US529835A - Half to frederick n - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 SheetS Sheet 1.

.H. W. PORTER.

MUSICAL GLOGK.

No. 529,835. Patented Nov. 27, 1894.

Tu: mums PETERS c0 FHOTCLLIYHQ, WASHANGYQN, n. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. W. PORTER. MUSICAL CLOCK.

No. 529,835. Patented Nov. 2?, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. PORTER, OF FORESTVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO FREDERICK N. MANROSS, OF SAME PLACE.

MUSICAL CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,835, dated November 27, 1894. Application filed March 7,1893. Renewed February 14. 1894:. Serial No. 500,177. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. PORTER, of Forestville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Musical Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a view in front elevation of a clock-movement and independently organized music-box mechanism, constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a broken plan View showing portions of the said mechanism, and particularly the releasing and stopping devices thereof; Fig. 3, a broken view in side elevation showing portions of the said devices; Fig. 4:, a View in front elevation showing a modified form which the releasing and stopping devices of a musicbox mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention may assume; Fig. 5, a detailed view on a larger scale, with particular reference to the drum stop-arm and the guard; Fig. 6, a detailed view showing a modified form of guard.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of musical clocks in which, at predetermined times, a music-box is played, the object being to provide for the playing of the box without in any wise interfering with the striking of the clock, by a simple and compact mechanism, organized independently of the clock-movement, and connected therewith in much the same manner as an alarm-movement is connected with a clock-movement.

With these ends in view, myinvention consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

The clock-movement A, shown by Fig. 1 of the drawings, may be of any ordinary construction, and contains a time train and a strike-train. Its center-arbor B, is projected through its back-plate, and provided upon its projecting end with a collar C, having a single finger, and forming a rotary lift which co-operates once during each revolution, and therefore once an hour, with the strike-lever D, and the bell-crank music-lever D, the said levers being located in the same vertical plane on opposite sides of the center-arbor B, and hung on pivots d d, entering the said backplate of the movement. Each of the said levers is provided with an inwardly pro ecting, long, fiat spring d, arranged for engagement by the finger of the cam before mentioned, and to yield to pressure in one direction so as to permit the center-arbor to be turned back as for setting the clock, without deranging the movement.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the strike-lever D is represented in the position which it has just before it is released by the finger of the rotary-lift C, to permit the clock to strike, and it will be understood that the lower arm of the music-lever D will be correspondingly deflected by the rotary lift before it is released for permitting the musicbox to play.

A lifting-wire E, loosely connected with the outer end of the horizontal arm of the bellcrank music-lever D, depends therefrom for connection with the releasing and stopping devices of the independentlyorganized music box mechanism.

The independently organized music-box mechanism of my invention comprises the drum F, comb G, and fly H, of an ordinary music-box, the said fly being located at the end of an ordinary fiy-train, the first wheel I, of which is mounted on the shaft F of the said drum. This train may be of any ordinary construction aud arrangement, and will not require detailed description.

Instead of employing the small springs generally used with small music-boxes, Iemploy a large spring J, driving the main-wheel K of the musictrain which actuates the drum. This music-train may consist of any suitable and convenient arrangement of wheels and pinions, and will not require detailed descrip-' tion. If desired the ordinary train such as small music-boxes are furnished with, may be retained, by simply removing the spring with which such boxes are furnished, and replacing it with a pinion K, arranged to intermesh with what I have termed the main-wheel K. As shown herein, I have utilized one of those small music-boxes, attaching the same by its base M, by means of screws m, directly to the inner surface of the rear movement plate N, of the music-boxmechanism,which also comprises a corresponding forward plate N, the winding-arbor J carrying the wheel K, being journaled between the said plates. In order to have the said music-train released and stopped automatically to cause the music-box to play at predetermined intervals, I provide the said mechanism with releasing and stopping devices, whichI construct on what I term the warn principle, for the reason that they correspond in operation to the warning of a clock preparatory to striking. These devices may assume a variety of forms, two of which I have shown in the drawings attached hereto, together with a modification of one of them.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, the lower end of the lifting-wire E is hooked into the outer end of a lifting-arm a, secured to a horizontal rock-shaft I), mounted in suitable supports, which do not need detailed description, and also carrying a depending stop-arm c, and a horizontal warning-arm (P. The said stop-arm c engages at its lower end with a stop-finger 6, consisting of a small plate, pivoted to a circular head or diskf, applied to the adjacent end of the drum, and projecting beyond the periphery thereof, the said finger extending at its outer end beyond the edge of the said head or disk, and being furnished with a spring g, arranged to exert a constant effort to turn the finger on its pivot, and clear its outer end from the stop-arm c. The said warning-arm dice-operates with the fly before mentioned. A small spiral spring 71/, connected with the shaft b, is arranged to turn the same in the opposite direction from which it is turned when the lifting-lever a, is raised by the lifting-wire E.

