US2292458A - Clock - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 11, 1942. o. HQMASER CLOCK Filed Feb. 4, 1941 IN VEN TOR.

0. jZMaser ATTORNEYS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 O. H. MASER CLOCK Filed Feb. 4, 1941 Aug. 11, 1942.

Patented Aug. 11, 1942- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOCK Otto H. Maser, Chihuahua, Mexico Application February 4, 1941, Serial No. 377,384

Claims.

This invention relates to clock construction, the primary object of the invention being to provide a clock embodying hands movable transversely over a dial of rectangular construction, thereby providing a timepiece which is exceptionally adapted for use on the instrument boards of motor vehicles, aeroplanes or the like,

An important object of the invention is to provide a device which is used in conjunction with the usual clock mechanism, and connected with the hour and minute hand shafts thereof, whereby rotary movement of said shafts will be converted into right line movement, to accomplish the purpose of the invention.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clock for the instrument board of vehicles, wherein the time may be determined at a glance.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and ariangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the device.

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the housing ing or body portion of the device.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the housing or body portion of the device taken at right angles to Figure 2 along the line 3-3, illustrating the mechanism in plan.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view disclosing a. portion of one of the cams, and the end of one of the operating arms, as contacting therewith.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference character 5 designates the housing or case which is preferably rectangular in formation, the housing being of a depth to accommodate the usual clock mechanism, indicated generally by the reference character 6.

The reference character 1 designates theshaft on which the minute hand of the clock mechanism is usually mounted, and the reference character 8 designates the shaft on which the hour hand of the usual clock mechanism is mounted. For the sake of convenience, the shaft] will be referred to throughout the specification as the minute hand shaft, while the shaft 8 will be referred to as the hour hand shaft.

- Mounted on the minute hand shaft 1, is a cam 9, that is secured to the shaft to rotate therewith. A bell-crank lever indicated at I0 is mounted on the shaft H extending through the forward compartment of the case or housing 5, the bell-crank lever having a right angled end or finger 12 that normally rests on the edge of the cam 9, as clearly shown by Figure 5 of the di awings. One arm of the bell-crank lever I0 extends downwardly, where it has pivotal connection with the link l2 that is pivotally connected at one end of the segmental gear IS. A pulley indicated by the reference character I4 is mounted within the case or housing, and is provided with a gear I5 that meshes with the segmental gear 13, to the end that movement of the segmental gear l3 will rotate the pulley l4 in the direction of the arrow, under normal conditions. The pulley I4 is grooved so that the cable l6 which has one end thereof secured to the pulley [4, will be guided in its movements over the pulley. The cable I6 operates through the guide I! formed in the bracket l8 that is mounted within the casing. The cable is connected with the arm 49 which is provided with a base 20 formed with bores to accommodate the rods 2| of the supporting track, with the result that as the gable I6 is wound on the pulley 14, the arm I9 will be moved in a right line direction. The minute hand of the clock is indicated by the reference character 2|, and is formed at the outer end of the arm IS, the construction of the arm being such that the minute hand will move over the dial 22 of the mechanism or clock, in proximity to the markings 23 on the dial indicating minutes.

At the opposite end of the case or housing, is a pulley 24 mounted on the shaft 25, the pulley 24 being also formed with a peripheral groove in which the cable 26 moves, the cable 26 having one of its ends secured to the periphery of the pulley 24. The opposite end of the cable 26 has connection with the base 20, as at 21, the cable 26 moving through the guide of the bracket 28. A spring indicated at 29 has one of its ends secured to the shaft 25, the opposite end thereof being secured to the pulley, so that as the cable I6 is wound on the pulley l4, the cable 26 will operate to rotate the pulley 24 in a direction to wind up the spring and put tension on the pulley 24. movement is imparted to the pulley i4 to wind the cable l6 thereon, the minute hand 2| will be moved indicating the minutes. When the lever 10 moves to a position where the right angled end or finger l2 thereof moves over the shoulder It is obvious that as the cam 9 rotates and 38, the bell-crank lever will be snapped over the shoulder, due to the action of the spring 29, unwinding. It will be obvious that the minute hand will now be returned to the left hand end of the case or housing, and that upon further rotary movement of the earn, the bell-crank lever It will operate to again wind the cable ii on the pulley l4, returning the minute hand across the markings of the dial indicating the minutes of the hour.

Associated with the cam 9, and mounted on the shaft 8, is a cam 3| that rotates with the shaft 8. The reference character 32 indicates a bellcrank lever that has one of its arms formed with a laterally extended finger 33 that rests on the periphery of the cam 3|. A shoulder 34 is formed on the cam 3|, so that the bell-crank lever will drop over the shoulder and contact with the periphery of the cam, after the cam has made one complete revolution. The bell-crank lever 32 has connection with the link 35 that connects with the lower end of the segmental gear 38 which in turn is in mesh with the gear 31 secured to the hub of the pulley 38.

