Year: 1886

page_text: I, ALBERT CRAWFORD HOWARD, treasurer of the Boston Clock Company, Boston,
Mass. United States, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 has for its object to construct a watchman's time recorder containing
a suitable moving dial to be perforated, indented, or otherwise marked by a key
provided with indicating points, the said dial being securely locked within the case so
that the watchman having charge of the recorder cannot get at and tamper with the
dial without being detected.
In accordance with this invention the platen or disk upon which is placed the dial
to be marked, is rotated by a motor concealed within a box or case, the cover of which.
when applied is held closed by a suitable locking device.
The box or case contains means operated by the motor to release the locking device
at predetermined times and permit the cover to be removed to expose the dial.
The locking device may be made to keep the recorder closed for a longer or shorter
time, permitting it to be opened only after a stated time to secure access to the dial.
Means operated by the motor have been provided for releasing the locking device
just before the motor runs down, so that the cover may be removed and the motor
re-wound without the necessity of breaking open the box or case.
Suitable mechanism under the control of a motor is also provided for automatically
opening and closing at predetermined times a hole in the face plate through which the
indicating points of the key pass, so that the watchman can only have access to the
box to mark the dial at predetermined intervals.
The locking device consisting essentially of a two armed lever to engage a tongue
of the cover, is operated to unlock or release the cover by a releasing device consisting
essentially of a toothed wheel mounted upon the winding arbor carrying the platen,
upon which the dial rests, said toothed wheel meshing with a pinion mounted upon a
second arbor and carrying a segmental plate, which during a portion of each revolution.
of the said pinion strikes one end of the locking device.

page_text: A toothed wheel mounted loosely upon the second arbor and made independently
movable thereon by a tooth carried by the platen, is turned one tooth at a time
during each revolution of the platen so that a single tooth or spur projecting from the
said toothed wheel is made to strike the end of the locking device to affect the release
of the cover just before the motor runs down.
The mechanism employed to open and close the hole in the face plate through which
the indicating points of the key pass, consists of a bent lever, one end of which
normally covers the said hole, the opposite end of the said lever being struck by spurs
or teeth projecting from a rim or collar carried by a toothed wheel, said toothed wheel
being rotated by a toothed wheel mounted upon the winding arbor.
The box or case containing the motor and moving dial and other appurtenances, and
herein termed a recorder, is carried by the watchman who employs keys of different
construction by which to mark the dial, the said keys hanging in different rooms under
the watchman's control.
Fig. 1 shows in plan view a recorder or time detector embodying this invention, the
cover being removed, and the locking device in position to lock the cover of the box
or case.
Fig. 2 a similar view with the platen and supporting ring or plate removed.
Fig. 3 a detail showing a portion of the locking and releasing device, together with
the mechanism controlling it, the remaining portion of the box or case being broken
away.
Fig. 4 a cross section of the cover alone.
Fig. 5 an enlarged detail of the locking device, and
Fig. 6 a cross section of Fig. 1 taken on the dotted line x, x, on a larger scale.
The box or case A contains a motor, not shown but of usual construction, the said
motor affecting through usual devices the rotation of the arbor a carrying the toothed
wheel a¹.
The arbor a which is also the winding arbor of the motor has secured to it above
the toothed wheel a¹ a platen or disk a, the said platen having two pointed pins or
studs 2, 3, rising from its surface, see Fig. 1, to hold in position a paper or other
suitable dial, not shown, pressed thereon, the edge of the said dial resting upon the
supporting ring or plate 6 mounted upon suitable posts or standards b¹.
The toothed wheel a¹ meshes with a pinion a², the arbor a³ of which, see fig. 3, has
its bearing in the face plate B.
The pinion a² has secured to it a segmental plate or projection at the periphery or
surface of which lies flush with or projects a little beyond the periphery of the said
pinion.
The face plate B has pivoted to it by a screw 4 the locking device composed of a
two armed lever c, c', the arm c¹ being bent to constitute a bolt to engage a slotted
tongue c³, see fig. 4, secured to the cover c at its inner side.
The end of the arm c of the said lever, acted upon by the spring c³, is normally
held in the path of the segmental plate at so that as the pinion a² is revolved the
segmental plate acts upon the said lever and withdrawing its bolt like end c³ from the
said tongue, thereby releasing the cover.
,
The cover remains unlocked as long as the segmental plate acts against the arm c",
but as soon as the said segmental plate passes beyond the said arm c the arme under
the action of spring c³, immediately engages the tongue ², so it will be seen that the
time during which the recorder remains unlocked may be determined by the length of
the said segmental plate.
In this instance the pinion a² is supposed to rotate once in twenty four hours, and
the segmental plate being of one third the circumference of the said pinion, the
recorder will be locked for sixteen hours and unlocked for eight hours.
The hub of the platen a³ has a tooth a, see dotted lines fig. 1, which engages one of
the regular teeth of a toothed wheel e mounted upon the arbor as loosely, and held by
a friction device es, the tooth as acting once during each rotation of the platen to move
the said toothed wheel e intermittingly, independent of the pinion a².

