Improvements in Watchman Controlling Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Watchman Controlling Apparatus.
I, KARL MULLER, of Elberswalde, in the Province of Brandenbourg, Kingdon
of Prussia, German Empire, Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention refers to watchmen controlling plants of the kind in which the
controlling clock proper (constantly carried by the watchmen) is operated by
being put into a casing fixed at the station to be controlled. There are thus in a
plant of said kind as many fixed casings as there are stations, and they all
co-operate generally with but one clock. The latter contains a disk, which is
provided with concentric circles and with radial lines (the annular spaces between
the former representing the stations, and the wedge-like spaces between said radial
lines representing the hours), and which further is rotated once within twenty-four
hours.
Controlling-clocks of said type have become known by my British Patent
No. 6192/1894, but to avoid making reference to said Patent, I will give at this
place a brief description of the clock in question.
A slide adapted to be moved in radial direction with regard to the center of the
afore-mentioned disk carries an elastic arm with a cog-wheel; the teeth of the
latter are pointed, and produce upon said disk a radial dotted line, the length of
which depends, as a matter of course, upon the extent of the displacement of said
slide. The latter is displaced by pius arranged within the stationary casings; the
lengths of the various pins are different, and there result thus ways of different
lengths of the said slide, and, consequently, different lengths of the dotted lines
produced by the pointed cog-wheel upon the disk. It is, therefore, from the length
of any dotted line to be seen, on which station that line has been produced; or in
other words, the number and the different lengths of the dotted lines show, how
many, and which, stations have been controlled. Moreover, also the time of each
control is indicated by the radial lines printed upon the disk.
Although the system in question offers a great security against omission of the
control, or fraudulent manipulation with the clock, there is the drawback, that, if
the stations controlled are in close proximity to each other, the ends of the two or
more dotted lines get very near one to the other, and there may sometimes arise
doubts as to the station belonging to a certain line. The purpose of my
improvements is to do away with this drawback, and I attain that object by the
construction shown in the accompanying drawing, in which similar numbers of
reference denote similar parts throughout the several views, and in which :
Figure 1 is a vertical section through a stationary casing and a clock, the latter
being half shoved into said casing,
Figure 2 shows a similar view, the clock being fully introduced into the said casing ;;
Fig. 2 represents the relative position of the angular piece 3 with regard to the
indicating disk;
Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on line x-x of Figure 1 ; and
Figure 4 is a plan of the indicating-disk of said clock.
The construction of the controlling-clock is in general the same as that described
in my prior Patent mentioned in the preamble. The slide with its elastic arm and
the pointed cog-wheel have, however, been dispensed with. 1 is the box with its
cover or lid; the partition-wall 4 holds the wheel-work 5, the shaft 6 of which
carries the indicating-disk 7; the latter is fixed to said shaft by the nut 8. 3 is an

page_text: angular piece secured to the lid, that takes through an aperture of the partition-
wall 4, and below the rim of the disk 7; the purpose of said piece is to indicate
any undue opening of the clock If namely, said lid is raised from the box, the
angular piece 3 is compelled to cut through the rim of the disk 7, and said cut will.
therefore, indicate, that the clock has been unduly opened. 24 is the handle of the
clock, which in the form of construction shown is formed into a whistle.
The marking mechanism proper is in my improved construction contained
not within the box of the clock, but within the stationary casing, into
which the clock is to be shoved. There are, therefore, as many marking
mechanisms, as there are stationary casings. Each casing contains a fixed
pin 18 (known from my prior Patent already), which may enter the box 1
through an aperture 12, if said box is shoved into the casing 16. Said pin is not
any more used for effecting the marking, as in my former construction, but supports
by means of a small cross-pin 23 a loose disk 22, which serves to cover the marking-
mechanism proper from below. The latter cannot therefore be viewed from the
open side of the casing, and the details of its construction are prevented from being
easily found out by the watchman or any other person.
The pin 18 is slit, and supports by means of the upper cross-pin 20 a double-
armed lever 19, the lower arm of which is provided with a pointed pin 21, whereas
the upper arm is formed into a weight; the latter tends constantly to keep the
lower arm within the slit of the pin 18, and the whole lever is held in its proper
position of rest by a projection 19. The various pins existing in the respective
plant.are, in contradistinction to my former system, all of the same length, but the
lower arms of the levers 19 are of different lengths, in such a manner, that each
pin cc-operates with a special annular space of the disk 7.
To produce a mark or sign upon said disk, the box 1 need simply be pushed
upwards as far as possible into the casing 16, when the loose disk 22 will be raised
so as to push upon the upper or horizontal arm of the lever 19; the latter is
thereby turned so as to cause the pin 21 to approach the disk 7, and to produce a
mark thereon.
It is to be seen therefrom, that there is not produced a series of dots (as
formerly), but a single dot only; and as that dot is situated within a special one
of the concentric annular spaces of the disk 7, there is no possibility whatever of a
mistake as to the station upon which that dot has been produced.
I wish it to be understood, that I do not confine myself to the use of a pin only,
such as 21, but I may employ instead thereof any other suitable organ.
I prefer to provide the partition-wall 4 with as many concentric grooves as there
are concentric spaces upon the disk 7; the purpose of said grooves is to facilitate
the piercing of said disk.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
In a watchmen controlling plant having stationary casings open at one side, and
adapted to receive a clock-box containing an indicating disk, the combination with
said casings, of slit pins arranged opposite to said open side, and extending in the
direction to the same; each of said pins carrying a bell-crank lever weighted at
its horizontal arm, and having a marking organ secured to its vertical arm; said
latter arm being normally retained within the slit of the said pin; the latter
carrying at its end a loose disk adapted to be raised by the clock-box, substantially
as described.
Dated this 27th day of August 1805
KARL MULLER,
By Geo. H. Rayner,
37 Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicant.