US1581910A - Meridian watch or clock - Google Patents

Description

April 20, 1926. 1,581,910

- R. F. BERRILL MERIDIAN WATCH OR CLOCK Filed April 24, 1925 I hrz y Patented Apr. 20, 1926.

UNITED STATES l,58l,ili PATENT OFFICE.

ROLAND FABI AN BERRILL, or LONDON, ENGLAHD,

'MERIDIAN' WATCH on CLOCK.

Application filed April 24,1925. Serial- NO. 25,650.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, ROLAND FABIAN BER- RILL, a subjectof the King of Great Britain,

longitude at which the watch is consulted.

Timepieces of this kind, as heretofore proposed, usually comprise a circular scale divided into 360 equal parts, and a hand movable over said scale, but accurate reading of' such devices isdiflicult because the dimensions of the parts into which the scale is divided are necessarily small, and only someof said divisions are numbered.

' According to the present invention a-figure which represents the unit of the number of degrees longitude of the meridian indicated is'continuously displayed, and this numberis replaced bythe next succeeding 7 number at theend'of each period of four "minutes. The fractions of a degree are conveniently represented by hand which moves over a circular scale subdivided into a'sm'all number of equal once in" every four minutes.

parts, sayl'four,

Thusthe dial of a watch carries a circu' parts numbered consecutively from O to the hand of the watch travels "over the scale in 24 hours and the watch is also provided with a second device which displays 10 numbers in succession at equal intervals of time in minutes.

Assuming that noon is to be the time indicated, the watch is set by turning the hand at noon to the number of the meridian of longitude of the place at which the watch is used. The successive longitudes (numbered throughout as west of 0) at which the time is noon in the course of the 24 hours will then be indicated, as to the tens or the tens and hundreds, by the division of the scale to which the hand may point and as to units, by the second device.

To subdivide the 36 divisions it is preferable to provide a window in the dial and to mount behind the dial an intermittently revolving plate bearing the numbers from O to 9 arranged equidistantly on a circle and which are consecutively displayed through said window as said plate is intermittently" rotated. Means are provided to cause this plate to perform one-tenth of a revolution at the end of every l minutes to display the said numbers, through said window. These numbers are to be read as the unitnumbers of the tens, or tens and hundreds, indicated by the watch hand.

e To obtain a further subdivision the dial may. have a second circular scale over which a hand moves in 4 minutes thus indicating fractions of a degree.

In the accompanying drawings F ig. 1 shows the dial of a watch constructed according to the invention; Fig; 2 is a view of so much of a suitable form of mechanismas is essential to explain the movement; and Fig. 3 is a view at a right angle to F ig; 2 showing the gearing by means of which the various nism. I

On the dial shown is drawn (as is common in watches designed to indicate the time at any part of the World) a zenithal map of the World, the North Pole being the centre of the dial and the dial bears a second circular scale a representing the equator;

The main scale a bears the numerals 0 to 35 equidistantly arranged and 'to which-the hand 6 points, The circular boundary ofthe maprepresents 60 south latitude and the radius joining the figure 0 lar scale which is divided into 36' equal the watch hand 6 indicates on the scale a that part of themap at which it is the hour for which the watch is Set. Thus the dial shown indicates to a user at Greenwich (who has set the watch as aforesaid) by hand 5, window 0 and hand (Z, (which rotates once in four minutes over the scale a, which is divided into four equal parts, each of said divisions representing a quarter of a degree) that it is now noon at a longitude lying between 137 and 137% and which extends through the northwest portion of North America.

Referring to Fig. 2, which shows one parts are actuated by a Watch mechaform of mechanism for obtaining the de- 3 sired movements, the usual watch mecha-' nism a drives, the arbor e which carries the hand d one revolution in 4 minutes. This arbor carries the wheel f and the ratio of the members of the train 7, g, k, z' and is, is such that g revolves once in 8 minutes,

h once in 48 minutes, i once in 240 minutes and is once in lt lO minutes, the hand Z) being carried by the arbor of this last wheel. The wheel 9 is keyed or otherwise secured to a pinion m which drives the Wheel h. The wheel 9 and pinion m turn on a sleeve on the arbor n, and the latter is so geared to the arbor 6 through the gears 7) and (,1 that it is caused to rotate once in forty minutes. A second sleeve on the arbor a carries a plate Z which bears the numbers 0 to 9 arranged equidistantly in a circle and which are successively displayed through the window 0 of the dial. The sleeve on also carries a star wheel m which is connected by aspiral spring a with the arbor n. The star wheel is engaged by a spring arm 0 carried on a fixedpoint. At the end of successive intervals of 4 minutes the tension of spring a overcomes that of spring 0 and the star wheel is movedthrough one step to turn plate Z;through one-tenth of a revolution and thus the next number borne by the plate Z is displayed through the Window 0. v

The setting mechani-sn'i of the watch moves hand 6 andplate Z together.

Having thus described the said invention andthebest-mean-s I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim 1- 1. In a time-piece for indicating the meridian of longitude at which it is a given time, a movable-device bearing a succession of numerals and. adapted to bring eachol the said ,Il11111G12tlS;111ll0-V16W in succession,

-a-mechanism adapted tobe rotated continuously, and spring-operated means cooperating with the said rotating mechanism. and said-device to retain'the said device for a period'o'l' four minutes in aposition in hich 1 one-of the said numerals is in view and to move it at the end of each period offour minutes to bring the next succeeding numeral into view. 7

2. A timepiece for indicating the meridian of longitude at Which it is a given time,

"comprising a dial bearing a circular scale marked with thirty-six equi-distant consecutively numbered divisions, said dial having an aperture, a hand movable over said scale once in twenty-four hours, a plate rotatable about an aXis and bearing a succession of numerals and positioned to display each of said numerals in' succession at said aperture, a mechanism adapted to be rotatedrcontinuously, and spring operated means co-operat- ,ingwith the said rotating mechanism and the said plate ato retain the 'said plate for a period of r m- ;minutes in a ,position in which one of the said numerals is displayed at said aperture and to move said plate at the end of each period of vfour minutes to display ,the next succeeding numeral at said aperture. V

A timepiece for indicating the meridian of longitude at which it is a given time, comprising .a dial bearing a circular scale marked with thirty-six equidistant consecutively numbered divisions and a second circular soale, a hand which moves over said first-named scale once in twenty-four hours, said dial also having an aperture, a plate rotatable about an axis and bearing a succession olf numerals and positioned to display thesaid numerals iii-succession at vsaid aperture, amechanism adapted to rotate continuonsly, spring operated means co-operating with the said rotating mechanism and the said plate to retain thesaidplate for a 'period or four minutes in a position in which one of the said numeralsis displayed at said aperture and to movesaid plate at the end of each period of four minutes to display the next succeeding numeral at. said aperture, and a second hand which moves in the course of four minutes over the said second circular scale.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. V

ROLAND FABIAN BERRILL.

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