US593456A - Workman s time recorder - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) I V 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. BROOK.

WORKMANS TIME RECORDER.

Patented Nov. 9, 1897.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet '2. F. BROOK. WORKMANS TIME RECORDER.

No. 593,456. Patented Nov, 9, 1897.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

P. BROOK...

WORKMANS TIM-E RECORDER.

No. 593,456. Patented Nov. 9,1897.

INVENTEIR'.

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FRANK BROOK, OF HUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND.

WORKMANS TIME-RECORDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,456, dated November 9, 1897.

' Applicati n fil d August 31, 1896. Serial No. 604,385. (No model.)

i"0. ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK BROOK, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Huddersfield, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time Checking or Registering Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Myinvention relates to mechanism or apparatus for automatically registering or checking the times at which employees sign their names or affix their initials on a time sheet or roll on entering or leaving the business premises or workshops where they are engaged.

The object of my invention is to provide efficient and reliable mechanism under the control of and subject to the determinating action of clockwork, for exposing in an easilyaccessible position, at predetermined times and in successive or synchronous order, sections or marked-off portions of a time roll, register,or sheet bearing marks or lettering thereon indicating the times of day at which each section or portion of said time-sheet will, according to and in agreement with the times of day indicated by the clock, be exposed to the employees, who, on entering the premises, will sign their names or affix their initials on said exposed portion or section of the time roll, register, or sheet, which on the ex iration of the 'iven eriod of time for which.

it serves will be removed from its exposed and accessible position and another portion or section, marked at a later hour, exposed in its place, whereby the time of arrival of each employee will be automatically and accu-- invention, Figure l is an elevation ofan eightday clock, having the striking mechanism of a thirty-hour clock combined therewith, for determining and con-trollin g the action of the signature or initial time registering or checking mechanism, the clock face or dial and part of the clockwork being omitted and the minute and hour hands and gearing for actuating the hour-hand being shown in dotted lines for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the signature or initial time registering or checking mechanism, taken on line 1 1 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 1, lookingin the direction of arrow 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of Fig. 2,taken on line 3 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal elevation of the drum or cylinder which carries the time roll, register, or sheet. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of Fig. 5, taken on line 4 4. Fig.7 is an elevation of the double pallet or releasing and holding lever for releasing and allowing partial rotation of the registering drum or cylinder. Fig. 8 is a transverse section of Fig. 7, taken 0n1ine5 5. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of the means for completing and checking the electric circuits which are situated on the rear frame of the clock and seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Fig. 101s a view illustrating two signature or initial time registering orindicating machines in circuit with a clock. Fig. 11 shows a modification of the registering or checking apparatus in which the time-sheet is unwound off a roll by the drum or cylinder and the time printed on said sheet by a type-disk previous to being carried around by the drum and exposed.

Like letters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the figures.

In the drawings, letter a represents the framework of the clock; I), the arbor or shaft on which the hour-wheel c is mounted, said hour-wheel gearing with wheel 61 and receiving motion from the ordinary mechanism of an eight-day clock, which, being well known,

is not shown on the drawings.

On the hour-wheel arbor l) is mounted a pinion awhich gears into and'drives a toothed disk or discharge-wheel or toothed plate f, mounted on a stud secured to the framework 0., said discharge-plate being rotated to the extent of one revolution to every twenty-four revolutions of the hour-wheel.

The face of the discharge-plate f has an index-line f thereon, which is by preference marked off radially into divisions f representing hours, these divisions being subdivided again into halves and quarters or other fractional parts or units in the form of a scale, and holes are punched or drilled at any of these divisions or intermediate thereof for the reception of studs or pins f whose number and disposition around the dischargewheel are determined by the periods of time at which the checking or indicating is required to take place.

In conjunction with the above mechanism I employ the striking mechanism of a thirtyhour clock, consisting of levers g and 72 for releasing said mechanism, spring-barrel t', fusce j, the train of wheels 7t 7t" 76 7;, fly 7t", and snail 71;, mounted on the shaft K. Connected with the lever g is a short leverarm g, which is adapted to be engaged by the pins f on the discharge-wheel as the latter rotates and to elevate the said lever g, which lifts the leg of the lever h clear of the shoulder on snail 79 while the short leverarm 7L, secured on the same stud as the lever 70, is at the same time placed clear of the pin Z on the toothed wheel whereby the mechanism is temporarily released and is put in motion by the uncoiling of the spring in the barrel The motion of the parts, however, is only temporary, so as to bring the larger diameter of the snail under the depending leg of lever h, and is arrested by the pin on on wheel k engaging a projection n on the end of lever 9; but immediately the pin f in engagement with the lever-arm g, rides clear of said lever-arm the lever g assumes its normal position and releases the wheel 70", and therefore the striking mechanism, whereupon the action of the coiled spring causes the parts to be rotated until the cam or snail is has completed a revolution and is again locked by the depending foot of lever h, as shown on the drawings. The parts remain in the positions shown in Fig. 1 and inoperative until a second pin on the discharge-wheel actuates the lever-arm 9, when they are operated as previously described, and this is repeated each time a pin f on the rotating dischargewheel f engages the lever-arm g.

