US3090843A - Timer mechanism - Google Patents

Description

y 21, 1953 M. A. HALL 3,090,843

TIMER MECHANISM Filed March 50, 1961 5 51 1 4 1 INVENTOR. MlTHELL A. HALL May 21, 1963 M. A. HALL 3,090,843

TIMER MECHANISM Filed March 50, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .ZIZ

ZIO

INVENTOR. MITCHELL A. HALL M. A. HALL TIMER MECHANISM 5 SheetsSheet 3 INVENTOR.

MITCHELL A. HALL BY ATTORNEY May 21, 1963- Filed March 50, 1961 2 2 A \\\L l -m// May 21, 1963 M. A. HALL 3,090,843

TIMER MECHANISM Filed March 30, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

May 21, 1963 M. A. HALL 3,090,843

TIMER MECHANISM Filed March 50, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 g w 4 4 L g IN VEN TOR.

MITC HELL A. HALL BY The present invention relates to a timer mechanism, and particularly to one which is adapted to close an electric circuit to an appliance or other device to be operated for a predetermined length of time.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, highly efiicient, substantially foolproof time control mechanism which may be associated with any type of conventional means for providing a setting which will initiate a predetermined time cycle.

A further object is to provide a time-control mechanism having the above described characteristics which is adapted to be associated with the standard housings or control boxes of coin-actuated equipment, such as, by way of example, electric driers, washers and the like, whereby the timer mechanism, though entirely independent of, may nevertheless be initiated and controlled by, the conventional coin-actuated slide type mechanisms usually associated with such housings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a time control mechanism having means associated therewith for enabling the timer to provide a wide variety of different timing cycles, depending upon the uses to which the timer is to be put, thereby greatly enhancing the flexibility and commercial acceptance of the device.

A further object is to provide a coin-slide-actuated timer which is so constructed and arranged as to preclude malfunction which would result in more time being delivered by the device than was actually paid for. In other words, the device is substantially cheat-proof.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a time control mechanism which is characterized by its extreme accuracy and which is adapted to be mounted in a typical housing in such a manner that it cannot be tampered with or cheated on in any way. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the subject time control mechanism is secured to and carried by a lockable access door, thereby rendering the device readily accessible to authorized persons for permitting easy removal of the entire mechanism for inspection, adjustment, or modification.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a timer of the character referred to, simple and inexpensive means for adapting the timer to changes which may be desired in manipulation of a coin slide associated therewith, the adaptation being so simple as to be performable in the field, and with despatch, without requiring any change in or substitution for an existing coin slide originally associated with the timer. Thus, an existing arrangement which demands for its cycle of operation the deposit of a single coin of a certain denomination, may be promptly and inexpensively modified to demand two, three, or more such coins fed to the coin slide in suecession, before initiating a cycle of operation; this being accomplished without regard to or consideration of the coin slide.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a typical housing or box containing coin injection mechanism, coin accumulating compartment and the time control mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear end view of the box of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the box of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the box as tates Patet "ice shown in FIG. 1, partially broken away to illustrate the time control mechanism housed therein.

FIG. 5 is a top sectional view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, illustrating the mechanism in one stage of actuation.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing a further stage of actuation.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line -9 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of a pattern wheel as sembly constituting an element of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10, showing a substitute form of pattern wheel assembly.

FIG. 12 is a fragmental cross-section taken on line 1212 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary cross-section taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 8.

The box, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, is generally rectangular in configuration, and comprises side walls and 21, top and bottom walls 22 and 23, and front and rear end walls 2'4 and 25. Front end wall 24 carries a conventional coin injected slide mechanism, indicated generally at 26. When a coin of proper denomination is inserted in the circular aperture 27, the slide may be fully actuated and the coin injected into the box where it is deposited in a coin accumulating compartment, accessible through door 28 in side wall 26.

Door 28 is provided with a lock 30. The coin controlled slide mechanism may be of any appropriate conventional construction and is not disclosed or described in detail as it forms no part of the present invention beyond the provision of a leading edge or abutment 31 (FIG. 6) on the coin injecting slide 26.

Each time a proper coin is inserted in aperture 27 and injected into the box, the leading edge or abutment 31, being either integral with or rigidly attached to slide 26, moves into contact with and rocks a lever 32 from the normal or inoperative position of FIG. 6, to the advanced or operative position of FIG. 7.

