US343169A - gleason - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. J. GLEASON.

AUTOMATIC BILLIARD REGISTER. No. 343,169. Patented June 8, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC BILLIARDi-REGISTER.

Application filed January 23, 1586. Serial No. 159,491.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JosErni J. GLEAsoN, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of' New York, in the county of New York and State ot' New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Registers, oi' which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved automatic register, the object being to register and indicate the aggregate sum of a number of irregular intervals of time by means of electric circuits arranged in combination with a clocktrain and an electro-magnetic register. It is more particularly adapted for use in connection with a set or sets of billiard-balls, to charge up and register the amount of time during which they are in use, or the amount in money due therefor. Arranged for this latter purpose, it consists, as hereinafter more fully described, of a number of receptacles equal in number to the number of sets of balls to be stored, in connecting with ageing clocktrain a contact maker and breaker connected within a series of electric circuits equal in number to the number of sets of balls and adapted to make and break each of the electric circuits at regular predetermined intervals; a push-contact within each circuit located so that theballsin each receptacle when in place will break one of the circuits, and an electro-magnetic register having a step-by-step motion connected so as to be included in all ofthe circuits, so that it will respond to the makes and breaks in the several circuits caused by the circuit maker and breaker driven by the clock-train. The number of makes and breaks caused by the clock-workin each circuit is made to correspond with the number of units to be charged against each set of balls when in use or removed from their receptacles 'for a given length of time, and these units are charged against the proper balls by the register, there being no charge made against the sets of balls which are in place within their receptacle, by reason ofthe pushcontacts adjusted thereto being open and the corresponding electric circuits through the register incomplete. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front View of inyimproved register. Fig. 2 is a rear View of the saine.

Fig. 3 is a vertical` ATEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 343,169, datei 8, 1886,

(No model.)

section on .fvaoi'Fig l. FigAA isadiagram view ofthe ci rcuit maker and breaker and its connections. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the construction of the eleetromagnet register; and Fig. G is a perspective View ol one ofthe receptacles wit-hin which the billiard-balls are stored.

A is the frame or case oi' the machine, preferably made rectangular in shape, with an upwardly-projecting portion, A', at its rear end. lVithin the frame A are iitted a number of receptacles, B B, preferably made of sucha size and shape as that when a set of l'our billiard-balls are placed therein they will lic in a row, and the rear ball will project through an opening at the rear of the receptacle, as shown in Figs. 3 and (3e-that is, in the form ot' a rectangular drawer closed in at the top and having an opening through its rear end through which the rear ball will project fora short distance, and au opening, Z), through its side near the forward end through which the balls maybe removed. Aspring, b', is placed at the iront end of the drawer, to bear against the forward ball and hold the rear ball in its rearwardlyprojecting position. I also prefer to make an opening, b, through the frontend of the drawer, through which can be seen the interior of the drawer when thelatteris closed, and this opening l1 may be covered with a glass plate.

O is a clock-movement, and is geared to a circuit maker and breaker, preferably formed as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4-thot is, having a cylindrical drum, D, with insulating-'strips I set into its face.

E E E are insulated springs, made to bear upon the drum l), so that as the drum is rotated by the clock-work the springs will bear alternately upon the metallic and the insulat ing portions of the drum. The insulatingstrips are so spaced and the springs are so adapted as that'the're will at any given time be only one spring in contact with the metallic portion of the drum, and the drum is geared to the clockwork so thatin agiren time*say onehour-there will be a given number of c0ntacts-say fiftymade by each spring. Each of t-hese springs E is electrically connected with an arm of a puslrcontact, F, so located behind the receptacles B as that when the balls are in place and the receptacles closed the IOO rearwardly-projecting ball will operate the push-contact and open the circuit controlled thereby. The remaining arms of the contacts F are connected through a conductor, f, with one pole of an electric battery, G. The remaining pole of the battery is connected through an electric register, H, with the metallic portion of the drum D. Thislatter connection may be made through the frame-work of the clock.