Normally, under the construction above described, the drum is held, and the music-train restrained by means of the engagement of the finger 6, with the lower end of the stop-arm c, and the engagement of the warning-arm d with the fly 1-1. Now when the lift-cam C begins to turn the bell-cran k music-lever D and act through the lifting wire E, in raising the lifting-arm a, the shaft 1) will be rocked and thelower end of the stop-arm disengaged from the stop-finger e, which will be immediately cleared from the said arm by its spring g, which throws it into the position in which it is shown by broken lines in Fig. 3. The music-train is now restrained solely by the warning-arm 01 which the described movement of the shaft Z), has simply moved farther inward upon the fly II. Therefore during the time that the cam O is moving the music-lever D, and hence during the time that the liftarm a is being lifted, the warning-arm d is simply moved inward on the fly. Then when the said earn 0, is carried past the lever D, and the same is allowed to drop, the spring h will immediately act to turn the shaft b, in the opposite direction, whereby the warning-arm (1 will be cleared from the fly II, and the lower end of the stop-arm engaged with the edge of the head or disk f, upon which it will travel as the drum rotates, until it is pushed out of such engagement by means of the stop-finger e, which so operates just as the drum completes a revolution, whereby the shaft 1), is rotated, with the effect of throwing the warning-arm d again into engagement with the fly. It will thus be seen that although the drum is released when the cam O, first begins to act on the music-lever D, the music-train is held by the warning-arm until the said cam completes its movement of the said lever, which in the timing of the clock movement it will not do until the time for the music-box to play has arrived.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings I have shown my preferred form of releasing and stopping devices for the music-box mechanism. In this construction the main-wheel O of the fly-train is constructed near its edge with a transverse hole 0, which receives theinwardly turned lower end of the drum stop-arm P, of a stop lever P, hung on a screw 1), to the inner face of the back-plate Q, of the musicbox mechanism. An operating-spring R, attached to the upper end of the stop-lever on which it is vertically adjustable for varying its tension, is provided for exerting a constant effort to throw the inwardly turned lower end of the drum stop-arm into the hole 0, in the wheel 0. A plate S, pivoted to the said drum-stop-arm, and arranged vertically therewith, has attached to its upper end a long flat sheet-metal spring S, which forms a guard for covering the hole 0, when the drum is being started, as will be described lateron.

Although this spring S, is attached to the plate S,in the plane thereof,itis bent a quarter turn, so that its lower end will stand in the plane of the wheel 0, that it may lie close to the outer face of the same. The said spring, it will be observed, extends downward below the hole, as clearly shown by Fig. 2 of the drawings, which also shows a pin 0, located below and to the rear of the said hole with reference to the direction in which the drum is rotated. Normally the inner edge of the said spring is engaged with the outer edge of the drum stop-arm under slight tension, so that when the said arm is withdrawn from the hole 0, the spring will of its own tension move in front of the said arm. The stop-lever is also furnished with a fly stop-arm P arranged to engage with the fly U, which is arranged in the ordinary manner at the end of the flytrain of which the wheel 0, is the first wheel. The stop lever is moved for releasing the drum, by means of an operatingarm V, mounted on the same shaft V with a liftinglever V which receives the lower end of the lifting-wire E, the upper end of which is connected with the clock movement, as provided for in Fig. 1, or in some similar manner. The shaft V, which is mounted in the music-box mechanism, also carries a warning-arm V IIO the lower end of which is arranged to engage with the fly U, before mentioned, so as to hold the train by the same after the drum has been released, until the lifting arm V shall be released by the clock-movement, and the oper ating spring R, attached to the stop-lever P, operates in turning the shaft V, so as to clear the warning-arm V from the path of the fly.

