US2038686A - Reminder clock - Google Patents

Description

pri? 28, 1936, H. H, SMITH REMINDER CLOCK v Filed April 8, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTO ATTOREYS April 2%, 1%33. H H SWTH 2,38fi

REMINDER CLOCK Filed April 8, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W l IFL Smith ATTORNEYS H. H. ESMITH REMINDER CLOCK Filed April 8, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REMINDER CLOCK Application April 8, 1933, Serial No. 665,197

2 Claims.

My present invention relates to the art of electric clocks and more particularly to a clock which is so arranged as to be a great convenience in placing future reminder alarms and which may be more properly termed a reminder clock.

It is realized that many an attempt has been made in the past toprovide a clock mechanism upon which it is possible to set predetermined warnings or calls. These clocks are quite expensive due to the complication involved in their construction. In my present invention I provide a clock that makes it possible to set the mechanism so as to give the user any number of, reasonably spaced, future calls, a very desirable feature from many points of view. A business executive may have a number of appointments made throughout the day. He can go over his appointment sheets and set the clock so that as the time arrives for the the various appointments the signal will be sounded. There are many uses where this type of equipment is of a great con.- venience. It provides a very inexpensive reminder for hotel calls and the like. It enables the home owner to take a radio program, for instance, and set the signals for the various programs that might be of interest. Such clocks in the past have been characterized by the expensive construction entailed when an entire clock is made for that purpose. In my present construction, however, I find it possible to take a standard electric clock housing and standard electric clock mechanism and add to it certain parts which convert it into the reminder clock. It is these details of construction for converting the standard clock to reminder clock that I believe to be new.

Therefore, the principal object of my present invention is to provide means whereby a standard electric clock may be easily converted into a reminder clock.

A further object of my present invention is to provide means which make for more convenient setting of the various reminder alarms desired.

A further object of my invention is to provide means which utilize in a large degree the motive coil of an existing clock for the creation of the alarm signal.

Figure 1 shows in front elevation a clock built after the teachings of my principles. Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as at line 2-2 through the face of Figure l and with the three hands in vertical position. Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but illustrating the alarm mechanism in its non-operating position as distinguished from Figure 2. Figure 4 is a rear elevation in fragmentary form of the essential trip mechanism, one portion of which is broken away for clarity of illustration. Figure 5 shows an exploded view forming the various parts employed in my trip and alarm-creating mechanism, the only essential part being omitted, being the face ring itself.

Referring to the drawings throughout which like characters indicate like parts, l0 designates the housing such as normally supplied with the smaller low-priced electric clocks. I then remove the usual dial assembly and insert in place thereof a face ring l2. This ring is pierced around its edge with a plurality of equi-spaced holes. In the form shown I have indicated forty-eight of these openings. This provides a reminder clock set-up which will make it possible to set the alarm for periods of fifteen minute intervals. It will be understood, of course, that this number could be varied to meet the conditions under which the clock is to be operated. It is desirable, however, from the present arrangement that these holes be spaced on an accurate circle having its center at the center of the hand shaft.

Adapted for reciprocation within the holes in face ring 12 are a plurality of stop members [4. These have a body or shaft portion l 6 of uniform size and at its outer end is provided with a knob l8 of such size and shape that it will provide an easy grip for the fingers of the operator. Further, a collar portion is provided as to serve as a stop to limit the inward travel of the stop member. At its opposite end the stop member is provided with a collar or bushing as 22 which provides the portion contacted by the trip assembly. This serves a two-fold purpose in that as wear may be experienced, the collars can be removed and others substituted and they also serve to limit the outward travel of the stop members themselves.

It has been found necessary to have the stop members easily slidable within the pierced hole in the face ring yet to have them so arranged that vibration incidental to the alarm sounding will not cause the pins to work inwardly or outwardly, consequently I have provided a tension means 24 which is formed of a fine coil spring extending around the face ring and is so disposed that it engages the outer surface of pins I6 and places a constant, though rather light tension thereon. This is sufficient for locking the stop members in position normally although in extreme cases it may be desirable to slightly groove pins IS in their outward position and in their inward position so as to provide a seat for spring 24.

In the form shown face ring I2 is adapted to engage and be secured to housing [0 and to in turn support all the clock and alarm mechanism. It is then necessary to supply clock hands reduced somewhat in length and the smaller dial indicated at 26. No change is normally made in the hand arrangement other than reducing their sizes it being usual to have the second hand 21, the minute 28 and the hour hand 29.

The clockwork mechanism as normally supplied and referred to generally by reference characters 30 is spaced away from face ring l2 as by a plurality of posts 32. This provides sufficient space between the dial and the clockwork mechanism for my trip means. The trip mechanism consists of a plurality of parts which are mounted upon a trip base 34. This member is bifurcated at one end to form the two clamp members 35 and 36 and is drilled at 31 so as to tightly engage shaft l3 or more properly the outermost tube shaft, which carries the hour hand. By means of screw 38 the trip base 34 is clamped in fixed relationship to shaft l3 and revolves with it.

