US1475715A - Typing-speed recorder - Google Patents

Description

- Nov. 1923; I

1,475,715 A. v E. OSWALD TYPING SPEED RECORDER Filed Jan. 25 1921 b AZ/ar Patented as. 27 1923.

UNITED ST -"res PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED E. OSVJALD, or Booora, JERSEY, ASSIGNOR-TO unnnnwoon TYPE- wnrrnn COMPANY, on NEW scan, it. a, a ooaronarrou or DELAWARE.

TYPING-SPEEB RECORDER.

Application filed January 25, 1921. Serial No. 439,776.

To all whom it may cancer Be it known that l. ALFRED E. OSW'ALD,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Bogota, the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typing-Speed Recorders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to signaling means for clocks, one form-of vv'nichis herein shown as comprising a bell or gong to be sounded by means controlled by the clock, to

indicate the start and finish of contests of greater or less duration, such as speed contests in typewriting schools.

The gong may be sounded atthe end of each quarter hour. To this end, a quarter hour switch is closed to partly close or, in

other words, prepare an electric circuit in which the minute hand and the second hand are connected. As the minute hand comes approximately to each quarter hour position, a wiper associated therewith engages a contact device to further establish the cir- (suit. The circuit is completely closed by a wiper on the second hand when the latter reaches the minute position, thus causing the sounding of the gong. This may signify the start of the con est. In the samelmanner the gong is again sounded when the next quarter hour position isreachedto indicate the end of the contest.

lVhen the gong is to he sounded for. one

minute tests, a minute switch is closed to; short-circuit the ininute'hand, so that the circuit may be closed by the second hand independently of the minute hand, to sound.

Figure 1 is a front view of the clock,-

and shows the general arrangement of the parts.

. Figure 2 is perspective view of the minute hand, showing" a yieldahle brush or wiper thereon.

Figure 3is an edge view of the niinute hand, showing the wiper thereof engaging one of a series of contact devices on the clock face. i i I Figure i a perspective View of the sec nd hand and an associated con-tact element. Figure 5 1S a perspective view ofone of the contact devices with which the wiper of the minute hand ges. v

Figure 6; is ,a. wiring diagram of the invention.

The clock which may be of the type supported on a wall may comp "ise a front plate or cover 10 which maybe detachahlymounted, in any convenient manner, on a. clock case comprising" walls 11, a floor 12 and a roof 13, so as to have access to the interior mechanism. The cover may he provided with a window 14, through which may be seen the face 15 of the clock, a second hand 16, a minute hand 17, and an hour hand 18.

The hands may be driven in any well known manner over the face of the clock. To this end, there is herein shown a driving; shaft 19, which may beoperated by a weight suspended by a pulley 21 on a cord22, one end of which may he connected at 23 to a clockwork supporting frame 24:, the other end of the cord being wound around the shaft '19 to rotate the latter.

The connection from the driving shaft 19 to the hour hand 18 may comprise a pin- .ion 26 secured to said shaft; said pinion driving a gear 27 secured to a shaft 28 upon which the hour hand maybe mounted. The minute hand 17 maybe driven by a gearwheel 30 also secured to the driving shaft-.19 and meshing with. a pinion 31 secured to a sleeve 32 with which the hour hand is con nected; the sleeve 32 being rotatably mounted on and relatively to the shaft 28. y i To drive: the second hand, the gear-wheel 27 meshes with a pinion 34' to rotate a shaft .35 to which the pinion 34 is secured. The shaft 35 has also secured there-to a gearwheel 36 meshing with a pinion 37 to drive a shaft 38 on wlnch .the second hand 18 mounted. Since the gearing for clocks is so well known, it has been shown herein more or less, diagrammatically. The various shafts 19, 35 and 38 may be supported in the frame Qt; the latter being held in place I within the clock casein any convenient manner.

The second hand 16 and the minute hand 17 may be connected in a normally open main circuit comprising a contact element 39, conductors 40, 4:1 and 42, and the frame 241, which also forms a conductor, hereinafter more clearly pointed out; A source of ill) current or battery .13 (Figure 6), which may comprise three dry cells 1 igure 1), may be connected in the circuit. Under certain conditions, presently to be described, the circuit may be closed to energize a relay to actuate its armature to close a subordinate circuit comprising conductors 17 and 18 having a separate source oil suppl current, which may also be a dry b erv 50.

