US2094989A

US2094989A - Automatic alarm clock

Info

Publication number: US2094989A
Application number: US69074A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kohlhagen Walter
Original assignee: WATERBURY CLOCK Co
Current assignee: WATERBURY CLOCK Co
Priority date: 1936-03-16
Filing date: 1936-03-16
Publication date: 1937-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 1954-10-05

Description

Oct. 5, 1937. w. KOHLHAGEN AUTOMATIC ALARM CLOCK Filed March 16, 1936 2 SheetS-Shee't 1 ddh j Wii n i, w, fa 6 HM. m M m lf Mr Y! P M a w UJ j Oct. 5, 1937. w. KOHLHAGEN AUTOMATIC ALARM CLCK Filed March 1e, 1.936

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 5, 1937 AUTQMATIC ALARM CLOCK Walter Kohlhagen, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to The Waterbury Clock Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation o! Connecticut Application March 16, 1936, Serial No. 89,074

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic alarm clocks.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved automatic alarm clock formed of simple elements readily manufactured and readily assembled to produce a durable efcient construction at low cost.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention includes all improvements over the prior art which are disclosed in this application.

In the accompanying drawings, ln which one way of carrying out the invention is shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. lis a front elevation of the movement of the alarm clock; 1

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of a fragmental portion of the back-plate with the rear shut-oil' lever shown in sectionin relation thereto;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View, partly broken away, of the construction shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a rear perspective view of a portion of the construction shown in Fig. 5.

In the description and claims, the various parts are identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the prior art will permit.

Referring to the drawings, Ill and Il are front and rear movement-plates connected together by pillars I2 and carrying the parts of the movement of an alarm clock.

'I'he particular movement illustrated has an electric motor I3, preferably synchronous, which receives alternating current from wires I4 and l5. 'I'he electric motor is geared down within the casing I6 to provide a seconds center-arbor I1 which has a seconds pinion I8 secured thereto and in driving relation with a reduction-wheel I9 carrying a pinion 20 which in turn meshes with the minute-Wheel 2| frlctionally secured to the minute-sleeve 22. Mounted on the minutesleeve 22 forward of the front movement-plate I0 is a minute-pinion 23 which meshes with the dial-wheel 24 having the dial-pinion 25 secured thereto and which in turn drives the hourwheel 25 rigidly secured to the hour-sleeve 25h. The dial-pinion 25 has secured thereto for concurrent rotation therewith a secondary dialpinion 26 meshing with an alarm-wheel 21 to which is secured the alarm-cam 28. 'Ihe alarmset arbor or sta 29 is frictionally mounted for rotation by means of the collar 30 secured to the arbor 28 and frictionally pressed against movement-plate Il by means of a compression-spring 3| pressing between the front movement-plate I0 and the collar 32 secured on the arbor 29.

The front end of the arbor 28 has secured thereto an alarm-set finger 33 in engagement with 5 the alarm-cam 28. The alarm-wheel 21 and its alarm-cam 28 are mounted for limited longitudinal sliding movement on the arbor 28 while remaining in mesh with pinion 26, being normally held in outermost position by means of an alarmcontrol member 34 here shown in the form of a leaf-spring having its outer end provided with a' latch-shoulder 35 adapted to be engaged by a latch 36 formed on an end-portion of a shut-01T lever 31 pivoted at 38 on the front movementplate l0.

A tension-spring 38 normally tends to swing the lever 31 in an anti-clockwise direction. The shut-off lever 31 may have an angle-extension lever 40 extending through the back-plate 4i and having movement back and forth in the slot 42 of the back-plate 4I. If desired to provide a permanent shut-off for the shut-off lever, this may be accomplished by providing the notched portion 43, into which the outer end (shown in section in Fig. 3) of the extension lever 40 may be sprung. The shut-off lever 31 may be provided with an arm 44 provided with a fork 45 adapted to slidably engage a pin 46 carried by a lever 41 pivoted at 48 on the front of the front movement-plate I0. The other arm 49 of the lever 41 has a circular end 50 which slidably engages between the fingers 5I and 52 of a shut-01T slide 53 slidably secured on the front of the front movement-plate l0 by means of the headed pins 35 54 and 55. 4

The upper end of the shut-off slide 53 has an angle-bend 56 adapted to be connected with a top shut-off plunger 51 which extends out through the top of the case of the alarm clock. Either the top shut-off plunger 51 or the shut-oli extension lever 40 may be provided alone, or both may be provided on a clock, as desired.

