Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 1st Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Dec.,
1888
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
This invention refers to watches, chronometers and other time keepers and especially
to those which are provided with a seconds' hand, and it has for object improved
means for indicating either a part of a second or a full or independent second
(seconde morte) so that a time keeper provided with these improved means may be
used for all scientific purposes. The arrangement of parts for obtaining this result
will be understood from the following description.
The
Underneath the chronograph wheel is placed the centre seconds' wheel with sixty
ratchet teeth, these two wheels being connected by a fine spiral spring.
chronograph wheel is fitted loosely upon the seconds arbor, whereas the centre
seconds wheel is fixed upon said arbor. In order to cause the centre seconds wheel
and consequently the seconds hand on the same arbor to move or jump from second to
second, a small wheel with six teeth is fixed upon the arbor of the escape wheel, the
said arbor being prolonged for that purpose in an upward direction; this six toothed
wheel, after each second, lifts a small unlocking lever from the teeth of the centre
The centre seconds wheel
seconds wheel into which it is pressed by a fine spring.
being thus freed will now turn in advance until a small pin, projecting from it comes
against a recess in the chronograph wheel above, which movement corresponds to the
duration of a second, so that the next tooth of the centre seconds wheel is met or
At the under side of the
stopped by the lever which has in the meantime dropped.
On
upper plate is mounted a raichet wheel which may be shifted by a spring lever.
that part of the arbor of this wheel which protrudes through the upper plate another
ratchet wheel provided with projections and recesses is mounted. Against this wheel
the arm of a rocking bar, the arm of a small ratchet or unlocking lever and the arm of
a heartlever are pressed by means of small springs. As soon as the said small ratchet
lever is put out of position by the last named ratchet wheel, the pin of the centre

page_text: seconds wheel will take into the upper wheel in consequence of the tension of the spiral.
spring which connects them, so that both the wheels simultaneously move on, say one
fifth second or any other part of a second.
The action of the devices is as follows:-
In first pressing upon the spring lever, the ratchet wheel with which it is connected
and the other ratchet wheel on the same arbor are moved on the distance of one tooth,
by which movement the small ratchet lever and the rocking lever above described
drop from the elevations or projections of their ratchet wheel and the watch will move
from Zero or XII a full second or independent second; the heart lever will in the
meantime rest on the projection of the ratchet wheel. In pressing upon the spring
lever for the second time, this independent second is changed into the chronograph (or
into parts of a second) the small ratchet lever being raised on the projections of the
ratchet wheel as is also the heart lever. In pressing the third time upon the spring
lever all is stopped, the three levers lying on the projections of the ratchet wheel. In
pressing for the fourth time upon the spring lever, the heart lever returns to Zero
(or XII) whereas the small ratchet lever and the rocking bar remain on the
projections of the ratchet wheel.
D
11
1
1000

page_text: A communication from RICHARD LANGE of Glashutte, Saxony, German Empire,
Watch Manufacturer.
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents 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 :-
This invention refers to improvements in watches, chronometers, and other time-
keepers, and especially to those which are furnished with a seconds hand, and its
object is to provide means for changing the movement or rotation of the seconds hand
from fractions of a second, originating from the movements or beats of the balance
and being usually 0.2 second, into the movement or rotation of a full or springing
second, or vice versú, so that a timekeeper provided with the means aforesaid may be
readily employed for all scientific purposes.