A tension spring 33 is attached at one end to an ear 34 integral with lever 32, and at its other end to an upstanding arm 35 forming part of a stop member 36. Stop member 36 is rigidly fixed to a base plate 37 by means of a detent 38 and rivet 40 and provides a stop or limit for lever 32. The edge 41 of lever 32 is yieldably urged against the stop member 36 by tension spring 33 (FIG. 6).

Base plate 37 is fixed, as by spot welds, to a door plate 42, removably mounted in the end wall 25, and provided with a lock unit indicated generally at 43. Lever 32 is rotatably journalled on a collar 44 (FIG. 9) formed integral with base plate 37, and positioned to place lever 32 in the line of travel of the leading edge or abutment 31 of coin injecting slide 26.

Lever 32 is held in place on collar 44 and against base plate 37 by means of ring bracket 138 encircling collar 44 and being provided with an oflset foot portion 39, rigidly attached to base plate 37 by means of an appropriate screw 139.

A pawl 45 (FIG. 6) is pivotally attached to lever 32, as at 46, and is adapted under favorable conditions, to engage the teeth of a main ratchet wheel 48. Such engagement of the pawl with wheel 48 is at times prevented by larger pattern wheel 200 located adjacent thereto, as will be explained. A tension spring 50 extends between an ear 51 of pawl arm 45 and an car 52 extending radially outwardly from the journal ring 53 of lever 32. Spring St) constantly urges pawl 45 toward the main ratchet a Wheel 4%, and of course toward the pattern wheel 280 also.

It should be understood that pattern wheel 200 is an accessory element, which, with its bracket 281 (FIG. 10), can and will often be omitted from the organization shown in FIGS. to 9. When the pattern wheel is omitted, the action will be as explained in my co-pending application Serial No. 819,593, filed June 11, 1959.

Assuming the pattern wheel 200 omitted, as in the copending application Serial No. 819,593, aforesaid, then when lever 32 is rocked in counterclockwise direction in FIG. 6, pawl 45 will be moved out of engagement with tooth 54 of ratchet wheel 48, and will be shifted downwardly as in FIG. 7, against lug 56 (FIG. 8), preparatory to engagement with the succeeding tooth 55.

Overtravel of pawl 45 is thus limited by means of the upstanding lug 56, struck from base plate 37. Tension spring 33 will return lever 32 to its initial, upstanding or starting position of FIG. 6, whereupon pawl 45 will engage ratchet tooth 55 during the return stroke and thereby advance the ratchet wheel 48 in clockwise direction by one tooth.

As best illustrated by FIG. 9, ratchet wheel 48 is provided with a central aperture 57 adapted to be slid over the counter-turned neck '58 of a hub 60 and is keyed thereto by means of a lug 61 struck from the ratchet wheel and extending into a keyway 62 provided in hub 60. The hub and ratchet wheel assembly is rotatably journalled in the bore 63 provided in the collar 44 and is held in place by means of an enlarged beveled head portion providing a shoulder 64 overlying the base plate 37 at one end of collar 44.

Ratchet wheel 48 is held against the other end of collar 44 by means of a spring washer 65 and a split ring 66 seated in an annular groove 67 in the counter-turned neck portion 58 of hub 60. Sulficient friction is thus provided by the spring washer to prevent the hub and ratchet wheel assembly from rotating with the pawl as it travels in a counter-clockwise direction over the ratchet teeth. The return travel, under the influence of spring 33, readily overcomes the friction to rotate the ratchet wheel and hub assembly in a clockwise direction as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.

As best illustrated in FIG. 9, the hub 60 is provided with a central screw threaded bore 68 to receive an externally threaded stud 70 provided with a head portion 71 at its outer end which carries a sprocket wheel 72. Sprocket wheel 72 is rigidly fixed to the head 71 of threaded stud 70 by means of a collar portion 73 swaged over the beveled periphery of the central aperture 74 of sprocket wheel 72. Rotary movement of sprocket wheel 72 is restricted by spring metal pressure pads 75 and 76 exerting an axially opposed pressure on opposite faces of the sprocket wheel as best illustrated in FIG. 5. The leg 77 of the pressure pad assembly may be rigidly attached as by screw 78 to an ear 80 turned outwardly from base plate 37.

The externally screw-threaded stud 70 is provided with a central bore 83. The forward or inner end 84 of bore 83 is somewhat smaller in diameter and is threaded to carry a set screw 85 which is adapted to contact a switch actuating plate 86.

