US1078858A - Alarm-clock. - Google Patents

Description

G. KERN.

ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1912.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

H s I F Inventor:

Witnesses h Mh". l

COLUMBIA PMNDGRAPH C0.-,WAsHlN TON, D. c4

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE KERN, OF PERU, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 \VESTERN CLOCK (10., OF LA SALLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ALARM-CLOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE KERN, a sub ject of the Emperor of Germany, and resident of the town of Peru, La Salle county, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on Alarm- Clocks; and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to alarm clocks, particularly to alarm sounding devices in connection therewith, and it consists, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth and described, and then pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings already referred to, which serve to illustrate my said invention more fully, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a typical alarm clock embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section thereof taken in the direction of the arrow pointers in line 0 O of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of a fragment of the hammer shaft on which is mounted the hammer or striker employed in my device.

Like parts are designated by corresponding characters or symbols of reference in all the figures of the drawing.

The essence of my invention resides in the arrangement of a plurality of alarm bells mounted at the back of the typical alarm clock of present day manufacture, said bells being arranged within each other and sounded by a common striker. Releasing mechanism permitting the striker to operate at a predetermined time has no part in this invention, as any of the present releasing devices may be employed; nor has the usual clock train of springs, escapements, gears, and clock hands any direct bearing and these parts are therefore eliminated from the drawing; it being understood that any typical clock train may be used.

The object of my invention is the production of alarm devices for alarm clocks in which the rattle and noise of the escapement employed in the usual type of this class of devices is eliminated, and a purer, blended tone or chime produced by a hammer rapidly Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 21, 1912.

Patented NOV. 18, 1913.

Serial No. 726,978.

striking a plurality of sonorous or resonant shells in succession or alternation.

To better understand the details of my invention, I now refer to the drawing, in which- A is the cylindrical shell of a typical alarm clock and 1, the glass front thereto. Adjacent this front is the usual circular dial 2, and, within the shell are supports 3 and 4, for the clock and alarm actuating trains, respectively, the former of which is not shown in the drawings. The rear of the shell A is closed by a circular, flanged back 5, on which is a centrally formed boss 6, to which is attached, by means of screws 7, a cup shaped, circular, resonant or sonorous shell 8. Located within this shell, eccentrically to said shell 8, and mounted upon a stud 9 extending from back 5, is a smaller, similarly shaped shell 10, said shell being maintained in position on stud 9 by a nut 11 or its equivalent,as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

Mounted in the supports 3 and 4 and extending through the back 5 and into the shell 8 at a point preferably midway between the outer wall of shell 10 and the inner wall of the shell 8, is a revoluble hammer shaft 11, which shaft is adapted to be actuated by a gear train composed substantially of pinions 12, 13, and 14, and gears 15 and 16, the latter of which being loosely mounted upon a shaft 17 and revolved through the inter-medium of a pawl 18 engaging ratchet wheel 19, which ratchet wheel is fixed to said shaft 17. Motion is imparted to shaft 17 by a flat wound spiral spring 20, the inner end of which is attached to said shaft 17, while the outer extremity is afiixed to a pin 21 maintained in the upper ends of the supports 3 and 4E. Shaft 17 extends through back 5, shell 8, and smaller shell 10, and exteriorly of the latter, is screw threaded for the application of a key 22, by which said shaft 17 may be rotated to wind up spring 20 in an obvious manner.

On hammer shaft 11 adjacent the bottom of resonant shell 8, is fixed a collar 23 having oppositely disposed clutch jaws 24, engaging shaped recesses 25 on a loosely mounted hub 26. Formed integrally with this hub is a disk 27, on the face of which is pivoted a free swinging hammer or striker 28, the inner end of which is provided with an extending finger 29 adapted to engage the periphery of the hub 26, to limit the outward swing of said hammer. To prevent longitudinal movement or the hub 26 on the shaft 11*, pin 30, passing through said hub and shaft, is provided.

Operation of my device may now be described as follows: Assuming that the actuating spring 20 has been properly wound up and the usual releasing devices (not shown) so tripped as to permit the hammer shaft 11 to revolve under the impetus imparted by the spring 20 through the gears and pinions 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, it will be seen that the hammer 28 will be caused to swing outwardly by centrifugal force and strike the exterior wall of shell 10 and the interior Wall of shell 8 in alternation, producing a pleasant chime. This impacting of the hammer against the Walls of the shells also acts as an escapement, preventing undue rapidity of revolution of hammer shaft 11*, and, as a sequence, too rapid unwinding of the spring 20.

Herein I have disclosed the preferred method of carrying my invention into effect, but I wish it understood that I may make changes in details without departing from the scope or spirit thereof. For instance, instead of pivoting hammer 28 to disk 27, I

may afiix a resilient striker directly to the hammer shaft. And, I may introduce two more smaller bells into the shell 8, in the path of the striker, so as to produce a chime of four notes. scope of the skilled mechanic, and are to be understood to be within the scope of this invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure to myself by Letters Patent of the United States An alarm clock including a cylindrical shell, an alarm actuating mechanism therein, and a back thereto, a fiat bottomed, resonant, cup shaped shell aflixed to said bottom, concentrically therewith, a similar smaller resonant shell within said first named. shell, and arranged eccentrically therewith, a hammer shaft actuated by said alarm mechanism, said shaft extending into said first named shell between its inner wall thereof and the outer wall of said smaller shell, and a hammer on the end of said shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE KERN. In the presence of- WM. G. Cox, H. A. LINK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

Such changes are within the

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