page_text: The toothed wheel e has one high tooth e', which in the rotation of the wheel strikes
the auxiliary arm c³ secured to the arm c of the locking lever or device c, c¹, thereby
moving the said lover on its pivot and with-drawing the arm & from the tongue c².
The toothed wheel e turning frictionally on the arbor and moving independently of
the pinion a, may be placed in any desired position, so that its high tooth e¹ will
strike the arme and withdraw the arm c¹ just before the motor runs down.
It is obvious that this position may be determined by winding the motor, the tooth
upon the hub of the platen moving the said toothed wheel e backward as the winding
arbor is revolved.
By such mechanism the necessity of breaking open the recorder should the motor
run down, is obviated.
As another precaution to prevent the watchman tampering with the dial, means are
provided for opening and closing the hole in the face plate B through which the
indicating points of the key pass, so that the said hole is open for but a short interval
of time, during which time the watchman must mark the dial.
The device herein shown for effecting this result consists of a bent lever comprising
two bent arms n, n', the arm n' being broadened at its end to cover the hole and
being normally held in the position shown in fig. 2, by a spring ².
The lever is turned on its pivot to open the hole fat intervals by a series of spurs
or projections n³, fastened to a collar n* mounted upon a toothed wheel n³ having its
bearings in the face plate B and rotated by the toothed wheel a mounted upon the
winding arbor α, there being in this instance twelve such projections to open the holeƒ'
for a short time once an hour, yet it is obvious that any suitable number of projections
may be employed according to circumstances.
It is also obvious that other devices controlled by the motor may be employed for
effecting this result, so I do not desire to limit myself to the construction herein
shown.
.
As it may be sometimes desirable to lock the bent lever c, c' out of engagement with
the tongue c, so that the cover may be removed at any time, a rack-bar o, moving in
a suitable guide o¹, and having an engaging or hooked end o² to engage the arm c² of
the bent lever, is employed to effect this result.
A toothed wheel o³, having its bearings in the face plate B, and rotated by a suitable
pin or stud o, meshes with the teeth of the rack-bar o, to move the latter, a suitable
spring controlled pawl of being employed to prevent backward rotation of the toothed
wheel o'.
To avoid the necessity of breaking the case to repair or start the motor, if under
any circumstances the said motor should stop, a piece of glass $ is set into the cover C
which may be broken when desired.
The cover C has on its under side a lip or flange S, spun or turned over on the
glass to hold the same in place, yet it is obvious that the glass may be set in any other
manner, the only necessity being that the method of setting be such as to require con-
siderable time as well as the employment of a machine as a lathe for instance to com-
plete the work, so that the glass cannot be broken by the watchman, the dial tampered
with, and the glass re-set during the night.
The watchman carrying the recorder about with him, inserts therein the several
different keys hung in the different rooms, and by the said keys, marks, indents, or
perforates the dial from below upward, the finger u being employed as a foundation
against which the dial is pressed.
The person having charge of the watchman, may during the day or before again
giving the recorder to the watchman, remove the cover C, inspect the dial and insert.
a new one, and wind the motor, if necessary.
It is obvious that instead of employing the tongue cat the underside of the cover C,
any ordinary lock may be employed controlled by the arm c¹ of the bent lever, and
also that the locking and releasing device, herein shown, while being preferable, may
be variously modified to carry out the result herein specified.
It is also obvious that instead of employing the arm cl as the bolt to lock the

page_text: cover C, any suitable bolt or fastening controlled as to its operation by the bent lever
may be employed.
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 :
First. In a watchman's time recorder, a case containing a motor, a moving disk or
platen upon which the dial is laid, and a toothed wheel moving simultaneously with the
platen, and a segmental plate or projection deriving its movement from the said
toothed wheel, combined with locking and releasing devices under the control of the
said segmental plate or projection for locking and releasing the cover C, substantially
as described. ….
Second. In a watchman's time recorder, a case and motor therein, a moving platen
or disk, and a toothed wheel a combined with a pinion a², and segmental plate a*
carried by it, and a spring controlled bent lever, all substantially as described.
Third. In a watchman's time recorder, the case and motor therein, and a moving
platen or disk, combined with a face plate having a hole or opening for the insertion
of a key for indenting and perforating the dial carried by the moving platen or disk
and means, substantially as described controlled by the motor for opening and closing
the said hole as set forth.
Fourth. In a watchman's time recorder, the case and motor therein, a moving
platen or disk, and the toothed wheel a', combined with a perforated face plate B, and
means, substantially as described, controlled by the toothed wheel a¹ for intermittingly
opening and closing the perforation in the face plate at predetermined intervals,
substantially as described.
Fifth. In a watchman's time recorder, a case and motor therein a moving platen or
disk, and the toothed wheel a', combined with the toothed wheel n³, a series of spurs
or projections n³, and a bent lever n, n³, all substantially as described.
Sixth. In a watchman's time recorder, the case and motor therein, a moving platen
or disk and locking devices, and releasing devices for locking. and releasing the
cover C, combined with means, substantially as described, for positively holding the
locking device out of engagement to retain the recorder unlocked, substantially as
described.
Seventh. In a watchman's time recorder, the case and motor therein, combined with
a cover, locking and releasing devices controlled by the motor for locking and releasing
the said cover, and means substantially as described, for releasing the locking device
to release the cover just before the motor runs down, substantially as described.