ratchet wheel d into which they gear turns same a distance of three teeth
in the direction of the arrow together, with the friction rollers C, D, E, and drawing
back the paper A an amount equal to the distance between the writing opening G
and the glazed opening V, or say 1 inches.
To get rid of the coin and to hold the closing flap H in position while the message
is being recorded, the handle Q is given a half turn and is locked by the feather F¹
preventing any backward movement: this half turn puts bent arm T into a vertical
position; the coin being free falls into any convenient receptacle.
When the handle Q is turned after being drawn out, a pine on the bar F turns with
it and is placed behind the collar f¹¹ of the operating bar N to prevent it returning,
which it would otherwise do under the action of the spring r.
The message having been written, the handle Q is turned back until the feather F¹-
is opposite its featherway and the pin e in a vertical position, the bar N, being then
drawn back under the action of the spring r. This backward motion is utilized to
allow the message to go up 3 inches in the following manner. Upon the opposite
side of the operating bar N to that on which the three pauls a, b, c, are other three
pauls g, h, i, of suitable pitch set in the opposite direction and gearing into a ratchet
wheel with teeth of double pitch to that of the wheel d consequently upon the
backward movement of the draw and operating bars, the paper moves double the
distance i.e. 3 inches.
When 18 or any predetermined number of messages have been recorded the
weight K has descended to the bottom and comes into contact with a platform k on
the spindle turning the pinion m and moving the money shoot L¹ from end piece M
to end piece M by means of the rack n, said money shoot being pivotted at. p.
The same operation is continued during eighteen messages on this side of the
cabinet which is now full.
The shutter 7 hiding the messages from view is a blind; it has a weight at one end
and is fastened to a roller at the other, but with a margin left through which can be
viewed the initials or name of the person for whom the message is intended.

page_text: On the spindle of the roller ³ a cord s is wound, one end being fastened to a lever f¹,
and on a coin being inserted at a' it falls down the shoot & into a balanced.coin
receiver c¹ depressing it a certain distance, raising the opposite end d³ in which are
cut ratchet teeth free of the tooth e' of the blind lever f¹ which can now be pulled
down rotating the roller 7 and raising the blind the tooth el of the lever fl
approaching the bottom of its stroke strikes against the lump of the balanced coin
receiver and pushes it sufficiently far for the coin to fall out of c¹.
Upon releasing the blind the falling weight on the blind assisted by the return:
action of the spring g¹ returns the lever f¹ to its first position.
Referring to the modification shown at Figures 4, 5 and 6 the paper does not come
from a reel but is attached to the top and bottom bars of a frame, the sides being
formed of an epicycloidal and ratchet toothed racks respectively working in guides
and held in position by a spring bolt, which when the shutter plate H is drawn out
uncovering the aperture for recording a message upon the paper A then exposed is
released from the ratchet toothed rack by the intervening mechanism allowing the
rack frame and paper attached to fall a distance of one tooth only, being intercepted
by the instantaneous return of the spring bolt, but when the shutter plate H is
returned, the rack frame and paper upon which the message has been-written goes up
a distance corresponding to the pitch of two ratchet teeth, the spring boltz holding it
in position, so that the message last written is exposed behind glazed openings in
the front of the cabinet, and can only be inspected after the receipt of another
coin for removing the shutters as explained with reference to my previous appli-
cation for Patent No. 1689888.
In the front of the cabinet just above the desks is a tablet marked No. 1 (see
Figure 4 and 4*) to indicate that No. 1 shutter plate H can be drawn out and
when all the paper belonging to No. 1 has been filled, the pin K comes into
contact with the bell crank , shifts the coin spout L' over for the operation of
No. 2 desk in the same manner as explained with reference to Figure 1. No. 2
simultaneously appearing on the tablet under the action of the bell crank k. k. and
connecting rod indicating that No. 2 desk alone can be operated on for the
reception of the writing. As each successive coin is dropped down the shoot L'
it falls on a balanced coin receiver c¹ which in turns lifts the bolt d³ and enables
the shutter plate H to be drawn out, uncovering the paper A immediately above
the writing slab H³, the shutter plate H may be held in any convenient manner
while the message is being written and on being released closes automatically by
means of springs t, the paper A being carried upwards behind the glass but
hidden from view by a screen q.
The paper A is fastened to the bottom frame bar u, passes over a roller v, up
to and over the desk slab H³, then under the top roller v¹, to the upper frame
bar u sufficient slack being allowed to permit it working up and down freely
over the slab.
Each of the shutter plates form a frame H' and the underneath portion is pro-
vided with a rack to be geared with a wheel y, said wheel turning freely on
the spindle as the shutter is drawn out. On being returned a pawl engages the
ratchet wheel y fixed to the spindle and turns it together with the wheel
gearing with the epicycloidal toothed rack raising the frame and paper the
required distance for exposing the message behind the glazed openings. The
falling of the rack frame is accomplished as follows: As the shutter plate H is
drawn out an arm u is drawn forward, its opposite end being thrown backward
to withdraw the spring, bolt z from the ratchet toothed rack, so that said rack
has free motion to fall. By this time, the pin moving the arm u has passed over
the end of same, allowing the spring bolt to return and engage the following
tooth of the rack intercepting it from any further fall and holding in position
until the shutter plate is returned when the whole frame is lifted up in the
manner before described by the epicycloidal rack on the other side of the
frame,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The particular combination and arrangement of appliances shown at Figures 1,
2 and 3 of the annexed drawings constituting an apparatus in which messages
can be written and recorded on web or reel paper after the reception of a coin
and said messages be rendered visible after the reception of another coin, as set
forth.
2. The particular modification or arrangement of apparatus shown at Figures 4,
5 and 6 of the annexed drawings constituting an apparatus in which messages
can be written and recorded on sheets or strips of paper after the reception of a
_coin and said messages be rendered visible after the reception of another coin as
set forth.
Th 10th 1
1000
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said F: Howcroft...