Improvements in or relating to Time Recorders applicable for Registering the Time at which an Employee Enters his Place of Employment.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1891-Accepted, 4th July; 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Time Recorders applicable for
Registering the Time at which an Employee Enters his Place of
Employment.
A communication from abroad by WILLARD LE GRAND BUNDY, of the City of
Binghamton, in the County of Broome, State of New York, United States
of America, Mechanical Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Strect Liverpool and 6, Bank Street
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, & 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows
-
The invention relates to time recorders, and is an improvement on Letters Patent,
a communication from and in trust for Willard le Grand Bundy (the communicator
in the present case) No. 17510, dated 1 December, 1888.
The object is to produce a mechanism whereby each employee as he enters the
place of employment will be enabled to, by the use of a key, register the exact
time at which he enters and thereby dispense with the services of the usual
watchman or time-keeper.
The invention consists in the several novel features of construction and operation
hereinafter described.
The frame has a front face and a corresponding rear face. The front face is
provided with a key hole, and beneath it are two concentric gear wheels, revolving
about a spindle, provided on their adjacent faces with lateral projections, having
cam toothed ratchets on the inner sides with which the lugs upon the various
manipulating keys engage. Engaging with these concentric gears are gear wheels,
one of said wheels being rigidly secured to a type wheel, and the other wheel being
rigidly secured to the sleeve shaft to the lower end of which is secured rigidly
a type wheel.
When a manipulating key is placed in the key hole and turned to the left, lugs
will engage respectively with the cam toothed ratchet upon the inner sides of the
lateral projections, upon the upper and lower concentric gear wheels, the respective
lugs turning its concentric gear wheel more or less according to the length of
said lug; these gear wheels in turn engage with the aforesaid gear wheels respec-
tively, and thus turn the type wheels to produce any number desired which is
expressed by two figures. If it is desired to make the numbers larger so as to
accommodate a larger number of employees, these parts can be compound,
although it is preferable to use separate machines for each hundred workmen
and construct a stationary figure 1, 2, 3, etcetera, at one side of the type wheels.
Each manipulating key is provided with a common arm which serves when the
key is operated to throw the eccentrically pivoted lever around to the left, and
the lug or shoulder thereon engages with an arm of a rotatably pivoted post and
turns it to the right; centrally upon this post is rigidly secured a hammer arm,
and upon its end a hammer, to which hammer is attached a bell hammer, or it may
be attached directly to the hammer arm.
To the post is also rigidly secured an arm extending to the left, and to this arm
is attached a bar connecting the said arm with a pawl and ratchet which turns a
roller. Another roller engages yieldingly with said roller, between which paper
ribbon feeds after it has received the impression from the type wheels by the blow
from the hammer.
Just inside first named roller is a spindle, journaled in the upper and lower
faces of the frame, the lower end of which spindle serves as a spool upon which one

page_text: end of the type ribbon is wound. A star wheel is centrally and rigidly mounted
upon a shaft or spindle, the purposes of which are hereinafter set forth.
It will be seen that, when the key by its arm forces the post around to the
right, it serves two purposes, one of which is to raise the hammer till it reaches a
certain point, then tripping the same; a spring forces it up against the paper
ribbon, printing ribbon and type wheels, printing upon the paper ribbon the number
of the manipulating key, the hour and minute at which the device was operated,
and the bell hammer strikes the bell, which is secured to the case of the clock
just under the type wheels to indicate that the employee has registered the time
of entry, the lever is then forced around to the right ahead of the arm, its teeth
fitting into the recesses between the teeth in the lever, thus allowing the key to
be turned back and withdrawn from the recorder; and the other purpose is to
produce a backward and forward movement upon the arm, thus operating the pawl
and ratchet.
From the upper end of the roller, extends a small crank arm which engages
with the star wheel at each revolution and produces the ribbon feed. A dog is
attached at one end to the frame and bears with its free end on the star wheel and
serves to prevent the reverse movement thereof.
A centrally pivoted crank arm is provided, having teeth upon its inner face.
A spring holds the inner end of the crank arm yieldingly in contact with the lugs
of the manipulating key, the purpose of which is to prevent a key, when once
inserted and turned partly round, from being removed or withdrawn until the same
has registered as above stated.