The new arrangement of parts for changing the movement of the seconds hand
from a fractional part of a second into a full second is shown in plan in Figure 1 of
the accompanying drawings. Figures 2 and 3 show different positions of the parts
in changing the seconds hand movement. Figure 4 is a detail view of the
chronograph wheel and the centre seconds wheel combined, and Figure 5 shows
the same parts detached. Referring to these last Figures 4 and 5, the chronograph
wheel a is mounted loosely on the arbor x of the seconds hand, and below a the centre
seconds wheel is mounted rigidly on the said arbor and is provided with 60 teeth;
the wheels a and are connected together by a fine spiral spring b¹. For properly
rotating and stopping the wheel and the seconds hand on its arbor a while indicating
full seconds (springing seconds), a small escapment wheel c, the arbor cl of which is
carried by the bridge d2 (Figure 1) will, by means of an arm c² allow the lever d to
take into and to be withdrawn from the teeth of the wheel so that this wheel and
the seconds hand will be arrested every full second, and will be allowed to move a full
second. The lever d. will, during such movement, be forced by the spring d³ to take
alternately into the teeth of the wheel b. There is a wheel a' on the arbor c¹ in constant
contact with the chronograph wheel a. For indicating a fraction of a second (0.2
second) the lever d is withdrawn from the teeth of wheel b; this wheel being thus freed,
it will be permanently rotated by the wheel u, a slot or hole g in the latter engaging with
the pin of the wheel b, the two wheels a and b rotating simultaneously and indicating
thus 0-2 second or any fraction, by the seconds hand.
For changing the indications by the seconds hand, the following arrangement of
parts is provided
-
The wheel (Figures 1, 2, and 3) is formed with projections and recesses; on the
lower side of this wheel ha ratchet wheel is arranged, into the teeth of which the
hook takes, pressed by spring 8; by pressure upon the lever ³ the hook will be
caused to rotate the wheel and the distance of one ratchet tooth. The lever h³
which is pivoted on the plate at h*, resis, with its one side against the pin 4 which is
fixed on the lever h', the latter being pivoted at he. By a comparatively strong spring
, fixed at , and pressing against the pin 4, the long end of the lever with its
book end is pressed inwards.

page_text: k is a rocking bridge or rocking bar pivoted at ¹; the free, or front end of this
bridge or bar takes alternately into recesses, and rests on the projections of the
wheel if this latter is rotated by the hook 2, the bearing of the bark against the
wheel being secured by the spring 2. In the middle of the bridge or bark is
mounted the wheel which may be caused to bear against the chronograph
wheel a (figure 3) or may be removed from it (figure 2).
Besides the bridge or bar & there are, bearing against the projections or recesses
of the wheel the lever m, pivoted at m¹, and caused by the spring m² to
temporarily bear against the teeth of the wheel , and also the zero lever n,
pivoted at n, which may be temporarily caused by the spring n² to press against
the heart o on the chronograph wheel a. There is a spring p to prevent the ratchet
wheel rotating more than one tooth.
7
:
For causing the lever d to take into the teeth of the centre seconds wheel b
there is a lever arranged near the upper plate, and protruding as seen in Figure 1;
this lever is pivoted at g', and its inner end is cut somewhat slanting. Against this
end a pin rests, which, protruding through the upper plate, is arranged sideways
on the lever, pivoted at. The free end of this lever, (because of the curved
spring which presses upon the pin q², overcoming the force of the spring ³) causes
the lever d, by acting against the part thereof, to be disengaged from the wheel b,
(as seen in Figure 1) in which position the wheel may rotate the seconds hand a
fraction of a second; but if, by moving the lever on its pivot ' against the
pressure of the spring, the lever is removed from the part of the lever d, this
latter, by pressure of its spring will take into the teeth of for arresting it at every
second, in which case it moves a full second; the arm c² at the same time takes into
the escapement wheel c.
It will be understood that the works, properly so called are not shown in the
drawings, as they would interfere with the clearness of the construction and arrange-
ment of the parts to which the present invention relates. It will be sufficient to
mention that the arbor of the wheel is driven by the ordinary works or train of
wheels.
The wheel transmits its rotation through the wheel to the chronograph wheel a
if the parts are in the position shown in Figure 3, and the wheel a causes the wheel a¹
to rotate, on the arbor of which wheel the escapement wheel is fixed. The
wheels a, a¹l, l'are not provided with full teeth, but their peripheries are so shaped
that when these wheels are engaged they cause rotation from one to the other by,
contact.
I will now proceed to explain how the parts above described are operated to change
the watch or timekeeper so as to indicate by its seconds hand either full seconds or
fractions of a second.
