IMPROVED MACHINES OR CLOCKS TO REGISTER CONDITIONS OF THE ATMO- SPHERE, AND TO KEEP CORRECT TIME
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ford Stanley, of Great Turnstile,
Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINES OR CLOCKS TO REGISTER CONDITIONS OF THE ATMO-
SPHERE, AND TO KEEP CORRECT TIME.”
Sealed the 26th May 1876, and dated the 29th November 1875.
¿PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ford Stanley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th November 1875.
I, WILLIAM FORD STANLEY, of Great Turnstile, Holborn, in the
5 County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED MACHINES OR CLOCKS TO REGISTER CONDITIONS OF THE ATMO-
SPHERE, AND TO KEEP CORRECT TIME," to be as follows:-
My improvements have for object the ascertaining of the pressure and
the temperature of the atmosphere, also of equalizing these so that a
) clock may go at a regular rate.

page_text: 1st. For ascertaining barometric pressure I suspend as a part of the
pendulum a mercurial barometer, made with its cistern and vacuum
chambers of nearly equal diameter, and of such size that the mercury in
being raised by atmospheric pressure the centre of gravity will be
changed sufficiently to regulate the clock that mean atmospheric
pressure may be ascertained thereby.
2nd. As equivalent to the above (1st) in certain instances I claim to
use one or more vacuum chambers, similar to those used in aneroid
barometers, to raise the bob of the pendulum to change the centre of
gravity, instead of the mercureal barometer described.
3rd. For ascertaining time I use the same construction as the first
(1st), except that the barometer is of small size, and is applied to an
ordinary mercureal or other compensation pendulum (which is made to
regulate for temperature only), this addition being made to regulate
the effects of varying density of the atmosphere, so that the centre
of gravity of the pendulum may be changed in a small degree to
regulate the clock that meantime may be ascertained thereby. For
the compensation of this pendulum, if the tubular construction of com-
pensation is used, I claim for varying the thermometric compensation to
make the support of the bob a roving nut with graduated scale.
4th. As equivalent and instead of the small mercureal barometer
described, 3rd, I claim to use a vacuum chamber similar to the vacuum
chamber of an ancroid barometer, loaded with a small weight or weights,
which will in rising change the centre of gravity in a small degree, so
as to regulate the clock for density of atmosphere that mean time may
be ascertained thereby.
5th. For ascertaining temperature the same construction of pendulum
as described, 1st, with the exception that the lower surface of the
mercury is closed over with an air chamber above it, so that the centre
of gravity will be changed by temperature that it will regulate the clock
that mean temperature may be ascertained thereby.
6th. In place of the closed tube described, 5th, I claim to use the
equivalent in what is termed the gridiron or tubular pendulum, but with
this difference, that the expansion of the metals is reversed, so that heat
will cause the pendulum to lengthen materially, or that the pendulum
shall be considerably over corrected for expansion, so that heat shall
materially shorten it, whereas in the ordinary gridiron or tubular

