US309537A

US309537A - Time-stamp

Info

Publication number: US309537A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1884-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 1901-12-23

Description

' 2 SheetsSheet 1. W. H. GILLETTE.

TIME STAMP.

No. 309,537. I Patented Dee. 23,-1884.

(No Model.)

A X H Wineeses iZZZa/mw y 2 SheetsSheet 2.

(N0 Medal.)

W. H. GILLETTE.

TIME STAMP.

Patented De'o. 23, 1884,

F19 4- IB 1? UNITED STATES PATENT EEIcE.

\VILLIAM H. GILLETTE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

TIME-STAMP.

SPECIFECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,537, dated December 23, 1884.

Application filed December 1853.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, WILLIAM H. GILLETTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Time-Stamps, of which the following description and claims constitute the specification, and which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

This is a time-stamp which stamps upon the upper side of papers Arabic or other characters approximately representing the time of day at-which the papers stamped by it were respectively so stamped, and which i automatically changes those characters at stated intervals, so as to make them approximately correspond with exact current time, and which performs these functions by means of new devices and new combinations of de vices and by a new mode of operation.

Figure l is an external perspective view of the apparatus. Fig. '2 is a central. vertical longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a crosssection looking toward the left on line X X of Fig. 2. Fig. at is a crosssection looking toward the left on line Y Y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-section looking to the right on line Z Z of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is aside view looking toward the right of the spurred wheel T and the wheel Q. Fig. 7 is a section 011 the line W' XV of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a view of the bottom of the stamp proper, showing one set of its automatically-changing figures in the center, and showing its manually-changed matter in the border. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal central section of the shaft L and ot'the adjacent part of the shaft J, showing the manner in which the shaft L is mounted.

A is the fixed frame of the apparatus.

has a hinged lid, B, which, when raised, gives access to the interior.

C is an oscillating frame, hung on the journals D D, which journals turn in bearings in the frame A, and which bearings are pierced through the walls of the latter frame substantially at the points where the common tangents of the wheel Q, and the gear I reach those walls. The frame 0 is also supported by the spiral springs E E.

F is a shaft connected at the right of the indicated fracture with the arbor of a proper (No model.)

chronometer. Keyed to that shaft are the gear G and the wheel H. The latter has a discontinuous flange extending toward the left from the border of its left-hand surface.

I is a gear keyed to the right-hand end of the shaft J. From the right-hand side of that gear three spurs, K K K", project horizontallv.

L is a shaft turning in bearings in the frame A and in the axis of the shaft J.

M is a gear keyed to that shaft and identical in size and number of teeth with the gear G.

N is a spiral spring, one end of which is fastened to the gear M, and the other end of which is fastened to the gear I.

O is a ratchet-keyed to the shaft J.

P is a strong elastic blade, the larger end of which is rigidly fixed within a recess in the frame C.

Q is a wheel keyed to the shaft It. The right-hand part of the periphery of that wheel has teeth j nst double in number the teeth on the gear I, and the left-hand part of that periphery is plain throughout, except that it has the recess S sunk therein directly toward the axis of the wheel. From the left-hand side of the wheel the spur Q projects horizontally in substantially the position shown in Fig. 6.

T is a wheel keyed to the shaft U. It has two sets of spurs of five spurs each. One set, V V V V V, project equidistant from the periphery of the wheel, and the other set, V" V V V ,1)1OJ CQi3 equidistant from the right hand side of the wheel T. The line which connects each spur of each set with the axis of the wheel T is half-way between the lines which connect the two adjacent spurs of the other set with that axis.

T is a gear keyed to the shaft U.

A. is a gear keyed to the end of the tube B. The gear bears to the gear A the proportion of live to twelve. The tube B revolves with a running fit around the shaft To the left-hand end of the latter shaft the minutewheel C is keyed, and to theleft-hand end of the tube B the hour-wheel Dis keyed. The hour-wheel has the figures 1 to 12, inclusive, raised upon its periphery at equal distances apart, and the minute-wheel has the figures larly raised upon its periphery. Upon the periphery of the wheel. Q similar figures to those last enumerated are raised or sunk or otherwise affixed, and the figures 1 to 12, iiiclusive, are raised or sunk or otherwise fixed upon the outer surface of twelve equidistant teeth of the gear A, respectively. The two sets of figures on the wheels Q and A are arranged in the same direction and order with those on the minute and hour wheels, respectively, but six numbers in advance of the lat for, so that the uppermost figures on the.

! its new position by means of the spurs V" and wheels Q, and A will always correspond with the under-most figures on the minute and hour wheels, respectively. So, also, the figures on the wheels Q, and A are direct in form, while those on the minute and hour wheels are inverted, as printers type are. Manuallychanged matter may be inserted in the border of the surface of the stamp proper in any suit able manner.