Rigidly secured to the lower end of the post is an arm actuated by a flat spring
for the purpose of producing a slight tension to keep the platen hammer from
constantly marring against the type wheels.
The upper end of a shaft is provided with a conical cog wheel engaging with a
gear wheel, which is rigidly secured to the shaft carrying the minute hand of the
clock, said gear wheel revolving simultaneously with it; the lower end of this shaft
is provided with another conical gear wheel, meshing with a similar gear wheel
upon the shaft, the lower end of this shaft is provided with two wheels secured
rigidly thereon.
Pivoted concentrically to the bottom of the frame are the minute and hour
recording type wheels, the minute wheel having an upward inner edge of less
diameter than the face of the type wheel and provided with sixty teeth, and the
hour wheel with a downward inner edge of less diameter than the face of the type
wheel and provided with twelve teeth.
The rotation produced by the shaft connecting direct with the minute hand of
the clock, causes the minute wheel to move constantly at the rate of one notch
each minute, and the hour wheel to move one notch each hour, the actual time
consumed in such movement being about three minutes.
It can thus be seen that the time recording wheels register at the point directly
under the hammer the exact time as indicated by the clock.
Having in mind the fact last described, that the time recording type wheels
always indicate, at the point directly under the hammer, the time expressed by
the clock, the operation of the invention is as follows:-
The operator inserts his key, which is numbered, into the key hole, and turns
the key. In doing this, the lugs upon the key engage with the teeth upon the
tooth ratchet, upon the lateral projections, thereby causing, by means of the inter-
mediate gearing, the type wheels to rotate in such a position as to present
towards the platen face of the hammer the number corresponding to that marked
on the key.
When the type wheels have assumed said position, the arm trips the hammer
arm and allows the spring actuated hammer to strike the paper ribbon so as to
receive the impression from the type wheels, the wheels imprinting the number of
the key used by the operator, and the minute and hour wheels respectively marking
the hour and minute at which the record is made.

page_text: To register his exit, the employee pulls down an arm which raises the lever, the
opposite end of which has an upturned shoulder, upon the outer face of which is a
star or other character to indicate the exit. By pulling down the arm, this
character is thrown up to the side of the face of the type wheel to receive the
impression from the hammer. Instead of having each employee pull down the arm
as he registers in passing out, a little weight can be placed upon the outer end of
the arm just before the exit time.
Dated this 24th day of September 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Time Recorders applicable for
Registering the Time at which an Employee Enters his Place of
Employment.
A communication from abroad by WILLARD LE GRAND BUNDY of the City of
Binghamton in the County of Broome, State of New York, United States
of America, Mechanical Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street Liverpool & 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster & 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 relates to time recorders, and is an improvement upon Letters
Patent, a communication from and in trust for Willard le Grand Bundy (the
communicator in the present case) No. 17510 dated December 1, 1988.
The object of the invention is to produce a mechanism by which each employee,
as he enters the place of employment, will be enabled to, by the use of a key,
record the exact time at which he enters, and thereby dispense with the services of
the usual watchman or time-keeper.
The invention consists in the several novel features of construction and operation
hereinafter described and which are specifically set forth in the claims hereunto
annexed.
It is constructed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
in which,
Figure 1 is an isometrical elevation of the time recording mechanism, detached
from the clock mechanisın.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal side elevation of the same, as viewed from the side to
which the hammer is attached, showing the hammer head broken off.
Figure 3 is a vertical section on line, Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the shaft which carries the type wheels.
Figure 5 is the upper side of a gear wheel engaging with another gear wheel
which is rigidly secured to the shaft, carrying the type wheels.
Figure 6 is the gear wheel engaging with the wheel shown in Fig. 5, and rigidly
secured to one of the shafts carrying the type wheels.
Fig. 7, is a view of the lower face of the gear wheel, shown in Fig. 5, showing
the cam toothed ratchet, with which the lugs of the manipulating key engage.
Fig. 8, is a top plan view of that part of the frame containing the key hole, with
one edge broken away to show the working of the manipulating key.
