FR2547937A1 - PRESENCE TIME RECORDER - Google Patents

Abstract

THIS ATTENDANCE TIME RECORDER INCLUDES, ON A SUPPORT 3 WHICH SLIDES IN RELATION TO AN ENVELOPE 2 ATTACHED TO A WALL, A PRINTER 9 EQUIPPED WITH A PRINT HEAD, A RIBBON CARTRIDGE 10 INK, THE CONTROL DEVICE 'PRINTER, A PROGRAMMING KEYBOARD 11 AND AT LEAST ONE ELECTRICAL PANEL 12. THE SUPPORT CAN BE EXTRACTED FROM THE ENCLOSURE AND TAKEN IN SEVERAL POSITIONS, IN ORDER TO ALLOW ACCESS TO THE ORGANS TO PROCEED WITH THE REPROGRAMMING OF THE DATA, THE CHANGE OF THE TAPE OR MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS. MEANS 18 ARE PROVIDED FOR UNLOCKING THE SUPPORT FROM THE ENCLOSURE AND OTHER MEANS 23 ARE PROVIDED FOR EXTRACTING THE SUPPORT, IN COMBINATION WITH MEANS WHICH DISCONNECT THE POWER SUPPLY FROM THE PANEL. MAIN APPLICATION: TIME-OF-PRESENCE RECORDER OF THE POINTING CLOCK TYPE FOR COMPANIES.

Description

The present invention relates to a clock

  time stamp intended to print on time cards, which will be referred to hereinafter as the term "time attendance recorder" commonly used to designate this type of apparatus and relates more particularly to improvements made to these types of clocks or recorders.

  A time attendance recorder comprises a printer, equipped with its print head, a cartridge containing an inked ribbon, a printer control apparatus, one or more electrical panel (s) carrying (nt) the electrical circuits of the various actuating or printing apparatuses and the circuitry forming the recorder memory which contains the data programmed for the desired operation of the recorder. In the memory of the recorder, other data which is expressly desired by the user are generally further introduced; for this purpose, the recorder 20 comprises a keyboard specially designed to send to the circuits of the memory the data chosen by the customer, for example, to program the start-up

  of a siren at the exit of the workers of the factory.

  Unfortunately, under certain circumstances, which result from the interruption of the circuit power supply, the calculator memory could remain partially destroyed, particularly with respect to

  relates to data entered by means of the keyboard.

  To eliminate this disadvantage, it is necessary to allow to reprogram the erased data by also giving the non-specialized personnel, for example to the guardian of the plant, the possibility of accessing the interior of the apparatus under conditions of absolute security, that is without running the risk of damaging other parts or touching

  are normally at the mains voltage.

  However, in many solutions there may be some difficulties in carrying out the operations mentioned above because of the arrangement of the various elements which are extremely close to each other. It is also necessary to consider that in addition to the need to To carry out the aforesaid programming operation, there is furthermore that of being able to access the inside of the apparatus under safe conditions irrespective of the operator. Indeed, in the aforementioned apparatus it is necessary to perform interventions, either because

  unpredictable damage, either for maintenance operations, for example to extract the ribbon cartridge, onu to introduce a new cartridge containing a new ribbon, to ensure the obtaining of a correct and clean impres15 sion in the operation of the recorder.

  In other circumstances, it is necessary

  to intervene on the keyboard to proceed with the modification of the data entered in the memory on the de20 Mande of the user.

  It is therefore a question of making the interior of the recorder as accessible as possible without however allowing the interventions of unauthorized persons, and, what is more important, by avoiding the violations.

  The object of the present invention is to provide a time attendance recorder which has none of the aforementioned drawbacks, which is at the same time capable of being inspected in all its parts, of a simple construction, a price of return

  low and free from the risk of electrocution.

  The present invention relates to a time recorder comprising a printer, a cartridge which contains an ink ribbon, an electrical panel and a programming keyboard; said recorder being characterized in that said printer, said cartridge, said panel and said keyboard are

  combined with a support slidably mounted within a casing or body which attaches to a wall, as well as means for unlocking said support, and means for extracting said sup port, in combination with means which disconnect the power supply from the panel.

