US876721A - Winding-indicator for timepieces. - Google Patents

Description

No. 876,721. PATENTBD M1114, 1908.

' A. G. KOUNTZ.

WINDING INDICATOR FOR TIMBPIECES. APPLICATION FILED 1101/114, 1905.

@00am/femm' ALBERT G. KOUNTZ, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

WINDING-INDICATOR FOR TIME PIECES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application nieu November 111. 1905. Serial No. 287.295.

T 0 all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. KOUNTZ, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Mount Oliver Station, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Winding Indicators for Timepieces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in winding indicators for time pieces, and the invention has for its object the provision of novel means to be actuated by a clock, to determine when the main spring of the clock has become exhausted or the clock has run down.

Briefly described, my invention consists in providing the winding arbor or main spring shaft with a disk having a lug, said lug being adapted to mesh with a gear wheel which imparts a rotary motion to another gear wheel carrying a hand, the hand being exposed 'upon the dial of the clock, and when said hand has reached a certain position indicated upon the dial, this position denotes that the clock has run down.

The detail construction of my invention will be hereinafter more fully described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and referring to the drawing accompanying this application, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a clock constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view, a portion of the clock being broken away illustrating the mechanism thereof in said elevation, and Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion of my improved mechanism.

To put my invention into practice, I einploy a conventional form of clock 1 having a main spring 2, the one end of which is attached to a winding arbor 3. The main spring and the winding arbor are carried by a skeleton frame 4 mounted within the body of the clock and to this frame, I secure two coinciding plates 5, 5, which are spaced apart and substantially oval in plan and said plates are secured together and to the frame 4 by screws or rivets 6. The plates are provided with alim'ng slots 7, 7 and in said slots is mounted an adjustable shaft 8 upon which is journaled between said plates, a gear wheel 9. The end of the winding arbor 3 is provided with a disk 10 carrying a radially disposed lug 11, and the plates 5, 5 are cut away as at .12 to permit of the disk 10 lying in close proximity to the gear wheel 9, whereby as the disk 1() revolves the lug 11 will niesh with the teeth of said gear wheel.

The dial 14 of the clock is provided with an annular opening 15 which exposes the face of the front plate 5. Between the plates 5, 5 is journaled a shaft 16 upon which is mounted a gear wheel 17 adapted to mesh with the gear wheel 9 of the shaft 8. The shaft 16 of the gear wheel 17 protrudes through the front plate 5 and is provided with a hand 18. The front plate 5 is marked as at 19, said mark representing a distinct radially disposed line.

The rotation of the winding arbor 3 of the main spring while the clock is running carries with it the disk 10 and as said disk revolves, the lug 11 thereof will engage the gear wheel 9 and through the medium of the pinion, impart a rotary movement to the gear wheel 17. The rotation of the gear wheel17 carries with it the hand 1S and one rotation of this hand is adapted to represent the energy of the main spring 2 of the clock. lVhen the hand 1S reaches the mark 19, it denotes that the energy of the main spring has been exhausted and the clock has run down.

In order to prevent the clock from stopping when the main spring has become exhausted, I arrange the gear wheels 9 and 17 whereby the hand 18 will reach the mark 19 slightly prior to the exhaustion of the spring 2 thereby giving suflicient notice that the clock needs rewinding and that in a short period of time the clock will stop.

The slots 7, 7 of the plates 5, 5 are provided in case it is desired to mount a larger gear wheel between the plates 5, 5 or adjust the gear wheels between said plates, it being necessary that the device be made adjustable in order to be used in connection with different sizes of clocks. For instance, if it should be found after attaching the plates 5, 5 and the gear wheel 9 and 17 to the clock that the clock spring runs down sooner than was expected it would be necessary to take out the gear wheel 9 and replace it by a larger gear wheel and in that event, as it would be necessary to move the shaft of the gear wheel 9 further away from the shaft of the gear wheel 17, the slot would provide for such movev ment and obviate the necessity of boring holes for the reception of the shaft of the new gear wheel.

l preferably construct my improved device of sheet metal, as brass, which is stamped out to form the gear wheels 9 and 17, also the disk l() and the plates 5, 5, and itwill be observed that whenso constructed that my device will be extremely simple in construction, strong and durable. and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

In the clock shown in the drawing which is the type I propose to employ, the winding arbor turns in one direction while the clock is running, and while turning in this direction the disk 10 imparts movement to the gear wheels 9 and 17 and turns the hand 18 in the same direction as the hands proper of the clock. Vhen, however, the clock is being wound up, the arbor is turned in a direction opposite to that which it turns while the clock is Vrunning and when so turned the disk 10 imparts movement through the gear wheels 9 and 17 to the hand 18 in a direction reverse to that imparted to said hand when the clock is running. Thus the winding of the arbor in the ordinary manner restores the hand 18 to its Zero position when the clock is wound up.

Such changes in the form7 proportion and minor details of construction, as are permissible by the appended claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a clock including a casing, a frame for the clock mechanism,

` said mechanism including a winding arbor',

an extended second-hand arbor, and a dial having apertures opposite the winding arbor and the extended second-hand arbor, of two plates s aced apart and connected to the frame o the clock mechanism and provided with alined slots, a shaft vadjustably supported in said slots, a gear carried by said secondhand arbor, a gear carried by said shaft and engaging the irst mentioned gear, and a disk carried by said winding arbor and provided with a radial stud adapted to intermittently engage the teeth of the gear adjacent thereto.

ln testimony whereof l alix my signature -in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT G. KOUNTZ. Vitnesses.

C. KLosTERMANN, FRANK E. WILLER.

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