US1215683A - Time-recording register. - Google Patents

Description

H. B. McCABE TIME RECORDING REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJB. 1915.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

6 SHEETS-SHEET H. B. McCABE.

TIME RECORDING REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-l8. 19:5.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

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TIME RECORDING REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I8. I9I5.

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TIME RECORDING REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.18,1915.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

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H. B. MCCABE.

TIME RECORDING REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I8, m5.

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HORACE B. MOCABE,- OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB TO GISHOLT MACHINE COMPANY, OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

TIME-RECORDING REGISTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

Application flied August is, 1915. Seria1No.-46,637.

ful Improvements in Time Recording Regis ters', of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to time recording registers of the general character'disclosed in my Letters Patent of the United States, No. 946,858 dated January 18, 1910, and No. 1,063,272 dated June 3, 1913; and the general object of the present invention is to provide certain improvements upon the machines of said patents and similar machines designed to render the same more thoroughly proof against improper manipulation.

In the machines of my former patents referred to the recording type wheels, which are periodically changed through the agency of a master clock, are locked against movement during the throw of the operating handle which effects the stamping of the workman's time card. If the operating handle be thrown to a mid position, as may happen through any of a variety of causes, and left in such position for a time exceeding the change periods determined by the master clock, it is evident that the machine will be thrown out of correct register, resulting in faulty records on the cards, and will have to be manually reset to bring it into correct register. Furthermore, the idle manipulation of the handle when the machine is empty causes the impression hammer to impinge directly upon the inking ribbon, thus producing an objectionable smutting of the rear sides of the cards subsequently used in the machine. The object of my present invention is to provide an improvement whereby it shall be impossible to throw the operating handle far enough to lock the type wheels when the machine is empty, or until a time card has been inserted in the card chute of the machine, and also whereby it shall be impossible to manipulate the operating handle far enough to actuate the im pression hammer when the machine is empty.

In the said machine it was also possible for a workman, having inserted his card .41 the machine, to throw the operating handle short of its complete stroke, but far enough to obtain a record on his card, and then return the handle to starting position. Owing to the peculiar pawl and ratchet actuating mechanism of the impression hammer, which required complete strokes of the operating handle from one extreme of its movement to the other in order to produce successive actuations of the impression hammer, the result of such faulty manipulation of the operating handle was that the next user of the machine would fail to receive an impression on his card on his manipulation of the handle, even though he manipulated the handle properly, his operation of the handle serving only to complete the incomplete movement of the hammer actuating ratchet or cam wheel effected by the preceding user of the machine. One objectionable result of this lay in the fact that the operative who improperly manipulated the machine might obtain a correct record on his card, while the next user of the machine who manipulated it correctly paid the penalty of the former users incorrect manipulation through failure to obtain a record on his card. In the machine of my present invention I have provided an automatic mechanism whereby, when the operating handle has been thrust far enough to produce a record on the'card it shall be locked against back manipulation until the stroke of the handle hasbeen completed. This latter improvement when comined with the first mentioned improvement renders it impossible not only for the machine to be operated when empty but also to be operated in such a manner as to leave the impression mechanism in wrong position for making a record on the card at the next succeeding operation.

In order that my present improvements may be clearly understood, I have in the accompanying drawings illustrated the same as applied to the machine illustrated in my former Patent No. 1,063,272, above referred to; and I have in the accompanying drawings illustrated such parts of said machine as more or less intimately cooperate with my present improvements, and for a description of the complete machine reference may be had to the specification of the sand patent. For greater convenience of compar1- son, in so far as I herein describe parts and elements shown and described in said patent, I have applied thereto the same identifying reference characters as are used in the de- I 1, but with the handle, cam plate and connecting link of thepunch-operating mechanism removed; parts secured to the inner face of the cam plate, however, being shown;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of a portion of the machine;

Fig.' 5 is a partial top plan view;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of .a pivoted member forming part of the operating connections between the handle and the impression hammer, and which carries one member of the locking device which prevents retraction of the operating handle until its stroke has been completed;

Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive, are detail views of the card chute and its associated mechanism for properly positioning the card, Fig. 8 being a front elevation, Fig. 9 a side elevation from the right of Fig. 8, and Figs. 10 and 11 vertical sections;

Figs. 12, 13,14 and 15 are detail views in inner side elevation of the mechanism for operating the impression hammer, said views also showing in part the handle controlling devices and the cam for locking the actuating pawls of the printing disks;

Figs. 16 and 17 are detail views of a modified handle locking device.