The intermittent motion of the striking mechanism obtained in the manner set forth by the successive engagement of pins or rolls f with the lever-arm g is utilized for the purpose of completing and breaking an electric circuit whereby to determine and bring about the periodical partial rotation of the signature or initial time registering or indicating drum or cylinder, as hereinafter described.

On the rear end of the snailshaft K (shown more clearly in Fig. 9) is mounted a switch or cam 0, adapted to rotate therewith and to make a complete revolution each time the striking mechanism is released and actuated. The end of said switch or nose of the cam 0 is tipped with silver and engages at one part of each revolution with the silvered under surface of a spring or contact'pieee 1), carried by an insulating-bracket 11, secured to the frame a and insulating the contact-piece from the clock. To said contact-piece is secured a terminal 17 connected by wire to one end of a coil or armature on bobbins forming the electromagnet p", the opposite end of such coil being connected to one pole of abattery p whose other pole is connected by wire to a terminal 23 secured to the clock-frame a,

the whole forming an electric circuit which is completed by engagement of the switch or cam 0 with the contact-piece p and broken when moved out of engagement therewith. The electromagnet p" is supported by and secured to a platform or shelf q in the upper portion of a box or case q, wherein journaled in bearings r, secured to the sides of said casing, a shaft 0", on which is mounted the drum 7' having secured around its periphery a sheet of paper '2', comprising the time sheet or register on which the initials or signatures have to be affixed. The battery 1) is placed in the bottom cupboard of the case or box, which is provided with and closed in at the top by a sloping desk-lid adapted to be locked, so that admission cannot be had to the upper interior portion of the box except by a responsible official having charge of the key, a longitudinal slot g of a given width being cut in the said lid to admit of the upper surface of the cylinder 1' being level or nearly level with the face of the lid when closed. The sheet of paper or time-sheet 'r" is ruled with lines on which to affix the signatures or initials and is divided by horizontal lines rinto equal sections, the number of which is determined by the number of times the apparatus is intended to register in a day or other given period of time, and vertical division-lines maybe marked thereon, so that on each section of paper there are the same number of spaces provided for names or initials as there are employees engaged on the business premises. The time-sheet is of such a length that when placed tightly around the cylinder 0' its opposing edges overlap each other, and such sheet is secured on the cylinder in the following manner: An. opening s is made in the periphery of the cylinder 1*, (see Figs. 5 and (5,) into which project pins or spikes 5, attached to or driven into a thin piece of wood s secured within the cylinder, against the inner wall thereof, the'said spikes or pins piercing through the overlapping edges of the paper, which are pressed into the opening and then firmly secured by a plate or slide 5 adapted to fit nicely into the open ing s, and provided at one end with a lug or teeth 5'', adapted to enter and engage with a corresponding recess in one side of the cylinder, and at the opposite end with inclined or dovetailed edges s, adapted to take into and slide in corresponding ways made in the side of the openings .9 at the opposite end of the cylinder. Slots 5 are cut in the plate 8 at equidistances apart corresponding to the position of the spikes s, so that the latter may project into same.

In applying the slideor plate 5 it is placed into the opening in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and then slid endwise to the position shown in full lines in said figure, so that the ends thereof engage with the cylinder, as described, and hold it firmly in the opening 5. WVhen slid out to the position indicated in dotted line, it can be lifted straight out of the said opening and the timesheet slipped off the drum or cylinder.

On the left-hand side of the tim e-sheet and in each section thereof is printed or marked the times of day each such section will be presented opposite the slot g in the lid (1 so as to be in view of the employees when affixing their initials or signatures 011 the exposed section of the time-sheet, and forming the register or indicator by which the times of arrival or departure of the employees may subsequently be read off.

