US771665A - Clock. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED OUT. 4, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 W. E. PORTER.

CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 4, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILSON E. PORTER, OF NEIV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO NEW HAVEN CLOCK (10., OF NEWV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 771,665, dated October 4, 1904. Application filed April 16, 1904. Serial No. 203,454. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILsoN E. PORTER, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals 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 of a clock embodying my invention with the upper portion of the front movement-plate broken away; Fig. 2, a plan view of the clock with the escapement mechanism removed; Fig. 3, a detached View in elevation of the weight and the two-armed lever which carries the weight and periodically lifts it; Fig. 4, a detached plan View thereof; Fig. 5, a detached view, in rear elevation, of the let-off wheel; Fig. 6, a detached plan view thereof, Fig. 7, a detached view in elevation of the let-off cam; Fig. 8, a plan view thereof; Fig. 9, a broken view, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing the two-armed lever, the let-off cam, the ratchet-wheel, and

the adjustable collar mounted upon the cen-' ter arbor; Fig. 10, a broken view, in front elevation, in the nature of a diagram to show the time-train.

My invention relates to an improvement in remontoir clocks of the type in which the prime motor is employed to raise a secondary motor in the form of a weight the descent of which is used to drive the time-train, the object being to produce a simple, durable, and reliable mechanism constructed with particular reference to reducing the friction of its remontoir features to the minimum and to prolonging the running-time of the clock on one winding.

WVith these ends in View my invention consists in certain details of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown I employ a weight 2, secured to the outer end of the long weight-carrying arm 3 of a two-armed lever 4, the short arm 5 of which forms a weight-lifting or weight- 5 kicking arm, as will be described later on. The said two-armed lever 4 is fitted upon one shoulder of a doubly-shouldered hub 6, the other shoulder of which has fitted upon it a let-off cam 7, having a drop 7*, and the said hub being mounted upon the center arbor 8 so as to turn loosely thereupon, whereby the lever and cam are rocked in a vertical plane and as though made in one piece with the hub. The said lever and cam are held in place upon the said arbor by means of an adjust able collar 9, having a set-screw 10, and by a fine-toothed ratchet-wheel 11, the said collar and wheel being secured to the said arbor on opposite sides of the said hub. The said wheel 5 has its teeth engaged by a pawl 12, mounted in a stud 13, secured to the inner face of the arm 3 of the lever 4. Preferably the pawl 12 will be constructed as shown and described in my pending application, filed February 5, 7 1904, and serially numbered 192,110, though this is not essential. The power of the weight 2 as it descends under the action of gravity operates through the pawl 12 and ratchetwheel 11 to turn the center arbor 8.

The let-ofi cam 7 coacts with a cam-like letoff wheel 14, having, as shown, three teeth 15 arranged at equal distances from each other and located in the plane of the cam 7, so as to ride upon the periphery thereof. However, the number of the teeth 15 may be varied as desired. The said wheel 14 is also provided, as shown, with three weight-lifting or weighticking pins 16, arranged symmetrically with 1e said teeth 15 and projecting inwardly 5 into position to strike the upper edge of the short arm 5 of the two-armed lever 4. The wheel 14 is by preference made of steel and secured to a hub 17, mounted upon a let-off arbor 18, journaled at its forward end in the 9 front movement-plate 19 and at its rear end in the intermediate movement-plate 20. The said arbor 18 carries a pinion 21, meshed into by a large gear-wheel 22 on an arbor 23, carrying a pinion 24, meshing into a gear-wheel 25 on an arbor 26, carrying a pinion 27, meshing into the main wheel 28 on the spring-barrel 29, which needs no description further of the mainspring.

than to say that it contains the mainspring, the power of which is periodically let off by the riding of the teeth 15 of the let-off wheel 14 over the drop 7 of the let-ofi cam 7,where by the said wheel 14 is permitted to make onethird of one revolution under the full power 7 The parts just described constitute an impact weight-raising mechanism for raising the weight by a sudden impulse to which the weight is free to respond untrammeled by any gearing, whereas in earlier remontoir clocks the weight employed to drive the time-train was raised by the power-train through the medium of gearing, and therefore gradually and always to a predetermined height.

The escapement mechanism and dialwork employed may be of any approved construction and will be varied according to the size and character of the clock in which my invention is embodied. As herein shown, the center Wheel 30, mounted upon the rear end of the center arbor 8. meshes into a pinion 31 on an arbor 32, carrying a wheel 33, meshing into a pinion 3 1 on an arbor 35, carrying an escapement-wheel 36, coacting with a verge 37 on a Verge-arbor 38. The escapement-train just above described corresponds to the ordinary escapement-train and does not need further description. It is so Well known that it has been omitted from Fig. 2 of the drawings, and to avoid complication some of its pinions and wheels have been shown only diagrammatically in Fig. 1. As to the time-train, the projecting forward end of the center arbor 8 carries the minute-wheel 39, which meshes into the dial-wheel 4:0,which is mounted on a short stud 11 and carries a pinion 12, meshing into the hour-wheel 1 1, Which has the usual socket 4 1 for the attachment of the hourhand, which is not shown. The minute-hand (not shown) is attached to a sleeve 39, extending forward fromthe minute-wheel 39 through the hour-Wheel 4 1 and the socket 14: thereof. This time-train may of course be varied without affecting my invention.

In the operation of my improvedclock the descent of the weight 2 under the action of gravity drives the time-train at a uniform rate. As the weight descends the let-off cam turns under, so to speak, the particular let-off tooth. The

of this action, which will not always be the same, as the weight will be kicked higher at some times than at others, owing to the running down of the mainspring or to other causes. However, variations in the height to which the Weight is kicked will not affect the time-keeping qualities of the clock, though it will slightly vary the periodicity of the letoif of the mainspring; but that is immaterial.

I would 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 departures therefrom as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of myinvention.

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

1. In aclock, the combination with a powertrain, of a time-train, a weight for driving the time train, and an impact weight raising mechanism interposed between the powertrain and the weight and comprising a let-0E cam operated by the said weight, a let-off wheel coacting directly with the said cam and driven by the power-train and means operating by impact to suddenly raise the weight when the said wheel is let off by the said cam.

2. In a clock, the combination with a powertrain, of a time-train, a lever having a weightcarrying arm and a weight lifting arm, a weight carried by the said weight-carrying arm, a let-off cam connected with the said lever and operated thereby, a let off wheel driven by the power-train and having teeth engaging with the let-off cam, and pins turning with the said wheel and engaging with the weight-lifting arm of the lever to turn the same and lift the weight.

3. In aclock, the combination with a powertrain, of a time-train including a center arbor, a two-armed lever mounted so as toswing in a vertical plane upon the said center arbor, a weight carried by the long arm of the said lever for driving the time-train, a pawl carried by the said long arm of the lever, a ratchetwheel mounted upon the said center arbor and engaged by the pawl, a let-01f cam connected with the lever and turning therewith, a let-ofl wheel driven by the power-train and coacting with the said cam, and pins turning with the let-off wheel and coacting with the short arm of the said lever for kicking the weight into an elevated position when the power-train is released by the let-01f cam.

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

WILSON PORTER.

Witnesses:

LUCY A. SULLIVAN, M. E. SMITH.

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