US2063126A - Recording chart device - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1936. G SCHgLLY 2,063,126

RECORDING CHART DEVICE Filed April 10, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 F|G.4. FIG-.5.

1936- c. G. SCHELLY RECORDING CHART DEVICE Filed April 10, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mum g Flaw 3 Dec. 8, c G EL Y 2,063,126

RECORDING CHART DEVICE Filed April 10, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

This invention relates to recording chart devices, and with regard to certain more specific features, to devices of this class for maintaining an automotive lubrication schedule.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a compact and unitary automotive indicating and recording chart device which is simple and foolproof in operation; the provision of a device of the class described in which a complete lubrication history may be maintained with minimum effort and which is tamper-proof. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are illustrated two of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is an end view of one form of the device;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the closed device;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig. 4 is an end view of an operating tool;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the tool shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the device open;

Fig. '7 is a side elevation of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the bottom of the device, taken from the left of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail showing a hinge;

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section taken on line l0lll of Fig. 2;

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section taken on line lI-ll of Fig. 6;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary detail showing a locking feature;

Fig. 13 is a cross-section taken on line I3--I3 of Fig. 12;

Figs. 14 and 15 are views similar to Fig. 13, showing alternative positions of certain parts;

Fig. 16 is a trimetric view of a shutter;

Fig. 17 is a side elevation of certain bearing plates;

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary view of a bottom plate;

Fig. 19 is a detail showing a roll mounting;

Fig. 20 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing an alternative form of the invention;

Fig. 21 is a plan view of said alternative view;

Fig. 22 is a side elevation of said alternative form;

Fig. 23 is a trimetric view showing details of certain springs used in said alternative form;

Fig. 24 is an enlarged cross section, said view being taken on line 2424 of Fig. 21, parts of certain rolls used in said alternative form being shown in elevation;

Fig. 25 is a cross section of the alternative form showing the same in open position;

Fig. 26 is a plan view of a record chart; and,

Figs. 27 and 28 show alternative chart forms.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown at numeral l a base plate having a turned-up end 3 and lateral guides 5 for slidably receiving lateral extensions ll of an index carrier 1, the latter being formed with a central raised housing 9. The extensions ll cooperate with the guides 5 for guiding the index carrier 1 from the closed position shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and 10; to that shown in Figs. 6 to 8 and 11. The index carrier 1 is provided with an arched, raised bottom I3, which is spaced inwardly so as to clear a back stop l5 of said base I.

The purpose of the stop I5 is two-fold; (1) to provide a reaction for a leaf spring I! carried on the carrier 1 (below the bottom l3) to cause the device to tend to spring partially open when a certain latch is released, for releasing the index carrier (Figs. 8, 10 and 11); and (2) to provide an engagement with a lug 19 of a shutter 2| when the index carrier I is entirely opened.

The shutter 2| is generally shown in Fig. 16 and comprises a blind 23 having exposing slots 25 and an exposing edge 26 therein. The lower edge of' the blind 23 is turned over to form a bearing lip 21 which is slidable on an offset 28 in the bottom wall l3 of the index carrier (see Fig. 11) The bearing lip 21 has a forward tongue 29 which extends out of an opening 3| in the index carrier. The lug l9 extends downwardly through an opening 33in the bottom 13 of said carrier. The opening is longer than the lug l9. The blind 23 lies against a vertical wall 35 of the index housing, said housing having four slots 31 in said wall 35 corresponding to the slots 25 and edge 26, so that in the closed position the shutter may be moved to cover said slots (Fig. 3) and in the open position the slots are uncovered (Fig. 7). This movability is also shown in Fig. 11. From the above it will be seen that when the index carrier 1 is pushed into its closed position, the tongue 29 will contact with the wall 3 to force the shutter 23 back so as to cover the slots 31 in the wall 35 of the index housing I. On the other hand, when the housing 1 is drawn into its fully open position, the lug |9 strikes the wall and the shutter is drawn relatively forward to register the openings 25, 26 on one hand and 31 on the other.