I will first describe those parts of the machine disclosed in my Patent No. 1,063,272, above referred to, with which my present improvements cooperate, and 1 will then describe the said improvements; and for a description of the complete machine reference maybe had to the specification and drawings of the said patent.

Among the principal structural features of the machine are a vertical card chute into which a workmans time card is inserted, a group of type disks located opposite an opening in said chute, a printing ribbon cooperating with the type disks an impression hammer, a spring means for operating the hammer on its working stroke that is tensioned and released at each to and fro swing of an operating handle, and an automatic device associated with the card chute for correctly positioning the card therein to receive successive impressions at spaced intervals thereon. v V

In the drawings 103 designates the card chute as an entirety, this element and-its associated card positioning mechanism being shown in detail in Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive, wherein it will be seenthat the card chute is provided with an opening 103? extending through both walls thereof, across which the printing ribbon 151 (Fig. 4:) extends. The type. wheels indicated as a whole at 51 (Fig. 4) lie directly opposite one side of this opening, and an impression hammer 105 (Figs. 4 and 5) operates through the opening on the opposite side. The walls of the chute 103 at one side of the opening 103 are vertically slotted as shown at 108, and a pivoted member 109 mounted on a horizontal pivot pin 110 normally extends throu h this slot 108 and across the card slot of t e chute, as clearly shown in Fig. 9, the member 109 being normally retained 1n this position by a tension spring 114 that is secured at one end to a horizontally extending arm 111 on and preferably integral with the upper end of the member 109, said arm having an angularly bent end 111 mounted on the pivot pin 110 (Fig. 9). The other endof tension spring 114 is attached at 112 to an oscillating member 113 that is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 115 and is provided with an upright branch or arm 113 carrying at its upper extremity a projection or pin 116 adapted to extend into a perforation 116 in one of the walls of the card chute. The upright branch or arm 113 of the lower oscillating member 113 lies directly opposite the upper pivoted member 109, as best seen in Fig. 8, so that they are normally in contact with each other under the action of tension spring 11 1, as illustrated in Fig. 9. The tension exerted by the spring 11 1 on the member 109 by reason of the leverage is greater than the tension of the spring on member 113, so that the normal positions of these parts areas indicated in Fig. 9. The parts last described have a double function, first, in cooperation with special perforations in the card, to prevent the insertion of the latter wrong-end up, and second, in association with a card punching device hereinafter described, to insure the spacing of the records made on the card by the print ing mechanism. By reference to Fig. 4 it will be observed that the card indicated by 104: is provided with a pair of perforations A and B adjacent to its upper and outer edges. When an operator attempts to insert a card Wrong-end foremost within the chute, that is, with the end containing the perforations A, B entering the chute first, the pressure of the card as it wedges against the inner edge of the pivoted member 109 will force that member to swing on its pivot 110 out of the card slot of the chute and increase the'tension on spring 114, which will thereby cause the pivoted member 113 to be rocked upwardly, and the upright arm 113' thereon carrying the pin or projection 116 will be held against the rear surface of the card with considerable elastic pressure. Now the perforations A and B are so located that, whichever side foremost the card is inserted, one of them will pass in the path of the projection 116, and when it reaches said projection the latter will enter the perforation under the impulse of spring 114 and prevent further ingress of the card in the slot. The lower surface of the projection 116 is beveled as indicated at 116 to allow the card to be withdrawn from the slot, but the upper surface is horizontal or approximately so and will not permit the card to be pressed farther into the slot without mutilating it. If,'on the other hand, the card be inserted properly, or with its upper end foremost, this end being imperforate, the solid body of the card as before will upon entering the slot and passing into wedging contact with the pivoted member 109, rock said member and the projection 116 into light frictional contact with the opposite surfaces of the card. The pressure of these members upon the card is not sufficient to create more than a slight friction and will not impede the inward progress of the card, so that the latter may pass downwardly into the chute until it reaches the extreme lower end thereof, which is the position wherein the card is adapted to receive its initial printed record upon a stroke of the impression hammer 105. In order to properly space the successive printed lines on the card it is necessary that at each successive insertion of the card into the chute it shall be arrested at a point one space higher than on the previous insertion. In order to thus position the card on the second and succeeding insertions I utilize the mechanism hcreinbefore described for preventing the insertion of the card Wrong-end foremost, in association with a mechanism for making successive perforations in the card in vertical alinement with one or the other of the perforations A, B. This card-perforating mechanism comprises a punch 117 that is positioned just one printing space below the normal position of the stop projection 116, as best shown in Figs. 10 and 11, and the beveled end portion 116 of the latter will permit the card to be. withdrawn after being perforated by the punch. The punch 117 is positioned to reciprocate through a sleeve 118 supported on one wall of the card slot. Reciprocation is imparted to the punch 117 through a block 119 (Figs. '1, 4: and 5) secured to the outer extremity thereof by a set screw 120, the block 119 being provided with a slot 119 on its lower waif. engaged by a pin 121 secured to the upper extremity of a lever 121, which is pivotally mounted in a branch of one of the side frame members 10 of the machine, the pivot pin thereof being indicated by 122. The lever 121 is rocked through the agency of pm 123 secured to the lower end thereof, the other end of said pin 123 being connected with a link 124, which in turn is connected with alarge cam plate 125, to which is secured byscrews 126 the main operating lever 15. At each to and fro reciprocation of the lever 15, the punch 117 is forced through the body of the card, thereby creating in the latter, as a card is successively put through the machine, a vertical row of spaced holes C, D, etc., the lowermost of which will always be engaged by the pin or projection 116 to limit the depth of insertion of the card in the chute and thus insure the correctspacing of the printed impressions or records made on the card. v

