US1088433A - Automatic time cut-off. - Google Patents

Description

J. LYLE.

AUTOMATIC TIME CUT-OFF.

APPLIOATION FILED DEG. 26, 1912.

1,088,438.- Patented Feb. 24, 191

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' fiV/fness es [kl/enfor- J. LYLE.

AUTOMATIC TIME GUT-OFF.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26, 1912.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

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1 r0 l V/znesses [fiver/for t/x d/zy LYLE JAY LYLE, OF LONGBEACH, CALIFORNIA,

AUTOMATIC TIME GUT-OFF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Heb. 24, 1914.

Application filed December 26, 1912. Serial No,v 738,758.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AY LYLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Longbeach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Automatic Time Cut-Off, of which the following is a specification.

It often happens that lights or other mechanism in stores, buildings, streets and other places must be operated till'a definite hour of the night or day is reached, and for the purpose of terminating the operation at, the required instant a watchman or other attendant is employed. The provision of a watchman for this purpose involves an appreciable annual expense which may be avoided by use of my invention as described below.

My invention relates to a novel, durable and simple combination of means whereby lights, machinery or mechanism of any sort, operated either by electricity or other means, may be automatically stopped or cut off at any pre-determined instant.

In particular, my invention relates to a novel combination of means for effecting the foregoing result in connection with an electric lighting system installed, either in the whole, or in part, ofa building or other place.

An object of my invention is to provide a simple automatic time out oif which shall be durable in construction and absolutely dependable in operation.

Another object is to provide a cheap automatic time out ofi which may be easily manufactured and quickly installed at some convenient point in connection with any existing lighting system.

Another object is to provide an automatic cut oif including within itself a complete combination of means for effecting its purpose and which automatic time out off may be removed from one system and read ily installed without alteration, in connection with another system.

Other objects may appear in consideration of the following detailed description and by inspection of the drawings filed in this application.

The following drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the automatic time cut off embracing my invention, certain parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection ofthe automatic time out off taken on line w 5c Fig. 3, andlooking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing my automatic time out off connected to an electric lighting system.

Tsually the electric power mains, 1 and 2, Fig. 3, are .laid along a street, and branch mains 3 and L are connected to same and conduct the electrical power into a building, not shown in the figures. A switch or. cutoff 5 is usually locatedin the cellar, just inside ofthe point where mains 3 and 4 pass through the foundation walls of the building. The switch 5 is adapted to close onto buttons 6 and 7, which are connected with the building mains 8 and 9, and from these mains the. current is ultimately distributed to the lamps on the several floors or rooms, two of which are indicated by the conventional lamp banks at 10 and 11. The usual'switches 12 and 12 are provided in one of the feeders in each of the rooms 10 and 11 respectively, and when the watchman or other attendant wishes to extinguish all the lights, he has the option of opening switch 5, or of turning each of the switches 12 and 12. The former of these two options involves a disagreeable trip into the cellar, while the latter involves a prolonged trip from room to room and floor to floor.

The automatic time cut-off generally referred to as 13 performs the watchmans task and at a predetermined instant automatically eXtinguishes all the lights under its control. This cut-off may be connected anywhere across the building mains 8 and 9, and it is therefore installed in the ofiice or other central and convenient place, so that no disagreeable trip is involved in resetting the same for a subsequent operation.

The automatic time cut-off 13 is mounted upon a light. frame comprising a bottom member lat and a vertical end member 15. A conventional double-pole switch or cutoff- 16 is suitably mounted upon the end member 15, and the building mains 8 and 9 are broken in the usual manner to insert said cut-oil into their circuit. Upon the bottom member 14 are mounted means for automatically opening cut-off 16 when a certain pro-determined instant of time is reached; and the said means will now be described.

A timepiece 17 of any preferred construction contains supplementary mechanism generally referred to as 18, Figs. 1 and 2, which mechanism is adapted to be set into operation by the timepiece when the predetermined instant is reached at which the lights are intended to be extinguished.

In practice I use an alarm clock to perform the service of the timepiece l7, and the ringer key of said alarm clock constitutes the aforesaid supplementary mechanism, and is adapted to turn when the alarm sounds and the usual alarm spring unwinds.