Fig. 9, is a front view of the improved device complete, connected with a clock
by means of a shaft and through which power is transmitted to regularly turn the
time recording wheels.

page_text: Fig. 11, is a detail of the engagement of the gears upon said shaft and the time
recording wheels.
Fig. 12, is an end view of the gear engaging with the hour time recorder.
Fig. 13, is a view of the ribbon feed mechanism.
Fig. 14, is a detail of the hammer bell mechanism.
Fig. 15, is a view of various manipulating keys.
Fig. 16, is a front elevation of the recording wheels detached, with the stationary
figure between the workman's number wheels and the hour and minute wheels,
showing the Figure 2 as the stationary figure.
Fig. 17, is a side elevation of the mechanism to print a sign, symbol or character
upon the paper, to indicate that the time indicated was the time of the exit of the
workman, the dotted lines indicating its normal position, when not in use.
Fig. 18, is a top plan view of the same..
Fig. 19, is a detached sectional elevation of the unit, or inner number wheel, and
the star wheel which rotates to wind up the ink ribbon, the single dotted line
indicating the course of the ribbon, and the double lines, partly full and partly
dotted, show a side elevation of the bar carrying the stationary figure, as shown in
Fig. 16, in front elevation.
A, is the frame of rectangular construction, having a front face 1, and a
corresponding rear face 2. The front face is provided with a key hole 3, and
beneath it are two concentric gear wheels 4 and 5, revolving about a spindle a,
provided on their adjacent faces with lateral projections 6 and 7, having cam
toothed ratchets on the inner sides, with which the lugs upon the various
manipulating keys engage. Engaging with these concentric gears are gear
wheels 8 and 9, the wheel 8 being rigidly secured to the shaft 10, the lower end
of which is rigidly secured to the type wheel 11, and the wheel 9 being rigidly
secured to the sleeve shaft 12, the lower end of which is secured rigidly to the
type wheel 13.
It will then be observed that a manipulating key is placed in the key hole and
turned to the left, the lugs 14 and 15 will engage respectively with the cam toothed
ratchet upon the inner sides of the lateral projections, upon the upper and lower
concentric gear wheels, each of the respective lugs turning its concentric
gear wheel more or less according to the length of said lug; these gear
wheels in turn engage with the wheels 8, and 9, respectively, and thus turn the
type wheels 11 and 13 to produce any number desired which is expressed by two
figures. If desired to make the numbers larger so as to accommodate a larger number
of employees, these parts can be compounded, although it is preferable to use
separate machines for each hundred workmen, and provide each, except the first,
which will record up to 100, with a stationary figure, as 1, 2, 3, 4, etcetera, located
at one side of the time wheels and between them and the number wheels and upon
the printing line, as shown in Figure 16, so that such stationary figure will be
printed as a prefix to number of the key. In Figure 16, there is shown the
figure' 2 upon a stationary bars, and thus the figure 2 will be printed as a prefix
to the numbers printed by the wheels 11 and 13.
Each manipulating key is provided with a common arm, which serves, when
the key is operated, to throw the eccentrically pivoted lever 16 around to the left,
and the lug or shoulder 17 thereon engages with the arm 18 of the rotatably pivoted
post 19 and turns it to the right. Centrally upon this post 19 is rigidly secured
the hammer arm 20 and upon its end the hammer 21, to which hammer is attached
the bell hammer 22, or it may be attached directly to the hammer arm.
To the post 19 is also rigidly secured an arm 23 extending to the left, and to
this arm is attached a bar 24 connecting the arm 23 with the pawl ratchet C, which
turns the roller 25; and 26 is a roller engaging yieldingly with said roller 25 and
between which, paper ribbon feeds after it has received the impression from the
tyje wheels by the blow from the hammer.

page_text: Just alongside the roller 25 is a spindle 27, journaled in the front and back plates
of the frame, the back end of which spindle serves as a spool upon which one end
of the type ribbon is wound; 28 is a star wheel centrally and rigidly mounted upon
a shaft or spindle 27, the purposes of which are hereinafter set forth.