In connection with the last described mechanlism for positioning the card in the chute it should be noted that the transverse arm 111 of the pivoted member 109 lies at a slightly greater elevation when the member 109 is engaged with a card in the chute than when the chute is empty, as will be seen by comparison of Fig. 11 with Fig. 9. This feature is important, since the member 111 constitutes a cooperating element of one embodiment of the mechanism in which my present invention resides through the agency of which the operating handle is locked against manipulation sufficient to effect printing except when a card is in the chute. A tension spring 190 (Fig. 5) secured to a pin 191 on the inner side of the side frame 10 at one extremity and at its other extremity to a pin 192 secured to the punch operating lever 121 below its pivotal connection with the side frame 10 serves the double function of normally maintaining the punch 117 retracted from the card chute and urging the operating handle 15 to the limit of its stroke during the latter portion of each stroke thereof, thereby safeguarding the machine against careless manipulation of the handle through failure to swing it to the extreme limit of its stroke.

The cam plate 125 to which the operating lever 15 is secured, as described, is pivotally mounted on the side frame member 10 concentrically with a pair of cams that take the form of oppositely facing ratchet wheels 127 and 128 located side by .side. These ratchet wheels are driven in opposite directions by spring controlled driving pawls 129 and 130 pivoted on the lower portion of the inner side of the cam plate 125. Dogging pawls 129 and 130' pivoted on the side frame 10 serve to prevent retrograde movement of the ratchets127 and 128, respectively. I The hammer 105, heretofore referred to, is spring-actuated on its working stroke, as will presently appear, and is retracted to initial position fordelivering its stroke by means of the ratchet wheels 127, 1 28, which are caused to turn alternately in opposite directions by intermittent or step by step movements as the operating lever 15 oscillates, the spring controlled pawl 129 advancing the ratchet 127 one step during the swingposite sides thereof that are adapted to oooperate with the inclined or cam sides of the teeth on the two ratchet wheels 127 and 128 under the control of the operating lever 15,

