US1135228A - Clock. - Google Patents

Description

L. F. VINI-IR.

CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 31, |913.

1,1 35,228. 4 Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

L?, 23" /55 i 26 Z5 sierras PATENT OFFICE.

LEVEBETT F. AVINER, F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

' l CLOCK.' l l 1,135,228 specification of Letters ratent. PatentedApr. 13,1915.

i I Application led December 31, 1913. Serial No. $119,724. l

To all whom may concern Be it known that I, Lnvnnn'rr F. VINER, a

itizen of. the United States residing at Worcester, in the county of orcester and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Clock, of which the following is a ciication.

y hisinvention relates to a clock novelty and the principal objects thereof are to provide a simple and practicable form of clock which can be set into a iioor in such a wa .as to constitute 4a part of the floor and. e visible to persons walking over it and in its vicinity; to provide means whereby the clock face can be lighted up from the interior in such a way as to show the time accurately and clearly to persons located in the vicinity of the clock and standing on vthe floor in.which itis placed; to provide a construction of clock for this and similar purposes in which4 the outer plate can be removed Iconveniently in order to provide access to the 1nter1or; to provlde aR construc- A f tion in which the plate usually employed for the purpose of receiving the dial is entirely eliminated so as to simplify the arrangementand permit easy access to its interior; and 4to provide for ventilation and drainage. It is to be .understoodl also that while the principal purpose' of the clock is to be located 1n and constitute a part of a floor or the like,l yet some of the principles involved herein can be applied to a clock permanently located in a vertical wall or the like.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accom. panying drawings in whch- Figure 1 is a plan of a clock constructed in accordance with this invention with parts broken away .to'show interior construction; 2 is a central-vertical sectional v1ew of portionof the supporting ringlon'enlarged` 7 45 the same; Fig. 3 isa vsectional vie'w of, a

scale; Eig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective `jew of part of the casing; .and Fig' 1s a sectional view of a part of the lifting ring andthe dial plate.. L th forni` shown is ,designedto be set into an opening 10 1n herein, the invention a door 11, sidewalk or-the like. For this purpose the opening is 4provided with a circumferential recess at lthe top in which is located a circular ring 13 having a illange at the top setting lin said recess and a hori.A zontal mwardly extending flange 14 at the door as indicated in Fig. 2, and it supportsa second removable ring 18 having an out-- wardly' extending Bange 19 at the top for ttin the ring 13 and anrinwardly extending ange 2O at the bottom in horizontal position fitting in the space behind the ange 15. This removable ring is designed to be temporarily secured in place by screws 21er the like. On this ring is supported-a plate 22 of transparent or translucent material, preferably glass. The plate normally rests on the packing 16 but can be lifted out of the ring 13 by lifting out the ring 18. This is accomplished by taking out two of the opposite screws 21, loosening the others, and screwing in a pair of handles 23 having screw-threaded ends Y' correspondingwith the screws 21, but not long enough to enter the ring 13. It will be M obvlous that in this way the ring 18 and plate22- can be lifted out to expose the interior of the device. p l

The plate 22 has been described as translucent or transparent, and it is preferably formed of transparent material rendered translucent by frosting or grinding the upper surface. This can be done when the plate is manufactured or if the plate is put down in a perfectly transparent condition the wea-r w ich it receives will ordinarily have the same effect.' On the bottom of this plate preferably is located a clock dial I formed by opaque numerals and 'witha'ny desired divisions.

Inside the openin 10 and below the ring 13 is a casing, the si es of which areformed by one or more curved outside plates 25 connected with the ring 13 by an angle iron 26. The outside ,plate supports the bottom" plate 27 by corner angle irons, and a seriesof vertical strips 28 are used to connect the bottom and top angle irons and strengthen i the casing. This casing is provided with a series of openings2`9.. each having a covering of cloth 30 and a screen 31. These are used for ventilation and to prevent too high heating of the device without admitting dust. 7

At the center of the `bottom plate is a clock mechanism 32 which may be of any desired kind, the details not being' shown.

, but at the ends they lare provided with skeleton frames 36, each of which carries a pointer 37 consisting of a sheet of colored celluloid or glass fixed tothe skeleton frame by rivets or the like. In practice I prefer t0 have these celluloid pointers red in color and inthat case the remainder of each hand looks black to the observer. These hands are caused by the clock mechanism to revolve'directly under the dial.

The casing is provided, preferably under each of the twelve numerals of the dial, with an electric lamp 40 arranged in a circle and supportedn sockets 38 carried by the casing and having mains 39 for supplying power;

The use of the mechanism will be understood readily from what has been said. The clock is operati@ either byl electricity or other motive power and the lights are l turned on whenever desired. When illumif nated the hands appear 1n the same way as in an ordinary clock tothe observer from above. They rotatedirectly under the dial land by having the Vcolored vvpointers their position is seen more readily and they tend to attract more attention.

there is any 'clock or other mechanism under 1 the platef when the lights are turned olf.

Consequently if it is out. of order it will appear simplyhas a 4circular glass lslab, and no false impression of 'the time need be .given -to the public vasis often done by ordinary v clocks when they get out of order.

and will be in constant use.` It is of special advantage to place it at the entrance of a hotel or the like as people departing for trains and the like are almost forced to' The device is designed particularly lto be placed in the floors of public places where it will be seen by a great number of persons know the time of their departure therefrom.

It is foundjin practice that onl account of the novel nature of` theV arrangement it attracts universal attention and conveys im# portant information constantly. As Vit can be used in sidewalks\and pavements as well asfloors, it is to be. understood that such use is contemplated when I use the word iioor.`

Although I have illustrated and described only a 'single form of the invention, I am aware of the fact that many modifications can' be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shown and described,` but What I do claim is 1. As an article of manufacture, a clock having a horizontal top plate of translucent material having a dial on the bottom and adapted to be set into a recess in a horizontal surface and provided with means accessible from the top of said plate and located beyond its periphery for lifting it out of the recess, and a pair of clock hands under said .plate and independent thereof, where-- bywhen the plate is lifted off the hands will 3. The combination with a horizontal rin I set v into a Hoor and having an interna flange, of a second ring removably mounted on said flange, a gla'ssplate' carried by,rand removable with, the second ring and having a clock dial on the bottom thereof, and clock mechanism below the dial. v 1- 4. The c mbination with a ring set permanently in a floor and havingan internal flange, of a second ring removably supported on said flange, means for securing the second ring to the lirst'V ring,'a glass plateloo mounted on'the second ring and v,renmvable thefewlth and' having a clock dial thereon;

'the Vsecond ring being provided with. means bv which it, withthe plate, can be lifted vout of the-first ring from above.

` 5. The `combination'with a ring adapted'u to beset uinto a floor, said Aring having a horizontal finner flan e at 'the bottom upturned at its inner e ge and having drain-'- age passages therethrough, and al glass plate flange, and removcarried on said upturne able therefrom, said platehavingfa clock dial thereon. K

6. In a devicer of the character described, the combination of a clock dial 4adapted tov be set ina floor, a series of electric lamps my hand, in lthe presence of two subscrihy located under the clock dial, and a pair of ing witnesses.

hands located between the lamps and clock y dial, each of ,said hands keng mainly 'of LEVERETT F' VINER 5 opaque material and having a pointer there- Witnesses:

0n of Colored transparentmateral. ALBERT E. FAY,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto' set C. FoRREsT WEssoN.

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