US2006758A - Alarm clock - Google Patents

Description

July 2, 1935. E. 1 cARLsoN 2,006,758

ALARM CLOCK Filed Hay 24, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 2, 1935. E. L. cARLsoN 2,006,758

ALARM CLOCK Filed May 24, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheetl 2 Patented July 2, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALARM CLOCK ration Application May 24, 1933, Serial No. 672,542

15 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to alarm clocks, and more particularly to the striker-actuating mechanism of alarm clocks.

In order to awaken persons known as heavy sleepers, it has been necessary heretofore to provide alarm clocks with alarm-,sounding means which produce sound of considerable violence. Such violent sound, however, especially shocks or startles persons known as light sleepers, and alarm clocks have therefore sometimes been provided with a double alarm, the rst of which produces a soft or gentle alarm which is sumcient to arouse light sleepers, who thereupon shut oi the alarm. But if a sleeper does not awaken as a result of the gentle alarm, after a certain period of time the loud or violent alarm sounds.

A considerable objection to the combined soft and loud alarms, as heretofore made, is that they require much additional mechanism with consequent increased cost.

I have devised an alarm, however, of great simplicity and low cost which can be made to accomplish substantially all that is accomplished by the previously described combined soft and loud alarms, and which in addition can be made to operate to give a comparatively low intensity of sound, thus awakening sleepers without shocking or startling them and with minimum disturbance to other persons.

A characteristic of my invention resides in providing an alarm in which the striker is actuated at varied or irregular intervals, or varied or irregular intensities or combined varied or irregular intervals and intensities. Thus, even though the sound be of low intensity, the lack of uniformity in the intervals and/or intensities between successive beats during an alarmsounding period, disturbs and awakens the sleeper.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide improved alarm-sounding mechanism of great simplicity and low cost, which shall be adequate to arouse both heavy and light sleepers without shock, and with a minimum of disturbance to other persons.

The above and other objects and advantages will appear from the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain ways of carrying out the invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, with part of the front movement-plate broken away, of an alarmclock movement embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the striker or hammer-arm;

Fig. 3 is a face elevation of the hammer-actuating wheel assembled with the center arbor;

Fig. 4 is a left-end elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the shut-ofi lever;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a modied form of hammer-actuating wheel; and

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of another modified form of hammer-actuating Wheel.

Referring to the drawings, I0 and II are the front and rear movement-plates, held together by the pillars I2 and carrying the parts of the movement of an alarm clock.

The particular movement illustrated has an electric motor I3, preferably synchronous, which is geared down within the casing I4 to provide an arbor I5 in line with the center or seconds arbor I6 and in driving engagement with the latter by means of a spur-gear clutch-member II engaging in an internal-gear clutch-member I8. Arbors I5 and I6 rotate clockwise at the rate of one revolution per minute.

The clutch-member I8 has a reduced portion I9 which extends through the hammer-actuating wheel 20 and is riveted or otherwise attached thereto, and the clutch-member I8 also has a central opening in which the center or seconds arbor I6 is secured by means of a drive fit or otherwise.

The spur-gear clutch-member II is in driving engagement with the time-train, generally indicated by the numeral 2|, and by means of which the minute-sleeve 22 and hour-sleeve 23 are driven.

The bell or alarm-sounding member 24 is supported by the bracket 25 which is bolted to the rear movement-plate II. A hammer-arm 26 is secured on an arbor 21 pivoted in the movementplates I0 and II, and carries a hammer-actuating finger 28 adapted to engage with camor actuating-elements 29 formed on the periphery of the hammer-actuating wheel 20. The extension 3D of the hammer-arm is engaged by a spring 3I anchored in the hole 32 in the front movementplate I0, which spring tends to pull the extension 30 upwardly about the pivot of the arbor 21 to thrust the hammer 33 downwardly into striking engagement with the bell 24.