A cable indicated at 39 rests in the peripheral groove of the pulley 38 and is secured thereto. The cable 39 extends through the guide 48 and connects with the base 4| on which the arm 42 is mounted, the arm 42 providing a support for the hour hand 43. The base 4| is formed with bores to accommodate the parallel guide rods 44, so that the base 4| may move freely over the rods with the minimum-amount of resistance.

A cable indicated at 45 is connected with the base 4| and moves through the guide 46, the cable being connected to the pulley 41 mounted within the housing. The pulley 41 is supplied with a coiled spring 48 which is wound within the pulley, as the base 4| is moved to the right hand end of the case or housing 5, placing the spring under tension. Thus it will be seen that when the finger 33 moves over the shoulder 34 of the cam 3|, the spring 48 will act to rotate the pulley 41 causing the base 4| and hand 43 supported thereon, to be returned to the left hand end of the dial. It will of course be understood that there are certaingraduations on the dial over which the hand 43 moves, indicating twelve hours of the day.

In view of the fact that the cam 3| is mounted on the hour hand shaft of the clock mechanism with which the device is used, it is obvious that the cam will make one complete revolution every twelve hours whereupon the mechanism will operate to return the hand 43 to its initial position.

The same may be said for the cam 9, with the exception that the cam 9 being mounted on the minute hand shaft of the clock or timepiece, will rotate at a faster rate of speed, and the hand 2| will move the entire length of the dial and be returned to its initial position, every sixty minutes.

From the foregoing it will be seen that due to the construction shown and described, a rectangular case or housing may be used in conjunction with the usual clock mechanism, converting the usual clock mechanism, wherein the hands thereof rotate over a dial, into a timepiece wherein the hands move longitudinally of the dial, rendering the clock easily read. It will also be seen that because of the rectangular construction of the housing, the device may be used to an advantage on instrument boards of motor vehicles, aeroplanes or the like, the structure of the mechanism being in keeping with the elongated structure of the instrument board.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with the minute and hour hand shafts of a clock mechanism, of a device for determining time, comprising a casing in which said clock mechanism is mounted, an elongated dial within the casing, minute and hour hands mounted within the casing, means for moving the hands across the dial indicating time, said means comprising cams secured on the minute and hour hand shafts, pulleys within the casing, cables secured to the pulleys and adapted to wind thereon, gears adapted to rotate certain of the pulleys, levers and links operated by the cams and adapted to rotate the gears and pulleys in one direction. and means for operating the cables returning the hands to their initial positions.

2. In a device of the character described, a casing, an elongated clock dial mounted within the casing, a clock mechanism including hour and minute hand shafts, mounted within the casing, cams secured to the shafts to move therewith, said cams having oflset portions in the peripheries thereof, bell crank levers mounted within the casing and engaging the peripheries of the cams, said cams moving the levers when the cams rotate thereunder, pairs of pulleys mounted within the casing, and comprising drive pulleys and driven pulleys, gearing adapted to transmit movement of the driven pulleys to said bell crank levers, a coiled spring in each drive pulley and adapted to rotate said pulleys in one direction when said bell crank levers move onto the offset portions of the cams, cables operating between the pulleys of each pair and adapted to be wound from one pulley to another, and hands movable over the dial and having connection girth the cables to move therewith, indicating 3. In a device of the character described, a cas ng, an elongated clock dial mounted in the cas ng, rotary hour and minute shafts in the casing, cams secured on the shafts, pairs of pulleys mounted within the casing, each pair of pulleys comprising a spring operated drive pulley and a driven pulley, a horizontally movable cable secured to the pulleys of each pair and adapted to wind thereon, hands connected with the cables and adapted to move longitudinally of the dial when the cables wind from one pulthereon from one pulley to the other, hand connected with the cables and adapted to move longitudinally of the dial connected with the bell crank levers, and gearing operated by said links, whereb t are rotated. y he pulleys 5. In a device of the character described, a

casing, an elongateddial mounted within the casing-a clock mechanism mounted within the casing, a minute hand'shaft and an-hour hand i A shaft mounted-on the clock and extending into the casing, rotarycams mounted on the shafts,

-cab1es',pu1leys ron which the cables are wound,

brackets secured within the casing, guide membei s operating within thebrackets, base members having bore to receive the guide members,

whereby the base members move longitudinally of said guide members, said base members being connected to the cables, indicating hands supported by the base members, said cables adapted to be wound on the pulleys moving the cables and base members, and means operated by said cams for operating the pulleys to wind the cables thereon,

OTTO H. MASER.

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