whereby the hammer arm 133 supporting the hammer head 105 is rocked rearwardly or retracted ateach movement of the operating lever in either direction. The hammer is actuated on its inward or working stroke by means of a tension spring 134 secured at its lower end to a pin 135 on the arm 131 and at its upper end to a pin 136 on the machine frame. This spring 134 also normally urges the hammer retracting arm 131 toward its actuating ratchet cams 127 and 128.

Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15 illustrate the action or operation of the mechanism last described during one complete swing of the operating I lever 15. While said lever is thrown from the position of Fig. 12 to that of Fig. 15 through the intermediate positions shown by Figs. 13 and 14 the ratchet 127 is active and the ratchet 123 is idle. While the operating lever is moved to a point slightly beyond that indicated in Fig. 13 the hammer retracting arm 131 is forced outwardly by the cam action of the inclined side of one of the teeth co-iiperating with the beveled face 131. The instant the handle reaches the position of Fig. 14, the arm 131 rocks inwardly, as shown, permitting the hammer stroke to take place under the impulse of spring 134. It will be noted, however, that at this point the ratchet 127 has not been shifted far enough to eflect the engagement of its next tooth by its actuating pawl 129 should the operating lever 15 be returned to starting position from the position of Fig. 14; this being due to the fact that the spacing of the teeth on the ratchet wheels bears such a relation to the angular swing of the operating lever that a full stroke of the latter is required to insure the rengagement of the ratchet by its driving pawl on the return swing of the lever. One possible undesirable result which may follow from this condition of things, is, as

scribed, embodies-a simple device for rendering the last described faulty manipulation of the machine impossible, and compelling a complete stroke of the operating lever by each operator before the cardcan be removed from the card chute; it here being noted that it is only during the last portion of the stroke of the operating lever that the punch is sufficiently retracted to permit the with drawal of the card from the chute. By referenceto Fig. 15 it will be noted that when the lever 15 has reached the full limit of its stroke, the driving pawl 130 has engaged the next tooth of its ratchet 128, while the ratchet 127 has moved sufficiently far so that its driving pawl 129 will engage the next tooth thereof when the lever has been returnedto starting position (Fig. 12).

Secured to the upper end of the inner side of cam plate 125 is a cam 139 that cotiperates with a roller 140 on the free end of a lever 141 that is connected to and rocks a shaft 142. This shaft 142 carries a device (not herein shown) that operates to lock the period recording registers 51 during the stroke of the operating lever. Hence, if the latter be moved to mid position as shown, for instance, in Fig. 13, and left in such position for any considerable time, the master clock cannot advance the period recording register wheels, which latter will thus be thrown out of accurate count. These register wheels are shifted periodically through the agency of a. magnet 30 which is energized through the control of a master clock at predetermined intervals and operates to tension a spring 80 (Fig. 3), which latter actuates the driving pawls of the register wheels, all as fully disclosed in my former Patent No. 1,063,272, referredto.

Coming now to the subject matter of my present improvements which are designed to render a machine of this character as nearly fraud and fool proof as possible, and to prevent improper manipulation of the machine in the ways above specified, and referring first to that improvementv which forms the subject matter herein claimed and by which idle manipulation of the operating handle is prevented,