The rear upward extension 34 of the hammerarm 26 forms a hammer-tail adapted to strike against the upper left pillar I2 (Fig. 1) to resiliently limit the downward swinging movement of the hammer 33. Due to the slenderness and resilience of the hammer-tail and the hammerarm, and due to the weight of the hammer 33, when one of the projections or cams 29 lifts and releases the hammer-actuating finger 28, the spring 30 causes the hammer 33 to be swung downwardly toward the bell 24 from its dotted position shown in Fig. 1, until the hammer-tail 34 strikes the upper left pillar I2 (Fig. 1) and tends to stop the hammer in the position in which it is shown in full lines in Fig. 1, but due to the inertia of the hammer 33 and the resilience or spring of the hammer-tail and hammer-arm, the hammer 33 moves downwardly until it strikes the bell 24, whereupon it springs back to its normal position slightly above the bell, as shown in full lilies in Fig. l,

35 is the usual hand-set arbor or staff. The alarm-set arbor or staff 36, through the usual suitable gearing, actuates the arbor 31 which has secured thereto the alarm-cam finger 38. The alarm-wheel 39 is fixed to the alarm-cam sleeve 40 which is rotatable and slidable on the arbor 31 and normally pushed toward the front movement-plate I 0 by means of the alarm-control spring 4I which is secured to the front movementplate at 42, and extends past the arbor 31 and is provided with an alarm-control nger 43 having a cam-surface 44.

By means of the alarm-set arbor vor stall" 36, the alarm-cam finger 38 is rotated to bring it into any desired alarm-time position, in accordance with an alarm-dial (not shown) in the usual and well-known way.

The alarm-wheel 39 is in driven engagement with the time-train which drives the minuteand hour- sleeves 22 and 23. When the alarm-wheel 39 has rotated to the position where the alarm is to sound, the notch 45 in the cam-sleeve comes opposite the cam-finger 28, thereby permitting the alarm-control spring 4| to push the alarmwheel 39 and cam-sleeve 40 axially along the staff 31 and thereby permit the cam-surface 44 to swing laterally out of the path which it normally occupies in resting against the upwardlyextending portion 46 of the hammer-arm 26,'

thereby permitting the hammer 33 to move downwardly from the dotted position shown in Fig. l to its full-line position, thereby bringing the hammer-actuating finger 28 into position to be lifted by the cam-elements 29 formed on the periphery of the hammer-actuating wheel 2U, which at all times rotates at one R. P. M. in the type of clock illustrated in the drawings.

Each time one of the cam-elements 29 raises and releases the hammer-actuating finger 28, the hammer 33 is caused to strike a blow against the bell 24. This alarm-sounding action continues until the hammer 33 is lifted and held in its raised dotted-line position (Fig. l). The hammer israised and held in this position by means of the cam-surface 44 on the alarm-control iinger 43, which is gradually forced into engagement with the upwardly-extending portion 46 of the hammer-arm 26 as the cam-sleeve 40 is rotated by the time-train to cause the cam-surface 41 of the alarm-cam sleeve 4U to wipe against the alarm-cam nger 38 and shift the alarmcam sleeve 40 longitudinally of the arbor 31 to push the alarm-control spring 4|, with its integral alarm-control finger 43, to move the camsurface 44 into forcible engagement with the portion 46 of the hammer-arm 26 to raise and hold the hammer 33 in the dotted-line position (Fig. 1).

A shut-off lever 48 is pivoted at 49 and is normally thrust upward against the limit-linger 50 by means of the spring 5| and has a lateral extension 52 provided with a bifurcated end 53 adapted to be engaged and pushed downwardly and pulled upwardly by any suitable means, such as an alarm-shut-oif plunger (not shown). The

yshut-off lever 48 is provided with a latching-end 54 which, when forced downwardly, rides along the cam-surface 55 of the hammer-tail 34, so as to swing the hammer-arm upwardly to bring the hammer 33 in the inactive dotted position shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the latching-end 54 snaps beneath the keeper 56 to hold the hammer in its inoperative position.

When it is desired to release the hammer in order that it may be actuated in time to give an alarm, the alarm-shut-off plunger (not shown), which engages the bifurcated end 53, is pulled upwardly, which causes the latch-end 54 to snap upwardly past the keeper 56 so as to release the hammer-arm 26, which is then swung downwardly to operative position by means of the spring 3|.