As best illustrated in FIG. 5, plate 86 is pivoted, as at 87, at one end in a bracket 88 secured to base plate 37 by means of a screw 90. The other end 91 of plate 86 is adapted to contact button 92 of a micro-switch 93 under pressure of set screw 85, as will be described later in the specification. Micro-switch 93 is firmly supported between brackets 88 and 94.

Sprocket wheel 72 is driven in clockwise direction by means of a control member indicated generally at 95, which is the subject matter of a co-pending application, Serial No. 819,355, filed June 10, 1959, and will be described only insofar as is necessary to understand the operation of the present invention.

The control member 95- is driven in counter-clockwise .5. direction by means of a clock motor 96, and is composed of a body portion 97 and a plurality of radially disposed adjustable stops or abutment plates 98 (FIGS. 4 and 9). Each abutment plate 98 terminate in an outturned lip 180, and is axially adjustable to either a fully retracted or a fully advanced position. In their fully advanced position, lip 180 will contact the teeth 101 of sprocket wheel 72 and impart a relative movement to the wheel. When the abutment plates are fully retracted, they by-pass or clear the teeth of wheel 72. Therefore, if motor 96 is driving the control member in counter-clockwise direction at a rate of one revolution per hour, for example, and if all twelve abutment plates are fully extended, an abutment plate 98 will contact a tooth 101 of sprocket wheel 72 every five minutes. The abutment plates 98 and sprocket teeth 101 are so spaced, that each abutment stop or element 100 will drive the sprocket wheel a distance of one tooth.

In FIG. 4, every third stop or abutment plate has been fully advanced and the remainder are fully retracted. A fifteen minute interval will therefore elapse between the contacting of each sprocket tooth. Various other time intervals of either regular or irregular duration may be provided for, by advancing or retracting various abutment plates 98.

Attention is now directed to the pattern wheel 200, to be incorporated in the organization if and when desired, for the purpose of modifying the rotative effect of pawl 45 upon the main ratchet wheel 48. That is, the pattern wheel can preclude the pawl from moving the ratchet wheel 48, until a desired number of pawl movement cycles is completed, with the successive deposits of proper coins in the coin slide. For example, if it is desired that six coins shall be required for advancement of ratchet wheel 48 a distance of one tooth, then a pattern wheel 200, such as FIG. 6 shows, will be mounted as in FIG. 9 about hub 60, to overlie one face of wheel 48 as. there shown.

The pattern wheel is rotatable independently of the ratchet wheel 48, but both have the same number of peripheral teeth. With the exception of certain ones of the pattern wheel teeth, those which are indicated at 202 have bases 204 located outwardly beyond the crowns 206 of the ratchet wheel teeth, so that as shown in FIG. 6, the pawl 45 may engage a tooth of wheel 200 without engaging the corresponding tooth of ratchet wheel 48. Thus, an actuation of pawl 45 in FIG. 6 will serve to rotate the pattern wheel a distance of one tooth, without engaging and moving the main ratchet wheel 48.

With successive pawl actuations and step advancements of the pattern wheel as above explained, one of the deeper teeth 208 of the pattern wheel will eventual ly reach the pawl, as in FIG. 8, thereby permitting the pawl to engage said deeper tooth and also the corresponding tooth of the ratchet wheel coinciding therewith. Then, an actuation of the pawl will serve to advance the ratchet wheel and the pattern wheel simultaneously a distance of one tooth. Thereafter, the pawl will successively engage a line of shallow teeth 202 of the pattern wheel only, until eventually another deep tooth of the pattern wheel is brought into position for engagement by the pawl, along with a corresponding tooth of the ratchet wheel.

Thus it will be understood that an exemplary pattern wheel having 24 teeth, four of which are deep teeth equally spaced apart, will exercise control over the ratchet wheel 48 to the extent of permitting the pawl 45 to rotate the ratchet wheel a distance of only four teeth upon each full rotation of the pattern wheel. The number of coins needed to obtain the four-tooth advancement of the ratchet wheel, will be twenty-four, as the coin slide will have to be actuated twenty-four times in order to achieve a full rotation of the pattern wheel.

A pattern wheel may have any number of deep teeth 2th amongst the shallow ones, to afford a given number of impulses to the ratchet wheel with each rotation of the pattern wheel. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the pattern wheel has twelve deep teeth 208, while in FIG. 11 it has six. In FIG. 6 it has but four such teeth, and could be reduced to a single tooth only, if desired. If the pattern wheel had but one deep tooth, twenty-four coins would have to be collected by the coin slide in order to achieve movement of the ratchet wheel 48 a distance of one tooth.

