Improvements in or relating to Registering or Counting Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 15th Nov., 1899
Complete Specification Lett, 3rd July, 1900-Accepted, 29th Sept., 1900
Improvements in or relating to Registering or Counting Apparatus.
I, ALPHONSE JEAN-BAPTISTE EDOUARD DARRAS, Engineer, of Boulevard St.
Michel, Paris, in the Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to improvements in indicating counters or
registers as used for various purposes.
These improvements relate particularly to the manner of actuating the register
to the special manner of mounting the wheels and the drums provided with the
numbers or other indications or signs, and to mechanism for re-setting the
apparatus to zero.
The accompanying description represents the improvements by way of example
only, and it is to be understood that parts may be used independently or in com-
bination with other known devices.
The apparatus to be described is intended to indicate:-
1) The exact moment at which the counter, actuated at a distance, has executed
or registered a certain pre-determined number of revolutions, and
2) To show at a distance the precise moment at which the counter has executed
or registered a certain predetermined number of turns.
The apparatus comprises:
1) A spring drum which can be wound up by means of a handle.
2) A gear wheel driven by the drum and transmitting its motion to a pinion.
3) A device consisting of: -
A toothed pinion,
Two ratchet wheels combined with each other and forming an escapement
wheel.
A washer with a clamping screw, and
A ratchet wheel.
This device is loosely mounted on an axle.
4) The axle on which is arranged the above device, carrying counting wheels,
drums or flanged discs together with their component parts, and provided with
a groove intended for the reception of the clamping screw referred to.
5) Drums or wheels provided with numbers (or any other kind of signs or
indications).
Each drum device comprises:
A
mounted
h

page_text: A ratchet wheel fixed to the hub of the drum,
A toothed crown provided with a pawl, loosely mounted on the hub of the
drum.
(The first cylinder actuated by the ratchet wheel of the drum operating device,
acting on a pawl fixed directly to it is not provided with a toothed crown).
Discs or milled heads mounted on the tubular shafts of each drum for actuating
each respective wheel; from outside the casing.
Ivory or insulated pins suitably placed on the drums.
6) A sleeve supporting the axle, the operating device and the drums. It also
limits the free space between the latter.
7) Pinions mounted on an under shaft which involve one drum in the move-
ment of the preceding through the toothed crown and the pawl of the latter.
8) An electro-magnet arranged to be actuated by an electric current (Circuit I)
derived from a battery or otherwise.
9) A tension or adjustment screw of the spring of the escapement lever.
10) Switches or terminals in the circuit.
11). A lever mounted between a cross bar and a bridge, carrying suitably
arranged on it the armature of an electro-magnet and a pawl acting on the
escapement wheel.
12) A spring connected to the lever and in contact with the regulating or
adjustment screw.
13) Set screws for regulating the oscillations of the escapement lever.
14) A cross bar carrying one of the pivots of the escapement lever as well as
insulating parts on one of which are mounted small pins with their respective
contact springs, the other carrying the corresponding contact screws.
All these various parts are electrically united with each other by means of
a wire in such a manner as to close an electric circuit in any kind of apparatus
(circuit No. 2) whenever the ivory pins come in contact with these spring
contacts.
15) Switches or terminals serving for the circuit No. 2.
16) Framework within which the system of drums and wheels is contained.
17) The casing and lid of the apparatus.
18) A small window or opening under which the numbers of the apparatus
appear.
WORKING OF THE APPARATUS.
After having wound up the spring drum the number of revolutions, after
which the circuit No. 2 is to be closed, is fixed by actuating the setting device
either in a permanent manner so as to establish a continuous communication
with any kind of annaratus, or in a temporary manner, for the purpose of closing
the circuit of a call apparatus or any other suitable device. (This depends on
the place in which the ivory pins have been arranged with regard to the contact
springs.)
As
In the example chosen for the purpose of the present illustration (temporary
communication) the ivory pin will be supposed to be placed between the numbers 2
and 3 of the third drum indicating the "hundreds," and presses the spring
against the contact screw opposite to it. The ivory pin of the second wheel, or
the wheel indicating the "tens," placed in the same manner, will come in contact
with its respective contact screw when zero appears under the window.
regards the first wheel, or the "units" wheel, the ivory pin should be placed
at No. 3 in such a manner that it should not press the spring except at the
moment at which the zero of that wheel appears below the window, which will
be secured by the withdrawal of the armature of the electro-magnet by its
spring.
The circuit having been momentarily closed the counter will transmit a current
into the call or other desired apparatus.

