US2171167A

US2171167A - Time recorder mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2171167A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1939-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 1956-08-29

Description

Aug. 29, 1939. E. G. STRECKFUSS TIME RECORDER MECHANISM Filed Nov. 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ELMER G' 577?:-

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Aug. 29, 1939. E. G. STRECKFUSS 2,171,157

TIME RECORDER MECHANISM Filed NOV. 20, 1935 2 SheetsSheet'2 IN VEN TOR.

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v Patented Aug. 29, 1939 1 I -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIME RECORDER MECHANISM Elmer G. Streckfuss, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Cincinnati Time Recorder Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 20, 1935, Serial No. 50,683

9 Claims. (01. 234-43) My invention relates to time recorders, and nisms, with parts of the framework removed for more particularly to certain mechanisms therein greater clarity. which have for their purpose the indication of Figure 2 is an elevational view of the lost mowhether the time punched is in or out time. tion device which insures a complete operation 5 Such indication may be made in various ways, of the block and ribbon mechanisms before a 5 of which I have illustrated and described two. record is made, as seen from the left of Figure In one of these, a two color ribbon is used, and 1, with parts of the framework removed for means are provided to shift the ribbon so as ingreater clarity. dicate out time in a different color than in Figure 3 is an elevational view of the ribbon time. In another there is provided a movable shifting mechanism as seen from the right of type block, adapted when in one position to print Figure l with parts of the framework removed in, and in another to print "out. It may even for greater clarity. be desirable to provide both types of indications, Figure 4 is a front view of an exemplary card so that, in time will be marked in and be with six time records. 1 printed in black, while out time will be marked Figure 5 is a similar view of a card with seven out and be printed in red. Both mechanisms time records. are actuated in the same way, and it is there- Briefly in the practice of my invention I profore a matter of choice whether one or both invide a time recorder of the notch cutting type, dications are used. The use of .both indications, which is described and claimed in United States 0 however, provides an additional safeguard Patent No. 1,731,550, dated October 15, 1929, in against tampering with a view to obtaining a my name. In this type of recorder a small notch false impression on the card. is cut in a lower corner of the card at each re- Normally the first time printed on the card cording operation at a point just above an abutwill be in time, the second will be out time, ment which serves to locate the card. By these the third, in time again, and so forth. For this means the card comes to rest in the recorder 5 reason it is desirable to provide means whereby at a lower point each time, during any one day, the mechanisms will be so set that the words whereby the time records on the card are in "in and out and the colors red and black will the normal position for subtraction by the timebe printed alternately on each card. keeper. I employ this change of position of With the above factors in mind, it is an object the card to put into operation the shifting mech- 30 of my invention to provide mechanism for a time anisms as will hereinafter be described. This recorder whereby a two-color ribbon will be recorder is also of the shifting tray type, disshifted for alternate impressions upon a card, closed and claimed in United States Patent to and whereby such shifting will be accomplished Yates, No. 1,689,905, dated October 30, 1928, automatically. wherein the card tray shifts laterally each day, 35

It is another object of my invention to provide and after the last shift returns automatically to mechanisms whereby the first, third, and other the initial position. It is of course understood odd numbered impressions upon a card for a that the type of machine to which my invention given day will be marked in, and whereby the may be applied is not limited to the specific type even numbered impressions will be marked out, which I have above described, and that this type 40 and whereby these mechanisms will be fully of machine has been selected for purposes of 11- automatic,- lustration only.

Further it is an object of my invention to pro- In the drawings, I indicates the hammer shaft, vide means actuated by the individual card at 2 the card tray, and 3 the rod upon which the alternate registrations to put into operation the card tray is shiftably mounted. Immediately be- 45 devices above referred to. hind the card tray 2 is the ribbon guide 4, which These and other objects of my invention which is mounted upon the frame member 5 for slid- F will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent able vertical movement. A shaft 6 which is oscilto one skilled in the art upon reading these speclated by the operating handle at each recording ifications, I accomplish by that certain construcoperation, is provided with two rearwardly ex- 60 tion and arrangement of parts of which I shall tending arms 1 and 8, which are connected by a now describe a preferred embodiment. Refercross bar 9. The punch mechanism and the ence is now made to the drawings which form a means for locating the card are mounted on a part hereof and in which: carriage 5|, which carriage is slidably mounted Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mechaon the shafts l and 6. Movement of the carriage 55 is accomplished by means of the lever 52 and is proportional to the movement of the card tray 2. The lever 52 is pivoted at its lower end in a lug on the frame of the machine and is connected to the carriage 5| by means of a screw 5|a extending through the slot 52a. At its upper end the lever 52 is linked to the card tray 2. Thus any movement of the card tray 2 produces a decreased but proportional movement of the carriage 5| through the action of the lever 52.