this improvement,

hammer until said automatic lock has been temporarily rendered inoperative by the presence of a card in the chute. 200 and 201 designate a pair of parallel strips united at their ends by screws 202 and secured to the upper portion of the side frame 10 and formin between them a guide slot for the shank of the handle 15. In the lower edge of the strip 201 is formed a notch 203 (Figs. 1 and 3). In Fig. 2 is shown a detail of a locking lever designated as an entirety by 204, said lever comprising a horizontal arm 205 that lies adjacent to the inner side of the handle guide strip 201, a vertical arm 206 at one end of the arm 205 terminating in an inwardly extended approximately horizontal end portion 207. Said locking lever is pivotally mounted by means of a laterally extending bearing sleeve 208 thereon, on a pivot pin 208 on the side of the guide strip 201, said lever being so positioned that the free end of the horizontal portion 207 of the arm 206 lies just in rear of the pivoted card positioning member 111 and slightly above the latter when the machine is empty. On the outer side of the arm 205 is a laterally projecting pin or lug 209 that extends far enough to overlie the upper edge of the cam plate 125. A tension spring 210 (Fig. 5) secured at one end to a stud 211 on the strip 201 and at its other end to the vertical arm 206 of the locking lever cofiperates with gravity in pressing the pin 209 onto the upper edge of the cam plate 125. The

notch 203, in the construction shown, serves merely to accommodate the pin 209 when the locking lever is in idle position, owing to the proximity of the lower edge of the strip 201 and the upper edge of the cam plate 125 which are in the same vertical plane. In the upper edge of the cam plate 125 are formed a pair of locking notches 212, into one of which the pin 209 tends to fall when the arm 207 of the locking lever is not blocked by the member 111. WVhen the machine isempty, that is, when there is no card in the card chute, the stop member 111 is in the lowered position illustrated in Fig. 9, so that the free end of the locking lever can swing thereover, permitting the pin 209 to drop into one of the notches 212 as soon as the operating lever 15 is started on its swinging movement, thereby locking the latter so that it cannot be operated sufiiciently to either lock the registering wheels or actuate the impression hammer. When a card 101 is inserted in the card chute, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 10 and 11, the sto member 111 is raised to a position in which it blocks the movement of the locking lever to locking position so that the pin 209 rides idly over the locking notches 212 of the cam plate. When the lever is at its extreme positions, the end portions of the upper edge of the cam plate, beyond the notches 212,'

are suificiently high to hold the lateral arm 207 of the looking lever out of actual contact with the stop member 111 so that the free swinging movement of the latter by the card is not interfered with.

In Figs. 16 and 17 I have illustrated a slightly different embodiment of the handle locking lever last described, which, for the performance of its function, does not require the cooperation of the card-positioning device but coiiperates directly with the card itself. In itsgeneral form this lever,

which is designated by 20 i, resembles the lever 204, but it is pivoted at 208 closer to the rear side of the card chute, and on the free end of its laterally extending arm 207' is a lateral pin or stud 207 that proects into a short vertical slot 103 formed in the upper end of the card chute 103. When a card 104 is in the chute, as shown in Fig. 17, said card acts as a stop for the free end of the pin 207 to prevent the lever 204: from rocking sufficiently to allow the pin 209 to drop into either of the locking notches 212 when the handle is operated. If, however, when the handle is 0perated, the chute is empty, the lever is obviously free to rock and carry the in 209 into the notch 212. As stated, this form of the handle locking feature of the present invention has the advantage of being entirely independent of any card-positioning device.

Coming now to that feature of my present improvements which compels a full or complete stroke of the operating lever and prevents a partial stroke, sufiicient to obtain an impression with a return to initial position, 213 and 214 designate two pins or studs that are mounted, the former on the inner face of the cam plate 125, and the latter on the ad]acent or outer face of the hammer retracting arm 131; the free end portions of these pins both lying in a vertical plane that is parallel with the cam plate 125. In the normal operation of the machine, as the pin 213 moves downwardly or upwardly with the oscillations of the cam plate 125, the pin 214 swings out of the path of the pin 213 as the arm 131 is forced outwardly by the ratchets 127 and 128, so that said pins do not interfere with each other. If, however, the lever 15 be moved to a position short of its full stroke, but far enough to actuate the hammer, as for instance to the position of Fig. 14, the pin 214 swings inwardly to a position directly above the pin 213, so that, if it be attempted to retract the handle 15 to initial position intranet:

the two pins collide, making such retracting movement impossible and compelling the completion of the original stroke of the handle before the machine can be again operated. Such completion of the original 7 stroke carries driving pawl 130 into engagement with its ratchet 128, so that on the next or return stroke of the handle the ratchet 128 will cam the arm 131 outwardly, permitting the pins to ass each other. This same interference oithe pins 218 and 21 i occurs in whichever direction. the handle may be operated, where it is not operated to the full extent of its worklng stroke, This last described improvement is not laimed in this application.