FIGS. 12 and 13 indicate how the pattern wheel 2% performs to deny and permit, respectively, engagement of pawl 45 with the teeth of ratchet wheel 48.

Application and removal of a pattern wheel with respect to the timer mechanism is a simple procedure. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the pattern wheel support bracket 20 1 has a base 210 which maybe secured by means of a screw 212, to the plate 37. At the end opposite the base 216, the bracket is provided with an aperture 214 in which is rotatably received the hub 216 of pattern wheel 200. As indicated upon FIG. 10, the hub may be swaged or peened as at 218 to prevent separation of the hub from the bracket 2X91, while allowing rotation of the hub within the oracket aperture 2-14. At 220 is indicated a leaf spring fixed upon the bracket for the purpose of yieldingly engaging the teeth of the pattern wheel and those of the ratchet wheel 48, to establish a coinciding or aligned relationship of the teeth, as in FIG. 6, following each step advancement of the pattern wheel by pawl 45.

It may be noted that the hub opening 222 of the pattern wheel unit or assembly is made large enough in diameter to fit freely about the hub 60 of the timer mechanism, without interference frictionally or otherwise. To remove the pattern wheel unit, it is necessary only to unscrew the threaded stud 70 with its wheel 72, from the hub 60, and then remove the bracket screw 212. To mount any pattern wheel unit upon an existing timer mechanism, the same simple procedure is followed.

In operation, a coin of the required denomination is inserted in the aperture 27 of the injecting slide 26 and advanced in the conventional manner until the coin is deposited in the coin accumulating compartment. The leading edge of the injecting slide provides abutments 31 which rocks arm 32 in counter-clockwise direction. Pawl d5, pivotally carried by arm 32, rides out of engagement with a tooth of the pattern wheel, and into position for engaging a succeeding tooth.

When the coin injecting slide is retracted, tension spring 33 returns lever 32 and pawl 45 to starting position, FIG. 6. The pawl, meanwhile, has engaged a tooth of the pattern wheel and rotated it a distance equivalent to one tooth.

If the tooth so engaged by the pawl happens to be a deep tooth 203, the main ratchet wheel 48 as well as the pattern wheel will be advanced a distance of one tooth, as previously explained.

if the coin injecting slide is released or retracted suddenly, there may be an inclination for the pawl and ratchet wheel to bounce and possibly skip a tooth, due to the sudden stop against stop member 36. A tapered lock plate N2 is provided to eliminate this possibility. The tapered edge MES lies in the plane of travel of pawl 45, and is positioned to be very closely adjacent to or to abut the top edge 104 of the pawl as edge 41 of lever 32 contacts stop 36. Pawl 45 is therefore held or locked in engagement with ratchet wheel 48, or wheel 200. The tapered lock plate is fixed by a screw 105 to base plate 37.

Clockwise movement of ratchet wheel 48, when effected by pawl 45, is directly transmitted to hub 60 by means of lug 61 in keyway 62. Due to the friction created on sprocket wheel 72 by the pressure pad 7576, sprocket wheel 72 will not rotate with ratchet wheel 48. Instead, the internally threaded bore of hub 60 threads or moves the stud 7t axially outwardly, carrying sprocket wheel 72 away from ratchet wheel 48. Set screw 85 is therefore withdrawn from contact with switch plate 86, permitting microswitch Q3 to assume its normally On position.

Motor 96 is energized by switch 93 causing control member 95 to rotate in counter-lockwise direction. As previously described, each step or abutment plate 93 moves the periphery of sprocket wheel 72 a distance exactly equal to the length of one tooth. The friction created by spring washer 65 on ratchet wheel 48 prevents relative rotation of ratchet wheel 48. Instead, stud 7% is threaded axially, inwardly, in hub 6% moving sprocket wheel 72 toward ratchet wheel 48. The amount of outward axial movement caused by the rotation of ratchet wheel 48 is exactly compensated for by the inward axial movement caused by the rotation of sprocket wheel 72. Therefore, the forward end of set screw re-engages switch plate 86, imparting suiiicient pressure to depress switch button 92 to disengage the contacts of micro-switch 93.