The carriage 5| carries a die plate 53 and a rocking punch plate 54 pivoted, thereon at 55. The plate 53 moves in a path just below and just outside of the lower mouth of the card tray. In the machine illustrated the punch plate may be actuated by the cross bar 9 through the link 5'6.

To determine the vertical position of the card a stop lever 51 is carried by the bracket 58 which is fixed on the carriage5l. .One edge of the punch plate overhangs the stop lever 51 so as to cut away the card a definite amount directly above the lever.

All the above described mechanisms are found in the patents above referred to and form no part of this invention. They are mentioned only in order to assist one skilled in the art in orienting himself as to the location of my novel mechanisms with respect to the rest, of the machine.

I have pivoted on the shaft 5 a pair of arms l0 and II, which are connected at their extremities by the rods I2 and I3. This assembly is urged in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Fig- ;,ures 1 and 3, by a small spring l4, which is atta'ched to the shaft by means of a hook I5. Be-

tween the rod l2 and the shaft l5, which carries some of the'gears for turning the time wheels, I suspend a linkage comprising the members I1, I8, and I9. Mounted upon the link I1 is a follower member 20, which may be adjusted toward the right or left'as seen in Figures 1 and 3, by means of the screws a and the slot 201). The follower member 20 extends downwardly to the extent that it is urged by the spring l4 against the cross bar 9.

Riveted or otherwise fastened to the movable card tray is a small bracket 2|, to which the ears 22 of a pin carrier 24 are hinged by the pin 23. At its end farthest removedfrom the hinge, the carrier 24 bears apin 25. On its rear side, the carrier 24 bears 9. lug 26 through which the rod |2 passes. The operation of this part of the mechanism is as follows: When the operator pulls on the operating handle 49, the shaft 6 and and therefore the members 1, 8, and 9 are rocked in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Figures 1 and 3 if there is no obstruction to the forward movement of the pin 25, the tension in the spring M will urge the assembly ||J-l||2--|3|1 |8-|9--20 toward the left as seen in Figures 1 and 3, the member 20 following the rod 9; if, however, the pin meets with an obstruction such as an imperforate card, the pin 25 cannot move forward, with the result that the member 20 will not be permitted to follow the rod 9 under tension of the spring l4, and the linkage l1'|8-|9 will remain in the position shown. ,1

Toward the rear of the frame member 5 is journaled a cross shaft 21, which is adapted .to be urged by spring 34 in a clockwise direction as seen in Figures 1 'and 3, as will hereinafter be described. Movement of the shaft 21 is adapted to rock the shaft 28 through the linkage 29-3|.I 3|. It will be noted that the curved link 29 passes underneath the member I9. The member I9 is provided with a trigger portion i9a, which is adapted to abut a small lug 29a on the member 29 which projects into the path of the trigger |9a. The connection between this part of the mechanism and that just described will now be clear; when the linkage |1-|8|9 is permitted to swing to the left, the trigger |9a will clear the lug 29a, permitting the link 29 to rock upwardly, thereby rocking the shaft 28 in a clockwise direction.

