Production recorder

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR RECORDING THE PRODUCTIVE OPERATION TIME OF A PLURALITY OF MACHINES OF A TYPE WHICH ARE ENERGIZED FOR SUBSTANTIAL PERIODS UNDER VARYING LOAD CONDITIONS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A STRIP CHART, MEANS TO ADVANCE SAID CHART TO PERMIT RECORDING THEREON EVENTS OCCURING OVER A SUBSTANTIAL PERIOD OF TIME, PEN MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CHART AND ARRANGED TO MOVE ACROSS SAID CHART IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCE THEREOF, ACTUATING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SIGNALS INDICATING THE PRODUCTION STATUS OF SAID MACHINES AND ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID PEN MEANS TO MARK SAID CHART ACCORDINGLY, MEANS TO DRIVE SAID PEN MEANS ACROSS SAID CHART IN DISCRETE STEPS, REVERSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DRIVE MEANS AND ADAPTED TO RAPIDLY TRAVERSE SAID PEN BACK TO ITS STARTING POSITION AFTER IT HAS MOVED ACROSS SAID CHART IN DISCRETE STEPS, ELECTRICAL SENSING MEANS TO DERIVE FROM EACH OF SAID MACHINES A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PRODUCTION STATUS THEREOF, SAID SENSING MEANS COMPRISING MEANS COUPLED TO ONE INPUT LINE OF A MACHINE FOR DERIVING A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CURRENT IN SAID LINE AND VARIABLE POTENTIAL DIVIDING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID DERIVING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO PROPORTION SAID DERIVED SIGNAL TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN SELECTED LEVELS OF SAID LOADS; AND SELECTOR MEANS COORDINATED WITH THE POSITION OF SAID PEN MEANS AND ADAPTED TO SEQUENTIALLY CONNECT SAID SENSING MEANS TO SAID PEN ACTUATING MEANS WHEREBY THE PRODUCTION STATUS OF SAID PLURALITY OF MACHINES IS RECORDED SEQUENTIALLY AS THE PEN MOVES DISCRETELY ACROSS SAID CHART.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR RECORDING THE PRODUCTIVE OPERATION TIME OF A PLURALITY OF MACHINES OF A TYPE WHICH ARE ENERGIZED FOR SUBSTANTIAL PERIODS UNDER VARYING LOAD CONDITIONS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A STRIP CHART, MEANS TO ADVANCE SAID CHART TO PERMIT RECORDING THEREON EVENTS OCCURING OVER A SUBSTANTIAL PERIOD OF TIME, PEN MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CHART AND ARRANGED TO MOVE ACROSS SAID CHART IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCE THEREOF, ACTUATING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SIGNALS INDICATING THE PRODUCTION STATUS OF SAID MACHINES AND ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID PEN MEANS TO MARK SAID CHART ACCORDINGLY, MEANS TO DRIVE SAID PEN MEANS ACROSS SAID CHART IN DISCRETE STEPS, REVERSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DRIVE MEANS AND ADAPTED TO RAPIDLY TRAVERSE SAID PEN BACK TO ITS STARTING POSITION AFTER IT HAS MOVED ACROSS SAID CHART IN DISCRETE STEPS, ELECTRICAL SENSING MEANS TO DERIVE FROM EACH OF SAID MACHINES A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PRODUCTION STATUS THEREOF, SAID SENSING MEANS COMPRISING MEANS COUPLED TO ONE INPUT LINE OF A MACHINE FOR DERIVING A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CURRENT IN SAID LINE AND VARIABLE POTENTIAL DIVIDING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID DERIVING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO PROPORTION SAID DERIVED SIGNAL TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN SELECTED LEVELS OF SAID LOADS; AND SELECTOR MEANS COORDINATED WITH THE POSITION OF SAID PEN MEANS AND ADAPTED TO SEQUENTIALLY CONNECT SAID SENSING MEANS TO SAID PEN ACTUATING MEANS WHEREBY THE PRODUCTION STATUS OF SAID PLURALITY OF MACHINES IS RECORDED SEQUENTIALLY AS THE PEN MOVES DISCRETELY ACROSS SAID CHART.