US1623950A - Indicating device - Google Patents

Description

, Y 4 1623.950 April 5, VH' R. SARGENT t 9 A I mmcnlue DEVICE y Filed Dec. 31. 1921 2 Sheets-Shoot J.4

(9 f v v Y 3* April 5, 1927. 1,623,950 l H. RSARGENT rumen-ING DEVICE Filed Dec. 31. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @ZE-W INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY.-

Patented Apr. 5, 1927.

HOWARD R. SARGENT, GF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

INDICATING DEVICE.

Application filed fecember 3l, 1921. Serial No. 526,366.

This invent-ion relates to indicating systems, such as a system for indicating the presenceor absence ot an employee from vices for use in VJfactories, theatres, hotels and similar' places. Hereinafter l will described my invention with reference to means for indicating the absence olf eniployes from their place oil Work. However, it will readily be apparent hoiv the invention may be utilized in connection with hotels, or theatres, or 'for other like purposes.

The pre-sent time clocl': system employed i''or indicating and registering the presence or absence oan employe comprises a rack in .vhich individual cards for veach employe are retained separately. When an employe leaves his place ot vvorl; he removes his individual card from the rack, stamps it in the time clock, and then restores the card .into its compartment with the. reverse side ot tl e card presented outwardly. Then, when the employe returns to his place of employment, he again removes his card from the rack, stamps it in the time clock, and returns it to its compartment with .the iront face ot the card outwardly. This side ot the card outward in the rack indicates the presence. of the employe and the reverse side ot' the card outward in the racli indicates the absence ot the employe. Under the present time clock system the sole visible indication of the presence or absence oi an employe is effected bythe lposition ot' his or her card in the card raclr of the time clock. rlhis rack is usually placed in a hallway or vestibule and is only examined occasionally for information of the presence or absence of an employe. Moreover, il' these cards are examined, at all, they are inlined by the head ot the departn'ient, or delegated person, some considerable time a'i'ter the employe has registered hisl incoming and outgoing times thereon, and no attempt is made to give indication at any place other than atthe cardY racli ot the ,leaving or of the arrival of the einployes.r Vllhus,-unless someone is Watching, an employe leaves 1with the feeling that his absence will not be detected until somelater time, it at all, lt,in addition tothis vlSible indication on the card rack, visible indication is also given in the oflice of the head oi the department, or in the oilice of someone delegated by the head of the department, as tol when the several employes ame in and when they lett the place ot employment, the moral ette-eton the employes, who would know that there was a visible record of their movements in the head otiice, would lead the employes to keep better working hours. Then` the employe. would not feel upon leaving that the act would not be detected, but, on the contrary, would ieel that his or her leaving Was not only immediately detected but also that the indication ot' absence would be continually before his superior until his or her return.

One oi' the objects oi' my invention is to provide a system for indicating the pres-- ence and absence ot employes, individually, byV visibly indicating such facts at a card rack, placed in some suitable. location, as adjacent a time clock, and simultaneously and automatically visibly indicating such facts at a place removed trom such card rack, as, for instance, in the oii'ice Where visible indication is desired ofthe presence or absence of the employes Whose cards areharbored in the rack. Another object ot my invention is to provide an electrically operated indicating device adapted to be actuated by means of the movement ci' a card kinto or out of a compartment therefor in a card rack, and a device which is adapted to register' differently according to different predetermined positions oi the card Ain its compartment, so that'visible indication ot the. presence or absence ot an employe is simultaneously given at boththe card rack and at the indicator. ther objects Will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

'In accordance with my invention, l place electrically operated indicating devices in the desired o'lice Where visible indication ol the presence or absence oit' the enioloyes is desired. .l provide an indicating device Stor cach employe, the plurality' o; --.evice"i being ircferably contained in a single cabinet and actuated by a comme-n source of current. Each oi these devices isl adapted to register In or Gut, preferably by movement ot a target into oneposition or another, to indicate the presence or absence or" the employe tovvhom the device is allotted. I arrange anV electric circuit for operating the indicating devices and connect this circuit with electrical terminals harbored in the compartments of a card rack, which may be a rack such as is used in connection with time clocks, and place one set of terminals for an indicating device in each compartment. I arrange electrical contacts on a card, such as the standard card, which is intended to be placed in its compartment in one position to indicate that the employe is in and to. be placed in another position in the compartmentto indicate that the employe is out. I arrange each indicating device, the circuit, the terminals in the corresponding compartment, and the contacts on the corresponding card, in such a way that when the card is removed from the rack and replaced therein with the in side of the card presented outwardly the electrical indicator will register In, and that whenever the card is removed from the rack ant then replaced with its Out face presented outwardly, the electrical indicator will iegister Out rllhe indicator is arranged to remain set continuously at In or Gut so long as the card remains in the rack in the corresponding position. The card rack may be placed in any desired locality such as in a hallway or vestibule, and removed from the place or oiiice where the electrical indicator is placed. The card rack may comprise the card rack of a time clock system.