If the parts are in the zero position (as in Figure 2) a pressure upon the lever h³
will cause the ratchet wheel to advance one tooth. By this advance the pro-
jection 1 (Figure 2) of the wheel will be turned so far that the free end of the
bridge or barkfalls into the next recess (marked 2 in Figure 3) so that now the
wheel takes into or rests against the wheel a, causing the latter to rotate, in which
rotation the wheel participates; the lever d by shifting the lever g is caused to fall
into the teeth of b, from which teeth the lever dis intermittently disengaged, step by
step by the rotation of the wheel c, so that now the paris are in the position to cause
the indication of full or springing seconds by the seconds hand.
In order to change the timekeeper into a chronograph, that is to say, to change the
seconds hand from indicating full seconds so that it will indicate fractions of a second,
it is only necessary to shift the lever in the opposite direction, which will cause the
lever or arm & to be entirely disengaged from the ratchet teeth of the wheel b, so that
the latter, by its spiral-spring. connection with the wheel a, and by the hole or slot
in the latter engaging with the pin. f of the wheel b, will be rotated in common with
the wheel a which, rotation is such that the seconds hand indicates a fraction of a
second, usually 02 second, which fraction corresponds to the usual swinging
motion or beat of the balance.

page_text: In order to stop the seconds hand, which may be found convenient for scientific,
sporting, and various other purposes, which stopping may be accomplished whether
the seconds hand shows full seconds or fractions of a second, it is only necessary to
exert the next pressure on the lever ³, which causes the wheel to rotate one ratchet
tooth, by which rotation the front end of the lever m drops into the next recess
(Figure 1) of the wheel h, the rear end of the lever m thereby pressing against
the toothed periphery of the wheel b, arresting it and the seconds hand on its
arbor x.
If it is desired to bring the seconds hand into the "zero" position, that is to
say, for starting at the nought or zero point of the dial, a third pressure is exerted on
the lever, by which the wheel his again rotated to the extent of another ratchet
tooth; the result is that the lever m is raised by a projection of the wheel h, so as to
free its rear end from the periphery of the wheel while the lever a drops into
a recess of the wheel (Figure 2), thereby bringing the rear end of the lever n into
contact with the heart o; the lever being under pressure of the spring n² the
lever #
by means of the heart o will return the wheel & to the zero position. For
daily use of the watch or timekeeper it will suffice to have the parts in such a
position as to indicate fractions of a second by the seconds hand, it is enough to shift
the lever so that the lever or arm d is disengaged from the wheel b. In such case
it is well to disengage the wheel from the wheel a by the proper position of bridge
or bark, the wheel remaining in contact with the wheel 1, both wheels will run
loosely without driving anything.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me, and in what manner the same is to be performed
I declare that what I claim is :—
1. In watches or timekeepers, provided with a seconds hand, the combination, with
a centre seconds wheel 6, rigidly mounted on the seconds hand arbor and a chrono-
graph wheel a, loosely mounted on the said arber, these wheels being connected
together by a spiral spring and by a pin fon b, and a hole or slot in a, of an
arrangement of parts for changing the seconds hand movement from fractions of
a second into full or springing seconds, or vice versa, which arrangement consists
mainly of:
(A) a wheel, provided with projections and recesses, rotated, step by step, by
pressure on the lever ³, through the hook /² and ratchet wheel ', and acting
on the positions of the bridge or bark of the lever m and of the lever n for the
purpose above specified.
(B) a lever for throwing the lever d into or out of gear with the teeth of the
centre seconds wheel, the step by step lifting of the said lever d out of the
teeth of being caused by the revolution of the escapement wheel c.
(C) the wheel on the bridge or bar k, which wheel is rotated by the wheel I',
driven by the works of the timekeeper, the wheel in proper position, causing
the rotating movement of the centre seconds wheel b.
(D) the lever m, which, in proper position, acts as a break on the centre seconds
wheel b.
(E) the lever n, which, in proper position, causes the seconds hand to return to
zero by means of the heart o.
2. The combination of parts of a watch, chronometer, or other timekeeper provided
with a seconds hand, as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings for the purpose or purposes specified.
Dated this 1st day of November 1888.