On each end of the cylinder r are aseries of teeth or projections t i, one tooth at each end for each section into which the timesheet is divided, the series of teeth i being adapted to be engaged by a double pallet u, and the series of teeth '5 by detent o, centered on a stud 1;, carried by a bracket o secured to the inside of the case or box g, at the back thereof. The double pallet 10 is curved to the radius of the cylinder r and is engaged about midway at each side thereof by and pivots upon the conical or pointed ends of two adjustable screws or bolts u", screwed through lugs or cars 011 a bracket 16 secured by screws to the platform or shelf 1 in a position close to and within the influence of the electromagnet 19 On the upper end of the pallet u is formed at right angles a tooth a adapted, when said pallet is moved into an abnormal position, to engage with a tooth i on the cylinder r At the lower end of the said pallet is a loose toepiece or looking dog it, having a leg 20 thereon, which passes through and is adapted to slide in ways in lugs u on the face of the pallet, its movement in one direction being limited by the toe-piece abutting against the end of the pallet and in the other direction by the engagement with the lower of the two lugs it of a pin or roll 10 secured on the leg a intermediate of said lugs.

The drum or cylinder 1' when released is rotated in the direction of the arrow by the gravity action of a weight w, suspended from a cord w, attached at one end to an eyelet 10 secured to the underside of the dividingpartition of box or case q, and attached at its opposite end to a barrel r on the cylinder around which a portion of the cord is coiled.

The release of the registering-cylinder r at the times determined upon and its intermittent rotation to the extent of one section,

marked off on the time-sheet, is efiected in the manner following: Assuming for illustration that the section of the time-sheet exposed opposite the slot 1 in the lid g is marked at 7.45 a. m. and that the period of time it is arranged to remain in an accessible position is expiring and the next section marked at eight oclock a. m. is required to take its place opposite the said slot, a stud or pin f on the discharge-plate f, at eight oclock or intermediate of 7.45 and 8 oclock, rides under the lever-arm g and raises it to place the leg of lever h clear of the shoulder on snail k and release the motor or striking mechanism, which, on the stud f passing clear of the lever-arm g and allowing it and levers g, h, and h to assume their normal positions, is actuated and by means of switch 0 completes and breaks the electric circuit, as fully set forth above. On the completion of the circuit the current from the battery 13 flows through the armature of the electromagnet p and magnetizes the core 19 of same, which thereupon attracts the keeper u on thelower part of the pallet u and draws said pallet into the position shown in dotted line in Fig. 8, thereby removing the toe-piece "a clear of the tooth t it has been engaged with and placing the tooth u at its upper end into the path of the teeth 15 and slightly ahead of one of said teeth, which, on the cylinder 4' being turned slightly on its axis in the direction of the arrow by the action of the suspended weight n, will abut against said tooth a and temporarily hold the cylinder until the electric circuit is broken. On this taking place the pallet rights itself by reason of its greater weight being below the fulcrum and again releases the cylinder and allows its partial rotation in the direction of the arrow to the extent of one section of the time-sheet to be completed, so as to present the section marked at eight oclock a. 1n. opposite the slot g by which time a succeeding tooth t on the cylinder has engaged and raised the toepiece 10 1111 0 abutment with the end of the pallet, as shown in full lines in the figures,which prevents further movement of the'cylinder until the electric circuit is again completed to place section marked at, say, 8.15 a. m. opposite slot (13. l/Vhen the pallet is attracted and drawn into its abnormal position as described, the weight of the unsupported toepiece 20 causes it to fall downward away from the end of the pallet to the position indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 7 and 8, in which position it is held by the engagement of the pin or roll 'tb Wlbl1 the lower lug u, the result being that when the pallet rights itself on the breaking of the circuit the said toe-piece will abut against the under surface of or fall under the tooth it was last engaged with and thereby prevent the cylinder being rotated either intentionally or accidentally in the wrong direction. The detent 0 (see Fig. 4) engages successively with the teeth t on the left-hand end of the cylinder 1' when said IOC;

cylinder has been moved to the extent of one complete section of the time-sheet, likewise preventing any backwardmovement of the cylinder when the parts are in their normal positions and at rest.

The teeth '6 on the cylinder are made angular or curved on the rear faces thereof in order to raise the detent v as they pass thereunder in a forward direction, but immediately they are clear of the end of the detent it falls by its own weight to the horizontal, as shown, Fig. 4-, and successively engages with same. A stop-piece 22 secured to the bracket e'fllimits the fall of the detent. 13y raising and holding the detent clear of the cylinder the latter can be rotated freely in the reverse direction to rewind the cord w on the barrel '0 Any desired number of registers or indicators of the description set forth may be in circuit with one and the same clock mechanism, and in Fig. 10 I have shown two signature or initial time registers or indicators in circuit with one clock, the clock being connected to one pole of a battery placed in the bottom cupboard ol' onelo'f the boxes or cases q, as before explained, and the terminal 17 on the contact-maker 1), connected to the armature of the electromagnct in one indicator, which is connected to the armature of the electromagnet in the other indicator, and the latter connected to the opposite pole of the battery.