Hingedly secured to trip base 34 is the pusher plate 40. This is connected to base 34 by a plu rality of link members 42. Inasmuch as the link members are all of the same length pusher plate 40 moves away from base 34 but maintains a parallel relationship therewith, inasmuch as the four links 42 provide a parallelogram arrangement. Pusher plate 40 is normally held tight against wedge plate 60 under urgence of the two tension strings 44 which are connected at one end to the pusher plate, being attached to hole 45 therein, and attach at their other ends to bracket members 46 which in turn are riveted or otherwise secured to base 34.

As an operating means to force the pusher plate toward base 34 I provide a sheave member 48 which is revolvably secured to base 34 as by journal 50. I then employ a flexible wire 52 which is secured at one end in opening 53 in sheave 48, encircles the sheave, partially at least, and is secured to pusher plate 40 as at 54 of Figure 4. Fixedly secured to sheave 48 I provide a stop engaging pawl 56. This may-be of any desirable construction and shape. It is essential, however, that it be so arranged as to engage only one stop at a time, as often times it is desirable to set adjacent stops and unless the engaging portion of pawl 56 is fine enough to drop in between adjacent stop members or their bushings 22, the alarm will be continuous, a condition that defeats the purpose of the clock.

Pusher plate 40 is disposed, as a matter of convenience, upon the hour hand shaft. It must be borne in mind, however, that due to the lateral movement thereof the opening which encircles the shaft as 58 must be elongated. When the pusher plate is moved to the right as viewed in the various views, it engages the wedge plate 60 which also encircles the hour hand shaft. The primary purpose of plate 60 is to support and operate wedge 62 and it is secured to the clock frame or, more properly, to the face ring extension by means of a rather thin and therefore flexible spring member 64. Because of the yielding character of this spring the wedge plate is forced to the right with a straight line motion. Inasmuch as the area of the pusher plate 40 is sufficient to adequately support plate 60 against canting and provide the straight line movement required.

Referring to Figure 2, the action of wedge 62 will probably be most clearly shown. When the wedge is inserted between the armature 6B and the pole pieces 68 it prevents any audible signal due to dampening of any possible vibration. When the signal is desired, the wedge is withdrawn from between the pieces and the armature and a buzzer action results.

Pole pieces 68 are secured in proper electrical relationship with the motive coil 10 of the clock. This motive coil is a necessary component part of the clock, and by adapting this-coil to the buzzer construction a very satisfactory and inexpensive buzzer is provided. Armature 66, which is of magnetic material, is yieldably held in position by the non-magnetic bar 12 which is normally fixedly secured to the frame at one end as by rivets 14. The opposite end is free except for the limiting effect of an adjustable stop. One simple means which has proven quite effective is to take an ordinary machine screw as 16, bend it as indicated, and clamp it so that by revolving it within frame member 16 the desired degree of pressure may be applied to the extreme end 80 of member 12.

Method of operation In operating my reminder clock it is assumed that the clock is running so as to provide an ordinary time indicating clock and in such a condi tion wedge 62 is disposed between armature 66 and the pole pieces 68 so that no signal is sounded. The operator in order to set the clock grasps knob l8 with the thumb and fore finger normally and pulls it outwardly. This places bushing 22 in the path of the trip pawl 56 or in the modified form 99. When the hour hand which carries the trip mechanism has revolved to the time indicated the pawl contacts bushing 22, and as the hour hand progresses the arresting action of the pawl revolves sheave 48. This produces in both the forms indicated a retraction of the pusher plates, whether it is form 40 or 88. This movement thru the co-acting mechanism withdraws wedge 62 from its normal position separating armatures 66 from pole pieces 68 and the signal is produced.

In the form indicated the signal is normally a buzzer. However, the actual form of signal is a matter of personal choice, the vibrating armature could be made to actuate a bell or any other signaling arrangement desired. As soon as the pawl slips over bushing 22 as the hour hand drives it around, a reversal of the operation takes place. The presser plate is returned to its normal position where it presses against wedge plate 60, forcing the wedge 62 in between the armature and the pole pieces, thus shutting off the buzzer action. This brings out the need for bushing 22, in that the size of bushing 22 will normally determine the duration of the alarm altho this is modified somewhat by the exact shape of the pawl member.

If the operator does not restore stop member IE to its normal position the alarm will be sounded again 12 hours later, that is in a twelve hour clock movement. Now it is believed it will be understood clearly that any number of stops I6 might be withdrawn to the outer position and the various alarms sounded in their proper sequence.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device as described, the combination with a rotating shaft and a trip-base rotatable therewith, of a pressure-plate and links pivotally supporting said plate on the base, a spring for holding the plate in projected position, a trip pivoted on the base, an abutment in the path of movement of the trip, a retracting device con nected to said pressure plate, and connections between said trip and retracting device for actuating the latter when the trip encounters the abutment.

2. In a. device as described, the combination with a rotating shaft and a trip base rotatable therewith, of a. pressure plate and links pivotally supporting said plate on the base, a spring for holding the plate in projected position, a pivoted trip mounted on the base, an abutment in the path of movement of the trip, a sheave mounted on the pivot of the trip and a cord connected with said plate, whereby the plate is retracted when the trip encounters the abutment.

HAROLD H. SMITH.

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