The alarm-sounding member or bell 58 in th particular construction shown is electrically actuated by an electromagnet 59 receiving current through the wires 68 and 6l. Bell 58 and electromagnet 59 are mounted on bracket 8| by means of screw 58m, the bracket 8i being secured to .movement-plate by rivets 8|. The wire 6l is'50 contacts 65 in position to be engaged by a metallic bridging-contact-member 66 pivoted or rockably mounted at 61 on a vertically-slidable plate or bar of insulating material 68 mounted to slide vertically through a lower opening 69 in a U-bracket 10 and through an upper opening 1| in the insulating-plate 632 'Ihe bridgingmember 66 has a pair of lugs 66El at opposite sides of its lower end adapted to limit the rocking movement of the bridging-member by engagement of the lugs 56a with opposite edges of the bar 68.

'I'he bar 68 extends through an opening 12 in the end of the alarm-control spring 34, which latter has its two sides 13 and 14 bent up and secured therein is a pin or rivet 15 which extends through a hole 16 in the bar 68. A wire 11 leads from the contact 64 to the electromagnet 59 for 1 actuating the bell 58.

The pole-piece 18 of magnetic material of the electromagnet extends to a location adjacent the armature of magnetic material forming a hammer 19 secured to a leaf-spring 80, which latter In operation, the alarm-set arbor 29 is turned' to bring the alarm-cam finger 33 to the desired position corresponding to the time it is desired that the alarm should sound. Alternating current being supplied to the alarm clock through the wires I4 and I5 results in the synchronous electric motor of the clock actuating the time-train and through the latter, as previously described, actuating the alarm-wheel 21, which latter makes one complete revolution in each twenty-four-hour period.

When the alarm-wheel 21 has been rotated to a position to bring the notch 82 beneath the camnger 33, the alarm-control member or spring 34 shifts the alarm-wheel 21 and its cam 28 vertically upwards, as seen in Fig. 2, and hence moves the outer end of the alarm-control spring 34 and the bar 68 upwardly, to thus carry the rockable bridging-member 66 into contact with the pair of electric contacts 65, whereupon current actuates the electromagnet 59 to cause the magnetic hammer 19 to strike the bell or sounding-member 58.

When it is desired to stop the alarm, this can be done by pressing down on the top shut-of! plunger-rod 51 or by swinging the shut-oft extension lever 40 downwardly, either of which procedures causes the latch 36 of the shut-oi lever 31 to ride along the cam-surface 83 of the alarmcontrol spring 34 until the latch 36 snaps past the latch-shoulder 35, whereupon the alarm-control spring 34 springs upwardly to cause the latch 36 and latch-shoulder 35 to engage, thus holding the shut-off lever 31 in the position described. In this operation of latching the

parts

35 and 36, the bar 68 has been forced downwardly and held in a position such as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, with the bridging-member 66 below and out of contact with the pair of contacts 65, thus breaking the electric circuit to the electromagnet 59 and stopping the sounding of the alarm.

As the time-train of the clock continues to operate, the alarm-wheel 21 continues to rotate to cause the sloping portion 84 of the alarm-cam 28 to engage the cam-finger 33 and thus depress the alarm-control spring 34, which presses the Watch-shoulder 35 down away from the latch 36 to thus release the shut-oil lever 31, which thereupon is pulled away from its latching position by means of the spring 39, thus automatically resetting the alarm, ready for actuation at the next twenty-four-hour alarm interval.

During the period of time from the unlatching of the shut-0E lever 31 until the sounding of the alarm, the bridging-member 66 is held down out of contact with the electric contacts 65, as a result of the alarm-cam 28 and alarm-wheel 21 maintaining the alarm-control spring 34 depressed until the notch 82 of the cam 28 again registers with the alarm-cam nger 33, whereupon the alarm-control spring 34 again raises the bar 68 and the bridging-member 66 into engagement with'the switch-contacts 65. to thus again sound the alarm.

If for any reason, it is desired to permanently shut off' the alarm and not have it sound at its normal sounding times, this can be accomplished in any suitable way. One way is by springing the extension lever 40 laterally until it engages in the notch 43, thus permanently holding the shut-off lever 31 with its latch 36 in latching position above the alarm-control spring 34.

