US3609310A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Timer with multiple wire output for readout
Assignee: NEW HAVEN MANUFACTURING CORP A CORP OF
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Filing: 1969-03-28
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Granted: 1971-09-28
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Expires: 1989-03-28
Abstract
Abstract A timer driven by a clock motor has a multiple wire output for readout (punched holes, displayed digits, printed digits, et.). A pawl operates a ratchet wheel having a number of teeth corresponding to a desired maximum two digit number, and turns two rotary switches. One is a units rotary switch with a ring of short contacts equaling the desired maximum number. The short contacts are in groups corresponding to 0-9, 0-9, etc., with a remainder when needed. The second rotary switch is a tens rotary switch having a wiper arm which is moved over a ring of long contacts each corresponding to ten short contacts, but the last long contact corresponds to the remainder, if any. The number of long contacts equals the number of groups of short contacts, and all contacts are printed on the front face of a printed circuit board. The back face of the board is printed with conductors which connect all contacts representing like digits. Because the contacts are arranged in a ring, there is an automatic reset to zero. The maximum number may be 99 for tenths and hundredths of an hour, or it may be 59 for minutes, with the clock motor output shaft turning 100 or 60 revolutions per hour respectively. The first shaft operates the pawl of a second ratchet wheel once for each revolution of the first shaft, and the second wheel has 24 teeth. A second printed circuit board has third and fourth rotary switches driven by the second ratchet wheel one revolution a day. There are contacts for a maximum of 23 followed by reset to 00. The combined maximum then is 23.99 with reset to 00.00 for a 24 hour day. For a readout in hours and minutes the maximum number is 23:59 with reset to 00:00.
Inventors
- 👤 Louis Cetran
- 👤 Gerhard A Foerster
- 👤 William P Ryan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 20:14
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07C; G07C1/00; G07C1/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
288 words
A counter with a multiple wire output for readout, said counter having automatic reset to zero for a predetermined maximum number having two digits which are related as units and tens, each digit being 9 or less, said counter having a shaft, means rotatably driving said shaft in step by step increments, the number of steps in a full rotation of said shaft corresponding to the maximum number, a units rotary switch having a wiper arm moved by said shaft over a ring of short contacts, the number of short contact equaling the desired maximum number, said short contacts being in groups corresponding to 0-9, 0-9, etc., with a remainder if needed, conductors connecting all of the number 0 short contacts, conductors connecting all of the number 1 short contacts, conductors connecting all of the number 2 short contacts, conductors connecting all of the number 3 short contacts, and so on, a tens rotary switch having a wiper arm moved by said shaft over a ring of long contacts each of which has a peripheral length corresponding to ten contacts of the units rotary switch, one long contact corresponding to the remainder of short contacts when there is such a remainder, the number of long contacts equaling the number of groups of short contacts, said long contacts corresponding to the numbers 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, etc., the 0-9 long contact being electrically connected to the conductors connecting the number 0 short contacts, the 10-19 long contact being electrically connected to the conductors connecting the number 1 short contacts, the 20-29 long contact being electrically connected to the conductor connecting the number 2 short contacts, and so on, and conductors leading from said wipers for external connection to a readout.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
288 words
A counter with a multiple wire output for readout, said counter having automatic reset to zero for a predetermined maximum number having two digits which are related as units and tens, each digit being 9 or less, said counter having a shaft, means rotatably driving said shaft in step by step increments, the number of steps in a full rotation of said shaft corresponding to the maximum number, a units rotary switch having a wiper arm moved by said shaft over a ring of short contacts, the number of short contact equaling the desired maximum number, said short contacts being in groups corresponding to 0-9, 0-9, etc., with a remainder if needed, conductors connecting all of the number 0 short contacts, conductors connecting all of the number 1 short contacts, conductors connecting all of the number 2 short contacts, conductors connecting all of the number 3 short contacts, and so on, a tens rotary switch having a wiper arm moved by said shaft over a ring of long contacts each of which has a peripheral length corresponding to ten contacts of the units rotary switch, one long contact corresponding to the remainder of short contacts when there is such a remainder, the number of long contacts equaling the number of groups of short contacts, said long contacts corresponding to the numbers 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, etc., the 0-9 long contact being electrically connected to the conductors connecting the number 0 short contacts, the 10-19 long contact being electrically connected to the conductors connecting the number 1 short contacts, the 20-29 long contact being electrically connected to the conductor connecting the number 2 short contacts, and so on, and conductors leading from said wipers for external connection to a readout.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
A counter as defined in claim 1, in which the maximum number is 99 to be followed by 00 and in which there are 10 long contacts each having a peripheral length corresponding to 10 of the short contacts.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
58 words
A counter as defined in claim 2, in which said driving means comprises a pawl and ratchet wheel, said ratchet wheel having a number of teeth corresponding to said maximum number, and a clock driven means to so drive the pawl that the shaft turns once an hour, whereby the readout shows tenths and hundredths of an hour.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
115 words
A counter as defined in claim 3, in which there is a second shaft with pawl and ratchet mechanism, and in which the first shaft operates the pawl of the second shaft once for each revolution of the first shaft, and in which the second ratchet wheel has 24 teeth, so that the seconD shaft turns once in each day, two more rotary switches driven by said second ratchet wheel, said two added switches having contacts for a maximum of 23 with a reset to 00 at 24, and in which the combined maximum number is 23.99 to be followed by a reset to 00.00, whereby the readout shows hours and decimal fractions of hours.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