Inasmuch as the hammer-actuating wheel 20 rotates at uniform speed, the times at which the hammer 33 strikes the bell 24 will be determined by the relative spacing between the cam-elements 2S] around the wheel 20, in the form of hammeractuating wheel shown in Figs. 1 and 3. 'I'he cam-elements 29 are arranged in successive groups of one, two and three cam-elements, so that if the hammer-actuating finger 28 happens to descend at. a location between the one-andthree group of cam-elements, the hammer will be caused to strike one, one-two, one-two-three (as the hammer-actuating wheel 20 rotates clockwise) and then repeat this cycle over indefinitely.

If the hammer-actuating finger 28 happens to descend at some other location, the first contact of the hammer with the bell may be to give two blows or three blows, depending on whether it descends just ahead of a two group or a three group of cam-elements, but inany case, regardless of where the hammer-actuating finger 28 happens to start, the alarm will be produced as a succession of varied or irregular beats which have a powerful awakening quality, even though the intensity of the blow on the bell be very mild.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of actuatingwheel 51 in which a greater range of variation is produced in the beats or blows struck upon the bell 24 by means of a greater range of variation in the grouping of the cam-elements 29.

In Fig. 7 is shown another modified form of actuating-wheel 58 in which certain of the camelements are of differing height to vary the intensity of the beats or blows struck upon the bell 24. The cam-elements 29 are of the same height, while the cam-elements 59 are somewhat higher than the cam-elements 29 and cam-elements 60 are somewhat higher than cam-elements 59. It will be observed that this form of construction is adapted to actuate the striker at combined varied intervals and intensities. It will be obvious that this construction could be further" changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. An` alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a center arbor, operating mechanism for said time mechanism, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarmsounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mounted on said center arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals during an alarmsounding period.

2. An alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a center arbor, operating mechanism for said time mechanism, an alarmsounding member, a striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mounted on said center arbor and having varied-spaced elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals during an alarm-sounding period.

3. An electric alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a seconds arbor, an electric motor actuated mechanism for rotating said seconds arbor, an alarm-sounding member, a strikerfor striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mounted on said seconds arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals during an alarm-sounding period.

4. An electric alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a seconds arbor, an electric motor actuated mechanism for rotating said seconds arbor, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mountedV on said seconds arbor and having varied-spaced elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals during an alarmsounding period.

5. An alarm clock comprising: time mechanism and operating mechanism therefor, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals and intensities during an alarm-sounding period.

6. An alarm clock comprising: time mechanism and operating mechanism therefor, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism adapted to actuate said striker at varied intensities inrepeated cycles during an alarm-sounding period.

'7. An alarm clock comprising: time mechanism and operating mechanism therefor, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals and intensities in repeated cycles during an alarm-sounding period.

8. An alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a center arbor, operating mechanism for said time mechanism, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarmsounding member, and striker-actuating mechasaid striker at varied intensities during an alarmsounding period.

9. An alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a center arbor, operating mechanism for said time mechanism, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarmsounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mounted on said center arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals and intensities during an alarm-sounding period.

10. An alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a center arbor, operating mechanism for said time mechanism, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarmsounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including av wheel mounted on said center arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intensities in repeated cycles during an alarm-sounding period.

11. An alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a center arbor, operating mechanism for said time mechanism, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarmsounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mounted on said center arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals and intensities in repeated cycles during an alarm-sounding,

seconds arbor, an alarm-sounding member, a

striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mounted on said seconds arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intensities during an alarm-sounding period.

13. An electric alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a seconds arbor, an electric motor actuated mechanism for rotating said seconds arbor, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a Wheel mounted on said seconds arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals and intensities during an alarm-sounding period.

14. An electric alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a seconds arbor, an electric motor actuated mechanism for rotating said seconds arbor, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mounted on said seconds arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intensities in repeated cycles during an alarmsounding period.

15. An electric alarm clock comprising: time mechanism including a seconds arbor, an electric motor actuated mechanism for rotating said seconds arbor, an alarm-sounding member, a striker for striking said alarm-sounding member, and striker-actuating mechanism including a wheel mounted on said seconds arbor and having elements adapted to actuate said striker at varied intervals and intensities in repeated cycles during an alarm-sounding period.

ELOF L. CARLSON.

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