A New or Improved Mechanical Switch for Completing and Breaking the Circuit of Electric Tell-tales, for Watchmen and the like, Within a Prescribed Time.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 13th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Mechanical Switch for Completing and
Breaking the Circuit of Electric Tell-tales, for Watchmen and
the like, Within a Prescribed Time.
I, HENRY BOARDMAN, of 21, Northfield Place, Manningham in the County of York,
Drysalter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a new or improved mechanical switch for completing and
breaking the circuit of electric tell-tales, for watchmen and the like, within a prescribed
time, and its object is to ensure a particular number of stations in the same circuit
being visited during a limited time before one or any visits can be registered.
The said improvements consist of a switch fixed at the station the watchman is
required to visit and adapted to be operated by clock-work arranged to be wound up
by the watchman which closes the switch and completes the circuit, but as the clock-
work runs down the switch is again opened thus breaking the circuit and preventing
any register being made from the recording station without it is visited whilst
the circuit was complete. One or more of these time switches may be fixed in one
circuit each of which it will be necessary for the watchman to visit before going to the
recording station to register the visit or visits and the round must be completed before
the time switch or switches has or have run down and broken the circuit.
Any suitable form of switch may be employed but I preferably employ a switch arm
mounted on one arbor of the clock-work mechanism and arranged when closed to move
along an arc of a circle forming part of the circuit and ultimately pass on to an
insulated stop or on to any suitable non-conducting substance to break the circuit.
A flyer or winged check or other contrivance is provided to regulate the speed at
which the clock-work runs down. A stop device is employed to stop the mechanism
after the switch arm has broken the circuit. The whole apparatus is inclosed in a
case to prevent it being tampered with.
Dated this 10th day of February 1890.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Mechanical Switch for Completing and
Breaking the Circuit of Electric Tell-tales, for Watchmen and
the like, Within a Prescribed Time.
I, HENRY BOARDMAN, of 21, Northfield Place, Manningham in the County of York,
Drysalter, 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 a new or improved mechanical switch for completing and
breaking the circuit of the tell-tale for which I have obtained Letters Patent No. 7720
of 1888 and other electric tell-tales for watchmen and the like, within a prescribed
time; and its object is to ensure a particular number of stations in the same circuit
being. visited during a limited time before one or any visit can be registered.
The said improvements consist of a switch fixed at the station the watchman is
required to visit and adapted to be operated by clock-work arranged to be wound up
by the watchman which closes the switch and completes the circuit, but as the clock-
work runs down the switch is again opened thus breaking the circuit and preventing

page_text: any register being made from the recording station without it is visited whilst the circuit
was complete. One or more of these time switches may be fixed in one circuit each of
which it will be necessary for the watchman to visit before going to the recording
station to register the visit or visits and the round must be completed before the time
switch or switches has or have run down and broken the circuit.
In order to fully describe my invention reference is made to the accompanying
sheet of drawings forming a part of this Specification in which similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures.
Figure 1, represents a front view of the switch and clock-work mechanism without
its case.
Figure 2, is a plan of the same.
Figure 3, is also a front view with certain parts omitted to more clearly show the
switch and stop device..
The frame A is fixed in any suitable case by the lugs a in such a manner that the
mechanism cannot be touched without opening the case excepting to be wound up by
a key fitting the winding arbor B which lies opposite a key hole made in the case for
that purpose.
A spring is mounted upon the winding arbor B and such arbor is
provided with the usual pawl and ratchet C to connect it to the large wheel d engaging
the pinion on the same arbor d2 as the wheel 3. The wheel d³ engages the pinion d¹
on the arbor do which carries the wheel de engaging the pinion d' mounted upon the
arbor d of the flyer D. When the spring bis wound up the above described train of
wheels communicates motion to the flyer D which by its resistance prevents the
spring rapidly uncoiling and prolongs the motion of the mechanism for a considerable
period in a similar manner to the striking mechanism of an ordinary time-piece and
other similar clock-work.
The switch arm E is operated from a pinion e upon the arbor B, engaging the
wheel e upon the same arbor e² as the pinion e³. The pinion e³ operates the large
wheel e and thus communicates a slow motion to its arbor e carrying the switch
arm E. The switch arm E has a spring arm F secured to it, with the free end bearing
against the face of the brass circle G mounted upon the block H of wood or other
non-conducting material fixed to the frame A. The circle G is divided at i, i which
leaves the small portion 9 insulated from the remainder of the circle G and the latter
is provided with a projecting piece g¹ to be connected to one wire ; from the battery
the other wire is connected to the screw 12.
g
The mechanism is so arranged that winding the spring up to the full turns the
switch arm E and spring arm F in the direction of the arrow off the insulated piece g
onto G connected to the wire j and into the position shown in Figure 3 thus closing
the switch and leaving it closed until as the spring b gradually uncoils it returns the
switch arm into its original position leaving the spring arm F resting upon the
insulated piece g.
In order to prevent the arm E turning past the insulated piece g an arrangement
to stop the flyer D is provided. As soon as the arm F has passed onto the piece g
the arm E is arranged to come in contact with the wire arm n projecting from the
piece n¹ pivoted at n², and by turning the piece n' slightly upon its pivot bring the
arm N projecting from such piece in contact with the flyer D so as to stop it and
the whole of the mechanism. The spring O lifts the arm N clear of the flyer D when
the switch arm is moved to close the switch into the position shown in Figure 3
with the arm n against the stop pin r.
.It is obvious that any number of these switches may be placed in one circuit and
that it will be necessary for the watchman to close each of them before he is able to
complete the circuit at the press button of the recording station.
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 :-
. A mechanical, switch] operated by clock-work adapted to be placed in the circuit of

page_text: electric tell-tales or the like, substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose specified.
Dated this 10th day of November 1890.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.