The mode of opta'ation of this apparatus is as follows: A chronometcr outside of the ap paratus is so connected with the shaft F that the latter revolves and causes the gear G and the wheel H to revolve continuously, and to make one revolution every half-hour in the direction shown by the arrow adjacent to the wheel ]l in Fig. 3. That revolution strains the spiral spring N, through the action of the gear M; and it also soon brings the spur 1C opposite the nearest opening in the discontinuous flange of the wheel H. Thereupon, the spring N, operating upon the gear ll, forces the latter to revolve, and the spur K to escape through that opening 5 but thereupon the spur 1Q instantly comes in contact with the outside of the discontimious flange of the wheel if, and thus arrests the revolution of the gear I when it has passed over one-sixth of its circumference. FlVO minutes later the spur l escapes through an opening of the discontinuous llange, but is thereupon instantly arrested by coming in contact with the inner side of that flange on the opposite side of the wheel If, after passing through one-sixth of its circle. Thus, through the action of the gears M and ttand the spring N and the wheel H, the continuous rotary motion of the shalt i is translated into an intermittent rotary motion of one revolution (every halfhour) of the gear l, the shalt .l', and. the ratchet 0, that intermittent motion taking place every live minutes, and carrying each of the three parts last named through onesixth of its circumference. The gearIcauses the wheel Q, the shaft It, and the minute-wheel. U to revolve once every hour with twelve equal intermittent motions in the direction shown by the arrows adjacent to the wheel Q in Figs. 3 and (S. l lvery twelfth ol' the twelve inter mittent motions of the wheel Q causes the gear A, the tube ll, and the hour-wheel D to revolve one-twelfth of their respective circumferences by means of the wheel T and the eleventh motion of the wheel Q, having will pass a little beyond it.

brought the spur Q nearly into contact with the spur V, the twelfth motion causes the former spur to strike the latter, and thus forces the wheel T to revolve and carry the spur V into the recess S. The wheel Q, continuing to revolve, the recess S carries the spur V to the position just vacated by the spur Y, and will then eject the spur V", and This operation thus results in causing the wheclT to revolve one-fifth of its circumference, and to lock it in V bearing against the periphery of the wheel Q till the latter wheel makes its twelfth succeeding motion. The gear T being keyed to the same shaft with the wheel T, and being proportioned to the gear A as live is to twelve. will give the latter an intermittent motion of one-twclfth of its circumference whenever-the wheel. T moves through one-fifth of its eircumference. The result of the operation thus far explained is to make the minute-wheel C change its presented figures every five minutes, and to make the hounwheel D dolike' wise every hour. The stantping-surfaces being furnished with ink in any proper manner, and the apparatus being so set that the undermost figures on the hour and minute wheels correspond with the time of setting, and the wheel 1[ being so adjusted to the gear I that the first escapement will occur exactly five minutes thereafter, it is clear that figures representing the hour and minute, together with any fixed or manually-cliangeable characters in the face of the stamp will be stamped upon any paper placed beneath the stamping-surface as often as the handle i l is depressed. Should that handle be depressed at any instant whercon an eseapement is occurring, the blade 1, instead of being idle as atother times, would strike against one of the projections of the ratchet t), and would thus force the ratchet and with it the gear I back to the position they occupied before the escapement began to occur, and would hold them in that position till the impression is made and the handle released, and. the frame 0 forced upward by the springs E E. Thercupon the delayed cscapement would occur, and succeed ing escapements would take place at their appointed times, provided the handle T1 is not held down by the user unnecessarily long.

The figures on the wheels Q, and A are placed there to enable the user to set the printingwheels to any given time without the inconvcniem'zo of examining their presented figures or taking an impression thereof, in order to ascertain which set are downward at the time in which the setting is being done.

The teeth of the gear I and of the wheel Q, may have their outer edges curved convexly; but the angle shown in the drawings between the peripheries of the two is so small that no such curving is absolutely required. So, also, the journals I) 1) may be either above or below the common tangent of the gear I and the IIO wheel Q, in which case one or both of the lat ter should be made wide in peripheral sur- I "face, so as to permit of the resulting longitudinal motion of the lower part of the periph cry of the wheel Q. If but one nintingwheel is required, the wheel T, the gear T, the ear A, the tube B, and the wheel 1) may all be omitted, and the wheel Q, constructed as a gear without the lefthand part shown in the drawings. I do not herein claim an escapement consisting of a wheel provided with a series of studs, and of another wheel provided with a discontinuous flange; nor an intermittent lock 5 motion consisting of awheel provided with a stud and a recess, and of another wheel provided with two series of studs, though both those inventions are shown in this speeiiication, because both are claimed in myappliea tion No. 93,662 for Letters Patent for an improvcinent in time-stam s, filed May 3, 1885.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of the frame A, the frame 0, pivoted in frame A, the gear I, the wheel (2, the shaft R, and the wheel 0.

2. The combination of the frame A, the frame C, pivoted to the frame A, the gear I, the wheel Q, the shaft R, the wheel 0, the wheel T, the shaft U, the gear T, the gear A, the tube B, and the wheel I).

3. The combination of the shaft F, the gear G, the wheel H, the shaft L, the gear M, the spring N, and the gear I.

4. The combination of the frame A, the frame 0, pivoted to the frame A, the blade P, the ratchet O, the shaft J, the gear I, the wheel Q, and the shaft R.

\VILLTAM H. GILLETTITE.

Witnesses:

ALBERT H. XVALKER, Monolw W. Barren.