The purpose of the registry above mentioned is to expose certain wrench-engaging portions 39 of pintles 4| in the housing for engagement by the wrench end 43 of an opening tool 45, but only when the index carrier is in the open (hence unlocked) position. The pintles 4| are rotatably mounted and arranged in pairs of slots 41 in side walls 49 of an integral U-shaped member having a bottom 5|. The bottom 5| is fastened to the bottom l3 of housing 1 and forms a covering over the offset 23 to complete the bearing in which slides the bearing lip 21. The blind 23 is thus guided between one wall 49 and the wall 35 (Figs. 1, 11 and 19). The slots 41 are in sunken portions of the wall 49 so that the shutter 23 clears the wrench-engaging portions 35, and the bearings on the other ends of the pintles 4|.

The pintles 4| are placed in the slots 41 in pairs and are provided with slits 53 for anchoring wound paper strips 55. The winding is in such a direction that a length of paper forms rolls on both pintles of a pair with a reach 51 therebetween, the tangent portions of the paper at 59 engaging frictionally under action of a pressure spring 6| normally pressing the respective pairs of rolls so that the upper tangent 63 of each pair is positioned against transparent material such as isinglass 61 under a viewing opening 65. The paper strips 55 are provided with numerals, serially ordered, the progressive values of which diifer by the number 100", starting from zero.

Each opening 65 is indicative of a different item to be attended to about an automobile, such as changing motor oil, changing differential oil, lubricating a chassis, and/or changing transmission oil (Fig. 2). It is deemed thatone-hundred mile steps simplify the settings and are of a small enough order that proper lubrication periods can be thereby determined, in view of the associated chart, to be described. The appearance of a given numeral at an opening indicates at what mileage the respective work is to be done.

When the blind 23 is in the position shown in Fig. '7, the wrench-engaging portion 39 may be reached by the tool 45 (which may be placed on the end of a pencil or the like) and settings are-made. 'A feature of the roll 55 is that the frictional engagement at 59 causes the roll from which paper is being drawn to be braked as the roll to which paper is drawn is turned. Thus the rolls are always kept in a tight condition when manipulated by tool, 45 at the portions 39.

Withinthe base l'is a hinge rod 69 upon which is hinged ametallic cover H for covering a sheaf of paper or like chart leaves 13, the latter being folded in pairs over a wire 15 which is clipped to the hinge 69. A spring 11 normally forces the cover TI to the open position shown in Fig. 11 when the index housing 1 is drawn open. When the index housing is forced shut (Fig. the cover II is forced down to close over the leaves 13. When open, the cover "H and the back form a rigid support for the laying down the leaves 13 so that they may be written upon.

The index housing 1 is maintained in a closed position on the back I by means of a lock, indicated generally at numeral 18 and comprising in particular a support 19 for pivoting a latch 8|.

The pin 8| is not only rotatable in the support 19 but slidable therein. A spring 83 has one end hooked to the support and the other to an eye 85 on the latch 8|. The tension and position of the-spring is such as to normally rotate said latch counterclockwise (Figs. 11, 13, 14 and and to draw the latch to the left (Fig. 12). Thus an offset end 89 of the latch is normally pressed against the inner side of the portion N (Fig. 12) of the index casing I. This side II has a struckup ear 9| over which the latch shaft offset 89 may ride as the index casing is closed. This is due to the fact that the latch shaft 8| may move to the right against the reaction of spring 83 (Fig. 12). Thus when the index housing is closed, it is latched and locked shut (Figs. 12 and 13).

As shown in Figs. 13, 14 and 15, the height of the ear 9| is such that it contacts with the offset 89 when said offset 89 is down as in Figs. 12 and 13. Said ear may pass under the offset 89 when the tool 45 is applied to'the end of the latch 8| to turn the same to the position shown in Fig. 14 wherein the offset portion 89 clears the ear 9| so that the spring (Figs. 8, 10 and 11) becomes effective to incipiently move the index casing down from the base As is shown in Fig. 7, the end of the latch 8| is also provided with a wrench engaging portion 93 fitting said wrenchsocket 43 so that the same device 45 that operates the roll shaft 4| may be used to open the device.