Before proceeding to a description of the mechanisms actuated by the rocking of the shaft' 28, I shall briefly describe how the shaft 21 is rocked upon manipulation of the operating handle. Referring to Figure 2, which is a view looking at the other end of the shaft 21, when the operating handle 49 is actuated, the rod 32 is moved in the direction of the arrow. The end of the rod 32 is bent over at right angles to the plane of the drawings and passes through the slot 33a in the lever 33, which is loosely mounted on the G 33 will be rocked in a counterclockwise direction. Now if the trigger |9a has been moved out of the way of the lug 29a, by reason of the fact that the pin 25 did not meet with an obstruction, the. tension of the spring 34 will cause the arm 35, which is fast on the shaft 21, to rock in a counter-clockwise direbtion as seen in Figure 2, or clockwise, as seen in Figures 1 and 3 The end 33b of the lever 33 is connected by means of the rod 50 to certain parts of the time-wheel aligning mechanism as described in the patents above mentioned. It will be noted by reference to theaforesaid patents, that the shaft 6 begins to rock as soon as the operating lever is depressed, that'is, at the same instant that the rod 32 begins to move. The purpose of the slot 33a, therefore, is to permit the trigger |9a to clear the lug 29a,

provided there is no obstruction to the forward movement of the pin 25, before the shaft 21 is rocked. If the pin 25 meets with an obstruction, the arm 35 will not follow the arm 33, but the latter is permitted to continue to perform its function by the extension of the spring 34.

UP'IO this point, the mechanism is the same whether only the ribbon shift is to be used, or only the shifting in and on printing block,

or both. Referring now to Figure 1 for a description of the printing block shifting mechanism, fixed on the shaft 28 is an arm 38, to the end of which is fastened a member 36. The lower end of the member 36 is provided with an inverted U-shaped slot 3617 which is adapted to ride on a bushing 31a on the shaft 31, which carries the time printing wheels. Formed on the lower end of the member 36 adjacent the slot 36b is the in and out printing block 36a, which is normally positioned to print in. Upon motion of the mechanism as described hereinabove, the shaft 28 will rock in a clockwise direction, elevating the arm 38 and the block 3611, which will then come into position to print out.

In Figure 3 I have shown the ribbon guide 4 fastened to the frame member 5 by screws 4a which pass through vertical slots in the guide, whereby the guide 4 is capable of vertical shifting. In this case I provide an arm 39 similar to arm 38, which is connected by the link 40 to the lever 4| which is fixedly mounted on the shaft 31. Front end of'the lever 4| projects into a slot 4|a in the ribbon guide, so that as the shaft 28 is rocked in a clockwise direction,'the lever 4| is 0" nth 1 5, I have illustrated two exemplary cards upon which several recordings have been made. It will be noted that the cards are provided with perforations 42, and that these perforations are spaced apart vertically the distance of two notches, one notch being the difference between the notches 43 and 46. It is to be understood that the long notch 44 represents actually four notches in succession, the notch 45 is really two notches in succession, and the notch 48 is three notches in succession. Furthermore the first perforation at the bottom of the card is so spaced that it does not come into operative position until the second recording, when the first notch has already been out. The operation of the card is this: when a new card is inserted into the tray 2, it is so positioned that the pin 25 abuts the card between the bottom edge and the first perforation 42 a record is then made and the first small notch is cut, but in the meantime the pin 25 cannot move forward and a normal record takes place; the next time the card is inserted for record, it will be positioned one notch lower in the tray 2 as a result of the notch which was cut in it by the previous recording, which will enable the mi 25 to pass through the lowest perforation 42 and cause the record to be marked out", or be printed in a different colored ink, or both; the third time the card is inserted, there will be a repetition of the first time, and so forth, so that the record will be printed in and out, or red'and black, or both, alternately. It is of course understood that on the following day the card tray is automatically shifted to print in the nextcolumn, and a new series of notches is started. In Figure 4, four records were made the first day, and two the second; if two more records were to be made on this card, there would appear a single notch double the width of notch 44. The notches need only be wide enough to provide an abutment portion.

It is to be understood that the type of machine upon which my novel mechanisms are used forms no limitation upon my invention, and the particular machine here described was merely selected for purposes of exemplification, and that different forms of my preferred embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a time recorder of the class described having an operating handle and a card tray and means in connection with the tray to position a card in one of a succession of positions, the combination of a two-color type ribbon which normally occupies a position to print one of said colors, mechanism tending to shift said ribbon to a position to print the other of said colors after a predetermined degree of movement of said handle, and means operable at alternate positions of said card in said tray as determined by said first mentioned means to release said mechanism whereby said ribbon is shifted to a position to print the other of said colors. 4

2. In a time recorder of the class described having an operating handle and a card tray and means in connection with the tray to position a card in one of a succession of positions, the combination of a reciprocable type block adapted in one position to print a symbol, and in another position to print a different symbol and normally occupying a position to print one of said symbols, mechanism tending to shift said block to a position to print the second mentioned symbol after a predetermined degree of movement of the operating handle, and means operable at alternate positions of said card in said tray as determined by said first mentioned means, to release said mechanism, whereby said type block is shifted to a position to print said second mentioned symbol.