It will be seen that when the key by its arm b forces the post 19 around to the
right, it serves two purposes; one of which is to raise the hammer till it reaches a
certain point, then tripping the same; the spring 29 forces it up against the paper
ribbon, printing ribbon and type wheels, printing upon the paper ribbon the number
of the manipulating key, the hour and the minute at which the device was operated,
and the bell hammer 22 strikes the bell G which is secure to the case of the clock just
under the type wheels to indicate that the employee has recorded the time of entry,
the lever 16 is then forced around to the right ahead of the arm b, its teeth fitting
into the recesses between the teeth in the lever 31, thus allowing the key to be
turned back and withdrawn from the recorder; and the other purpose is to produce
a backward and forward movement upon the arm 24, thus operating the pawl and
ratchet. From the upper end of the roller 25 extends a small crank arm E which
engages with the star wheel 28 at each revolution, and produces the ribbon feed ;
30 is a dog attached at one end to the frame and bearing with its free end on the
star wheel 28, and serves to prevent the reverse movement thereof.
31 is a centrally pivoted crank arm having teeth 32 upon its inner face; 33 is
a spring for holding the inner end of the crank arm yieldingly in contact with the
lugs of the manipulating key, the purpose of which is to prevent a key when once
inserted partly around, from being removed or withdrawn until the same has
recorded as above stated.
Rigidly secured to the lower end of the post 19 is an arm m actuated by a flat
spring n, for the purpose of producing a slight tension to keep the platen hammer
from constantly marring against the type wheels.
34 is a shaft, the upper end of which is provided with a conical cog wheel 35,
engaging with the gear wheel 36, which is rigidly secured to the shaft carrying the
minute hand of the clock as seen in Fig. 9, said gear wheel revolving simul-
taneously with it; the lower end of this shaft is provided with another conical gear
wheel 37, meshing with a similar gear wheel upon the shaft d, as seen in Fig. 10;
the lower end of this shaft d, is provided with two wheels 38 and 39, respectively,
secured rigidly thereon; the wheel 38 is provided with sixty teeth and the wheel 39
with one tooth.
Pivoted concentrically to the bottom of the frame are the minute and hour
recording type wheels 40 and 41, the minute wheel 40 having an upward inner
edge 42, of less diameter than the face of the type wheel and provided with sixty
teeth, and the hour wheel 41 with a downward inner edge of less diameter than the
face of the type wheel and provided with twelve teeth.
The wheels 38 and 39 engage with the wheels 42 and 43 respectively, and the
rotation, produced by the shaft 34 connected direct with the minute hand of the
clock, causes the wheel 40 to move constantly at the rate of one notch each minute,
and the wheel 41 to move one notch each hour, the actual time consumed in such
movement being about three minutes.
It can thus be seen that the time recording wheels record, at the point directly
under the hammer, the exact time as indicated by the clock.
Having in mind the fact last described, that the time recording wheels always
indicate, at the point directly under the hammer, the time as expressed by the
clock, the operation of this invention is as follows:--
The operator inserts his key, which is numbered, into the key hole and turns the
key in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 8. In doing this, the
lugs 14 and 15 upon the key engage with the teeth upon the tooth ratchet, upon
the lateral projections 6 and 7, thereby causing, by means of the intermediate
gearing, the type wheels 11 and 13 to rotate in such a position as to present,
towards the platen face of the hammer, the number corresponding to that marked
on the key.

page_text: When the type wheels have assumed said position, the arm 6 trips the arm 20
and allows the spring actuated hammer to strike the paper ribbon so as to receive
the impression from the type wheels, the wheels 11 and 13, imprinting the number
of the key used by the operator, and the wheels 40 and 41 respectively, marking
the hour and minute at which the record is made.