In Fig. 11 I show a modification of the signature or initial time register or indicator, consisting, in the addition to the mechanism already described,of a printing-disk cc, mount-- ed on an axis journaled in hearings in the upper interior portion of the case or box q, and having raised type fixed thereon to print the times at which the sections of the timesheet t" are to be exposed on the margin of said sheet. The said disk is of the same diameter as the cylinder T and has agearwheel thereon (not shown) meshing with a corresponding gear on the said cylinder. The time-sheet, instead of being secured around the cylinder, may be in a long length and wound on a roll :0, journaled in bearings in the box or case q, off which it is unwound by the motion of the cylinder. The end of the paper is passed between the type-disk and cylinder, then carried partly around the latter, and nipped against it by a roller 31?, driven by frictional contact with the cylinder. The type is fixed to the disk at intervals apart corresponding to the width of the section of paper which must be brought opposite the slot (1 in the lid (1 at each partial rotation of the cylinder, and it impresses or prints the time on the margin of each section of pa per at the point of contact of the disk with the cylinder, the type being inked over just prior to printing by an inking-roller it". The type on the disk so may comprise the periods of time the indicator is to be actuated in one working day or part of a working day, or two or more days, and at each revolution will print the same matter on the time-sheet in the same order of progression, repeated again and again until the length of paper on the roll. is exhausted. The length of paper may be equivalent to what would be used in a full working week or longer time, so that at the end of the week it could be taken out of the box or case, into the bottom of which it l'alls as it leaves the cylinder, and the times of an rival or departure of each employee on each day of the week thus recorded on one sheet cl paper.

I claim as my invention 1. In mechanism for registering or indicat ing the times at which employees aiiix their signatures or initials on a time-sheet, the cont bination, with the hour-wheel arbor oi an eight-day clock, of a pinion fast thereon, a toothed discharge-wheel mounted on a stud secured to the clock-frame and meshing with said pinions, studs or pins inserted at equal radii into holes in the face of said dischargewheel at desired intervals apart, a motor mechanism, a connection adapted to be actuated or tripped by the said pins or studs as they are successively brought into engagement therewith and to release the motor mechanism intermittently, an electric circuit be tween the clock and a gcnerating-battery, an electromagnet in said circuit, located in the upper compartment of a lock-up box or case inclosing the indicator mechanism, a switchtongue or cam fast on a shat t of the motor mechanism to which one complete revolution is imparted each time the said mechanism is released and put in motion, a contact-piece, insulated from the clock and connected to the electromagnet, adapted to be engaged by the switch-tongue during a part of its revolution and complete the circuit, a cylinder, mounted on a shaft journaled in bearings in the upper compartment of the lock-up box or case, having teeth at given distances apart on each end thereof and on its periphery a time-sheet divided horizontally or lengtlnvise of the cylinder into equal sections each lettered or marked to denote the given times at which they are to be presented in an accessible position, a slot or opening in the lid of the lock" up box or case to expose one at a time the sections of the time-sheet to receive signatures or initials, a double pallet in said box adapted when in a normal position to engage successively with the teeth on one side of the cylinder to hold said cylinder during each period of rest and to be actuated by the electromagnet on a circuit being completed and broken to release the cylinder, the means described for rotating the cylinder, and a detent adapted to engage in succession with the teeth on the other end of the cylinder, substantially as described.

