Motor vehicle time speed recorder

• US 5,639,967 A
• Filed: 12/11/1995
• Issued: 06/17/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Errol Alexis
• Original Assignee: Errol Alexis
• Inventors: Alexis, Errol
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOLLER, RICHARD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/570,413
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 73/489, 73/491, 73/498, 73/2, 346/18, 346/49, 346/59, 346/112, 346/115
• US Class Current: 73/489
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/28 Producing one or more recordings, each recording being of the values of two or more different variables G01D9/38, G01D9/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/122 Speed recorders
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/06 in graphical form

Abstract

A motor vehicle time speed recorder that includes a hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing, time apparatus, speed apparatus, graphical time apparatus, and graphical speed apparatus. The hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing has a front with an elongated slot and a side with an aperture. The time apparatus is responsive to the time of day. The time apparatus is disposed in the hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing and generates a time signal, so that the time of day can be monitored. The speed apparatus is responsive to the speed of the motor vehicle. The speed means is disposed in the hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing and receives a speed signal, so that the speed of the vehicle can be monitored. The graphical time apparatus graphically represents the time signal generated by the time apparatus and is disposed in the hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing, so that the time of day can be graphically represented. And, the graphical speed apparatus graphically represents the speed signal generated by the speed means and is disposed in the hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing, so that the speed of the motor vehicle can be graphically represented.

Claims

1. A method of using a motor vehicle time speed recorder, the motor vehicle having a battery, a speedometer, and an ignition switch, comprising the steps of:

a) initializing a set time, so that a continuously running clock motor of a time means of said motor vehicle time speed recorder is set to correspond to the actual time and that the position of a clock signal pen of said motor vehicle time speed recorder is properly set so as to assure that said continuously running clock motor is set to correspond to the actual time and that the position of said clock signal pen is properly set, since the battery of the motor vehicle may have run down or may have become completely dead, which will alter results;

b) causing said clock signal pen, by said continuously running clock motor, to draw a substantially sinusoidal time curve on a roll of recording paper tape time portion of a roll of recording paper tape of said motor vehicle time speed recorder when the motor vehicle is moving since said continuously running clock motor revolves once every twenty four hours and an elongated rod of said time means is pivotally mounted to a perimeter of a circular disk of said time means and when the motor vehicle is not moving, said clock signal pen draws only one oscillating vertical line on said roll of recording paper tape time portion each time the ignition switch of the motor vehicle is in the off position, so that said roll of recording paper tape is not advanced and unnecessarily used when the motor vehicle is not running;

c) causing a speed signal pen of said motor vehicle time speed recorder, by a speed signal from the speedometer of the motor vehicle, to draw a speed curve on a roll of recording paper tape speed portion of said roll of recording paper tape below and synchronized with said substantial sinusoidal time curve; and

d) advancing said roll of recording paper tape through an elongated slot in a front of a hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing, by said tape motor, so that said substantially sinusoidal time curve and said speed curve can be compared and the speed for a particular time can be determined.

2. The method as defined in claim 1;

further comprising the step of advancing manually said roll of recording paper tape through said elongated slot in said front of said hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing by a paper advance knob.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing further has a side with a throughbore.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said time means is disposed in said hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said speed signal pen is included in speed means which is disposed in said hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said continuously running clock motor of said time means has a longitudinal shaft that extends therefrom and is powered directly by the battery of the motor vehicle regardless of the position of the ignition switch of the motor vehicle.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said circular disk of said time means has a center.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein said circular disk of said time means is fixedly attached at said center of said circular disk of said time means to a longitudinal shaft of said continuously running clock motor of said time means.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongated rod of said time means has a proximal end and a distal end.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein said proximal end of said elongated rod of said time means is pivotally mounted to said perimeter of said circular disk of said time means.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said speed signal from the speedometer of the motor vehicle is received by a speed coil.

12. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein said clock signal pen of said time means is fixedly attached to said distal end of said elongated rod of said time means.

13. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein said speed signal pen is operatively connected to said speed coil.

14. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein said roll of recording paper tape is operatively connected to a tape motor disposed in said hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing.

15. The method as defined in claim 14, wherein said tape motor is powered by the battery of the motor vehicle and is in series with the car ignition switch of the motor vehicle, so that said tape motor is operative only when the ignition switch of the motor vehicle is in an on position and since said speed coil receives said speed signal from the speedometer of the motor vehicle and not from a tachometer, said speed coil operates only when the motor vehicle is in movement and not when it is idling.

16. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein said paper advance knob extends through said throughbore in said side of said hollow parallelepiped-shaped housing and is operatively connected to said roll of recording paper tape.

17. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said roll of recording paper tape is divided into two longitudinal graphical portions.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein one of said two longitudinal graphical portions of said roll of recording paper tape displays said substantially sinusoidal time curve.

19. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein another of said two longitudinal graphical portions of said roll of recording paper tape displays said speed curve.