page_text: In the case of a permanent communication the ivory pins of the wheel of
units should be placed in the same manner as on the other drums.
"
::
Thus, every passage of current in circuit No. 1 effecting the movement of the
escapement lever, the units wheel moves one tooth or number.
At every
complete revolution it involves the second drum or the
** tens drum, by means
of the pinion common to both and the toothed crown, the latter acting by means
of its pawl on the ratchet wheel of its respective wheel.
In the same manner as the "units wheel acts on the "tens" wheel, so the
latter acts on the "hundreds" wheel, and so on if it should be considered neces-
sary to employ a greater number of wheels, until all the zeros appear before the
window, and the ivory pins will close or will have closed the circuit in the manner
required, as described above.
It is evident, after what has been said, that the inverse operation can also be
carried out by this apparatus and that by starting from zero and changing the
direction of the rotary movement of the corresponding parts, it is possible by
adding numbers to close the circuit No. 2 either by the units wheel alone or by
the tens wheel alone and so on according as to whether it is desired to produce
a current at each unit or at every ten, hundred, etc. or at any other point or
moment of the counter, according to the notations indicated on the drums or
wheels.
Dated this 15th day of November 1899
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN.
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in or relating to Registering or Counting Apparatus.
I, ALPHONSE JEAN-BAPTISTE EDOUARD DARRAS, Engineer, of Boulevard St.
Michel, Paris, in the Republic of France, 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:-
The present invention relates to improvements in indicating counters
registers as used for various purposes.
or
These improvements relate particularly to the manner of actuating the
register, and of mounting the wheels and drums provided with the numbers or
other indications, or signs.
The accompanying drawings represent the improvements by way of example
only and it is to be understood that parts may be used independently, or in
combination with other known devices.
The apparatus, which is represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, is an
indicating counter actuated at a distance by means of electric impulses, and its
object is to send an electric impulse to a central station or observation post
whenever the indicating counter receives the last of a certain number of electric
impulses passing through it from the said central station or observation post or
from elsewhere.
To render clearer what is meant by the above, we will assume that it is
required that a machine should make a certain number of revolutions, the
machine standing at any desired distance from the counting and indicating
instrument.
First, the figures on the instrument are so arranged as to represent the exact
number of revolutions which the machine is intended to make in the required
cycle of revolutions, and the machine is provided with a switch of any suitable
kind, so arranged that with every completed revolution, an electric impulse
passes through the indicating instrument. With every electric impulse, thus

page_text: sent through it, the total of the number exhibited by the counting device, is
reduced by one unit. In this manner the number thus shown is gradually reduced
to zero and when zero is reached, or, rather, when the counter passes from 1
to 0, it will, automatically, send an electric impulse to the post of observation,
thereby informing the observer at that post of the fact that the last of the cycle
of revolutions, which the machine was intended to perform, is being completed.
Thus it will be seen, the instrument is not only a counting but also an indicating
apparatus.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the instrument with the cover removed,
Figure 2, a longitudinal section on line 1-2 of Figure 1,
Figure 3, a longitudinal section on line 3-4 of Figure 1,
Figure 4 a cross section on line 5-6 of Figure 1,
Figure 5, a cross section on line 7-8 of Figure 1, while
Figure 6 is a cross section on line 9-10 of Figure 1.
The apparatus is actuated by a clockwork which can be wound up by a crank B
arranged at one side of the box.
The instrument is provided, according to the number of revolutions it is
intended to register, with one, two, three, four, or more discs or drums, to
register units, tens, hundreds or higher multiples of ten. In the example,
represented by the accompanying drawings, the instrument is not intended to
register beyond hundreds, and, is therefore, provided with only three drums F.
The first drum or disc F to the right (Figure 4) is that allotted to the hundreds
and it is keyed on a sleeve ending in a button ft with a milled rim by means
of which the drum can be rotated by hand into any desired position.
The second, or middle drum, is that allotted to the tens, and it is similarly
mounted on a sleeve placed within the sleeve of the first drum. This inner
sleeve also terminates in a milled button, by means of which it can be, in like
manner, set at any position.
The drum F to the left is that allotted to the units. It is arranged similarly
to the two former drums, and can likewise be set at any required point by means
of a milled button f fixed at the end of its sleeve, this sleeve passing within
that of the drum allotted to the tens.
From the above it will be understood that by suitably turning the three
buttons the three drums may be made to indicate in one line any required
number. If, for instance, the number desired be 720 the operator will turn, by
hand the milled button f actuating the hundreds drum until it shows the
number "7" under the glazed slit P (Figure 2) provided for the purpose of
observation and likewise the other buttons, until the tens drum exhibits "2" and
the units drum the number "0."
At I (Figure 1) is arranged an electromagnet actuated by electric impulses
coming from a circuit No. 1, and created by the machine the number of revo-
lutions of which it is required to register. The armature J of this electromagnet I
is pivotted on a cross bar K, and is so arranged that every time the armature
is attracted by the cores of the electro-magnet in consequence of an electric
impulse passing through the latter, its other end is shifted across the periphery
of a ratchet wheel (Figures 1 and 2). This ratchet wheel, which is carried
on a sleeve d³ and rigidly connected to the pinion d', has teeth occupying only
half the width of its periphery and alternating thereon: consequently whenever
the armature J is vibrated, its end is disengaged from a tooth on one edge of the
wheel, and the pinion will be free to turn, under the action of the spring
drum A and clockwork C. until the end of the armature engages the next alter-
nately placed tooth on the ratchet wheel.
By studying the arrangement of the registering drums, it will be seen how
each time this pinion turns the pitch of a tooth on the ratchet wheel d, the
relative positions of the registering drums are changed so as to exhibit to the
observer a number differing from the former by one unit.