2. In signature or initial time registers or indicators, the combination, with the hour wheel arbor of an eight-day clock, of a pinion fast on said arbor, a toothed dischz'trgd wheel in mesh with the pinion, the numbm: of teeth on the former being in the proper tion of twenty-four to one on the latter which in every twenty-four revolutions will rotate of time, pins or studs inserted into holes in said discharge-wheel at any division or intermediate of any division on said scale, a leverarm connected to the releasing-levers of a motor mechanism and adapted to be engaged or tripped successively by the pins on the discharge-wheel to release the motor mechanism, the several parts comprising said motor mechanism, and forming part of the clock, a switch tongue or cam coacting with the motor mechanism and making one complete revolution each time the mechanism is actuated, a contact-piece insulated from the clock and adapted to be engaged by the switch-tongue during a part of each revolution thereof and complete an electro circuit, a metallic connection between the clock and one pole of an electric battery, an electromagnet having connection at one end of the coil with the opposite pole of said battery and at the other end of the coil with a terminal on the contactpiece and being located in the upper compartment of a lock-up case or box, a cylinder journaled in said compartment, having teeth at equal radii on each end thereof and spaced to correspond with the sections on the timesheet, a time-sheet secured around said cylinder,divided into equal sections each marked or lettered to denote the time at which each section will be exposed and accessible, a slot or opening in the lid or desk-top of the lockup case or box the length of the cylinder and as wide as the sections on the time-sheet and having the under side hollowed out to receive the upper portion of the cylinder whose periphery is level or nearly level with the face of said lid and presents thereupon one section of the time-sheet on which .to affix signatures or initials, a double pallet for holding and releasing said cylinder adapted to be actuated by the magnetized core of the electromagnet when the current flows through the coil on a circuit being completed, a detent adapted to engage successively with teeth on one end of the cylinder to prevent said cylinder being moved in the wrong direction and free to ride over said teeth when the cylinder is rotated in a forward direction, and a weight suspended from a cord attached at one end to a fixed stud or eyelet and at the opposite end to a barrel on the cylinder around which it is coiled a few times, for rotating the cylinder, substantially as described.

3. In signature or initial time registers or indicators, the combination, with the hourwheel arbor of an eight-day clock, of a pinion 6, a discharge-wheel f in mesh with said pinion and rotated thereby once in every twenty-four hours, a graduated time scale or index on said discharge-wheel by which the required positions of-pins or studs can be acthe discharge-wheel at the same radii and at given intervals apart as will accord withthe times at which the indicator is to be actuated to withdraw one section of the time-sheet from its exposed and accessible position and introduce a succeeding section in its place, a lever-arm g, the motor mechanism comprising levers g, h, and h, spring-barrel i, fusee 3', train of wheels 75, 70 R snail k studs Z, m on wheels 70 and 70 respectively, and projection 02 011 the back side of lever g, all coacting when released by a pin on the discharge-wheel f as set forth; a switch-tongue 0 fast on a one-revolution shaft or arbor of the motor mechanism, an insulated contactpiece 10 adapted to be engaged by the switchtongue at every revolution thereof, an electric circuit in which the clock is placed, an electromagnet in said circuit, a double pallet adapted to be withdrawn from its normal position by said magnet and to release the cylinder e said cylinder located in the upper compartment of a lock-up box or case, a slot or opening g in the lid of the box or case, a time-sheet divided into equal sections each bearing on one side or margin letters or figures denoting the time they will be respectively exposed opposite the slot g the means for securing the time-sheet on the cylinder, and a gravity-weight w suspended from a cord w wound around a barrel on the cylinder for rotating said cylinder, substantially as described.

4. In signature or initial time registers or indicators, the combination with clockwork mechanism consisting of an eight-day clock and a motor mechanism, a toothed wheel operated from the hour-wheel arbor of the clock and having pins or studs thereon for releasing the motor mechanism at given periods of time, an electric circuit in which the clock is placed and means as described for opening and closing the circuit at each release and actuation of the motor mechanism, of a cylinder located in the upper compartment of a lock-up box or case and having a time-sheet thereon, a slot or recess in the periphery of the cylinder to receive the overlapping ends or edges of the time-sheet, spikes or pins attached to a lath secured within the cylinder under said recess and projecting into same to penetrate or pierce through the overlapping ends of the paper, a slide adapted to be illserted into the recess and engaged with each end of the cylinder to secure same therein, slots in said slide to accommodate the spikes, a series of teeth on each end of the cylinder arranged in the same radial line and at given distances apart corresponding to the sectional divisions of the time-sheet, a double pallet adapted to engage with one of said series of teeth successively for arresting the cylinder, a loose toe-piece carried by said pallet and having a leg thereon adapted to slide freely within limits in ways on the face of the pallet and to engage first with the faces of the teeth curately set off, pins or studs f secured to and then temporarily with the backs of said teeth, as set forth, an electroinagnet for withdrawing the pallet, said magnet being placed in circuit with the clock by which the openin g and closing of the circuit are controlled, a detent for preventing backward movement of the cylinder, and the means for rotating said cylinder each time it is released, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a supportingshaft, a cylinder journaled thereon and provided with a barrel at one end and a series of teeth i, and a weighted cord wound on the said barrel and operating to revolve the cylinder; of a pivoted double pallet 'u/ provided with a tooth at its upper end and a loose toe-

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