To make the clearance of the warning-arm V from the fly U, more positive, I employ a light clearance spring V which is attached to the lifting-arm V as shown by Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Under the construction above described, the spring S forming the guard, normally stands directly in front of the hole 0 into which the lower end of the drum stop-arm is normally entered. Now when the wire E, is operated to lift the arm V the operating-arm V, is moved against the upper end of the stop-lever P, which is turned on its pivot so as to withdraw the lower end of its drum stop-arm from the said hole. The described movement of the stop-lever P, disengages its fly stop-arm P from the fly, but the same is not now allowed to rotate, for it at once engages with the warning-arm V which is thrown down into its path at the same time that the operatingtarm V, is moved against the upper end of the stop-lever P. It will be seen that the drum has now been released, and that the music-train is now restrained solely by the engagement of the warning-arm V with the fly U. The moment the drum stop-arm is withdrawn from the hole 0, the spring S, by virtue of its own tension, is moved over the hole so as to stand directly under the drum stop-arm. All of this takes place at the beginning of the lifting movement of the arm V and as this movement goes on, for it is not done all at once, but gradually, the only efiect upon the music-box mechanism will be to move the warning arm inward on the fly. Now when the lifting mechanism of the clock movement allows the wire E to drop, the operating spring R, at once operates to move the stop-lever P, and throw its drum stop-arm toward the wheel 0, and inasmuch as the drum has not yet started to rotate, the said arm will be in line with the opening 0, and would enter the same except for the spring S, which forms a guard for it. The same action of the operating-spring turns the shaft V on its center, and clears the warning-arm V from the fly U, which is now allowed to rotate. During the first movement of the drum, the end of the stop-arm rides over the spring, which having performed its duty, is soon positively moved from under the drum stop arm by means of the little pin 0, mounted in the wheel 0. The spring then engages with the outer edge of the said arm, and remains in a position of readiness to slide under the same and guard the hole as soon as the said arm is withdrawn therefrom preparatory to releasing the device for playing again. Now when the drum has completed one revolution, the arm is projected into the hole to stop the drum, the fly stop-arm P being at the same time engaged with the fly. It will thus be seen that this my preferred mechanism also operates on the warn principle, for the drum is released when the clockmovement is'getting ready to let the musicbox mechanism play, and the music-train controlled solely by its fly until the clock movement lets it off.

In Fig. 6, I have shown another form which a guard constructed and operating in accordance with my invention may assume. In this case it consists of a small plate W, pivoted by a pin to at one end, to the end of the drum. The stop-arm X in this case is located below the drum, and when lifted out of the opening Y, therein, the plate WV, is at once moved by the action of gravity over the hole, and between the same and the stop-arm. Then, just as the drum is about completing its revolution, the outer edge 10 of the plate engages with the stop-arm, whereby it is turned a little on its pivot, to expose the hole, so that the said arm may be projected into the same. The other details of the mechanism indicated by Fig. 6, may be substantially the same as those shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

It will be seenfrom the foregoing that in carrying out my invention, I may use any of the small music-boxes now on the market, by simple modifications and additions. Under my invention also,I avoid interfering with the striking mechanism of the clock, as my design is that the clock shall strike on the hour, and the music-box play on the half hour, and obviously the music-box might be arranged to play on the quarter hour if that were desirable, or it might be arranged to play on the hour, but at whatever time it is arranged to play, it will always have an independently organized mechanism connected with the clock movement in substantially the manner shown herein.