page_text: Every time the pinion d turns the pitch of one tooth in consequence of the
deflection of the lever J of the armature, it involves in its movement, by means
of a ratchet wheel d and pawl, the units disc or drum F, that is, the drum to
the left in Figure 4. This disc is provided with a recess do flanked on both
sides by projecting parts. Against the left face of the central disc F is applied
a crown wheel 2, the rotatory movement of which is transmitted to the said
central disc F by means of a ratchet wheel f" and pawl f7.
Below the drums and mounted on a shaft are arranged two pinions H.
When in the course of rotation of the units disc, the recess of the latter, becomes
engaged with a tooth of the pinion H arranged beneath the said disc, the pinion H
will turn by one tooth and involve in this movement the crown wheel f³ con-
nected with the central or tens disc F. The crown wheel will thus turn by one
tooth, and with it the tens disc or drum, since the two, as has been explained
before, are connected by means of a ratchet wheel and pawl'arrangement.
The right hand face of the tens drum is also provided with a recess similar
to recess do described above; and, in a similar manner, the left handed face of
the hundreds drum is connected to a crown wheel and so arranged, that with
every full turn of the tens drum the hundreds drum passes through th of a
full turn. This is effected by means of the second pinion H becoming engaged
with the recess after each turn of the tens drum F.
From the above it is clear, that if 720 impulses, for example have passed from
the machine through the electromagnet I, the armature will have been attracted
720 times, and if the instrument registered 720 at the start, that number will
have been reduced to zero after the passing of these 720 impulses.
Let us examine now what will happen at the moment the indicator reaches
zero.
On the periphery of each of the discs or drums F is fixed a pin f of some
insulating material. Each of these pins comes, in the course of rotation of the
disc on which it is fixed, in contact with a flexible blade which it presses until
the blade touches a contact device m mounted on an insulating block M.
The three flexible blades thus arranged, are supported on an insulating
block L, while each blade is connected with a metal rod or bolt 7. The electrical
arrangement of the various blades and their contact screws m are illustrated, in
detail, in Figure 5.
One wire of the circuit is connected with the first contact screw m while the
other is connected with the last contact blade . Besides these connections, the
first contact blade is connected with the second screw contact m and the
second blade contact with the third screw contact m. Consequently the
circuit will be closed only when the three blades are simultaneously in touch
with their corresponding screw contacts m, and the projecting tenons are each
so arranged on their respective drums or discs F that the coincidence, of their
pressing against the respective blades only takes place when the indicator passes
from 1 to 0.
If the auxiliary circuit or circuit No. 2, consists of a battery and receiver of any
kind, it is evident that the moment the three blades are in simultaneous contact
with their respective screw contacts m, the circuit of the receiver battery will
be closed informing the observer that the 720 revolutions which were intended
to be registered have been completed.
In the drawing the terminals of circuit No. 2 are marked m¹ and those of
circuit No. 1 with, while refers to an adjusting screw by means of which
the necessary tension is given to a spring intended to bring back the armature
lever J to its normal position.
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 —
1. A registering counting apparatus consisting of drums or discs to any

page_text: required number each disc excepting the first being connected by a pawl and
ratchet device on one face with a crown wheel geared with a pinion mounted on
an auxiliary shaft while on the other face all the discs except the last are provided
with a recess which at each complete turn of the disc becomes engaged with
another pinion mounted on the same auxiliary shaft so as to rotate each disc of
the apparatus in the proportion of th of a turn to a full turn of the dise
preceding it the first disc being turned by means of a clockwork mechanism
whenever released by the shifting of a catch, vibrated by an electromagnet
through which pass the impulses the numbers of which are to be registered sub-
stantially as specified.
2. In a registering counting apparatus such as is specified in Claim 1, the
employment of projecting parts or pins made of insulating material and arranged
one on each of the counting discs so as to simultaneously engage at a specified
moment with flexible blades and, thus close an electric circuit thereby auto-
matically sending an impulse to a desired point.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1900.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.