US805594A - Indicator. - Google Patents

Description

No. 805,594. PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. P. P. THOMAS.

INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 190a. RENEWED AUG. 9. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

RETURN @IEHfi PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. F. P. THOMA$.

INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 190a. RENEWED AUG. 9. 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK P. THOMAS, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGN OR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO'EDVVARD J. SOHOW'ALTER, OF RAGINE,

WISCONSIN.

INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed May 1903. Renewed August 9, 1905- Serial No. 273.490.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK P. TnoMAs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ra- 'cine, in the county of Racine and State of Wissequently claimed, the object being to provide simple economical indicators each designed for arrangement outside an office to serve as a means for notifying those interested of the expected time of return of the absent occupant, the indicator-casing being preferably a mail-box provided with means for automatically indicating the deposit of anything therein 7 and which may contain a continuous web of paper having outside feed under a cutter-bar.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a partlysectional front elevation of an indicator and mail-box in accordance with my invention having the front thereof removed; Fig. 1, a side elevation of a fragment of the front of the mail-box that constitutes the indicatorcasing; Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, sectional views respectively, indicated by lines 2 2, 3 3, 4: 4, and 5 5 in the first figure, parts in the same being broken away; and Fig. 6, a detail sectional View indicated by line 6 6 in the third figure.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates a casingthat is preferably divided into compartments by a vertical partition B, one

- of the compartments serving as a depository for mail-matter and the other as an inclosure for mechanism hereinafter specified. It is further intended'to utilize the outer face of the front side of the casing for advertisingspace, and a heading C, surmounting said casing at the front, may have a clock 0 set therein.

A longitudinal slot in the top of the casing serves as an inlet for mail-matter, and a shutter D for the slot is hingedinside of said casing. One end of the shutter plays in a segmental aperture provided in the partition B and is connected by a link E with an ear 6 of an indicator in the form of an arm F, pivotally connected at one end to a bracket 0 in the casing and having its other end provided with an offset depending flange, on which the word Mail is inscribed. The indicator has play in a recess with which the partition B is provided, and the flange of said indicator plays in a back recess of the frontside of the casing. A spiral spring Gris shown connecting the indicator with the top of the casing, and when the shutter D is swung down said indicator moves therewith in the same direction against resistance of the springto bring the word Mail into register with a slot provided in the front side of the casing. hen this operation takes place, a spring-controlled latch H in pivotal connection with the partition B catches over the indicator to hold the same in adjusted position, showing that something has been deposited in the casing.

An angular latch-trip lever I is fulcrumed to a bracket (Z on the partition B, and a pivotal door J for the mail-compartment outlet in an end of the casing is provided with a wiper e, that operates to tilt said lever when said door is swung to open said compartment, the result being a retraction of the latch and return of shutter D and indicator F to normal position. As herein shown, it is preferable to provide the casing A with a leverguide f and a suitable lock.

Loose on an arbor K in connection with the partitionB and within the other than the mailcompartment of the casingis a wheel L, having abbreviations of the names of the days of the week inscribed upon its periphery at regular intervals of the same. Each day of the Week is twice indicated, the abbreviations of the name of same being one after the other, and projecting laterally from the wheel L are pins at intervals of a circle. The total number of pins are equal to that of the days-indices on the periphery of the wheel L, and said pins and indices are on parallel planes.

The pins of the wheel L are successively in the path of a striker g, projecting from one side of another wheel M, that is fast on a spindle N, arranged to turn in a bracket P and a sleeve Q, with which the casing is provided, the outer end of said spindle being made to receive a portable socket-wrench or key R, that is inserted in said sleeve to turn said spindle and wheel therewith. A rigid collar 72, of the spindle N is held in frictional contact with one side of the bracket by means of a spiral spring S under tension on said' spindle between a set-collar c' of same and a washer 7' thereon facing the other side of said bracket. Inscribed on the greater portion of the periphery of wheel M are characters indicating the hours of the day from one to twelve, inclusive, and said hours plus quarterly divisions of the same. Another striker 70, projecting from the other side of the wheel M, is arranged to operate successively on pins extending laterally at intervals of a circle from another wheel T, that is loose on an arbor U, held in connection with the bracket P, and

inscribed on the periphery of the latter wheel,

alternately at regular intervals of the same, are the abbreviations of words that signify before noon and after noon of the day, there being as many of these abbreviations or indices as there are pins pertaining to the same wheel, and said indices and pins are on parallel planes.

The peripheries of the wheels L, M, and T are displayed through alined slots in the front of the casing, and rotary motion is imparted to said wheels by turning the spindle N, this operation being performed from outside of said casing. Each revolution of the wheel M results in a predetermined limited rotary movement of the wheels L T, and, as herein shown, the mechanism is such that said wheels L T turn in opposite directions.

In practice the wheel M is normally set to show the blank portion of its periphery through the correspondingslot inthe front of easing A, and assuming that the occupant of an office outside of which the above-described apparatus is located desires in case of absence to notify those interested of expected day and hour of return said wheel is turned in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, to set the wheel L to show through the opposing casing-slot the abbreviation on said wheel of a day certain, and at the same time the wheel T is set to show through another casing-slot the division of the day before or after noon of same, after which the main wheel is turned in the opposite direction and set to show time by hour or hour and an arbitrary fractional division thereof through said corresponding casing-slot, the words Will return being inscribed above said casing-slots, as shown in Fig. 1*, that also shows the several wheels set i to read Mon. 12.45 P. M.

Hung in brackets V, depending from the top of the casing inside the same, is a roll N of paper in a continuous web that extends out through a slot in an end of said casing and is run down under a cutter-bar X, attached to said end of the casing. The paper is for the convenience of any one who may desire to write a note and leave same in the mail-compartment of the casing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v 1. A casing provided with observation-slots, a main wheel within the casing peripherally inscribed with indices for hours in serial order and rigid on a spindle arranged to be turned from outside of said casing, other wheels in the aforesaid casing one of which is peripherally inscribed with indices for days of the week in successive order each repeated, the other being likewise inscribed with alternating indices for divisions of a day before and after noon of same, and means by which at each revolution of the main wheel there is predetermined limited rotatory movement of the other wheels, all of said wheels being peripherally exposed through the aforesaid slots.

2. A casing provided with observation-slots, a main wheel within the casing peripherally inscribed with indices for hours and hours plus arbitrary divisions thereof in serial order, said wheel being rigid on a spindle arranged to be turned from outside of said casing, other wheels in the aforesaid casing one of which is peripherally inscribed with indices for days of the week in successive order each repeated, the other being likewise inscribed with alternating indices for divisions of a day before and after noon of same, and means by which at each revolution of the main wheel there is predetermined limited rotatory movement of the other wheels, all of said wheels being peripherally exposed through the aforesaid slots.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK P. THOMAS.

I/Vitnesses:

MATHEW STARKE, FRED W. LAMPE.

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