  The recorder according to the invention comprises an envelope having, for example, the shape of a circular section tube or square section with rounded corners, inside which are arranged all the elements necessary for the operation, with the It is a fundamental feature that these elements are stably associated with a sliding support and can therefore be partly or even totally extracted from the tube-shaped casing by a sliding movement. With the solution cited, we thus obtain the possibility of accessing the elements of the apparatus, elements which are clearly visible whatever the viewing angle, because they are entirely devoid of

  any part of the envelope all round.

  The invention provides means for unlocking the support of the envelope, and by this expression is meant a device capable of putting the apparatus in condition to extract the support from the envelope by removing the links which assemble them. one to another.

  Said means provided for unlocking the support of the envelope comprise, as explained in detail below, an element indispensable to the maneuver, which is in the possession of authorized personnel to avoid any violation, of any type whatever. The invention further comprises means for extracting the support, with the characteristic of determining by the extraction operation the actuation of means provided for disconnecting the mains voltage from the electrical panel (s) (s). ), all of

  such that, for any position of extraction of the support of the envelope, it is possible to operate on elements of the apparatus under conditions of absolute safety.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the presence time recorder is characterized in that the said means for unlocking the support of the envelope comprise a key, a lock, a wafer combined with the body of the lock, an element stopper said envelope, a slot of said support being directed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the envelope and being capable of receiving at least a portion of said wafer under the effect of the

  rotation of the key in a given direction of rotation.

  In one embodiment, the recorder

  characterized in that said means for extracting the support comprises a handle combined with a slider which is slidably mounted in a groove of said support, resilient means exerting a thrust on the slider and stopping means of the slider which resists said elastic means.

  The figures of the accompanying drawing, given solely by way of example, will make it clear how the invention can be realized. In this drawing, FIG. 1 shows a time recorder of presence by a perspective view. FIG. perspective -the casing of the recorder of Figure 1 lacking its inner parts; FIG. 3 shows the envelope of FIG. 2 in cross-section; FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of two successive positions for extracting the recorder support from the envelope; Figure 6 shows still a perspective view of the support in its maximum extraction position, taken from the opposite side, with respect to Figure 5; Figure 7 shows in a perspective view the printer of the recorder of Figure 1; Figures 8 and 9 show in section the means for unlocking the support shown in Figures 4 to 6 Figure 10 shows the means provided for the extraction of the support in a longitudinal section of the apparatus of Figure 1;

  FIG. 11 shows, in a longitudinal section of the apparatus of FIG. 1, the means which disconnect the voltage of the electrical panel visible in FIGS. 4 to 6 when the support is extracted from the envelope.

  In FIG. 1, there is shown at 1 a presence time recorder comprising, in one embodiment, a casing 2 of tubular shape, a support 3 which terminates at the upper end of the casing by a part frontal on which we see a dial 4 giving the indications of hours and minutes, and a slot 5 for the introduction of the card. The envelope, made of aluminum or plastic, has a slender shape, better represented in FIGS. 2 and 3, where it is clearly seen a portion 6 serving to anchor the apparatus on a fixed wall at

  screw means 7 or the like, and a portion intended to constitute a guide for the support 3, which comprises longitudinal ribs 8.

  The support 3 is mounted to slide in relation to the envelope, as can be seen clearly on the

Figures 4 to 6.

  On the support are mounted all the mechanical and electrical elements necessary for the operation of the recorder, namely, a printer 9, a cartridge containing an inked ribbon 10, a programming keyboard 11, and an electrical panel 12 in which are arranged the different circuits of the computer memory which contains the data programmed for

the impression.

  The mechanical elements of the apparatus are shown more clearly in FIG. 7, on which is also seen, in addition to what has already been mentioned, a motor unit 15 intended to transmit the movement for the displacement of the printer 9 from A to B and vice versa during the printing of the card C, via a cable 14 combined with two pulleys 15 and 16 and a clamp 17.