The alarm clock contains the usual dial face/19 and the hour and minute hands 20 and 21, the said alarm clock being wound by means of the usual time-key 22, and the hands being set by the usual thumb-screw 23. The alarm feature of said clock includes a bell 24-, ringer key 18 and alarm dial 25. A lever system generally referred to as 26 is connected at one end, and is operated, by the ringer key or supplementary mechanism 18, and at the other end is con nected with, and is adapted to operate, the cut ofl switch 16; and this lever system will now be described. To the bottom member 1 1 is securely attached an upright block 27 having a rectangular slot indicated at 28, Fig. 1, extending medially along the whole outer face of said block. Adapted to operate within said slot 28 are means including the resilient tension spring 29, the beam 30, and the chain 31, by means of which chain the extremity of said beam is operatively connected around the handle 32 of the cut off 16. Chain 31, beam 30 and tension spring 29 are attached to each other, and said tension spring is also attached to the wedge block 33, fitting partly into the rear opening of slot 28, whereby it is seen that the action of the resilient tension spring is such as would always tend to pull open the cut off switch 16. A notch 34 is out into the upper surface of the beam 30 and lever means, new to be described, cooperates with beam 30 through the instrumentality of said notch in such manner as to practically relieve the beam from the action of the resilient tension spring 29. This means includes pin 35, vertically movable through a slot 36, in block 27, and said means also includes the tripping bar 37, which is pivotally connected at 38 to pin 35, and which is pivotally supported and fulcrumed 39 above the block 27. A compression spring 10 is seated between the upper face of block 27 and the lower face of tripping bar 37, and is adapted to normally thrust pin downward in slot 36. A suitable clip 41 is rigidly mounted on the tripping bar 37 in a position suitably alined with the ringer key 18 of the alarm clock, and a spring attached at 12 to the bottom member 1 1 has a free resilient end $3 in substantial alinement with the clip 1-1 and ringer key 18. A chain, or other suitable connection, 14L embraces clip 41:1 at one end, and by means of a suitably formed hook 45, passing beneath the free end 41-3 of the spring, as shown in Fig. 2, the chain is connected by means of hook 45 into the aperture 16 in the ringer key 18.

lVhen set for operation the ringer key 18 lies horizontally, as in Fig. 2, and when the alarm sounds at the predetermined instant, said ringer key will turn in the direction of arrow 14. This rotation will act through hook 15, spring end 4-3, connection 42, clip 1-1 and tripping bar 37, to raise pin 35, and thereby interrupt the cooperation between said pin and beam slot S t. By thus interrupting the cooperation the beam 30 will respond to the action of the resilient tension spring 29 in such manner as to open cut off 16 to automatically and instantaneously extinguish the lights operating from mains 8 and 9.

The use of an alarm clock in connection with the invention is especially advantageous where some ones attention is to be attracted at the same time that the lights are extinguished. Obviously the person in question may sleep or may engage in work that distracts his attention from the time, and by means of the alarm feature he will be suitably directed toward his other duties.

It is thought that the construction and mode of operation of the automatic time cut off embracing my invention will be clear from the foregoing detailed description.

I claim:

In an automatic time-cut-off, the combination of a base plate, an alarm clock mounted in an upright position on said base plate, said clock having a key adapted to turn when a predetermined instant is reached, an electrical circuit having an electrical switch, said electrical switch being mounted perpendicularly of said base plate and arranged to swing in a path parallel to said plate for opening and closing the electrical circuit, tripping mechanism including a notched bar which is mounted so as to be slidable in a path parallel to said base plate, one end of said bar being operatively connected to said switch and the other end of said bar being connected to a tension memher which normally urges said bar to open said switch, a vertically movable peg adapted to drop into the notch of said bar when the switch is closed and to restrain said bar against the action of said tension means, so that said bar is normally prevented from opening the switch; a pivoted lever operatively connected with said peg, said lever In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 12th day of December, 1912.

JAY LYLE.

passing adjacent to said clock key, and flexible spring controlled means connecting said lever with said key so that when said key begins to turn at the predetermined instant, said lever and peg are moved so as to withdraw the peg from the notch in the beam and so as to permit the beam to open the switch.

In presence of JAMES R. TOWNSEND, ROBERT A. STEPs.

Copies of thh patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commluioner of Patent, Washington, D. 0.

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