Formerly, in order to ascertain if a certain employe was in or out, it was necessary to go to the card rack and ascertain this fact by an examination of the cards. By my improved system the presence or absence of an employe can be ascertained by merely looking at the electrical indicator and thus my system and apparatus obviates the necessity of examining the cards in the rack, although the same information may also he ascertained in this way, if desired.

In order that a clearer understanding of my invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and showing one of various possible embodiments of my invention. In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of my invention, including a card rack with cards therein, electrical contacts on certain cards, electrical terminals in certain of said compartments, and an indicator, the parts being shown broken away to more clearly bring out certain features of the mechanism; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a part of the card rack and is taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8.---3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4r is a front plan view of a card embodying my invention; Fig. 5 is a rear plan view of the card illustrated in Fig. l; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in section ot the card showing the electrical contact piece mounted thereon.

- Referring to the drawings, the card rack l is provided with a plurality of compartments 2, each compartment being adapted to harbor a card 3. rl`he card rack compartments and cards may be of a well known type and may suitably comprise a card rack and cards such as are employed in connection with time clock systems. Each card has its obverse face mark with the name of an employe and also preferably with the word Init The reverse face of the card `preferably carries the word Out. The card is adapted to be placed in its individual compartment with the face marked In presented to view when the employe arrives at his glace of employment, and the card is adapted to be removed from the compartment and placed therein with the reverse face presented outwardly when the employe leaves the place. Usually, proper records of the time of leaving and returning are placed upon the card as by printing the same in a time clock. This printing operation, however, forms no part of my invention.

I provide two pairs of electrical terminals in each compartment. As shown, one pair of terminals comprises two resilient strips of metal l and 5 fastened to a frame member 6 of the card rack l by means of screws 7. rIhe lower end of these terminal strips i and 5 are connected in electrical engagement with the ends of conductors 8 and 9 respectively, these conductors being preferably held in place by means of the screws 7. The other pair of each set of terminals is similar to the first pair, and, as shown, comprises two resilient strips of metal 1l and 5 fastened to the frame member 6 of the card rack l by means of screws 7. The lower ends of these terminal strips a and 5 are connected in electrical engagement with the ends of conductors 8 and 9 respectively, these conductors being preferably held in place by means of screws 7. As will be hereinafter described, the making of electrical contact between one pair of these terminals will actuate a suitably located indicating device into one indicating position and the establishment of electrical contact between the ether pair of these terminals will actuate said indicating device into another indicating position, such contacts being adapted to be made by the cardas it is manipulated in the manner us al to time clock systems.

As before pointed out, in order to take advantage of the moral effect on the employes, it is well to place the indicating devices in the otlice of a superior', but, obvieusly. the indicating devices may be placed in any desired locality. I preferably provide an indicating device for each compartment of the card rack so that each device will be individual to an employe, though I may, if desired, allot one device to llO several compartments or employes. These indicating devices be separately housed in suitable containers or, as shown, several or all may be mounted in one container 10. As shown, they indicating member ot each device comprises a target 11 which is movable so as to be presented at eitlieiI ot' two windows, 2 and 12', formed in the onter wall oit the housing 10. The target is adapted to be presented at one oi the windows, snch as 12, when the card in the raclt signilies that the employe is at the place ot employment, and the target is adapted t-o be presented at the other window, suoli as 12, when the card in the rack indicates that the employe is absent. Accordingly, the iirst window, 12, may appropriately be labeled In7 as by placing the word In on the casing 10, adjacent thereto, Vas at 32, and the other window 12 may be labeled Ont7 as by placing the word Gut on the casing 10 adjacent thereto, as at 33.

rthe target 11 is fastened to or toi-med on the upper end of a lever 21, which is pivotally mounted, as at 22, on the casing 10,

or on a support 1'4", attached thereto. The lower end of lever 21 is pivotally connected, as with a pin and slot connection 20, to the upper end 18 ot a lever 19, which is pivoted to the casing 10, or to the support 17, as at 16. Lever 19 carries an armature 15 which is horizontally disposed over the ends ot' two electro- magnets 13 and 14 in snch a way that when magnet 13 is energized the adjacent end ot the armature will be tilted downward, and when the magnet 14 is energized the end of the armature adjacent this magnet will be tilted downward. Thus it will be seen that when magnet 13 is energized the armature will be tilted as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and by reason ot the above described connection between the armature and the target 11 this target will be moved to window 12, and

when magnet 14 is energized, the armature 15 will be tilted into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 12, and the target will be moved to window 12. The target 11 is adapted to be held by the action of gravity at either one window or the other until a magnet is energized to cause the target to move to the other window. Each end ot the armature 15 is adapted to come to rest on one of the magnets, thereby acting as a stop to hold the target in proper position at the respective windows. Magnets 13 and 14 are suitably supported within the casing 10.

1 establish an electrical circuit between one set of the terminals, suchas 4 and 5, in a compartment, and one of the magnets,

Vsuoli as 13, and also a circuit between the other set of terminals, 4 and 5, and fthe other magnet, 14, a battery 23 or other 'suitable sourcev of current being supplied in the circuit. j As shown, the circuit may be establishedl as tollowsz-From one pole ot the battery 23, a conductor `24^leads to conductors 8 and 8', which are in electrical connection with the terminalpiece 4 and 4 in the compartment." The'conductor 9 leads trom the terminal 5, which opposes the terininal 4, and communicates with the one end ot the coil of the magnet 13, and the other end oit this coil conductor 25 connects with conductor 26 which leads into the opposite pole of the battery 23. rlh'e conductor 9 leads from the terminale', which is opposite the terminal 4', to one end of the coil of the magnet 14. The other end ot the coil ot this magnet is connected by conductor 27 to the conductor 2G which leads into the battery 23. f

Each card 3 is supplied with a pair ot electrical contacts extending from one tace pair ot terminals the contact establishes the y circuit between such terminals, and actuates either magnet 13 or magnet 14 according to which pair ot terminals is bridged by a contact. The contacts 29 and 30 are so placed on the card that when the card is moved intoY or outof its compartment with its Out face presented outwardly, neither contact nor Contact 30 will engage or bridge either pair of terminal pieces. Vhen, however, the card is passed into the compartment with the In tace presented forwardly, first contact 30 is arranged to pass between the terminals 4 and 5', and to bridge the same temporarily to complete the circuit between said terminals, and then,

upon Yfurther movement ot the card inwardly, the contact 29 is arranged to pass between and to bridge both terminals 4 and 5 to temporarily establish electrical contact between these terminals. Then the card is inally'seated in its compartment, both contacts 29 and 30V will have passed by the engaging portions ot the terminals 4, 4, 5 and 5, and no circuit is' maintained. New, when this card is pulled out of its compartment, first contact 29 will establish a circuit between the terminals 4 and 5, and then contact 30 willin'passing establish a circuit between the terminals 4 and 5. It will be readily apparent that whenever contact 29 establishes the circuit between the terminals 4 and 5, magnet 13 is energized, thus causing the target 11 to be thrown towardthe right 'and into view at theewindow 12, and whenico ever contact establishes the circuit belows :.-The em love u )on arrivino' removes his card from its compartment. If the card is as it should be with the Out face outward, this operation will have no effect upon the circuit through the indicating device, since neither contact 29 nor contact 30 will engage either pair of terminals. The employe now stamps his card in the time clock, reverses it, and slides it into its compartment with its In face presented outwardly. As the card enters its compartment, in this position, first contact 30, in passing, will establish a temporary circuit between terminals 4 and 5 and through the magnet 14, but if, as it should be, the target 11 is already in its Out position no movement of the target will be effected. I-Iowever, upon further movement of the card into its compartment, contact 29, in passing, establishes a temporary circuit between the terminals 4 and 5. This will energize the magnet 13 for a sufficient length of time to cause the target 11 to move into In position. The target will now stay in such position until the magnet 14 is energized. Then the employee leaves, he draws the card out of its compartn'ient. During` this movement first contact ,29, in passing, will again establish a circuit between terminals 4 and 5, but since the targetis already in In position, no movement of the target 11 will loe effected. Upon further withdrawal of the card, contact 30, in passing, will establish a closed circuit between terminals 4 and 5. This closed circuit energizes the magnet 14 and causes the target 11 to be thrown into its Out position. `When the card has been removed, it may be stamped in the time clock, if desired. Then, when the card is placed into its compartment with its Out .face outwardly, neither Contact 29 nor contact 30 will engage the terminal pieces in the compartment. and since no circuit is closed, the target 11 will remain in its Out position until the card is again inserted in its compartment with its In face presented outwardly, and the magnet 13 energized by such movement of the card.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, as it is intended that -all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Vhat I claim is 1. An indicatingV system of the character tween terminals 4 and 5', magnet 14 is energized and thus causes the target to bev thrown to the left and into view at the Adescribed including a card, a compartment for the card, an electric indicator adapted to maintain thc indicating position to which it is actuated, and electrical means, including an electric circuit for the indicator, terminals in said compartment and cooperating contacts on the card, whereby the indicator will be actuated to give certain signals corresponding with the .direction of movement of the card, faced in a certain direction, into and outof compartment, and whereby the indicator will not be actuated upon movement of' the card, faced in the opposite direction, into and out of the compartment. c

2. An indicating system of the character .described including a card, a compartment for the card, an electric indicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, and -electrical means, including an electric circuit for the indicator, terminals in said compartment and cooperating contacts on the card, whereby upon movement of the card, faced in a certain direction, into the compartment, the indicator will be actuated momentarily during this movement of the card to become set in a certain indicating position.

3. An indicating system of the character described including a card, a compartment for the care, an electric indicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, and electrical means, including an electric circuit for the indicator, terminals in said compartment and cooperating contacts on the card, whereby upon movement of the card, faced in a certain direction, into the compartment, the indicator will be actuated momentarily during this movement of the card to become set in a certain indicating position, said means being inoperative to actuate the indicator when the card is faced in the opposite direction.

4. In an indicating system of the character described, the combination with a card, a compartment therefor, an electric indicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, and a normally open supply circuit therefor; of means, including a contact movable with said card, for momentarily closing said circuit upon movement of the card, faced in a predetermined direction, into the compartment, to actu-ate the indicating device to give a certain signal, but not closing said circuit upon movement of the card, when faced in the reverse direction, into the coinpartment.

5. In an indicating system of the character described, the combination with a card, a compartment therefor, an electric indicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, and a normally open supply circuit therefor; of

faced in the reverse' direction, into the compartment, and for momentarily closing .said

circuit upon movement of the card, faced-in. a predetermined direction, out'of the com-V partment, to actuate the indicating device to give a certain signal, but not closing said circuit upon movement of the card, when faced in the reverse direction, out of the compartment.

G. In an indicating system of the cliaracter described, the combination with a card, a compartment therefor, an electric indicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, and a normally open supply circuit therefor; of means, including contact carried on the card olf the vertical center line thereof, for momentarily7 closing said'circuit upon each movement of the card into the compartment and daring each movement of the card out of the con'ipartment, when the card is faced in a predetermined direction, to actuate' the indicating device to give a signal corresponding to the direction of card movement, but not closing said circuit upon any movement of the card, when faced in the reverse direction, into and out of the compartment.

ln anelectric indicating system of the character' described, including Van indicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, a card, a' compartment therefor, an electric supply circuit having open terminals, and a circuit closing Contact on said card'the relative location of the terminals in the compartment and the contact on the card so that the contact will momentarily bridge said terminals to close said circuit and actuate the indicator to give certain signals when the card, facing in a predetermined direction, is placed in and ren'ioved from the compartment, and the contact will pass by the terminals Without closing the circuit and Without actuating the indicator When the card, faced in the reverse direction, is placed in and removed from the compartment.