In order that the wrench engaging portion 93 may be reached, a circular opening 95 is placed in the respective bottom guide 5'and an elongated opening 91 in the respective portion. The reason that the opening 91 is elongated is to permit a partial movement of the index housing when unlocking so that the ear 9| may move under the offset 89 from the position shown in Fig. 13 through the position shown in Fig. 14 to that shown in Fig. 15. The portion 89 returns to'the depressed position shown in Fig. 15 by reason of the action of the tension spring 83.

Complete opening of the device (after the partial opening) is effected by holding the base in one hand and drawing down the index housing 1 with the other until engagement'between the lug I9 and the wall l5 causes opening of the shutter. In Fig. 11 the final position of the index housing is shown somewhat returned from the maximum open position, in order that the dottedline position of the shutter 43 (including lug I9) may be noted.

The character of the indicia on the leaves 13' is shown in Figs. 26, 27 and 28. Each leaf has on it main columns marked T, indicating progressions of even one thousand mile intervals; hundreds, indicating progressions of even hundred mile intervals; M indicating a motor oil change operation; C, indicating a chassis lubrication operation; a second T indicating a transmission oil change operation; and D, indicating a differential grease change operation; and, a main column indexed initia for identifying the one who does the checking after a given lubrication operation.

Within the main column marked hundreds are secondary columns carrying. progressively from left to right digits indicating said hundreds of miles in progressions of whole hundreds.

Within the main column marked MCTD are secondary columns for the respective indexes (C), T, a d n The thousand mile interval progressions are in main tiers crossing all columns. These main tiers are subdivided into secondary tiers under the hundreds MCTD and initial headmgs- The purpose of the secondarytiers is to accommodate a shift from one tier to another in the hundreds progression at a digit which is at least one less than the minimum value of the progressive steps to be charted. For instance, in automotive lubrication, a five-hundred-mile interval is chosen as the minimum in the progression. In the chart shown in Fig. 26, the shift from one tier to another is made at the three-hundredmile interval and in Fig. 27 it is made at the fourhundred-mile interval (both less than the predetermined minimum five-hundred-mile interval). In both of these forms of the invention (Figs. 26 and 27) the zero digit is used in the hundreds, secondary columns. 25,000, a check mark must be placed over the digits 25 and over the zero digit; whereas if the chart of Fig. 28 is used (wherein there is no zero digit) merely the digits 25 need be checked for such an indication.

It is to be noted, however, that an indication for, say, the mileage 28,000, may be made merely by checking the zero digit in the tier designated 28.

The advantage of the form shown in Fig. 27 is that only two secondary tiers are necessary, although another secondary column is necessary. In Figs. 26 and 28 an extra tier is necessary but one secondary column is eliminated. The form of the chart shown in Fig. 27 is the easiest to check in view of its symmetrical appearance.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that motor oil was to be checked at 25,500 miles and the chassis was also to be lubricate-d at that mileage. Differential oil was to have been checked at 28,000 miles and the transmission oil at 30,000 miles. A sample checking on Fig. 27 has been applied to indicate that the work forecast in Fig. 2 has been accomplished. It will be noted that in view of the use of secondary tiers to prevent digits greater than four from appearing on the same tier as digits less than five, no two check marks need ever be placed in the same space under the heading MCTD. Cooperative in this result is the fact that the primary column M CTD is subdivided into the secondary columns. Thus the record cannot be confused, as it could be if the shift in the numbers from one tier to another were made at or above the digit 5. The principle employed is that the shift from one tier to another shall be made at a digit which is lower than the digit which indexes the minimum mileage interval.

A feature of the chart per se is its compactness, the same being formed in leaves, each of which carries folded over the wire and printed on both front and rear. Six thousand miles are covered per page of each sheet and twelve thousand mile per sheet.