The closing of the subordinate circuit is etlective to energize an elcctroanagnet 51. to pull up its armature 52 and cause ahammer 5P3 thereon to strike a gong or bell 5 1, thus giving an audible signal to the contestants.

lVhen the device is to be used for quarter hour contests, a quarter hour switch 55 is closed, thus establishing a circuit connection from the contact element 39 through the conductors 10, 11 and 4. 2 to contact devices 56 on the clock face 1. The contact devices are herein shown as spaced one quarter hour from each other and at quarter hour positions, said devices being connected with each other by conductors 42. To further establish the circuit connection, the minute hand 17 is provided with a brush or wiper 57 to engage the contact devices individually when the quarter hour positions are reached. The frame 2 1- serves as a conductor from the minute hand 17 to the second hand 1.6. he parts are so arranged that the brush 5? of the minute hand may engage the contact devices 56 a little less than one minute before it reaches the quarter hour position, or, in other words, after the second hand has moved a short distance from its minute position for the minute preceding the quarter hour. Thus the gong may he sounded when the second hand 16 advances to the minute position, a wiper 58 associated therewith engaging the contact element 39 to close the main circuit, to cause the actuation of the relay 15. This closes the subordinate circuit, comprising the conductors 4-? ant 48, and causes the gong 5 1 to be sounded by the electro-magnet 51. i

The main circuit may be kept closed by the wiper 58, which may remain in engagement with the contact spring 39 or a tow seconds. hen the wiper 58 leaves the con tact element or spring 39, the circuit is opened to (ls-energize the relay 45 and con minute hand 17 is shortcircuited, and the circuit is closed each time the wiper 58 of the second hand 16 engages the contact spring 39, thus causing the gong 5-1l to l./. sounded every minute.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that the minute hand forms, with any one of the contact devices 56, a. switch which is dependent for its eltectiveness, when the dcviee is set for quarter contests, on the quarter hour switch 55, and that the second hand i with the contact element 39 forms a switch which is dependent for 'ts eltectivene upon the switch comprising the minute hand [7, and also on the switch Further, it be understood that the minute switch 31. which is bridged across the switch compriys ing the minute hand 17, may be closed to bring the switch comprising the second hand 16 under its control, to thus cause the signaling means to be actuated every minute, instead of every quarter hour.

The gong may also be sounded independently of the clock mechanism, one purpose of which may be to start contests o'l' several minutes duration. or less than one quarter hour. To this end, there is provided a switch 6 1 which may he of any well-known puslibutton type. Said switch is connec l with conductors 10 and 41 of the main circuit, by conductors and 66, respectively, so that the relay may be energized to close the subordinate circuit to sound the gong For example. it a contest is to be run for ten minutes, the switch (3 1- may he actu ated to sound the gong, by the attendant charge of the contest, when the minute hand reaches a position ten minutes away from the next quarter hour position or contact device 56. At the end oi. the contest the gong is automatically sounded. as hereinbe'tore described. when the quarter hour position is reached by the minute hand. Tt will be understood that the autonnitic sounding of the gone at the end of the contest relieves the attendant, who may be occupied with other duties, ot stoppingto sound the gong when the contest is finished. I will further be understood that in a similar way contests or" several seconds, or. in other words. less than one minute duration, may be held.

The wiper 57 of the minute hand may conuiirise fingers 67 extending tron'i a yieldable body 68, which may be secured to the under side 01: the minute hand 17 in any convei'iient manner. The fingers 67 c mvexed at their ends 70. These converted ends are located under the middle of the minute hand. and engage convened portions 7']. of the contact devices 56. l l hiie the minute hand. travels between the quarter hour positions. the wiper 57 rides clear or the clocl: face. When one of the contact devices is engaged, however, the wiper yields slightly to ride up on the contact device to insure engagement therewith.

Each contact device 56 may comprise. the convexed portion 71 (Figures and 5) of a disk 72 having a shank 73 extending there from. Each shank extends through a hole in the clock face 15, which may be comprised of metal, and a hole in a wooden back 74 (Figure 3) for the clock face. Each contact device 56 may be insulated from the metal face 15 by washers 69 of insulating material under the disks 72, and may be fastened in place by a nut 75 on the shank 73. The shank 73 also serves as a binding post to which the conductor 42 may be connected by another nut 76 on said shank.

The second hand 16 may be mounted on the shaft 38 by means of a sleeve '77; the wiper 58 being formed as indicated in Figure 4, and being secured to said sleeve. and hand in any convenient manner. Said wiper 58 raises the contact spring 39 as the second hand approaches the sixty seconds position, or, in other words, the minute position, and, in so doing, engages an ofiset 78 (Figure 4:) on the contact spring. The end of the offset is so located that the wiper leaves it to permit the contact spring to move. against said wiper 58 to thus close the switch comprising the contact spring 39 the instant the second hand 16 reaches the minute position. The contact spring 39 may be supported by a post 80 (Figure 1), secured to the clock case, and may bear against an abutment 81. The offset 78 of the contact spring 39 may comprise a strip ot'metal 82, with which the wiper 58 engages. The strip 82 is insulated from the contact spring by a strip 83 of insulating material, to prevent electrical connection until the wiper leaves the end of the oflset. The metal strip may be secured to the contact spring'89 by a cotton thread 84 wound around the strips 82, 83 and the contact spring 39. The thread may then be coated withshellac. It will be understood that with this arrangement the switch comprising the contact spring 39 may be closed instantaneously at the proper time by the wiper 58 leaving the offset 78.