To register his exit, the employee pulls down the arm o which raises the lever p,
the opposite end of which has an upturned shoulder q upon the outer face of which
is a star or other character to indicate the exit. By pulling down the arm o, this
character is thrown up to the side of the face of the time wheel to receive the
impression from the hammer. Instead of having each employee pull down the
arm o as he records in passing out, a little weight can be placed upon the outer end
of the arm o just before the exit time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
1. In combination with a type wheel, a wheel transmitting motion to said type
wheels by means of intermediate gearing and provided with lateral projections,
having tooth ratchets curved eccentrically in relation to the axis of said wheel
keys, having a common arm and lugs of different lengths from the other keys
adapted to engage with the teeth on said projections, an eccentrically pivoted lever
having a laterally projecting shoulder, a rotatably pivoted post having its upper
end provided with a laterally projecting spring actuated arm adapted to be actuated
by said projecting shoulder when the key is turned, a hammer arm rigidly secured
to said post and carrying a platen hammer and bell hammer, a laterally extending
arm rigidly secured to said post, to which arm is loosely secured an arm for the
purpose of actuating the pawl and ratchet to produce a printing and paper ribbon
feed mechanism, as set forth.
2. In combination with a type wheel, a wheel transmitting motion to said type
wheels by means of intermediate gearing and provided with lateral projections,
having tooth ratchets curved eccentrically in relation to the axis of said wheels,
keys having a common arm band lugs of different lengths from the other keys,
adapted to engage with the teeth on said projection; an eccentrically pivoted lever
having a lateral projecting shoulder; a rotatably pivoted post having its upper end
provided with a laterally projecting arm adapted to be actuated by said projecting
shoulder when the key is turned; a hammer arm rigidly secured to said post and
carrying a platen hammer and bell hammer; a laterally extending arm rigidly
secured to said post, to which arm is loosely secured another arm for the purpose
of actuating the pawl and ratchet to produce a printing and paper ribbon feed
mechanism, and a centrally pivoted spring actuated lever having teeth upon its
inner arm for the purpose of preventing the withdrawal of the key until the
hammer is tripped.
3. In combination with a type wheel, a wheel transmitting motion to said type
wheels by means of intermediate gearing and provided with lateral projections,
having tooth ratchets curved eccentrically in relation to the axis of said wheel,
keys having a common arm 6 and lugs of different lengths from those of the other
keys, adapted to engage with the teeth on said projection; an eccentrically pivoted
lever having a laterally projecting shoulder; a rotatably pivoted post having its
upper end provided with a laterally projecting arm, adapted to be actuated by said
projecting shoulder, when the arm upon the key is forced against the eccentrically
pivoted lever; a hammer arm rigidly secured to said post and carrying a platen
hammer and bell hammer; a laterally extending arm rigidly secured to said post,
to which arm is loosely secured another arm for the purpose of actuating the pawl
and ratchet, to produce a printing and paper ribbon feed mechanism, the lower end
of said post having an outward and downward extending spring actuated arm
engaging with a flat spring secured to the rear face of the frame, a spring secured
to said rear face, as set forth.

page_text: 4. In a type recorder, the combination of a clock mechanism, a type recording
type wheel rotated simultaneously therewith, by means of a shaft and intermediate
gearing; a type wheel; wheels transmitting motion to said type wheels, by means
of intermediate gearing and provided with lateral projections, having tooth ratchets
curved eccentrically in relation to the axis of said wheels; keys having a common
arm and lugs of different lengths from those of the other keys, adapted to engage
with the teeth on said projection; an eccentrically pivoted lever having a laterally
projecting shoulder; a rotatably pivoted post having its upper end provided with
a laterally projecting spring actuated arm, adapted to be actuated by said arm,
rigidly secured to said post and carrying a platen hammer and bell hammer; a
laterally extending arm rigidly secured to said post; to which arm is loosely
secured an arm for the purpose of actuating the pawl and ratchet to produce a
printing and paper ribbon feed mechanism; an outward and downward extending
arm, secured to the lower end of said post and engaging with a flat spring upon the
rear face of the frame, as set forth.
5. A time recorder consisting of a clock mechanism and time recording type
wheels rotated simultaneously therewith by means of a shaft and intermediate
gearing a printing ribbon passing over said time recording wheels; a paper ribbon
passing just outside of said printing ribbon; a platen hammer and means of forcing
it against the paper ribbon; printing ribbon and time recording type wheels in
combination with the lever p having an upturned shoulder upon its outer face, upon
which is the character to denote the exit and adapted to be thrown under the
hammer to receive the impression thereof, when desired, as set forth.
Dated this 27th day of May 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.