It is obvious from the foregoing that the details of the mechanism may be varied, and I would therefore have it understood that I do not-limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I am aware, however, that broadly considered, the combination with a clockmovement having a time train and strike train, of an independently organized music-box mechanism, is old, and also that it is old to employ a spring-actuated guard to enter between an opening formed in the drum of a music-box, and a stop-arm provided to enter the said opening and arrest the box, the guard preventing the drum from being stopped until it has made one complete revolution. I am further aware that it is old, in a music-box attachment for clocks, to employ a music-box mechanism of ordinary construction, except that its small driving spring is discarded and replaced by a small pinion,

which is meshed into by a large gear wheel, driven by a heavy spring corresponding to the strike-spring of a clock. I do not, therefore claim either of those constructions broadly.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a clock-movement having a timeand astrike-train, of a musiclever having two short arms, pivoted to the back of the clock-movement, an independently organized music-box mechanism located directly below the said movement, and including releasing and stopping devices constructed on the warn principle, a longlift-..

ing wire connected at its upper end with one arm of the said music lever, and at its lower end with the said devices, and a rotary lift mounted upon the center-arbor of the movement, and constructed to co-operate with the other arm of the said music-lever to lift the same, and hence the said wire to release the music-box mechanism, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a clock-movement having a timeand a strike-train, of a musiclever having two short arms, pivoted to the back of the clock movement, independently organized music-box mechanism located below the said movement, and including releasing and stopping devices, a long lifting-Wire connected at its upper end with one arm of the said music-lever, and at its lower end with the said devices, and a rotary lift mounted upon the center-arbor of the movement, and constructed to co-operate with the other arm of the said music-lever to lift the same, and hence the said wire to release the music-box mechanism, the said lift and music-lever being constructed and arranged to permit the center arbor to be reversely rotated or turned back, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a clock-movement having a timeand a strike-train, of a musiclever attached to the clock movement, an independently organized music-box mechanism, including releasing and stopping devices comprising a lifting-arm, a warning-arm and a stop-arm, a long lifting-wire connected at its upper end with the said music lever, and at its lower end with the said lifting-arm, and a rotary lift mounted upon the center arbor of the clock movement, and constructed to co-operate with the music-lever to lift the same, and hence the wire to start the musicbox mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4:. The combination with a clock-movement having a timeand a strike-train, of a musiclever attached to the said movement, an independently organized music-box mechanism, comprising a drum, releasing and stopping devices, an actuating spring, a train conmeeting the said spring with the drum, and two heavy plates between which the said parts of the music-box mechanism are mounted, a rotary lift actuated by the clock movement, and co-operating with the said music lover, and a lifting-wire connected at its upper end with said lever and at its lower end with the releasing and stopping devices of the musicbox mechanism, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a clock-movement having a timeand a strike train, of a musiclever attached to the said movement, a rotary lift actuated by the movement, and co-operating with the said lever, an independently organized music-box mechanism containing releasing and stopping devices, including a drum-stop arm adapted to enter a hole formed to receive it and rotating with the drum, and a spring-guard attached to the said arm, adapted to cover the said hole and to engage with the lower end of the said arm, and normally under tension which tends to moveit between the said arm and the drum, and a pin carried by the drum for engaging with the lower end of the said guard for positively moving the same away from the said hole after it has done its work; and a lifting-wire connecting the music-lever with the said releasing and stopping devices, substantially as described.

6. In an independently organized music-box mechanism designed to be set off by an independent starting instrumentality, the combination with two heavy movement-plates secured together by pillars interposed between them; of a music-box mechanism including a base, a drum journaled thereupon, a comb connected with the base for coaction with the drum, and a train connected with the drum for driving the same, the said mechanism being located between the two plates in position to be protected thereby, and secured by its base to the inner face of one of them; a springarbor interposed between and journaled in the two plates, a heavy spring secured at one end to the said arbor, and connected at the other end with the plates, a gear-wheel mounted upon the said arbor, rotated by the said spring, and meshing into a member of the music-box train, and stopping and starting mechanism organized independently of the music-box mechanism and connected to one of the said plates, but co-acting with the train of the said mechanism for releasing and stopping the same, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY \V. PORTER.

Witnesses:

RoswELL O. BEACH, IsAAc W. BEACH.

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