The switches 55 and 61 may be of any well-known pendent type, each comprising a finger-piece 85 in the form of a plunger which may protrude at both sides of the switch casing, the ends of the plunger serving as linger-pieces to move the plunger back 7 and forth to open and close the switch.

Three dry cells are connected .in the main circuit to operate the relay 45; the voltage of the three cells being approxin'iately 4e} volts. It should be understood, however, that the relay may be operated with a smaller number of cells and a consequent lower Voltage. I prefer to use three cells to have the voltage sufficiently high to force the current through theswitch comprising the contact spring 89, which would ordi narily be hindered by dirt which might collect on the wiper58 or the contact spring 39. After the circuit is closed, the voltage may be considerably reduced by means of a tungsten lamp 86 connected in series in the circuit; one of the characteristics of the filasince it requires a higher voltage to operate the electro-magnet 51 than that required for the relay d5, and since it is desirable to keep the voltage oi the main circuit as low as possible.

To avoid freezing of the contact spring 89 and the wiper 58, or sparking therebetween, there is bridged across the relay 45 a lamp 88 to expend the induced current of said relay when the main circuit is opened by the wiper 58. For a similar reason, a lamp 89 is bridged across the gong magnet 51.

The battery 50 for the subordinate circuit may be contained in a case 90 (Figure 1), which may be mounted together with the relay 4-5 and the gong 54 on a support 91; the latter being sus ended by a hook 952 from a strip 93 of mo ding on the wall.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others. Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a clock comprising a second hand and a minute hand, driving means for said hands, an electric circuit, contact devices in said circuit, said contact devices being placed at equally spaced positions on the face of said clock, to be engaged by the minute hand to partly close said circuit, the second hand being connected in said circuit, a contact element connected in said circuit to be engaged by the second hand when a definite position is reached in its rotation, so that the circuit may be closed while the minute hand engages with one of the contact devices, signal operating means connected in said circuit to be actuated by the closing oi said circuit, and a switch connected in parallel with said circuit, to render the contact devices and the minute hand ineffective and to render the circuit eilective to be closed to actuate the signal operating means at the end of each revolution of said second hand.

2. The combination of a clock comprising a second hand and-a minute hand, driving means for said hands, an electric circuit,

contact devices in said circuit, said contact devices being placed at equally spaced posi- 'tions on the face of'saidclock, to be engaged by the minute hand to partly close said circuit, the second hand being connected in said circuit, a contact element connected in said circuit and to be engaged by the second hand when a definite position is reached in its rotation, so that the circuit may be closed while the minute hand engages with one of the contact devices, signal operating means connected in said circuit to be actuated by the closing of said circuit, and a switch connected in parallel with said circuit by which the circuit may be closed to actuate the signal. operating means at will. independently of the second hand and the minute hand.

3. The combination of a clock comprising a second hand and a minute hand, driving means for said hands, an electric circuit, contacts in said circuit placed at quarter hour positions on the face of said clock, a brush on the minute hand to engage one of the contacts less than one minute before the minute hand. reaches the quarter hour position to partly close the circuit, signaling means, a contact spring, and an insulated strip on said contact spring with which the second hand may it approaches the minute position, said second hand disengaging the insulated strip and engaging the contact spring to instantaneously close the circuit to effect the operation of the signal-- ing means when the minute position is reached by said second hand.

4. The combination with a clock, comprising a dial, a minute-hand, a second-hand and driving means for said hands, oi? means for indicating accurately only the beginning and the ending of test-periods consisting of a predetermined number of minutes, said indicating means comprising a signal, an electric circuit for operating said signal, contactdevices in the circuit at intervals corrcspon d ing with the beginning and end of the test period, a wiper associated with the minute hand to engage any one of the cont c t-devices to close a gap in said circuit when the minute-hand reaches the corresponding testperiod position and to maintain it closed for less than one minute, a contact-device at one side of a second gap in the circuit, and a device connected with the second-hand to en gage said last-mentioned contact-device and close and instantly open the second gap when the second-hand reaches the minute position, whereby the beginning and the end ing of each test-period will each be indicated accurately by one sharp, short signal.

5. The combination with a clock, comprising a dial, a minute-hand, a second-hand and driving means for said hands, of means for indicating accurately the beginning and the ending of test-periods, said indicating means comprising a signal, an electric circuit for operating said signal, contact devices in the circuit at quarter-hour positions, a wiper associated with the minute-hand to enthe minute position, whereby the beginning and the ending oil each quarter-hour t period will be indicated accurately, a-d means to short-circuit the lhstmen met gap in said circuit, whereby the liieginniug and the ending of each oneaninutc testperiod will be indicated accurately.