In practice, the micro-switch, in addition to operating motor may also be in electrical connection with a piece of machinery, appliance, or any kind of equipment that is to be operated for a predetermined period of time for a set fee. For example, in operating a clothes drier with a set fee of live cents for five minutes, all twelve abutment plates would be advanced on the control member 95, and the timer would be operated without intervention of a pattern wheel such as 2%. If it Were desired to operate the drier for thirty-five minutes, seven nickels would be consecutively injected into the box by means of the slide 26. Each time the lever 32 would be rocked as previously described by the slide abutment 31, the periphery of ratchet wheel 48 would be rotated a total distance equivalent to the length of seven teeth. When the first coin is injected, the drier as well as the motor 96 will be energized. Control member will rotate until seven abutment plates have contacted seven teeth on sprocket wheel 72, to rotate the periphery of the wheel a distance equivalent to the length of seven teeth. Thus, the outward axial movement imparted to sprocket wheel 72 by the rotation of the periphery of ratchet wheel .8 a distance equivalent to the length of seven teeth is compensated for by the inward axial movement imparted by the same amount of rotation of sprocket wheel 72. The drier and motor 96 will then be tie-energized by switch 93 in the manner previously described.

Again assuming the absence of a pattern wheel such as 2%, when the abutment plates 98 are arranged to impart rotary movement to sprocket wheel 72 at fifteen minute intervals, as illustrated by FIG. 4, four appropriate coins would be required for one hour of operation. Four coins would move ratchet wheel 48 a distance equivalent to the length of four teeth. As every third abutment plate 98 would contact sprocket wheel 72, one complete revolution of control member 95 would be required to move sprocket wheel 72 a distance equivalent to the length of four teeth to shut off the motor as and drier in the manner just described. 7

Various settings of the abutment plates 93, in conjunction with the numerous variations of pattern wheels 260 which might be applied to the timer mechanism, afford great flexibility and latitude in setting the timer to deliver service in close correspondency with changes in service fees which might become necessary from time to time. Such changes, it should be noted, are capable of achievement without resort to the trouble and expense of substituting coin slides for the acceptance of coins of different denominations, when a change of service fees becomes necessary. Application and removal of pattern wheels may be accomplished with ease and despatch, as previously explained, and any other timing variations needed may be quickly achieved by simply manipulating the abutment plates of the control member $5.

it should be understood that various modifications and changes in the structural details of the apparatus may 7 be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a timing mechanism, the combination of switch means for opening and closing an electric circuit, and means including a movable member for controlling said switch means, a coin slide, a device reciprocable repeatedly by the coin slide to under certain conditions, produce a stepping advancement of said movable member, and means operated by manipulation of the coin slide for conditioning said device in advance of closing of the electric circuit, to predetermine the number of reciprocations required of said device to effect a single step advancement of the movable member.

2. In a timing mechanism, the combination of switch means for opening and closing an electric circuit, and means including a movable member for controlling said switch means, a device reciprocable repeatedly under manual selectively, to produce a stepping advancement of said movable member, and means cooperatively related to said movable member for establishing a sequential series of device reciprocations necessary for efiecting a single step advancement of the movable member to close said circuit.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2,, wherein the means last mentioned is one of a number of differing pattern elements selectively cooperable with said movable member.

4. In a timing mechanism, the combination of switch means for opening and closing an electric circuit, and means including a toothed rotary ratchet wheel and a shiftable actuator for controlling said switch means, a motor included in said circuit, a pawl manually reciprocable repeatedly to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel for rotating said wheel in stepping fashion, means for selectively predetermining the number of pawl reciprocations required for step-rotating the ratchet wheel a distance corresponding to the space between successive teeth of the ratchet wheel, and means operative only upon execution of the predetermined number of pawl reciprocations aforesaid, to shift the actuator for closing the electric circuit and energizing said motor.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein is included a coin slide operative under certain conditions to reciprocate the pawl.

6. In a timing mechanism, the combination of a control member, and an electric motor for actuating the control member, circuit means including a self-closing electric switch tending to maintain an energized condition of the motor, a rotary ratchet wheel having a plurality of teeth thereon, and a pawl shiftable repeatedly to engage said teeth for rotating the ratchet wheel in stepping fashion incident to shifting of the pawl, a switch actuator movable outwardly from an inner limit of travel in increments determined by the step impulses of the ratchet wheel, and from an outer limit of travel inwardly in increments determined by the motor-driven control member, said switch actuator being operative only at the extreme inner limit of its travel to hold the self-closing motor switch in open-circuit condition, and means precluding engagement of the ratchet wheel teeth by the pawl during some only of the pawl shifts, to establish a predetermined sequence of pawl shifts required before closing of the motor switch 7. The combination as set forth in claim 6, wherein is included a coin slide operative under certain conditions to shift the pawl.

