US40358A

US40358A - Improvement in watches

Info

Publication number: US40358A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1863-10-20
Anticipated expiration: 1880-10-20

Description

E. F. PERRET.

Watch.

Patented Oct. 20. 1863.

the seeondshand.

UNITED STATES EDI/VARI) FAV-RE PERRET, OF LOOLE, SWITZERLAND.

MPROVEMENT IN WATCHES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,358, dated October .20, 19,63.

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD FAVRE PER- RET, of Locle, Switzerland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Watches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, and complete specification of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part hereof, which are fully described herein, and in which- Similar letters indicate similar parts in all the figures.

My invention is an improvement in the manner ofconneeting the secondshaud 7 with the train7 whereby I am enabled to start and to stop that hand at pleasure without a'ecting i the. train, and it is particularly applicable to l watches having a central, or, as it is called, an independent7 seconds-hand. l

In the drawings, Figure I represents a plan l view of the plate under' the dial, so mucht only of the parts being shown as is necesl sary to explain my invention. Fig. II is a l vertical central section, and Fig. III is a plan view ofthe under side ofthe plate, and ofthe l parts of my improvement.

At c is seen the fourth or seconds7 wheel ofthe train, a being its pinion. This wheel l and its pinion are free to revolve around the g statt' Z) of the secondshand, which has its l pivot in the outer back plate of the watch, and extends through a tube on the central plate to the dial in the usual manner, and seen at c.

To cause the seconds-wheel to give rotation to the staff Z1, there is a collet or clutch, d, made to slide upon the staff and also to turn with it. There is a coiled spring, e, on the staff, tending to keep the clutch pressed against the end of the pinion a ofthe secondswheel, and when so pressed the frictionofthe two is sufcient to insure a proper rotation of When the seconds hand is to be stopped, the clutch is to be lifted away from the end ofthe pinion, and to be held so firmly as to prevent the friction of the pinion around the staff from carrying the staff with it. This is effected by a forked lever, f, which embraces the clutch, as shown in Figs. Il and III, and which, when holding the clutch away from the pinion7 compresses the coiled spring e, thereby making the friction of the clutch against the forks of the lever sufcient to hold the statt' at rest. The lever f has its fulcrum at i thence it passes through to the upper side of the central plate, as seen in Fig. II, where its other end is made to extend partially over the face of aratchet-wheel, k, on the plate. This wheel has two sets ot' ratchet-teeth, the one, l, upon its edge, and these must be an even number, the other set, n, is upon the face of the wheel, near its edge, and ofhalf the number-of the set Z. Both sets of teeth are inclined in the same direction, and the outer end of the leverfis made to press down always upon the teeth n by the spring o. A pawl, p, is so placed with regard to the ratchet-wheel that it shall take into the teeth Z on the edge, and be operated by means of a stud, 1', which extends out through the case, to be depressed by the iinger. It has also a spring, s, which serves the double purpose ot keeping the pawl engaged with the ratchet, and of retiring it outward for the next depression.

The operation will be as follows: If, atoommencing, the outer arm of the lever] be resting in the bottom of one of the teeth a, as shownv in the several figures, the clutch (l will then rest against the end of the pinion a of the seconds-wheel, and will cause the stati` ofthe seconds-hand to be carried around with it. If, now, the stud r be pressed in, the ratchet-wheel will be carried onward one notch of the outer teeth, l, and as there are twice as many of these as ot the teeth n the lever-armf will ride up one of those and remain held up. This action withdraws the clutch d from the end ofthe pinion, and also holds the staff, as before explained. rIhe seconds hand is now stopped, although it is obvious that the other movements will still pro` gress. If the stud be now pressed in again,

the arm of the lever will drop over the tooth upon which it was held up, and the clutch will again press upon the end ofthe pinion.

It will be seen that by my improvement only a single mainspring and train are required to obtain all the advantages of an independent seconds-hand for the measurement of fractions of a minute.

I claim- So combining the secoudshand with the fourth or seconds wheel that the seeondshand can be stopped, and permanently held or started at pleasure without affecting the movements of the seconds-wheel, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

Witnesses: El). FAVRE PERRET.

B. BAREETET, G. NEsTLii.