US2311380A - Radio clock - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16, 1943. M, VM GOTTLIEB 2,311,380

RADIO CLOCK Filed Feb. 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l @kia-aim INVENR.Z

Feb-16, 1943. M M GOTTUEB 2,311,38

RADIO CLOCK Filed Feb. 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented F eb. 16, 1943 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE RADIO CLOCK Moritz M. Gottlieb, Allentown, Pa. Application February 5, 1940, serial No. 317,319

2 Claims.

Many so-called radio clocks have been made and marketed in the past, and yet, notwithstanding considerable effort expended by some of the largest radio manufacturers in both design and construction, as well as in advertising and merchandising in an attempt to popularize radio clock combinations, radio clock combinations have become virtually obsolete or, to say the least, have not had the sustained public acceptance which the manufacturers had hoped for. This has been true notwithstanding the fact that the best skill of radio manufacturers and of clock manufacturers was combined in many artistically attractive cabinet designs and technically good radios and clocks embodied therein, and notwithstanding the fact that considerable effort has been expended in promoting the sale and popularity of these radio clock combinations by all the known promotional means and media.

Perhaps one reason for the general failure or lack of sustained public acceptance of these radio clock combinations has been the fact that these radio clock combinations failed to perform certain essential functions necessary to their ultimate utility; functions which indeed were heretofore perhaps not even correctly perceived or appraised.

One of the problems incident to gaining public acceptance for radio programs and one of the problems in focusing public attention on par ticular programs is the need for gaining correlation in the mind of the average radio listener or prospective radio listener, between particular program and time. In other words, the average person, or at least a sufficiently large proportion of regular radio listeners, and more particularly the large proportion of casual radio listeners, lack the necessary consciousness of time in relation to particular radio broadcasts. One of the problems, therefore, of radio broadcasting is to develop in the minds of the prospective radio listeners, and particularly the more casual radio listeners, a time consciousness and a program consciousness and the correlation of the two.

Whether or not this problem has been correctly perceived, or indeed perceived at all by radio broadcasters and radio manufacturers in the past, cannot be definitely stated, but if this problem has been perceived, either no well-directed attempt has been made to solve this problem bythe radio clock combination sets themselves, or, if the radio clock combination sets heretofore produced and-marketedwere in enl tended as a solution of the problem, they have largely failed in that solution.

I have found that by selective emphasis imparted into the various parts of the indicator panel or instrument panel of a radio-clock combination instrument, attention can be so focused and selective emphasis can be so placed in the mind of the casual radio listener or prospective listener as not only to bring about the momentary correlation between time and program in the mind of thev listener but also gradually to develop in his mind an instinctive correlation between time and program.

I have found that by selectively providing relatively large time-telling numerals in the face or in the combined indicator panel or instrument panel of a radio-clock set, in relation to the size of the station-telling numerals thereof, and by having only the pertinent time-telling numerals f appear at any one time (as by what is generally known as a numeral clock), unconfused or undiluted by simultaneous visual appearance of other time-telling numerals (as would be the case with an ordinary dial-faced clock), a certain heretofore unattained correlation between time and program and time-program consciousness is achieved, partly because the time announcement of the radio preceding or following each broadcast fully corresponds with the Visual appearance of the selective set of pertinent timetelling numerals (which are confined at minute intervals to the particular time) and partly because of the particular placement of the emphasis by the relatively larger time-telling numerals in relation to the station-telling numerals, and partly by the particular contrast produced between the station-indicator dial with much or al1 of its station-telling numbers eX- posed and in sight at all times, and the dialless time-telling indicator presenting to view only the then pertinent time-telling numerals.

Thus, as the radio listener or user must keep before him both the radio dial and a time indicator, I have found that by subduing the clock face in relation to the time-telling numerals and indeed confining the visible clock face to virtually nothing more than the overall dimensions of the time-telling numerals, and by making such time-telling numerals substantially larger than the station-telling numerals, not only does the whole instrument retain the character of a radio, but a, highly desirable and heretofore unattained emphasis in the mind of the user is established for the time-program relationship,

`thereby enabling himv both instantaneously as well as by habit to correlate a particular time with a particular program.

This is of substantial advantage not only to the radio broadcaster but also to the radio listener, because by such correlation whether instantaneous or whether gradually developed into a subsconscious habit, the listener is able better and more frequently to enjoy radio broadcasting, as he will not so frequently (as is now the case) miss the rst minute or so of the essential beginning of a radio program while trying simultaneously to orient his mind to a large conventional round clock face with many numerals and the radio dial also with its many numerals; both the clock face and the radio dial each requiring individual selection on the part of the viewer before he can correlate the two.

Thus, I have found that by combining a radio with what may be called a numeral clock, as for instance the clock shown in th'e Greenawalt Patent No. 1,990,645 in the general manner indicated in the drawings attached hereto, with the clock face relatively small in relation to the time-telling numerals, and with the time-telling numerals relatively large in relation to (and preferably much larger than) the station-telling numerals, and by changing these time-telling numerals intermittently rath'er than by 4any continuous motion of the numeral-bearing elements, a highly desirable relationship is attained conducive to the ends hereinabove set forth.