  The invention provides means for unlocking the support 3 of its envelope 2, means for extracting the support of the envelope to the positions shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in combination with other means which disconnect the electrical voltage from the panel 12.

  Some preferred forms of the aforementioned means will now be described. The means for unlocking the support comprise (FIG. 8) a key 18, a lock 19, and a wafer or cam 20 combined with the

  lower body of the lock 19.

  The lock 19 is integral with the front portion of the support 3 (Figure 1). The cam 20 can engage in a slot 21 which is part of a side 22 of the sup port 3. Said slot is oriented in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the casing so as to receive or not to receive the cam 20, according to the direction of rotation

of the key 18 in the lock 19.

  The casing 2 comprises in turn a stop member 22 'having the shape of a fork and intended to receive the cam 20 between its two branches.

  The means provided for extracting the support from the envelope comprise (FIG. 10) a handle 23, a slide 24 to which the handle is combined, a groove 35 formed in the front part of the support for guiding the slide 24, appropriate elastic means. for exerting a thrust for pulling out the handle, means for stopping the slide which resists said elastic means, and a switch for

end of race 25 '.

  In particular, and preferably, the resilient means comprise a spring 26 whose first end 27 is connected to the support, in the front part thereof, and a second end 28 of which is connected to the slide, in a position below the first end.

  The means for stopping the slide comprise a lever 29 articulated on the support at point 30; the first side 31 of the lever 29 is placed in a stopping abutment position of the slider while the second side 32 is subjected to the action of the cam 20 operated by the key 18 In substance, in a general embodiment of the invention, the lever device just mentioned is of the type capable of determining the locking of the handle as long as the key is in a position corresponding to the closing of the envelope while, if the we put the key in an open position,

  the lever 29 rotates in the opposite direction of the clockwise to let the action of the spring 26 become predominant and out the handle 23 to the end stop 25 '.

  In the preferred form, the lever 29 comprises another element or arm 34 normally supported, at least by one of its end portions, against a surface 35 of the support which forms a support for the card inserted in the slot 5 ( Figure 1) o The arm 34 is made of plastic, but in

  because of its slender shape and its inclination of less than 90 on the first side 31, it is able to deform elastically to cause the rotation of the lever 29 in the opposite direction to that of the hands of a watch and, therefore, done, the return of the lever to its original position.

  The means for determining the disconnection of the voltage comprise a connector 36 (FIG. 11) attached to the lower end 37 of the inner surface of the envelope and a terminal 38 provided in the

lower part of the support.

  The terminal is electrically connected to the electrical panel 12, to which it transmits power

  of the network when it is coupled to the connector 36.

  In the support 3 are provided, as seen in Figure 4, elements capable of describing relative movements to make it extremely easy to inspect the entire apparatus in all its details.

  These elements are Table 4, with its digital recorder, the key 18 with its lock 19 and the 15 programming keyboard.

  -The element comprising the table is mounted on the rest of the support 3 by hinges 39 so as to be able to switch 180 when the support is extracted

  of the envelope, as shown in Figure 4.

  The programming keyboard 11 can slide or turn, as in the example shown in the drawing, when it is extracted from the envelope, to be disposed laterally to the main body of the support, by means of the arms 40 which are articulated on one axis 41 of the support; As can be seen in this same figure 4, the

  programming 11 constitutes a locking element of the support 3 relative to the casing 2 in the partial extraction position shown.

  The blocking device of the support in the total extraction position of the support comprises particular stirrups 41 "(FIG. 6) which are connected to the casing in any manner, for example by snap-fastening.

  on the ribs 8 or equivalent devices.

  The stirrups 41 'serve to support the support 3 along the lateral sliding surfaces 42.

  We will now describe the mode in which we can access inside the device to reprogram on the keyboard some data wanted by the customer.