8. In a timing mechanism, the combination of a control member, and an electric motor for actuating the control member, circuit means including a self-closing electric switch tending to maintain an energized condition of the motor, a rotary ratchet wheel having a plurality of teeth thereon, and a pawl shiftable repeatedly to engage said teeth for rotating the ratchet wheel in stepping fashion incident to shifting of the pawl, a switch actuator movable outwardly from an inner limit of travel in increments determined by the step pulses of the ratchet wheel, and from an outer limit of travel inwardly at a rate of speed determined by the motor-driven control member, said switch actuator being operative only at the extreme inner limit of its travel to hold the self-closing motor switch in open-circuit condition, and means for predetermining the number of pawl actuations required for step-rotating the ratchet wheel a distance of one tooth advancement.

9. A timer including circuit control means having an element movable between one or the other of two normal positions to establish a circuit closing or a circuit breaking condition within said means, a control member for actuatng said element, first means including a ratchet wheel mounted for rotation about but fixed against endwise movement along an axis, second means including a sprocket wheel secured to and carried by said first means, said second means rotatable about and shiftable endwise along said axis and relative to said first means, said control member being secured to, carried by and projecting from said last mentioned means, means operatively interconnecting said first and second means whereby rotation of said first means Will impart axial movement only to said second means for moving said control member away from said circuit control element, and wherein rotation of said second means in the same direction will impart axial movement thereof relative to and without rotating said first means for moving said control member toward said circuit control element, a reciprocable pawl to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel for imparting stepping rotary motion to the ratchet wheel associated with said first means, means for precluding engagement of the ratchet wheel teeth by the pawl during preselected pawl reciprocations, drive means engageable with the teeth of the sprocket wheel associated with said second means for imparting rotary motion thereto, an electric motor in driving relationship with said drive means, and means connecting said motor to said circuit control means whereby said motor will be driven during those periods of time when said circuit control element is in a circuit closing condition.

10. A timer including circuit control means having an element movable between one or the other of two normal positions to establish a circuit closing or a circuit breaking condition within said means, a control member for actuating said element, first means including a ratchet wheel mounted for rotation about but fixed against endwise movement along an axis, second means including a sprocket wheel secured to and carried by said first means, said second means rotatable about and shiftable endwise along said axis and relative to said first means, said control member being secured to, carried by and projecting from said last mentioned means, means operatively interconnecting said first and second means whereby rotation of said first means will impart axial movement only to said second means for moving said control member away from said circuit control element, and wherein rotation of said second means in the same direction will impart axial movement thereof relative to and without rotating said first means for moving said control member toward said circuit control element, a reciprocable pawl to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel for imparting stepping rotary motion to the ratchet wheel, means including a pattern wheel disposed alongside the ratchet wheel and supported for independent rotation concentrically thereto, said pattern wheel including teeth to mask some of the teeth of the ratchet wheel to preclude engagement of the pawl with said masked teeth, thereby to predetermine the number of pawl reciprocations required to advance the ratchet wheel one step, drive means engageable with the teeth of the sprocket wheel for imparting rotary motion thereto, an electric motor in driving relationship with said drive means, and

means connecting said motor to said circuit control means whereby said motor will be driven during those periods of time when said circuit control element is in a circuit closing condition.

11 The combination as set forth in claim 10, including means operative between successive pawl reciprocations, for maintaining an aligned relationship of the teeth of the pattern Wheel with those of the ratchet wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nehls May 8, Smith Sept. 28, De Moss Nov. 22, Moebius June 2, Greenwald Dec. 1,

Claims (1)

1. IN A TIMING MECHANISM, THE COMBINATION OF SWICH MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT, AND MEANS INCLUDING A MOVABLE MEMBER FOR CONTROLLING SAID SWITCH MEANS, A COIN SLIDE, A DEVICE RECIPROCABLE REPEATEDLY BY THE COIN SLIDE TO UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, PRODUCE A STEPPING ADVANCEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE MEMBER, AND MEANS OPERATED BY MANIPULATION OF THE COIN SLIDE FOR CONDITIONING SAID DEVICE IN ADVANCE OF CLOSING OF THE ELECTRIC CIRCUIT, TO PREDETERMINE THE NUMBER OF RECIPROCATIONS REQUIRED OF SAID DEVICE TO EFFECT A SINGLE STEP ADVANCEMENT OF THE MOVEMENT.

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