The invention may be carried out in other speciflc ways than that herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. An automatic alarm clock comprising: electric alarm-actuating mechanism including an electric switch having a closable portion; a springactuated alarm-control member connected to said closable portion and having a latch-shoulder; a spring-actuated alarm shut-off member springbiased to inoperative position and having a latch to engage said latch-shoulder when the alarmcontrol member is in a position to allow actuation of the alarm thereby to hold said alarmcontrol member and alarm shut-off member against actuation by their respective springs; and release mechanism adapted to release said latch, and subsequently release said alarm-control member to move said closable portion of said electric switch to initiate the actuation of said alarm-actuating mechanism.

2. An automatic alarm clock comprising: electric alarm-actuating mechanism including an electring switch having a closable portion; a spring-actuated alarm-control member carrying said closable portion and having a latch-shoulder; a spring-actuated alarm shut-oi member spring-biased to inoperative position and having a latch to engage said latch-shoulder when the alarm-control member is in a position to allow actuation of the alarm thereby to hold said alarm-control member and alarm shut-oil member against actuation by their respective springs; and release mechanism adapted to release said latch, and subsequently release said alarm-control member to move said closable portion of said electric switch to initiate the actuation of said alarm-actuating mechanism.

3. An automatic alarm clock comprising: electric alarm-actuating mechanism including an electric switch having a rockable, closable portion; a spring-actuated alarm-control member carrying said rockable,`closable portion and having a latch-shoulder; a spring-actuated alarm shut-off member spring-biased to inoperative position and having a latch to engage said latchshoulder when the alarm-control member is in a position to allow actuation of the alarm thereby to hold said alarm-control member and alarm shut-oil' member against actuation by their respective springs; and release mechanism adapted to release said latch, and subsequently release said alarm-control member to move said rockable, closable portion of said electric switch to initiate the actuation o! said alarm-actuating mechanism.

4. An automatic alarm clock comprising: electric alarm-actuating mechanism including an electric switch having a closable portion; a spring-actuated alarm-control member having a slidable part carrying said closable portion and having a. latch-shoulder; a spring-actuated alarm shut-oilr member spring-biased to inoperative position and having a latch to engage said latchshoulder when the alarm-control member is in a position to allow actuation of the alarm thereby to hold said slidable alarm-control member and alarm shut-ofi member against actuation by their respective springs; and release mechanism adapted to release said latch, and subsequently release said slidable alarm-control member to move said closable portion of said electric switch to initiate the actuation of said alarm-actuating mechanism.

5. An automatic alarm clock comprising: electric alarm-actuating mechanism including an electric switch having a rockable, closable portion; a spring-actuated alarm-control member having a slidable part carrying said rockable, closable portion and having a latch-shoulder; a spring-actuated alarm shut-oil member springbiased to inoperative position and having a latch to engage said latch-shoulder when the alarmcontrol member is in a position to allow actuation ot the alarm thereby to hold said slidable alarmtion of said electric switch to initiate the actuation of said alarm-actuating mechanism.

6. An automatic alarm clock comprising: electric alarm-actuating mechanism including an electric switch having a closable portion; a springactuated alarm-control member connected to said closable portion and having a latch-shoulder; a spring-actuated pivoted alarm shut-olf member spring-biased to inoperative position and having a latch to engage said latch-shoulder when the alarm-control member is in a. position to allow actuation of the alarm thereby to hold said alarm-control member and alarm shut-01T member against actuation by their respective springs, and operating mechanism including a levermeans connected to said alarm shut-oil member; and release mechanism adapted to release said latch, and subsequently release said alarm-control member to move said closable portion of said electric switch to initiate the actuation of said alarm-actuating mechanism.

7. An automatic alarm clock comprising: electric alarm-actuating mechanism including an electric switch having a closable portion; a spring-actuated alarm-control member connected to said closable portion and having a latchshoulder; a spring-actuated alarm shut-off member spring-biased to inoperative position and having a latch to engage said latch-shoulder when the alarm-control member is in a position to allow actuation of the alarm thereby to hold said alarm-control member and alarm shut-off member against actuation by their respective springs and having a spring hand-lever, and means adjacent the normal path of movement of said spring hand-lever into locking engagement with which said hand-lever may be sprung; and release mechanism adapted to release said latch, and subsequently release said alarm-control member to move said closable portion of said electric switch to initiate the actuation of said alarm-actuating mechanism.k

WALTER KOHLHAGEN.