  The first operation is effected by inserting the key 18 in the lock 19 and then turning the key to disengage the cam 20 from the slot 21 of the support and the fork 22 'of the envelope (FIG. 8). , the support 3 is unlocked from the envelope 2.

  By rotating the key 18, a torque is also exerted on the lever 29 by means of the cam 20

  (Figure 10) by forcing the lever to turn in the opposite direction of that of clockwise; during rotation, the lever accumulates elastic energy, in that the arm 34 elastically deforms toward the first side 31 of the lever 29.

  The angular displacement of the lever 29 allows the spring 26 to exert on the slide 24 an upward thrust which results in the output of the handle 23 on the outside of the casing 2 to place it in the indicated position in broken lines, which is

  limited by a limit stop.

  Immediately after, the lever 29 restores the energy

  accumulated elastic returning to the starting position, thus avoiding that the slider will come back accidentally so down.

  The rotation of the key thus releases the support and the envelope from one another and, in addition, disposes the necessary means for the relative release of these

two parts.

  The following operations which bring the apparatus from the state of FIG. 1 to that of FIG. 4 are described below: The support 3 is lifted by means of the handle 23 by disengaging it from the envelope 2, the along the ribs 8; During this movement (FIG. 11), the terminal 38 electrically connected to the panel 12 separates from the connector 36, thus interrupting the supply of the network to all the elements transported by the support then, when the support has arrived slightly above the position shown in Figure 4, is extracted or rotated manually and laterally with respect to the casing 2 the container of the -programming keyboard; the operation can be effected by means of an automatic mechanism, for example by means of a device formed of springs disposed between an abutment surface of the support and the keyboard container; finally, the programming operations are carried out by introducing, by means of the keys of the keyboard, the data desired by the customer, among which, for example, the positioning of the red ink ribbon D the intervention of the siren at a finished hour of the working day; the pulses in the form of electrical signals for the data to be reprogrammed are emitted by means of an electric battery 12 'associated with the panel 12 (FIG. 5). In the position shown in FIG. 4, other fundamental operations can also be performed. for the proper functioning of the apparatus and, among these operations, the displacement of the cartridge and its ribbon This last operation is performed by exerting a traction force on the key 18 inserted in the lock 19 so as to rotate Table 4 around the hinges 39; then, when free access to the elements relating to the printing mechanism, detaches the points 43 for fixing the cartridge on the

  support and proceed to replacement.

  If it is desired to control the electrical elements of the panel 12, the support 3 is slid further along the ribs 8 by exerting an upward thrust by means of the handle 23, then the support is locked in the position of the 5, according to one of the many possible modes, for example by inserting appropriate pins 45 which pass through corresponding holes provided in the stirrups 41 'and in the lateral sliding tracks 42 of the support 3 o The stirrups 41 'above may constitute an accessory distinct from the apparatus and are then mounted

at the appropriate time.

  A big advantage is that

  the use of the stirrups 419 makes it possible to fully extract the support from its envelope, thus allowing.

  rotate the support 180 and introduce it again into the stirrups 41 ', which were previously extracted from the guides 8 and threaded into the guides 8', in order to

  to make the intervention easier on the parts of the support which are normally closer to the wall to which the envelope is fixed.

  The invention has the advantage of enclosing all the mechanical and electrical elements in a support having an elongate shape in one direction without particular problems resulting from the weight of these parts; this characteristic is evident in comparison with many of the known solutions in which the provision of members on hinged plates or flaps of assembly panels hinged on the walls of a specific container is provided, which has the effect of As a result, the pivoting plates or flaps are excessively loaded, which are thus cantilevered during the maintenance or intervention phases. It is also clear that in the aforementioned solution the advantage of maintain the support 3 absolutely fixed during the intervention phases on the various bodies, unlike the aforementioned known solutions in which the mobility of a cantilevered flap is an undesirable characteristic for the operator o Another advantage of the invention results from the fact that the entire group formed by the support and

  elements associated with it may be replaced by an analogous group which forms, for example, an equi-

relief.

