US717241A - Office-indicator. - Google Patents

Description

No. 7|7,24l. Patented Dec. 30, I902.

W. H. MERCER.

H UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. MERCER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

OFFICE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,241, dated December 30, 1902.

Application filed April 9, 1902. Serial No. 102,128. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MERGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in OfiEice-Indieators, of

which the following is a specification, refertor which comprises all the features for rendering the same a complete device adapted to all its uses, nevertheless of simple construction and of pleasing appearance as a whole.

To this endmy indicator consists of a base having a clock face and provided with a movable hand adapted to be set to indicate a particular time, arotatable dial bearing the names of the days of the week, such dial being concealed behind the clock-face and there being an opening cut in the base through which the name of the particular daymay be displayed by a proper adjustment of the dial, and means for announcing whether the person whose name the indicator bears is in or out. The devices employed by me for the latter purpose are of the simplest construction. At the same time they are designed in their effect to appear as if consisting of like means as employed by me for announcing the days of the weekthat is to say, as if the devices for announcing the presence or absence of the office occupant consisted of a dial-segment bearing the words In and Out or words of like import and displayed to view through an opening therefor in the base the same as are displayed by the respective segmental portions of the dial bearingthe names of the days of the week. The effect of this combination is to obtain an office -indicator of neat appearance, as will be observed from the drawings.

In such drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation or front view of my indicator, the same being shown as set to announce that the person is out of his office and the time of his return. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line 'y y of Fig. 1, .and this figure also shows means for securing the dial d and hand 0 in place and for setting said dial as required. Fig. 3 shows in part the same view as Fig. l, the indicator, however, being so set as to announce that the person is in his office. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line a; w of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is-a detail of construction.

The letters designate the parts of the drawings referred to.

r The base a may be made of wood or other suitable material. On its central portion it bears a clock-face b. On such clock-face is movably secured a hand 0. Behind the clockfaoe and concealed thereby is a dial d, on the circular margin of which are imprinted the days of the week and theword To-day and words of like import. The dial d and the hand 0 may be secured by a simple rivet; but the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 is preferable. As here shown, the'dial d is provided with a socket in, having an interior thread to receive the stud Z. and j are washers. The hand 0 is not shown in this figure, but would be placed between the washerj and the head of the stud Z. x The parts are properly propor-,

tioned, so as to allow the dial (1 and hand 0 to be freely moved. The dial is moved by meansof the head of the stud Z turning in the direction pointed by the arrow in Fig. 1. An opening 6 is out in the base a, through which may be displayed-the name of the particular day desired to be announced. In the upper part of the base a. is a sunk-in surface f, which may be rendered conspicuous, if desired, by a border or frame g. In the upper half of such surface f is imprinted the word Out and in the lower half the word In. A wing it is horizontally and centrally hinged to said surface f, so that when such hinge is turned up or down it will cover one or the other of the words Out and In. On that face of the wing 71. which will be exposed when it is turned down, as shown in Fig. 1, are displayed the words Will return. The opposite face of the wing it may be left blank or bear the word Walk. Thus, as my indicator is shown in Fig. 1, the same has been set to announce that the occupant of the oflice is out and will return at the time indicated below. When the person has returned to his room, then my indicator will be arranged as shown in Fig. 2.

g The letters of the word Walk are shown in broken outline to indicate that the use of the same is optional.

From the description given it will be noted that the operative effect of the hinged wing 7t within the sunk-in surfacef is the same as would be obtained by the use of a dial-segment bearing the words like In and Out and cutting an opening through the base a, through which either of these words could be displayed at will. The wing h, however, is of much simpler construction. On the other hand, the visual effect of the Winghin connection with the sunk-in surface f, because of its resembling a dial, is more striking and gives to my indicator as a whole a neater appear- In the lower part of the base (11 provide a pair of fingers m m for holding cards or a note, and the lower portion of the face of the base a may also be coated with a silicate or silicious compound to receive erasable memoranda. By the arrangement of the sunk-in surfacefand the wing it as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the same may be centrally positioned above the time-dial; but the same general effect may also be obtained by making the sunkin surfacefa long and narrow strip extending crosswise and bearing the Words Out and In at its two ends and then attaching a Wing, like 71, in the center of such surface by a vertical hinge, which may consist of a simple staple n. (Shown in Fig. 5.) In the latter case the operation above described for setting my indicator would be just the same, the only difference being that the wing it would be turned sidewise instead of up and down. The thumb-hole 0 is provided to facilitate the lifting of the wing it When to be readjusted.

It is my intention to use my indicator asa card to be affixed to the entrance-door of a room or office; also, to use a number of such indicators arranged in the form of a directory to be displayed in the hall. In the latter case the names of the occupants of the building would be alphabetically arranged. When my invention is used in the manner as last described, the same would afford great convenience in informing persons having business with the occupants of the building whether the person they wish to see is out or in, thus saving the time consumed in going to the rooms of the respective persons, if they are notin, and, besides, saving the expense of carrying people up and down in the elevator of the building merely to find that the person whom they wish to see is out of his office. With the use of my indicator as a hall-directory the habit could soon be introduced of looking at the indicator to find whether the person to be visited is out or in.

Having fully described my invention, now what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an office-indicator, the combination of a base having a clock-face, and provided with openings, e and f; a dial, d, provided with a socket, is; washers, 't' and j, and stud, Z; a hand,o,and a Wing,h,centrally hinged in said sunk-in surface, the latter bearingwords like In and Out, for announcing Whether the office occupant is in or out; and said wing concealing one of said words, and exposing the other to View, and the face of said Wing exposed when the Wing discloses the 'word Out bearing further words like Will return the said sunk-in surface and wing, it, being made to simulate a dial-segment bearing said words In and Out, which are displayed through an opening in the base, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 25th day of March, 1902.

WILLIAM H. MERCER.

Witnesses:

T. J. GEIsLER, W. S. GILBERT.

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