rIhe electromagnetic register II may be of any of the Well-known kinds which go by a Step-by-step movement and Will indicate the number of makes and breaks that have been made in the circuit; but I prefer the register as shown in the diagram Fig. 5, wherein h h are parallel rotating shafts, one of which is actuated through a pawl-and-ratchet movement by a pivoted armature, h, vibrating before an eleetro-1nagnet,h, connected in the electric' circuit. The second shaft is actuated through a peculiar shaped gearing by the first shaft, there being an annular disk, I, mounted upon the driving-shaft and having asingle projecting tooth, i, thereon. A second disk, K, is mounted upon the second or driven shaft,and has ten notches, k, cut into its edge. Each time the first disk is rotated its projecting pin t' engages one of the notches in the disk Kand moves it around far enough to bring the next notch into gearing position. Ten revolutions of the iirst disk causes one revolution of the second. Any number of these parallel shafts may be so geared together in series, and if the impulses or movements of the iirst shaft represent the unit to be registered the movement of the several shafts will represent tens and hundreds of such units. To make the movements of these registering-shafts visible and to permit the register of their movements to be taken at any time, a polygonalshaped block, Z, having ten sides, is mounted on each shaft, and the ten faces are numbered from 0 to 9.

The operation of my device is as follows: The clock being put in motion and the balls being all in position, the several circuits will be open, and there will be no movement of the register. Il, now, one of the sets of balls be removed for use, the push-contact behind that particular receptacle will be closed, and the contacts made by the spring E in that particular circuit will operate the register, giving one movement to the rst wheel of the register for each make and break in the circuit. If there are fifty makes and breaks in the circuit each hour, there will be fifty units registered. Suppose, now, a second set of balls are removed, a second circuit will be completed, and there will be double the number of makes and breaks in the circuit and a double number of units registered.

I do not contemplate restricting myself to the special construction of the circuit maker and breaker shown, nor to the form of electro-magnetic register, nor do I conne myself to the special form lof receptacle used for the balls.

l. The combination, with one or more receptacles for billiard balls and with a going clock-train, of an electric circuit for each receptacle, a circuit maker and breaker in each circuit operated by the clock mechanism to make and break said circuit at regular predetermined intervals, an electro-magnetic register connected in all the circuits to register the total number of makes and breaks in all the circuits, and a spring-contact connected in each circuit in position to be operated by balls in the receptacle to break the particular circuit Within which it is connected, all as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with one or more receptacles for billiard-balls, of an electric circuit for each such receptacle, a springconi tact in each circuit to be operated by the balls within its corresponding receptacle, a circuit maker and breaker to make and break all the circuits at regular predetermined intervals of time, a clock-train to drive said circuit maker and breaker, and an electro-magnetic register connected in common With all the circuits, all as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a machine for measuring and registering the aggregate sum of varying periods of time, the combination, With one or more electrie 'circuits and a switch in each'of said circuits, the latter adapted to be closed automatically at the beginning of the period of time to be registered by that particular circuit and opened at the termination of that time, a circuit maker and breaker, a clock mechanism to drive said circuit maker and breaker to make and break all the circuits at regular predeterminedintervals of time, and an electro-magnetic register for registering and indicating the aggregate number of such makes and breaks as have been made in all of the circuits Which have been closed While they have been so closed.

4. In an electro-magnetic time-register, the combination, with a going clock-train, of a circuit maker and breaker' driven by said clocktrain, one or more electric circuits, an electro-magnetic register connected in all such circuits, one or more receptacles, each governing one of said circuits, and a switch mechanism for each of said receptacles, all arranged as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of N ew York and State of New York, this 20th day of January, A. D. 1886.

JOSEPH J. GLEASON.

Ti tnesses:

JACOB FELBEL, ANDREW W. STEIGER.

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