The operation of the form of the device shown in Figs. 1 to 19 and 26 to 27 is as follows:

The motorist carries the device in the closed and locked condition shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and 10. The face of it indicates when oil changes are to be made. Assuming that the time has arrived for making a change, he drives to an oil station at which the attendant carries the opening key 45. This is made convenient to the attendant, because the key may be associated with a pencil which is used for marking the record. The attendant makes the proper changes, inserts the key 45 as indicated in Fig. 2, gives it a slight 1 turn tethrow the offset 89 f-rom thepositionshown Thus, to indicate an even.

in Figs. 12 and 13 to that shown in Fig. 14, whereupon the spring I! starts the index body 1' to slide from the base I. Thereafter the body is grasped with one hand and the base with the other and pulled to the position shown in Fig-..

11. The shutter 23 exposes the wrench engaging portions 35 of a shaft 4|, whereupon-the proper' paper rolls may be reset to predict the time in which the next change is required. The attendant' then indicates, as shown for example in Fig.

27, the changes which have been made and this.

becomes a permanent record made by the attendant. Then the attendant recloses the device and. gives it to the motorist who is provided with a forecast of when the next change is due and continuous record of previous operations. Unauthorized tampering With the settings. is inhibited by the closure of the shutter over the wrenchengaging portion 35 and of course the leaves I3 are locked in the base.

An alternative form of the invention is shown in Figs. to 25. In this form the back 93 is hinged at 95 to an index housing 91 with a spring 99 normally holding the housing closed. The leaves 13, with suitable heavy fly leaves IDI, are hingedly clipped in position in the back 93as shown at I03.

The index housing is formed with a raised portion I05 accommodating an inverted U-shaped support I0! having spacing ears I09 fitting into recessed portion III. The U-shaped member I01 carries bearing recesses I I3 for shafts I I5 having wrench engaging ends 1. Suitable openings H9 are placed in the portions III to permit entry of the opening tool 45. In this form of the invention no shutter is used.

On each shaft is a plurality of three rolls. Roll I2I carries three digit, index numbers, representing intervals of a hundred. This roll is pinned to the shaft II 5. The second roll I23 carries the thousands digits and is freely rotatable on the shaft I I5. A third roll I25 carries the digits representing tens of thousands and is also freely.

rotatably mounted on the shaft II5.

A relatively light crow-foot spring I 21 reacts from the central portion of the roll I23 to the central portion of a recess I29 in the roll I23 to the peripheral portions of a recess I3I in the roll' I2I. A heavier, crow-foot spring I30 reacts from the central portion of a recess I33 in the roll I25 to the peripheral portions of a recess I35 in the roll I23.

From the above it will be seen that when the tool is applied to the wrench-engaging portion I I1 (Fig. 24) that changes of digits representing hundreds may be made merely by rotating the shaft I I5. If changes of digits are to be included to represent thousands, the shaft H5 is pressed endwise until serrations I31 about the recess I3I- contact the corresponding serrations around the recess I29. Thus the moving roll I2I picks upand moves the roll I23. If digits representing tens of thousands are also to be changed, a further pressure will bring the serrations I31 around the recess I35 into contact with the serrations around recess I33. Thus by rotation and suitable endwise pressure, the attendant may make. a setting selectively as he chooses. It is to be understood that if finer degrees of changes are to be made, that the present set of digits may consist of the tens, or even units. However, I consider that a change of three digits on the first roll to be changed is preferable and in any event I consider that the initial change of a multiple number of' digits. independently of single digit.

changes is advantageous. Frictional engaging surfaces or the like may be substituted for the serrations between rolls.

The rolls I2I, I23 and I25 are provided with ten flat faces (one per digit, including zero) so that by pressing them against the transparent material I39 behind the openings I4I, they determine for themselves a detent reaction, under action'of pressure spring I42.

It is intended that the form of the invention shown in Figs. 20 to 25 shall fulfill a demand where it is not desired to have the attendant only in possession of the key for operating the device, but wherein the motorist may make the change himself. This is accomplished by leaving the wrench-engaging portion II'I always exposed for operation.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. Recording apparatus comprising a hollow back, record leaves hinged in said back, a cover also hinged therein and adapted to expose said leaves in open position and to hold them shut in a closed position, means for normally biasing said cover to open position, an indexing head slidable on said back, said head automatically closing said cover when moved to closed position on the back and permitting opening of the same when the head is moved to open position.