3. In a time recorder of the class described having means for making a record and mechanism for changing the character of said record, an operating handleand a card tray and means in connection with the tray to position a card in one'of a succession of positions, said card being provided with a row of perforations spaced apart twice the distance of displacement of the card in the tray for successive recordings; a pin, and means for urging it against said card upon operationof said handle, so that it will pass into one of said perforations when the card is so positioned that one of the perforations is in registry with said pin, said pin adapted upon entry into one of said perforations to enable said mechanism to function for the purpose of changing the character of the record.

4. In a. time recorder of the class described having an operating handle and a card tray and means in connection with the tray to position a card in one of a succession of positions, said card being provided with a row of perforations spaced apart twice the distance of displacement of the card in the tray for successive recordings, and a two-color type ribbon; a pin, and means for urging it against said card upon operation of said operating handle, so that it will enter one of said perforations when the card is so positioned that one of them is in registry with said pin, and means operative upon entry of the pin into one of said perforations for shifting said ribbon.

5. In a time recorder of the class described having an operating handle and a card tray and means in connection with the tray to position a card in one of a succession of positions, said card being provided with a row of perforations spaced aparttwice the distance of displacement of the card in the tray for successive recordings, and a symbol type block; a pin, and means for urging it against said card upon operation of said operating handle, so that it will enter one of said perforations when the card is so positioned that one of them is in registry with said pin, and means operative upon entry of the pin into one of said perforations for shifting said symbol type block.

6. In a time recorder of the class described having means for making a record and mechanism for changing the character of said record, an operating handle and a card tray and means in connection with the tray to position a card in one of a succession of positions, said card being provided with a row of perforations spaced apart twice the distance of displacement of the card in the tray for successive recordings; a pin, and means for urging it against said card so that it will enter one of said perforations when the card is so positioned that one of them is in registry with said pin, an abutment to restrain the movement of said pin but which is retracted upon actuation of said operating handle to permit movement of said pin, said pin upon entry into one of said perforations adapted to enable said mechanism to function for the purpose of changing the character of the record.

7. In a time recorder of the class described having an operating handle and a card tray and means in connection with the tray to position a. card in one of a succession of positions, the combination of a two-color type ribbon which normally occupies a position to print one of said colors, mechanism actuated by said operating handle through a delayed action connection tending to shift said ribbon to a position to print the other of said colors, and means operable at alternate positions of said card in said tray to release said mechanism whereby said ribbon is shifted to a position to print said other color.

8. In a time recorder of the class described having an operating handle and a card tray and means in connection with the tray to position a card in one of a succession of positions, the combination of a reciprocable type block adapted in one position to print a symbol, and in another position to print a different symbol and normally occupying a position to print one of said-symbols, mechanism actuated by said operating handle through a delayed action connection tending to shift said block to a position to print the second mentioned symbol, and means operable at alternate positions of said card in said tray to release said mechanism whereby said type block is shifted to a position to print the second mentioned symbol.

9. In a time recorder of the class described having an operating handle and a card tray and means in connection with the tray to-position a card in one of a succession of positions, said card being provided with a row of perforations spaced apart twice the distance of displacement of the card in the tray for successive recordings, a reciprocable type block adapted in one position to print a symbol, and in another position to print a different symbol and normally occupying a position to print one of said symbols, and a twocolor type ribbon which normally occupies a position to print one of said colors; a pin, and means for urging it against said card upon operation of said'operating handle, so that it will enter one of said perforations when the card is so positioned that one of them is in registry with said pin, and means operative upon entry of said pin into one of said perforations to shift said type block to a position to print said second mentioned symbol, and to shift said type ribbon to a position to print the other of said colors.

ELMER G. STRECKFUSS.