  In addition, by virtue of its tubular shape, the envelope may constitute an elementary unit which may be associated with other analogous units arranged on the same axis or, alternatively, it may be assembled in parallel with other envelopes, each envelope containing its own support possibly equipped with elements

optional accessories.

  In addition, the arrangement of the mechanical elements of the printer and the visible actuations on

  FIG. 7 makes it possible in particular to maintain maximum congestion in the transverse direction C of modest values compatible with a tubular envelope; in practice, the solution according to the invention makes it possible to maintain the maximum transverse dimension of the envelope at values which are of the order of twice the width of the card to be printed, whereas in other known solutions this transverse dimension is three or four times greater than this width; The solution according to the invention thus solves the problem of allowing immediate intervention on all vital parts of the apparatus and lends itself to the use of the apparatus in any environment, even small ones .

  It goes without saying that changes can be

  brought to the embodiment which has just been described, in particular by substitution of the equivalent technical means, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (8)

R E V E N D I C A T IO N S   1 card time attendance recorder,   comprising a printer (9), a cartridge (10) containing an inked ribbon, an electrical panel (12) and a programming keyboard (11), said recorder being characterized in that said printer (9), said cartridge (10) ), said panel (12) and said keyboard (11) are associated with a support slidably mounted inside an envelope (2) fixed to a wall, and in that means are provided for unlocking the sup10 port of the envelope and means for extracting the support, in combination with means that disconnect the power supply panel.   Recorder according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for unlocking the envelope support comprises a key (18), a lock (19), a wafer (20) combined with the body of the lock, an element stopper (22 ') interior to said casing, a slot of said support (3) being directed in a plane perpendicular to the eaxe of the casing and being capable of receiving at least a portion of said pad (20) under the effect of the rotation of the key in a given direction of rotation.   3 Recorder according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for extracting the support comprise a handle (23) combined with   a slider (24) slidably mounted in a groove (25) of the support, resilient means exerting a thrust on the slider, stopping means of the slider which resists said resilient means and an end stop (25 '). ) which limits the extraction of the handle.   4 Time attendance recorder according to claim 3, characterized in that said elastic means comprise a spring (26), a first end (27) of which is connected to the support (3) and whose 254793?   second end (28) is connected to the slider (24) in a position below said first end. Time recorder according to claim 3, characterized in that said means   stopping means comprise a lever (29) hinged to the support, a first side (31) of the lever (29) being arranged.   in abutting position against the slider while the second side (32) is subjected to the thrust of a plate (20) combined with the body of a lock (19) mounted in the support.   A time attendance recorder according to claim 5, characterized in that said lever (29) comprises another arm-shaped member (34) which is supported by at least one of its parts on a suitable surface (35) of the support for holding said first side (32) of the lever against the slide in the service position. A time attendance recorder according to claim 6, characterized in that said further lever member (34) forms an angle substantially less than 90 with said first lever side (31) and   is made of an elastically deformable material.   8 Time attendance recorder according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for disconnecting the power supply of the panel comprises a connector (36) fixed to the inner surface of said envelope (2) and a terminal (38) for powering the panel, said terminal being associated with the support and being electrically connected to the panel and engageable to snap into said connector in response to insertion of said carrier into the enclosure, and being removed from that connector in response at   extracting the support from its envelope.   9 Time recorder according to the   Claim 1, characterized in that said support (3) can be brought into two successive positions within the   of the casing, said support being unlocked with respect to the casing by means of a cam (20) which is part of a lock (19) actuated by a key (18) which is arranged on the floor the outermost of the support, at the upper part of the casing, said stage, which comprises said lock, being hingedly mounted on the support for turning 180 in   the first of the two extraction positions of the support.   Recorder according to claim 3, characterized in that, in the second extraction position, said support (3) is engaged in specially provided extension brackets (41 ') arranged at the upper end of the casing.   11 Time recorder according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a programming keyboard (11) mounted on said support (3) so as to slide or rotate relative to the support.