' 2. Recording apparatus comprising a hollow back, record leaves hinged in said back, a cover also hinged therein and adapted to expose said leaves in open position and to hold them shut in a closed position, means for normally biasing said cover to open position, an indexing head slidable on said back, said head automatically closing said cover when moved to closed position on the back and permitting opening of the same when the head is moved to open position and means for locking said head closed.

3. Recording apparatus comprising a hollow back, record'leaves hinged in said back, a cover also hinged therein and adapted to expose said leaves in open position and to thrust them shut in a closed position, means for normally biasing said cover to open position, an indexing head slidable on said back, said head automatically closing said cover when moved to closed position on the back and permitting opening of the same when the head is moved to open position, index means in said head, key-engaging portions associated therewith for index operation, and a shutter adapted to expose the key-engaging portions when the head is thrown open and to cover said portions when the head is in closed position.

4. Recording apparatus comprising a hollow back, a record chart in said back, an indexing head slidable on said back, index means in said head, key-engaging portions associated therewith for index operation, and a shutter adapted to expose the key-engaging portions when the head is open and to cover said portions when the head is closed.

5. Recording apparatus comprising a hollow back, a record chart in said back, an indexing head slidable on said back, index means in said head, key-engaging portions associated therewith for index operation, a shutter adapted to expose the key-engaging portion when the head is open and to cover said portions when the head is closed, and means for locking the head closed on the back by means of the same key that operates the index means.

6. Recording apparatus comprising a hollow back, record leaves hinged in said back, a cover also hinged therein and adapted to expose said leaves when the cover is in open position and to thrust them shut when the cover is in closed position, means for normally biasing said cover to open position, an indexing head slidable on said back, said head automatically closing said cover when moved to closed position on the back and permitting opening of the same when the head is moved to open position, index means in said head, key-engaging portions associated therewith, shutter means adapted to expose the keyengaging portions when the head is open and to cover said portions when the head is closed, and a lock operable by the key that operates said indexing means adapted normally to lock the head when it is in closed position and to release the same, but permitting free reclosure and lock ing without the use of the key.

'7. Recording apparatus comprising a hollow back, a record chart in said back, an indexing head slidable on said back, index means in said head, key-engaging portions associated therewith for index operation, a shutter adapted to' expose the key-engaging portions when the head is open and to cover said portions when the head is closed, and a lock operable by the key that operates said indexing means adapted normally to lock the head when it is in closed position and to release the same, but permitting free reclosure and locking without the use of the key.

8. Indexing means comprising a pair of adja-v cent shafts, slotted means for rotatably and slidably mounting said shafts, a strip of flexible material wound on the same in the same direction on both shafts, and having a tangent reach between windings on the respective shafts, and means normally pressing the shafts toward one another, whereby said rolls frictionally engage one another adjacent said reach.

9. Recording apparatus comprising an indexing head, a slidable back thereon adapted to slide open and shut, means in the back adapted to be exposed when the back is open and contained when the back is closed, means for looking said indexing head in closed position, an indexing means in said indexing head adapted to be operated by a predetermined key, and a shutter adapted to expose said indexing means for resetting when the indexing head and the back are relatively open and adapted to protect said indexing means from tampering when the head is closed with respect to the back.

10. Recording apparatus comprising an index head, a back associated therewith, a record in said back adapted to be exposed by opening the back, index rolls in said head, and key means for setting said index rolls whereby there is available in one device indexing means and recording means.

11. Recording apparatus comprising a shaft, bearings for said shaft permitting rotation and endwise movement, a fixed roll on said shaft carrying a plurality of index digits, at least one other roll on said shaft through which the shaft rotates and moves endwise freely, means for normally biasing said rolls from one another. and

roll and the adjacent movable roll and also between said movable rolls, the biasing means adjacent the fixed r011 being weaker in its biasing effects than that between the movable rolls, whereby a triple digit adjustment for indicating hundreds may be made by rotation of the shaft, and digit adjustments made for thousands and tens of thousands may be made by rotating the shaft and predeterminately pressing it so that said fixed roll is moved toward the movable rolls. 10

CYRIL G. SCHELLY,

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