It is believed that the nature, purposes and advantages or my present improvements will be fully understood from the foregoing description, in connection with the drawings illustrating the same; and for a fuller understanding of the complete machine reterence may be had to my former Patent No. 1,0632%, hereinabove referred to. To those skilled in the art it will be manifest that the specific mechanism which I have herein illustrated and described for accomplishing the purposes of the invent1on herein claimed may be variously modified in detail without involving any departure from the operative principles employed or without sacrificing any of the advantages secured; Hence, I reserve all such variations and modifications as may fairly tall within the scope and purview oi the appended claims,

I claim:

' 1. In a time-recording register, the combination of a chute to receive a card, means for printing a record on said card while in said chute, means for locking the prmtmg means against operative movement when the chute is empty, means for holding said locking means normally unlocked, and means for preventing said locking means from locking when a card is inserted in the chute. I

2. In a time-recording register, the combination of a chute, to receive a card, cardpositioning means associated with said chute, means for printing a record on said card while in said chute, means controlled by said card-positioning means for locking the printing means against operative movement when the chute is empty, means for holding said locking means normally unlocked, and means for preventing said locking means from looking when a card is inserted in the chute.

3. In a time-recording register, the combination of a chute to receive a card, means, including a manually operable handle, for printing a record on said card while in said chute, means adaptedto lock said handle against operative movement when the chute is empty, means for holding said locking means normally unlocked, and means for preventing said locking means from locking when a card is inserted in the chute.

i. In a time-recording register, the combi nation of a chute to receive a card, card-positioningmeans associated with said chute, means, including a manually operable hanoils, for printing a record on said card while in said chute, means controlled by said card-positioning means adapted to lock said handle against operative movement when the chute is empty, means for holding said locking means normally unlocked, and means for preventing said locking means from locking when a card is inserted in the chute. 5.. In a time recording register, the combi nation ot a chute to receive a card, automatic means associated with said chute for positioning a card therein so as to receive spaced impressions at successive insertions of the card, a movable stop member actuated by said card positioning means, means, including a manually operable handle, for impressing a printed record on said card while in said chute, and a movable locking device for said handle controlled by said movable stop member.

6. In a time recording register, the combination of a chute to receive a card, automatic means associated with said chute for positioning a card therein so as to receive spaced impressions at successive insertions of the card, a stop member normally in idle position but actuated to operative position by said card-positioning means, means, including a manually operable handle, for impressing a printed record on said card while in said chute, and a locking lever for said handle controlled by said stop member.

7.. In a time recording register, the combination of a chute to receive a card, automatic means associated with said chute for positioning a card therein so as to receive spaced impressions at successive insertions of the card, a movable stop member normally in idle position but actuated to operative position by said card-positioning means, means, including a manually operable handle, for impressing a printed record on said card while in said chute, and a handle-locking member normally tending to move into engagement with the handle upon the initial movement of the latter, said handle-locking member being restraine from such movement by said stop member when a card is in the chute.

8. In a time recording register, the combination of a chute to receive a card, automatic means associated with said chute for positioning a card therein so as to receive spaced impressions at successive insertions of the card, a movable stop member normally in idle position but actuated to operative position by said card positioning means, means, including a pivoted handle tending to actuate said locking lever into enlever, for impress 1n a printed record on gagement with said handle lever upon the said card while in said chute, a handle-lockinitial movement of the latter, said locking 13 ing lever, means other than said stop memlever being restrained from movement by her for holding said locking lever in idle posaid stop member during the stroke of the sition when said handle lever is at the exhandle lever when a card is in the chute; treme limits of its movement, and means HORACE B. MoCABE.

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