US472987A - Stem winding and setting watch - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. H. FLINT.

. STEM WINDING AND SETTING WATCH. No. 472,987;- Patented Apr. 19, 1892.

FIGJL. FIGJZ.

Z illlfiiilg UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

EDWIN n. L 0F CINCINNATI OHIO STEM WINDING AND SETTlNG WATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.472,987, dated April 19, 1892.

Application filed May 11,1891. Serial No. 392,304. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it 71mg concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. FLINT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stem Vinding and Setting \Vatches; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to those watches which are capable of being wound and set without employing a key or other extraneous device; and the first part of myimprovements consists in fitting a shiftable wheel between gears of the winding and hands-setting trains, said wheel being constantly engaged with another wheel or pinion, but preferably with a pinion. When this pinion is turned in one direction, the wheel moves towardone side of the watch and engages with the winding-train; but when said pinion is turned in a contrary direction said wheel shifts toward the opposite side of the watch and meshes with the hands-setting train. The turning of the pinion may be accomplished by any suitable means, although it is usually effected by an ordinary stem attached to the watch-pendant, as hereinafter more fully described.

The second part of my improvements c011- sists in providing the shiftable-wheel attachment with a peculiar stop, against which a longitudinally-shiftable stem can be brought to bear in such a manner as to temporarily lock said wheel in gear with either the winding or setting trains, as hereinafter more fully described.

Thethird part of my improvements includes a peculiar combination of devices that permits the shifting wheel to have a limited back-ratchet action while the watch is being wound, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings,Figure l is afront elevation of the essential parts of awatch embodying my invention, the shiftable wheel being engaged with an intermediate pinion of the winding-train. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is another front elevation of the watch, the shiftable wheel and pinions being removed and their positions shown by dot ted circles, and said wheel being indicated as in gear with an intermediate pinion of the hands-setting train. thereof. Fig. 5 is a greatly-enlarged vertical section of the mechanism, taken in the plane of the pendant-stem. Fig. 6 is a plan of two pieces of said mechanism detached from the watch.

A represents a portion of any watch-case. B is the pendant thereof, and C is a plllarplate properly secured within said case, a oncular hole being turned in said plate to admit a disk D, which latter is held in place by screws (1.

c are other screws,whercwith a stem-pinion bridge E is secured to the rear side of disk D, said bridge being bored circularly to admit a cylindrical sleevef, projecting at a right angle from the pinion F, the sleeve itself being provided with a square hole f to receive the square end of a stem 1), operated by the pendant B. This stem is capable of being turned by said pendant and also has a slight longitudinal motion solely for the purpose of locking the swinging wheel in either one of two positions. The driving-pinion F projects through a slot (1 of disk D and engages with the teeth of ,a swinging or other shiftable wheel G, which is couuterbored in front to admit the enlarged disk-shaped head h of pivot H, as more clearly seen in Fig. 5. Pivot H 'fits tightly within the hub 71 of a swinging bearing I and has a limited movement to the right and left in the slot of disk D, said bearing being coupled to the rear of said disk by a pivot 2". Attached to the rearside of bearing I is a bent spring J, the free end of which bears against a stop K, that turns on the hub i, said. stop being held in place by a pin it, that passes through the main pivot H.

l is a screw or pivot for an intermediate pinion L, that can be geared into any approved winding-train. m is another screw or pivot for an intermediate pinion M, capable of engagement with any desired hands-setting train.

To illustrate the operation of my mechanism, let it be supposed the stemb is retracted, as seen in Fig. 5, so as to cause the inner end of said stem to clear the stop K and thereby unlock the swinging bearing 1. Evidently Fig. lis a rear elevation this hearing and its attachments are now free to swing in either direction on the pivot i, which swinging motion will be governed by the turning of driving-pinion F. If pendant B should be turned in the direction of the arrow, (seen in Fig. 1,) said pinion will cause the wheel G to swing over accordingly and gear with the intermediate winding-pinion L. It is also evident thatthis motion of said wheel will be communicated to the hearing I, because the pivot H of wheel G passes through the hub i of said bearing. Consequently the latter is caused to assume the position seen in Fig. 2, and the stem I), being now advanced, bears against the stop K in the manner shown and holds the wheel G in mesh with the pinion L with a moderate degree of force, butnot so firmly as to prevent disengagement of said gears G L when pendant B is turned in a reverse direction. This disengagement is due to the slight yielding action the spring I permits the pivot H to have within the slot d", and is sufficient to allow what is called back-ratchet in winding a watch. Wheel G will therefore gear with the winding-train as long as stem b remains in the position seen in Fig. 2; but when it is desired to set the watch said stem must first beretracted, as seen in Fig. 5, and-the pendantB be turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, the result of said turning being that the drivingpinion F causes said wheel to swing over and engage with the pinion M' of the hands-setting train. Stem b is again advanced and bears against the stop K in the manner shown in Fig. 4, and causes a positive engagement of wheel G and pinion M until the hands of the watch have been properly set, after which act said stem is again retracted, the pendant turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the wheel G thrown in gear with pinion L, and then the stem bis again advanced to hold said wheel in gear with the winding-train, which is the normal condition of the mechanism. It will thus be seen that the act of throwing the main wheel G into gear either with the. winding or setting trains is due wholly to the proper turning of driving-pin ion F, and is entirely independent of the longitudinally-shiftable stem b, the function of the latter being merely to lock said wheel in the desired position. In Fig. 5 the diameter of this pinion F has been greatly enlarged on account of the wheel G, plate D, bearing 1, and stop K being shown'unusually thick to render them conspicuous; but in reality the relative diameters of said wheel and pinion are about as shown in Fig. 1. Finally, the disk D is to be used only when the mechanism is fitted to old watches; but in constructing new watches said mechanism will be applied directly to the pillar-plate G.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a watch, of a winding-train, a hands-setting train, a laterallyswinging bearing, a wheel journaled in this bearing, a stem-pinion constantly in gear with said wheel, and a longitudinally shiftable pendant-stem traversing the hub of said pinion and serving to operate the latter, the arrangement of these devices being such that the proper turning of-said pinion will swing said wheel aside and cause it to engage with the winding-train, while the turning of said pinion in another direction will swing said wheel to the opposite side and compel it to engage with the handssetting train, the pendant-stem being pushed in after the wheel has shifted for the purpose of locking the swinging bearing in position, all as herein described.

2. The combination, in a watch, of a longitudinally-shiftable stem 1), operated by the pendant, a driving-pinion F, havinga hole f, traversed by said stem, a pivot 11, a main wheel G, turning on the latter and engaging with said pinion F, a pivott', a swinging bearing I, hung thereon and having a hub 1', carrying said pivot H, a spring J, secured at one end to said bearing I, a stop K, pivoted to said hub 71 and having the free end of said spring in contact with it, a winding-gear L, and a hands-setting gear M, all as herein described, and for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I EDWIN H. FLINT.

Witnesses:

J AMES H. LAYMAN, FRANCIS M. BIDDLE.

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