G. The combination with a clock comprising a dial, a minute-lunul, a secondhand and driving means for aid hands, oi means tor indicating accurately the beginning and the ending 01' test-periods, said indicating means comprising an electric circuit, contact-devices at quarter-hour positions of the clock and connected in said circuit at. one side of a gap therein, a wiper associated ith the minutehand to engage a contact-device to close said gap when the minute-haiul approaches any one oi? the quarter-hour positions and to maintain the gap closed for a short interval, a contactdevice at one side of a second gap in the circuit, a wiper associated with the second-hand to co-operate with said lastmentioned contact-device to close the second gap when the SQC011(l.-l1lil1( reaches the minute position thereot, during the closing of the first gap, thereby etl'ecting an accurate closing of said circuit at the beginning and the ending of each quarter-hour test-period, a relay in said circuit, a source of current for the latter, a separate circuit controllable by said. relay, a signaling device connected in said separate circuit,a separate source ot current "for the separate circuit whereby a signal will be given by said signaling device upon operation of the relay, and means in said separate circuit in parallel. with said signaling device to expend the induced cur rent of said signaling device when the separate circuit is opened.

7. The con'lbination ot a clocl; compr ng a hand, driving means therefor, an electric circuit, said hand being connected said circuit, a contact device in. the circuit to be engaged. by said hand to close the circuit, signaling means, an clectromagnet in the circuit to be energized when the circuit is closed to cause the signaling means to be actuated, and means (.wonnected in parallel with the elec'tro-inagnet to expend the in duced current of the elcctro-uiagnet when the circuit is open.

8. In a signaling clock, in combination, a clock-hand, signaling means, means including a circuit for controlling said signaling means, and a clock-hand-controlled switch llO in said circuit, said switch including two relatively shiftable contact elements, one 0t said contact elements consisting of a springpressed member having an insulated strip thereon to be engaged and together with said spring-pressed member forced back by the other contact element until the insulated strip snaps behind the last-mentioned con-' tact element, thereby insuring a sharp closing of the circuit.

9. The combination of a clock comprising a second hand and a minute hand, driving XllGZtIlSfOI said hands, devices to be engaged by the minute hand, signaling means, an element to be engaged by the second hand without effect except when the minute hand is in engagement with one of said devices, the second hand being then effective to cause the actuation of the signaling means, means to render said devices and minute hand ineffective and to render the second hand effective to cause the actuation of the signaling means at the completion of each revolution oi the second hand, and means to cause the actuation of the signaling means independently of the second hand and the minute hand.

10. The combination of a clock comprising a second hand, driving means therefor, an electric circuit, the second hand being connected in said circuit, a contact element in said circuit to be engaged by the second hand, an insulated strip on said contact element with which the second hand engages as it approaches the minute position, to prevent the closing of the circuit until the minute position is reached by the second hand, a bell comprising an operating electro-magnet, the latter connected in a separate circuit having a separate source of current, and a relay connected in the first mentioned circuit to be energized when the circuit is closed, the armature of said relay when the latter is operated beingeilective to close the second-mentioned circuit, so that the electro-magnet may be energized to ring said bell.

11. The combination of a clock compris ing a second hand, driving means therefor, an electric circuit, the second hand being connected in said circuit, a contact element in said circuit to be engaged by the second hand, an insulated strip on said contact element to prevent the closing of the circuit until the minute position is reached by the second hand, a signaling device, and means connected in said circuit to operate thesignaling device.

12. The combination of a clock comprising a second hand and a minute hand, driving means for said hands, devices to be engaged by the minute hand. signaling means, an element to be engaged by the second hand without effect except when the minute hand is in engagement with one of said devices, the second hand being then efiective to cause the actuation of the signaling means, and means to render the devices and minute hand ineffective and to render the second handeii'ectiveto cause the actuation of the signaling means at the completion of each revolution of the second hand.

1.3. The combination or a clock, an electric circuit, a manual switch connected in said circuit, a switch comprising a second hand of the clock connected in said circuit, a switch comprising a minute hand connected in said circuit, the last-named switch being-dependent for its effectiveness on the manual switch, the switch comprising the second hand being dependent upon its effectiveness on the manual switch and on the switch comprising the minute hand, driving means for said hands, signaling means to be actuated when the three switches are closed,

the completing of the circuit being effected by the switch comprising the second hand, and a manual switch connected in the circuit to shortcircuit the switch comprising the minute hand and to bring the switch comprising the second hand under its control, so that the actuation of the signaling means may be effected at intervals of shorter duration than when the switch comprising the second hand is dependent upon its effectivegess on the switch comprising the minute han ALFRED E. OSWALD.

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