Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug.. 1886.
Complete Left, 4th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd Mar., 1887.
We FREDERIC WILLIAM REEVES, of 69, Rua do Alecrim, Lisbon, Portugal, Civil
Engineer, and ALFRED SLATTER of Sekforde Street, Clerkenwell, Middlesex,
Electrician do hereby declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to arrange appliances in the front or other part of a
casing or box in such a manner that notices, letters, numerals or a combination thereof
can be exposed to view but are capable of being shifted by hand or otherwise for
indicating whether a person is "in "out." The appliance may have a circular,
an up and down, or a reciprocating movement for the purpose, and if necessary a bell
or gong can be sounded at each movement.
or
Discs or plates of any material can be employed and springs can temporarily fix
them in either position.
.
By our invention we manufacture a cheap apparatus, of simple construction and not
liable to get out of order, which will show at a glance to the persons or the attendant
whether any person who is represented by a number is in or out, or in the case of
schools etc., absent or present, so that the apparatus may be used either by one
attendant to check children or workpeople, or persons residing in an Hotel or other
similar establishment on entering or leaving can readily push the dials for in or out.
Whereas in the absence of such an apparatus, parties wishing to know whether such
or such a number is in, is dependent upon the memory of the Porter or a search
through the building and frequently mistakes thus occur, which are entirely obviated
by the use of this apparatus, which is of general convenience.
We now proceed to describe the construction of our apparatus which can be made
of wood or metal or both combined and ornamented according to requirements. The
front part of the apparatus is formed of a slab of wood or sheet of metal or paper upon
which at convenient intervals are exhibited the various numbers required to be
employed. This slab or sheet is pierced with openings which correspond with the
numbers and behind are placed a dial or dials upon which are inscribed or painted the
words "in" and "out," "absent" or "present" or any convenient signs and these words
or signs are so placed that by the partial rotation of the dial right or left, one or the

page_text: other of the words or signs are visible from the front through the openings aforesaid,
and the motion is imparted to the dials by means of a button or stem fixed on the
same, and passing through the front slab or sheet of metal in which an opening or
circular slot is formed corresponding with the centre or axis of the rotating dial.
In order that the dials may be fixed in one position or the other to indicate clearly,
in or out, a spring is fixed behind the dial and may be connected to the axis and holds
the dial either to the right or left when it is pushed from either direction past the dead
centre, thus locking or fixing, the dial in either direction.
If desirable it may be further arranged that the motion imparted in moving the dial
can be connected by means of a wire, cord or bar, to a gong or bell in order to indicate
to the attendant that the apparatus has been used by the party passing. One mode
of making the apparatus strike a bell or gong is by notches or teeth being arranged
on the sliding reciprocating dial plate to actuate a bell hammer to sound the bell
or gong.
The recording dial can be either carried or fixed at each end of its axis or shaft in
the front or back part of the box or case or a central framing perforated with holes
will serve for carrying the shaft or axis of the dial or the dial can be carried on a
fixed axis secured to the front portion of the case around which it moves from one
position to the other, in which case the dial will be directly attached to the spring for
maintaining it in one position or the other, and this is the simplest method although
not so durable as when fastened upon a separate revolving shaft or axle.
T
1000
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said F. W. Reeves and A. Slatter.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Indicating Apparatus for Use in Hotels, Factories, and the like.
We, FREDERIC WILLIAM REEVES of 69 Rua-do Alecrim, Lisbon, Portugal,
Civil Engineer, and ALFRED SLATTER of Sekforde Street, Clerkenwell, Middlesex,
Electrician, 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 :-
33
The object of this invention is, to arrange appliances in the front or other part of a
casing, or box, in such a manner that notices, letters, numerals, or a combination
thereof, can be exposed to view, but are capable of being shifted by hand or otherwise
for indicating whether a person is "in or "out." The appliances may have a
circular, an up and down, or a reciprocating movement for the purpose, and if
necessary, a bell or gong can be sounded at each movement. Discs or plates of any
material can be employed and springs can temporarily fix them in either position.
By our invention, we manufacture a cheap apparatus of simple construction and not
liable to get out of order which will show at a glance to the persons or the attendant
whether any person who is represented by a number is, "in" or "out," or in the case
of schools &c., absent or present, so the apparatus may be used either by one attendant
to check children or workpeople, or persons residing in an Hotel, or other similar
establishment on entering or leaving can readily push the dials for "in" ог out."
Whereas in the absence of such an apparatus, parties wishing to know whether such
or such a number is in, is dependent upon the memory of the porter, or a search
through the building and frequently mistakes thus occur, which are entirely obviated
by the use of this apparatus, which is of general convenience.
«
We now proceed to describe the construction of our apparatus, (illustrated by the
annexed drawings), which can be made of wood, or metal or both combined and
ornamented according to requirements. The front part of the apparatus, of which a
perspective view is shown at Figure 1, Figure 2 being a section of same, is formed of
a slab of wood or sheet of metal or paper a upon which at convenient intervals are
exhibited the various numbers requiring to be employed. This slab or sheet is pierced
with an opening or openings 6 which correspond with the notices, letters, or numbers,
and behind are placed a dial or dials c (shown separately at Figure 3) upon which are
inscribed or painted the words "in" and "out," absent or present, or any convenient
signs, and these words or signs are so placed that by the partial rotation of the dial
right or left, one or the other of the words or signs are visible from the front through
the openings baforesaid and the motion is imparted to the dial c by means of a button,
or stem d fixed on the same, and passing through the front slab or sheet of metal a in
which an opening or circular slot e is formed corresponding with the centre or axis of
the rotating dial c.
In order that the dials may be fixed in one position or the other, to indicate clearly,
in or out, a spring fis fixed behind the dial c and is connected to the stud or pin a
с

page_text: and holds the dial either to the right or left when it is pushed from either direction
past the dead centre, thus locking or fixing the dial in either direction.
Figure 4 is a back elevation of the apparatus showing the spring fattached.
Figures 5 and 6 show a modification in which the dial plate c slides up and down
or right and left and is held in position by a plate spring f
If desirable it may be further arranged that the motion imparted in moving the
dial can be connected by means of a wire, cord or bar to a gong or bell in order to
indicate to the attendant that the apparatus has been used by the party passing.
One mode of making the apparatus strike a bell or gong is shown at Figure 7,
notches or teeth g being arranged on the slides reciprocating dial plate e to actuate a
bell hammer to sound the bell or gong i.
The recording dial can be either carried or fixed at each end of its axis or shaft in
the front or back part of the box or case or a central framing perforated with holes
will serve for carrying the shaft or axis of the dial, or the dial can be carried on a
fixed axis secured to the front portion of the case around which it moves from one
position to the other in which case the dial will be directly attached to the spring for
maintaining it in one position or the other and this is the simplest method although
not so durable as when fastened upon a separate revolving shaft or axle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is:-
The appliance as hereinbefore described and shown in the annexed drawings for the
purpose set forth.
The 4th day of January 1887.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said F. W. Reeves and A. Slatter.