8. In an electric indicating 'system of the character described, including an indicato-r adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, a card, a compartment therefor, an electric supply circuit having open terminals, and a circuit closing contact on said card: the location of the terminals in the compartment and the contact on the card the same distance sidewise of the vertical center lines of the compartment and card so that the contact vvill moinentarily bridge said terminals to close said circuit and actuate the indicator to give-certain signals Whenihe card, Y'facing in a predetermined direction, is placed in and removed from the compartment, and the contact Will pass by the terminals Withoutclosing the circuit and Without actuating the indicator When the card, faced in the reverse direction, is placed in and removed from the compartment.

.9. Inl an electric indicating vsystem of the character described, including anindicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, a card, a compa-rtment therefor, an electric circuit having open terminals and circuit closing contacts on said card: the location of the terminals in theV compartment and the contact on the card the same distance sideWise of the vertical center lines of they compartment and cardpand at different distances from the vbot` tom edges thereof, so that When the card, facing in a predetermined direction, is placed in and removed from the compartment, the contact and terminals Will coact during such movements to momentarily close said circuit to actuate the indicating device to give signals corresponding to the direction of vcard movement, andv so that when the card, faced in the reverse direction, Ais placed in and removed from the compartment, said contact and terminals Willnot coact'during Such movements to close said circuit, and the indicator will not be actuated. v Y Y 10. In an electric indicating system Iof the character described, in combination, anindicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to Which-it is actuated, -a card,.a compartment therefor, an electric Ycircuit having tivo pairs-of terminals in said compartnient, and tworcircuit closing-contactson said card; said pairs of terminals being located at different heights in the compartment and at different distances from the side edges thereof, and said contacts having the same relative positions on the card :is the pairs oi" terminals have in the compartment, whereby, when said card, faced in a predetermined direction, is placed in and removed from said compartment, said contacts coact with said pairs of terminals successively to momentarily close said circuit tivice in succession during each of .said movements to actuate the indicator to give signals corresponding to the direction of card movement, and whereby, When said card, faced in the reverse direction, is placed in and removed froni the compartment, neit-her contact coacts With either pair of terminals to close said circuit, and the indicator Will not be actuated.

l1. In an indicating system of the chai'- acter described, the combination with a card and a compartment therefor, of an electrical indicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, an electrical supply circuit for said indicator, means movable with said card and operating momentarily during movement ot said card into said compartiment for momentarily closing said circuit to actuatc said indicator into one indicating position and operating momentarily during removal. ot .said card 'from said compartment lor momentarily closing said circuit to actuate said indicator into another indicating position.

12. In an indicating system of the character described, the combination with a rack having a compartment tor a card, ol an electrically operated indicator, a card movable into and out oi said compartment in either one ot two different positions and electrical means including terminals and terminal closing contacts responsive to movement ot said card vtor actuating said indicator to give ditllerent signals, depending upon which one ot the two different positions the card is in when it is inserted into or rci'noved troni the compartment.

13. 1n an indicating system or the character described, the combination with a card and a compartment therefor, o' an electrically operated indicator adapted to maintain the indicating position to which it is actuated, two pairs ot electrical terminals in said compartment, a card having two electrical contacts constituting means whereby when the card is inserted into said compartment in a predetermined position, iirst one ot said contacts temporarily establishes an electrical connection between one pair or terminals, and upon further movement or said card into said compartment, said other contact teinpo rarily establishes an electrical connection between the other pair oi' terminals, and electrical means whereby said connection between one pair ot terminals operates said indicator into one position, and means whereby said connection between said other pair ot' terminals operates said indicator into another position, said Contact means permitting the insertion into or removal from the compartment of the card in another predetermined position without establishing an electrical vconnection between either pair of terminals.

1d. 1n an indicating system ot the character described, in combination, an indicator comprising a movable target, means comprising an electro-magnet for moving said target into one indicating position, and means comprising a second electro-magnet ior moving said target into another indicating position and means tor maintaining said target in the position into which it is moved, a compartment for a card, an electric circuit for actuating one ot said magnets and including a pair ot terminals in said compartment, an electric circuit tor actuating the second electro-magnet, including the second pair ot terminals in said compartment, a card having a pair ot cont-acts so arranged thereon that when the card is inserted into or removed from said compartment in one position, said contacts wiil successively and temporarily establish the circuits between the terminals ot' each pair to actuate said indicator, said card being adapted to be inserted into or removed from said compartment in another position with- -out establishing either ot said circuits.

rthis speciiication signed and witnessed this 22nd day of December, 1921.

HOWARD R. SARGENT.

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