page_text: pendulum the construction is such that heat shall neither lengthen nor
shorten it, my object in this being to change the centre of gravity not to
keep it regular.
7th. Clockwork; this I make so that instead of indicating hours,
quarters, and seconds, or degrees or inches, I count mechanically the
oscillations of the pendulum, so that for a day I read, say, 10,000 oscil-
lations, not 24 hours, and the improvement consists in applying numerical
counting to time, temperature, or pressure, for which I use such
machinery to form part of a clock as feet are calculated by in a gas
meter, or rate of currents in anemometers.
The novelties of this Invention are, causing a barometer or thermo-
meter to oscillate with a pendulum or as a pendulum, of which details
are given, and of calculating time, temperature, or pressure by the
oscillations, instead of by the ordinary division into hours, degrees, or
inches.
All the improvements may be applied to one machine, except
such parts as are equivalent one to the other; this will be necessary
generally for meterological observations, or any part may be applied
separately to any kind of clock.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Ford Stanley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FORD STANLEY, of Great Turnstile, Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Ford Stanley, Her special
licence, that I, the said William Ford Stanley, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Ford Stanley,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVED MACHINES OR CLOCKS TO REGISTER CONDITIONS OF THE ATMOSPHERE,
AND TO KEEP CORRECT TIME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Ford Stanley, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Ford Stanley, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My improvements have for object the ascertaining of the pressure
and temperature of the atmosphere by clocks of a peculiar principle of
construction made so that their time rate may be influenced by atmo-
spheric changes, the degree of which is ascertained by comparison by
another clock regulated to keep correct time.
The improvements are applied to the construction of the pendulum,
and to the method of calculating the time, or pressure, or temperature,
which is done numerically.
For ascertaining the barometrical pressure I suspend an apparatus
similar in principle to a mercurial barometer to form the pendulum of
the clock to be described. This barometric pendulum is made differently
from the ordinary barometer in having the upper or vaccuum chamber
larger. This is shown clearly in Figure 1, section A. In the Drawing
the chamber is shown parallel. In practice it will be necessary to make
it internally slightly conical, or to have a conical plug in this or the
lower chamber for a compensation to make equal rise of mercury give
equal time values, but the object of the construction is that the mercury
is raised by atmospheric pressure so as materially to change the centre
of gravity of the pendulum, and accellerate the time rate of the clock,
giving thereby amount of atmospheric pressure by comparison with the
time compensated clock. It is particularly to be observed this barometric

page_text: arrangement is not made to regulate the clock to make it keep correct
time for compensation of atmospheric pressure, but the principle is
exactly the opposite of this, namely, it is to make the clock much
influenced by atmospheric changes, so that it does not keep time or go
3 at uniform rate.
For ascertaining temperature the same construction of pendulum as
that described above, with the exception that the lower surface of the
mercury called the cistern in an ordinary barometer is closed over with
an air chamber above it, as is shown in Drawing, Figure 2, section B.
The object of this construction is that the mercury is raised by increase
of temperature so as materially to change the centre of gravity of the
pendulum, and thereby to accelerate the clock, so that it may show the
temperature by comparison of difference by the compensated clock.
This construction is not to regulate the clock to keep correct time for
compensation of atmospheric temperature, but the opposite of this; it is
to make the clock much influenced by atmospheric changes. It will be
observed that if a small hole were made in the side of this pendulum,
Figure 2, it would be then barometric, as Figure 1. A moveable plug
screwed into the hole would permit it to be used for either temperature
or pressure, as shown at A; this pendulum may be used separately as a
thermometer. The principle of the above described might be carried out
by means of aneroid barometer chambers lifting a weight in the
pendulum, or by a much under or over compensated gridiron pendulum,
which may be considered as the mechanical equivalent of those first
described. They would not be so good as the mercury pendulum, but
I claim the use of these principles, as a part of my Invention consists of
using the pendulum for ascertaining the state of the atmosphere, and it
is the first time that a pendulum has been used for this purpose.
In the above I have used the word "clock" for want of a better
term. What I intend thereby is a system of clockwork made so that
instead of indicating hours, minutes, or degrees or inches, I count
mechanically the oscillations of the pendulum, so that for a day I read,
say, ten thousand oscillations, not 24 hours, and I call this ten thousand
correct time; and the improvement consists in applying numerical
counting of pendulum oscillations to time, temperature, or barometric
pressure, for which I use such machinery to form the counting part
of the clock as is used for calculating feet in a gas metre or rate of

page_text: currents of air in air metres. In Fig. 3 I have shown a completo
atmospheric apparatus, the dials of which will clearly indicate the
necessary mechanical construction.
In construction of the above the pendulums will be made by preference
of steel, and the chambers be loaded with mercury, but it is quite
obvious other material and fluid would answer the same purposes,
although in an inferior degree.
What is particularly claimed by this Invention is, the causing what is
equivalent to a barometer or thermometer of oscilate as a pendulum to
ascertain temperature or pressure of atmosphere, and of calculating ]
these, or timed by clockwork in number of oscillations shown on a dial
or dials.
All the improvements may be applied to one machine, except such
parts as are one equivalent to the other, or the separate parts may be
used disjunctively for the purposes described, or applied as parts of J
machines in use.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ford Stanley, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.
2