112 words
A counter as defined in claim 4, in which the rotary switches of each pair of rotary switches comprise a printed circuit board which has two rings of contacts printed on the front face of the board, said two rings being concentric, with the tens ring outside the units ring, and in which the back face of the board is printed with conductors connecting the contacts of like digits, and in which the hour shaft carries two wipers, one for the outer ring of contacts, and the other for the inner ring of contacts, and in which the day shaft which carries the second ratchet wheel is concentric with the hour shaft.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
63 words
A counter as defined in claim 5, in which there are two continuous concentric rings well inside the aforesaid rings of contacts, and in which one wiper engages both a ring of contacts and a continuous ring, while the other wiper engages the other ring of contacts and the other continuous ring, whereby the continuous rings serve for external connection to the wipers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
A counter as defined in claim 4, in which there is a command switch means in the output circuit to call for delivery of a readout, and additional means to automatically disable to pawl-operating means when a readout is called for by said command switch means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
105 words
A counter as defined in claim 1, in which the rotary switches comprise a printed circuit board which has the aforesaid two rings of contacts printed on the front face of the board, said rings being concentric, with the tens ring outside the units ring, said front face also having generally radial conductors of different length for the contacts of different digits, and in which the back face of the board is printed with conductors connecting the contacts representing like digits, and in which the shaft carries two wipers, one for the outer ring of contacts, and the other for the inner ring of contacts.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
63 words
A counter as defined in claim 8, in which there are two continuous concentric rings well inside the rings of contacts, and in which one wiper engages both a ring of contact 3 and a continuous ring, while the other wiper engages the other ring of contacts and the other continuous ring, whereby the continuous rings serve for external connection to the wipers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
111 words
A counter as defined in claim 1, in which said driving means comprises a pawl and ratchet wheel, said ratchet wheel having a number of teeth corresponding to said maximum number, and a clock driven means to so drive the pawl that the shaft turns once a day, and in which the maximum number is 23 to be followed by a reset to 00 and in which there are three long contacts, two of the long contacts having a peripheral length corresponding to ten short contacts, while the third long contact has a peripheral length corresponding to four short contacts, whereby the readout shows the hour of a 24 hour day.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
83 words
A counter as defined in claim 10 in which the rotary switches comprise a printed circuit board which has the aforesaid two rings of contacts printed on the front face of the board, said rings being concentric, with the tens ring outside the units ring, and in which the back face of the board is printed with conductors connecting like digits, and in which the shaft carries two wipers, one for the outer ring, and the other for the inner ring of contacts.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
61 words
A counter as defined in claim 11, in which there are two continuous concentric rings well inside the rings of contacts, and in which one wiper engages both a ring of contacts and a continuous ring, while the other wiper engages the other ring of contacts and the other continuous ring, whereby the continuous rings serve for external Connection the wipers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
99 words
A counter as defined in claim 1, in which said driving means comprises a pawl and ratchet wheel, said ratchet wheel having a number of teeth corresponding to said maximum number, and a clock driven means to so drive the pawl that the shaft turns once an hour, and in which the ratchet wheel has 60 teeth, the predetermined maximum number being 59 to be followed by a reset to 00 at 60, and in which there are six long contacts, each having a peripheral length corresponding to ten short contacts, whereby the readout shows minutes of the hour.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
88 words
A counter as defined in claim 13, in which there is a second shaft with pawl and ratchet mechanism, and in which the first shaft operates the pawl of the second shaft once for each revolution of the first shaft, and in which the second ratchet wheel has 24 teeth so that the second shaft turns once in a day, and in which the maximum number is 23:59 to be followed by a reset 00.00 whereby the readout shows hours of the day and minutes of the hour.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
88 words
A counter as defined in claim 13, in which the rotary switches comprise a printed circuit board which has the aforesaid two rings of contacts printed on the front face of the board, said rings being concentric, with the tens ring outside the units ring, and in which the back face of the board is printed with conductors connecting the contacts representing like digits, and in which the shaft carries two wipers, one for the outer ring of contacts, and the other for the inner ring of contacts.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
62 words
A counter as defined in claim 15, in which there are two continuous concentric rings well inside the rings of contacts, and in which one wiper engages both a ring of contacts and a continuous ring, while the other wiper engages the other ring of contacts and the other continuous ring, whereby the continuous rings serve for external connection to the wipers.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
46 words
A counter as defined in claim 13, in which there is a command switch means in the output circuit to call for delivery of a readout, and additional means to automatically disable the pawl-operating means when a readout is called for by said command switch means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2700076A
Cited
US3077589A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-09-27 | 1975-03-29 | 1975-09-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-09-27 | 1979-03-29 | 1979-09-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-09-27 | 1983-03-29 | 1983-09-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |