Alarm Striking Mechanisms.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Alarm Striking Mechanisms.
I, ALMERON MARK LANE, of Meriden, in the County of New Haven, and State of
('onnecticut, United States of America, Master Clock Maker, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in Alarm Striking Mechanisms, and the
objects of my improvement are economy in construction, to make a longer running
mechanism, and to produce a better sound by avoiding the rattle and noise incident
to the ordinary escapement of a vibrating hammer, and the employment of two bells..
in connection with a revolving hammer.
In the accompanying drawings ;-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a clock, two bells, and my bell striking mechanism.
a portion of the clock base being broken away in order to show the movement,
train.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the bells, clock base, and revolving hammer, the clock
proper removed, and-
Figure 3 is a partial vertical section of detached parts showing the connection of .
my revolving haminer with the holling and releasing arm of the clock.
A designates a clock mounted upon brackets 4 which brackets are connected' by
their outer ends to the central posts 5 that support the bells B on the base C.
Midway between these two bells is the hammer shaft 6 and revolving hammer 7.
mounted thereon. This hammer 7 is loosely pivoted to the crank pin 17. of a hub
or plate 8 which is rigidly mounted on the shaft 6 so as to revolve therewith. Thus
the hammer 7 necessarily revolves about said shaft and is at the same time free to
yield in case it strikes any object within its path. This hammer shaft 6 may be
rotated by means of any suitable spring and movement train, as for instance by
means of the spring 9 on the main shaft 10 and the wheels and pinions 11, 12, 13,
and 14, on the shafts 10, 15, and 6, all substantially as in well known movement
trains for a like purpose.
In order to control said bell ringing mechanism and revolving hammer, or rather
to hold it from operation until some predetermined time, I provide the upper end.
of the shaft 6 with a cross arm 16 and vertical arm 18, the two forming a crank.
These parts project through a suitable opening in the bottom of the clock case where
the crank arm may revolve when free or be held against rotation by the vertical
arm 18 engaging the holding and releasing arm 19 of the clock. This holding and
releasing arm may be operated by any ordinary means for moving it toward the
front at the proper time to release the arm 18, the particular holding and releasing
mechanism being no part of my present invention. A suitable holding and releasing
arm and mechanism for operating it in an alarm clock is shown and described in my
United States Patent No. 403,274, May 14th, 1889.
Instead of having the vertical arm 18 revolve at the end of the cross arm 16 said arm
might if desired be formed as a downward extension of the holding and releasing
arm 19 and rigidly secured thereto so that its lower end would engage the cross
arm 16 and hold the latter from revolution until the holding and releasing arm is
moved forwardly in precisely the same way, as far as the mode of operation is
concerned, as in the construction first described.
Whenever the holding cross arm at the upper end of the shaft 6 is released by the
withdrawal of the holding arm, the spring 9 acts to revolve the shaft 6 and with
it the parts mounted thereon. The hammer 7 being loosely pivoted to the crank
pin 17 will swing outwardly from the axis of the shaft by centrifugal force until
its forward outer corner strikes one of the bells that lie in its path when said
hammer will yield, swinging back slightly on its crank-pin, but recover itself
[Price 6d.

page_text: immediately after passing the bell so as to be free to strike the second bell and so on
striking each bell repeatedly as it is brought in contact therewith. The mechanism
runs easily and without the noise incident to the ordinary hammer escapement. The
bell or bells lying within the path of the hammer constitute an obstruction or
obstructions which on being struck by said hammer retard the movement of the train
and thereby prolong the time that the bammer will revolve at each winding of the
spring, the revolving hammer thus serving as the escapement of the spring actuated
train.
I prefer to employ two bells as with them a pleasanter sound is produced and the
hammer does not remain straight out so long by centrifugal force as when a single
bell only is employed, but it is evident that the main features of my invention may
be used in connection with either one or a greater number of bells. While I have
shown a spring and movement train for actuating the hammer shaft I do not wish
to confine myself to this particular train as any ordinary spring actuated train for
revolving the hammer shaft may be employed. I have also represented the holding
cross arm as upon the same shaft with the revolving hammer which is a matter of
convenience, but in some locations of the bell and the clock, it may be desirable to
arrange said arm on a separate shaft from that of the hammer, but such a change will
make no difference in the operation of the latter, it being only necessary that the
shaft carrying the holding cross arm and the shaft carrying the hammer shall both
of them be revolved by connected mechanism so that when the shaft bearing the
holding cross arm is permitted to revolve, the hammer shaft will revolve also.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is―
1. The combination of the revolving hammer, rotary cross arm, and the holding
and releasing devices of an alarm clock, substantially as described and for the purpose
specified.
•
2. The combination of a spring actuated train, holding and releasing devices, the
rotary hammer shaft, the revolving hammer yieldingly mounted thereon and an
obstruction lying within the path of said hammer, substantially as described and for
the purpose specified.
3. The combination of two bells, a spring actuated train, holding and releasing
devices, the rotary hammer shaft actuated by said train and located intermediate said
bells, and the revolving hammer yieldingly mounted on said shaft for striking both
bells, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I the said Almeron Mark Lane have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Second day of September in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and ninety.
ALMERON MARK LANE.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.