Thus, instead of the momentary confusion in the mind of casual radio listener and particularly the radio listener with a less agile mind, which confusion so frequently prevails when suddenly glancing on the composite radio instrument panel showing a large clock face with many numerals and two hands requiring a cornposite reading of time, and the radio station-telling dial also showing many numerals from which the user must quickly make his selection; the instrument forming the subject matter of this application tends to avoid such confusion by showing only those time-telling numerals which give the time of that particular minute and without any need for a composite reading of the two pointers or clock hands and in which the timetelling numbers are relatively large in relation to the station-telling numbers and in which the time-telling numbers are intermittently changed thereby also avoiding any mental confusion by the sight of two successive numerals at any one time (one following the other or one replacing th'e other) the intermittent change of timetelling numerals being more or less instantaneous.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

Figure l represents a front elevational View of a radio clock embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 represents a section on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 represents a perspective view of a modied embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 represents a perspective view of a still further modified embodiment of the present invention.

According to my present invention, I provide a cabinet or housing designated generally by the numeral I 0, which may have bottom and top panels II and I2 and front panel I3 and side panels I4 and I5 and may either be open in the back or may be provided with a removable rear panel-I 6 h'eld in place by other removable fastening means.

The front panel I3 of the cabinet is provided with an opening I1 for a radio dial designated generally by the numeral I8;-the opening l1 being of any suitable shape desired for the dial.

The dial I8 carries the station-indicating numerals I9 arranged generally around the axis 20 of the hand 2l which is adapted to sweep over the station-indicating numerals I9 and which is generally coupled to the tuning knob 22 and the condensers by which the radio-receiving set is tuned. A volume turn-knob 23 is also provided Vin the usual manner for controlling volume and also for shutting oi the radio set in one of the limiting positions of the knob.

Another opening 24 may also be provided in the front panel I3 of the cabinet or in one of the other panels or sides of the cabinet, behind which the loud speaker cone 25 is disposed, covered over by suitable screening fabric 26.

The radio chassis designated generally by the numeral 21 may be of any conventional form containing any suitable number of tubes 28 and transformers, and condenser 30 and having preferably an incandescent light 3| adapted to illuminate the dial I8 whenever the radio is turned on.

In juxtaposition to the radio dial opening I1, a block opening 32 is provided in the same face or panel of the cabinet in which the dial opening I1 is contained; the clock opening 32 being of an areaY preferably substantially smaller than the area of the opening I1.

Behind the opening 32 a clock mechanism is provided, designated generally by the numeral 33 (andwh'ich is generally of the type shown in Greenawalt Patent No. 1,990,645) in which sets of time-telling numerals 34, 35 and 36 are carried on cylinders and are intermittently moved so as to bring into view a single set of numerals at any one time as indicated particularly in Figure 1; these time-telling numerals being substantially larger and indeed, preferably several times larger than the station-indicating numerals -I9 of the radio dial I8. These numerals are likewise Preferably illuminated by an incandescent light 31.

connected to the same source of current as the light 3| so that both are energized simultaneously. However, the light 31 may be constantly energized.

lIn addition to the cylinder 38 carrying the hour-telling numerals 34 and the cylinders 39 and 40 carrying the minute-telling numerals 35 and 36, an additional cylinder 4I may be provided for carrying second numerals 42 adapted to move either intermittently or continuously for recording the seconds.

Both the clock 33 as well as the radio 21, are supplied from a single source of current by means of the electrical cord 43 terminating in the plug 44, which may be branched off at any suitable point, as at 45, 'with leads 46 extending to the radio inlet 41 and leads 48 extending to th'e clock inlet 49; The juncture 45 is preferably concealed within the cabinet and is here shown exposed merely for purposes of illustration.

While in the particular illustration of the invention shown in the drawings the three openings' I1, 24 and 32 are disposed laterally in relation to each other, they may be disposed vertically in relation to each other. Likewise, the cabinet may be so proportioned so that its vertical dimension is substantially greater than its lateral dimension with the clock 33 and the radio set 21 being disposed one above the other. However, in .either event, Whether the openings Il, 251i and 32 are disposed more or less side by side in the general manner indicated in the drawings or Whether they are disposed one above the other, the time-telling numerals 34, 35 and 3 are always preferably much larger than the stationtelling numerals i9 and the opening or Window through which the time-telling numerals are exposed is preferably smaller in area than the opening through which the station-telling numerals are exposed, and While all or a substantial portion of the station-telling numerals are exposed at all times, generally only one set of time-telling numerals are exposed at any one time (excluding only the second numerals 42 which may be omitted entirely).

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms Without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is hereby claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A radio clock including a single cabinet containing both a radio and a numeral clock, said cabinet having a radio-dial opening, and a radio-dial behind said opening having stationtelling numerals exposed to view therethrough, said cabinet having a time opening in the same panel thereof, with th'e area of the time opening substantially smaller than the area of the radiodial opening, and with but a single set of timetelling numerals exposed to view at any one time through said time opening and With a substantial zone of station-telling numerals exposed through said dial-opening at all times and with the eiective over-all clock-face area surrounding the time opening substantially smaller than th'e effective over-all radio-dial-face area; said time-telling numerals being substantially larger than said station-telling numerals, said numeral clock including means for intermittently changing said time-telling numerals so as to bring into view, every minute, only the pertinent timetelling numerals.

2. A radio clock including a single cabinet containing both a radio and a cyclometer clock, said cabinet having a radio-dial opening, and a radio-dial behind said opening having stationtelling numerals exposed to View therethrough, said cabinet having a time opening therein, both openings visible simultaneously from the same point of view, with but a single set of time-telling numerals exposed to view at any one time through said time opening and with the effective over-all clock-face area surrounding the time opening substantially smaller than the effective over-all radio-dial-face area; said time-telling numerals being substantially more conspicuous than said station-telling numerals, said cyclometer clock including means for intermittently changing said time-telling numerals so as to bring into view every minute only the pertinent time-telling numerals.

MORITZ M. GO'I'I'LIEB.

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